2023 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
14
Ranked Colleges
1,124
Degrees Awarded
$10,800
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 1,124 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,459 and $32,125 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. BYU is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 95 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
BYU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $9,445 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Brigham Young University - Provo Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arapahoe Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Littleton, Colorado, this fairly large public school handed out 59 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Arapahoe Community College has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arapahoe Community College is $7,233 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Arapahoe Community College
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Salt Lake Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Salt Lake Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Salt Lake Community College is $5,129 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Salt Lake Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah Valley University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Utah Valley University is a public institution located in Orem, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 287 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UVU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UVU is $7,707 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UVU
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #5 spot on the list. U of U is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of U, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U of U is $10,431 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Utah
Northwest College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Powell, Wyoming, this small public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwest Community College has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $5,530 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwest Community College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Northwest Community College
LDS Business College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 35 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
LDS Business College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for LDS Business College is $7,901 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at LDS Business College
With a ranking of #8, Boise State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school awarded 104 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Boise State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $12,561 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boise State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Boise State University
Weber State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Ogden, Utah, and it awarded 51 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Weber State University is $9,748 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Weber State University
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Metropolitan State University of Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
MSU Denver did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $11,867 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MSU Denver.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Metropolitan State University of Denver
University of Denver ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. DU is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
DU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Denver is $20,307 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Denver
Southern Utah University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Cedar City, Utah, this fairly large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Southern Utah University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Southern Utah University is $9,873 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern Utah University
Montana State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bozeman, Montana, this fairly large public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
MSU Bozeman also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Montana State University is $15,986 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at MSU Bozeman
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lakewood, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 117 students in 2020-2021.
RMCAD also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design is $16,904 for rocky mountains region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at RMCAD
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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
- *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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