2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 168 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,469 and $14,548 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Elgin Community College

Elgin, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$2,384 Average Net Price

$29,685 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elgin Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. ECC is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ECC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $2,384 for Illinois Associate Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ECC.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Elgin Community College

#2

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$20,398 Average Net Price

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Roosevelt University landed the #2 spot on the list. Roosevelt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt is $20,398 for Illinois Associate Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Roosevelt University

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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