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2023 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

9 Ranked Colleges
988 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Virginia, there were 988 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,842 and $26,331 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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 Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #1 spot on the list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $11,934 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Virginia Tech

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Virginia Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Virginia Community College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Virginia Community College is $7,515 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northern Virginia Community College

3

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tidewater Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Tidewater Community College is a fairly large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 76 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Tidewater Community College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $5,652 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tidewater Community College.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Tidewater Community College

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 315 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $14,507 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University

5
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the #5 spot on the list. Radford is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Radford, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $11,420 for Virginia Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Radford.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Radford

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Regent is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Regent not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Regent is $20,479 for Virginia Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Regent University

7
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, Virginia

Marymount University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Marymount University is located in Arlington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Marymount also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Marymount is $21,228 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad 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 Marymount

8
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 236 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $29,786 for virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University

9
Ai Virginia Beach crest
The Art Institute of Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, Virginia

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 9 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ai Virginia Beach has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ai Virginia Beach is $20,978 for Virginia Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ai Virginia Beach

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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