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

77 Ranked Colleges
3,166 Degrees Awarded
$31,681 Avg Salary
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 5,582 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,377 and $26,458 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,166 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 77 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region 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) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 40 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Notre Dame is $17,768 for Great Lakes Region 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Notre Dame Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 35 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,227 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $9,654 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Purdue

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 108 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

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

#5

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,060 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Indiana University - Bloomington

#6

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stout, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stout is $15,235 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 UW - Stout Design & Applied Arts Report

#7

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,869 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Franklin University.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Franklin University

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,982 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ohio State

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #9, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stevens Point also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,165 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UW - Stevens Point

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,683 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Design & Applied Arts Report

#11

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

With a ranking of #11, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ferris State University is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ferris is $14,101 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ferris

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $12,314 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Design & Applied Arts Report

#13

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,584 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#14

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,387 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland.

Full Oakland University Design & Applied Arts Report

#15

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $15,185 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#16

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Central Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan that handed out 57 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $14,591 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Michigan

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 205 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend UC is $20,312 for Great Lakes Region 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.

Full UC Design & Applied Arts Report

#18

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Illinois State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $19,080 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Illinois State Design & Applied Arts Report

#19

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

With a ranking of #19, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $14,230 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Saginaw Valley State University

With a ranking of #20, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,985 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#21

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Purdue University Fort Wayne is a medium-sized school located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that handed out 11 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for PFW is $12,023 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at PFW

#22

Taylor University

Upland, Indiana
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Taylor University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Upland, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Taylor U, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,891 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Taylor U.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Taylor U

#23

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 86 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $20,696 for great lakes region 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 91%. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Michigan State Design & Applied Arts Report

#24

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Eastern Michigan is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $16,042 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Eastern Michigan

#25

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,453 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Augustana College.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Augustana

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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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