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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income Over $110k) in the Great Lakes Region

75 Ranked Colleges
3,166 Degrees Awarded
$21,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 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 Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 75 colleges that offered 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

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Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income Over $110k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Franklin University is a medium-sized school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 12 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Franklin University

#2

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Menomonie, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 154 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UW - Stout.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 - Stout

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 42 students 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 $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stevens Point did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Full UW - Stevens Point Design & Applied Arts Report

Out of the 75 schools in the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - 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 #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison

With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UW - Green Bay

#7

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Central Michigan University Design & Applied Arts Report

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k 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 $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Indiana University - Bloomington

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 108 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students 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 $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Design & Applied Arts Report

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #9. UC is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 205 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#11

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Ferris is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 73 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ferris is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Ferris Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at IUPUI

#13

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

With a ranking of #13, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k 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 yearly cost to attend Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Saginaw Valley State University

#14

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #15. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 234 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Kent State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,885 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Kent State.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Kent State

#16

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 34 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Ball State.

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

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Ohio State University - Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

#19

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #19. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Oakland.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oakland University

#20

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #20, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Michigan State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Michigan State University

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at BGSU

#22

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Illinois State.

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 Illinois State University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

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

#24

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Eastern Michigan University Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #25, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 30 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make more than $110k.

Full University of Akron Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

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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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