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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k)

421 Ranked Colleges
19,683 Degrees Awarded
$31,649 Avg Salary
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 For Those Making $48-$75k” 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 19,683 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 421 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

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 For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,832 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Washington University in St Louis

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $9,694 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#3

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 421 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,528 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UF.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Full UF Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $17,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Notre Dame Design & Applied Arts Report

Out of the 421 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 35 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $13,227 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 UW - Madison

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 42 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $9,654 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,351 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Design & Applied Arts Report

#8

Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, New York

Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 560 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

FIT SUNY not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Fashion Institute of Technology is $11,644 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fashion Institute of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,081 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Design & Applied Arts Report

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $15,213 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#11

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,583 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Florida State

California State University - Long Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k 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 excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Design & Applied Arts Report

#13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 132 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,556 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UMN Twin Cities

University of California - Davis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 235 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $13,578 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UC Davis

California State University - Fresno came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $7,549 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 227 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $14,161 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#17

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $7,222 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The 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 Queens College

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $15,757 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Design & Applied Arts Report

#19

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

NC State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $15,084 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NC State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 94%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at NC State

#20

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, IU Bloomington is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,060 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

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 low 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%.

Full IU Bloomington Design & Applied Arts Report

New York City College of Technology landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New York City College of Technology is $8,282 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New York City College of Technology

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU is also in the top of our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $12,466 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Brigham Young University - Provo

#23

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 60 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,067 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Virginia Tech.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Virginia Tech

#24

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stout is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 154 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

UW - Stout excels when it comes to design quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,235 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Stout Design & Applied Arts Report

#25

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $6,993 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Lehman

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#27

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York
#28

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
#31

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#32

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#34

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#35

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#37

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#38

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#39

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
#40

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#41

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware
#42

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington
#44

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#46

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#47

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
52 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
53 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
54 Washington State University Pullman, WA
54 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
56 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
57 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
58 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
59 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
60 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
61 Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL
62 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
63 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
64 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI

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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