2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Plains States region, there were 2,352 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,931 and $22,419 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,383 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 48 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 227 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,496 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid per year to attend Iowa State.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Cloud State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Saint Cloud, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
St. Cloud State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $14,267 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at St. Cloud State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at UMN Twin Cities
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, North Dakota State University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University is $16,584 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Dakota State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
UNI also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid per year to attend UNI.
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 University of Northern Iowa
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
UNL also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln is $17,208 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Central Missouri did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. UCM is a public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Missouri is $13,677 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
Northwest Missouri State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,354 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid per year to attend Northwest Missouri State University.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Northwest Missouri State University
Washington University in St Louis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $26,869 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Bemidji State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Bemidji, Minnesota, this small public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
Bemidji State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Bemidji State University is $15,868 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bemidji State University
Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
MSU Moorhead did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,893 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Design & Applied Arts Report
University of North Dakota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
UND did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $15,738 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
UMN Duluth also took the #11 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
Kansas State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. K -State is located in Manhattan, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
K -State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend K -State is $18,285 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Kansas State University
With a ranking of #15, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. South Dakota State is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 20 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, South Dakota State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $19,252 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
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%.
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Wichita, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Wichita State University is $14,382 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Bellevue University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bellevue, Nebraska, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $15,616 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue University
Northern State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Northern State University is a public institution located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NSU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $15,851 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, Missouri State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - Springfield is $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
University of Kansas landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Kansas is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 78 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, KU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Kansas
Missouri Western State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Missouri Western is a public institution located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Missouri Western State University is $10,958 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
Full Missouri Western State University Design & Applied Arts Report
Lindenwood University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, Lindenwood University has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,491 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid per year to attend Lindenwood University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Lindenwood University
Wayne State College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Wayne, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State College is $13,765 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Concordia University, Saint Paul is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Saint Paul is $16,245 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.
Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Design & Applied Arts Report
Pittsburg State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pittsburg State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Pittsburg, Kansas. It awarded 5 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Pittsburg State University is $14,436 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.
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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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