2022 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Alabama

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 Alabama, there were 288 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,400 and $28,271 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for alabama design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Alabama

#1

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama

#1 in overall quality

$20,326 Average Net Price

$46,909 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Auburn University landed the #1 spot on the list. Auburn is a large public school situated in Auburn, Alabama. It awarded 154 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Auburn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Alabama” list. The yearly cost to attend Auburn University is $20,326 for Alabama Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Auburn University Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

#2 in overall quality

$19,863 Average Net Price

$44,897 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Alabama. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k. UA is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Alabama” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UA is $19,863 for alabama design students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 UA

#3

Samford University

Birmingham, Alabama

#3 in overall quality

$22,866 Average Net Price

$57,458 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Samford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools in Alabama For Those Making $30-$48k. Samford is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Samford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Alabama” ranking. It costs about $22,866 for Alabama Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Samford University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 Samford University

• Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k)

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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