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2022 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
524 Degrees Awarded
$19,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k

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 Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.

Across Iowa, there were 524 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,460 and $23,539 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. 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 Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 252 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $17,228 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State University Design & Applied Arts Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Des Moines Area Community College is located in Ankeny, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

DMACC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Des Moines Area Community College is $12,709 for Iowa Design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Des Moines Area Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is located in Sioux City, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k list, Western Iowa Tech Community College has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $10,322 for Iowa Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Full Western Iowa Tech Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k list, UNI has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $17,467 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 86%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UNI

#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 13 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Kirkwood Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Kirkwood Community College is $14,055 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Kirkwood Community College

Iowa Central Community College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Iowa Central Community College is a small public school situated in Fort Dodge, Iowa. It awarded 5 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k list, Iowa Central Community College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa Central Community College is $13,338 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Iowa Central Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

#7

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa

With a ranking of #7, Grand View University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grand View University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grand View University is $18,868 for Iowa Design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Grand View University Design & Applied Arts Report

#8

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decorah, Iowa. It awarded 3 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $24,393 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Luther.

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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Luther

#9

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa

With a ranking of #9, Clarke University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Clarke also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Clarke is $35,138 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Clarke Design & Applied Arts Report

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 7 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Drake University is $30,031 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Drake

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. St. Ambrose University is a small school located in Davenport, Iowa that handed out 6 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Ambrose University is $25,654 for iowa design students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at St. Ambrose University

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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