2022 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois (With Aid)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.
Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 108 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elgin Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
ECC also took the #20 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ECC is $4,185 for Illinois Design students with aid.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 83 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $13,312 for illinois design students with aid per year to attend UIC.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,843 for illinois design students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Full Northeastern Illinois University Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for illinois design students with aid.
With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,895 for illinois design students with aid per year to attend Illinois State.
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%.
Dominican University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Dominican U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,268 for Illinois Design students with aid per year to attend Dominican U.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Tech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,831 for Illinois Design students with aid per year to attend Illinois Tech.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Olivet Nazarene University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students with aid list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois design students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Olivet Nazarene University
Millikin University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Millikin also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $21,331 for Illinois Design students with aid.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #11, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $21,485 for Illinois Design students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Elmhurst University
Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,874 for illinois design students with aid per year to attend Augustana.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 37 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $25,634 for Illinois Design students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Northwestern University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $24,664 for Illinois Design students with aid per year to attend Northwestern University.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University
Trinity International University - Illinois came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Deerfield, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
TIU Illinois also took the #21 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend TIU Illinois is $21,204 for illinois design students with aid.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
North Central College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Central College is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 23 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $24,786 for Illinois Design students with aid per year to attend North Central.
The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
With a ranking of #17, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 272 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $31,099 for illinois design students with aid.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $22,749 for illinois design students with aid per year to attend Roosevelt University.
With a ranking of #19, American Academy of Art did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. The Academy is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The Academy also took the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend American Academy of Art is $28,106 for Illinois Design students with aid.
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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at American Academy of Art
DePaul University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 93 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois Design students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Design students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #22, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for School of the Art Institute of Chicago is $44,815 for Illinois Design students with aid.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago 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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