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2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

54 Ranked Colleges
3,029 Degrees Awarded
$10,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 6,083 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,399 and $27,675 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,029 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 54 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,850 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,553 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UCLA

Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $6,364 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach

Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Fresno State

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $9,842 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Davis Design & Applied Arts Report

#6

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 34 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wazzu has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $9,334 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Wazzu Design & Applied Arts Report

#7

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 66 students in 2019-2020.

WWU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $9,743 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WWU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full WWU Design & Applied Arts Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 153 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $10,940 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State

With a ranking of #10, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $9,378 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UNLV

#11

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Bellevue College is a fairly large school located in Bellevue, Washington that handed out 36 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend BC is $6,386 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at BC

#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 24 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,280 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego Design & Applied Arts Report

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 150 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $11,123 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full San Francisco State University Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #14, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,596 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Design & Applied Arts Report

#15

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,872 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Design & Applied Arts Report

#16

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $14,668 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at USC

Lake Washington Institute of Technology came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Kirkland, Washington, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,852 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

Full LWTech Design & Applied Arts Report

#18

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $11,198 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Portland State University

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $7,688 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $10,260 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Chico

#21

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CWU is $9,875 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at CWU

#22

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UO is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 38 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $12,690 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UO.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UO

#23

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Corvallis, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

Oregon State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State University is $14,157 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Oregon State University

#24

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington

Whitworth University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Whitworth University is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Whitworth University is $17,565 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Whitworth University

#25

Western Oregon University

Monmouth, Oregon

With a ranking of #25, Western Oregon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Oregon State College is a small public school situated in Monmouth, Oregon. It awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,816 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Oregon University.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Western Oregon University

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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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