2026 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Associate’s Degree Schools
[Design & Applied Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong design & applied arts education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 1237 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value design & applied arts schools.
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2026 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in design & applied arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools
Moorpark College earned the #1 spot for value among design & applied arts schools in the United States. Set in the suburb of Moorpark, Moorpark College is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,426, with out-of-state students paying around $9,615. Students borrow a median of $17,075 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $105,599. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Seminole State College Of Florida is a great value for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Seminole State College Of Florida is a very large public school located in the city of Sanford. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,122, compared with $11,447 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $10,667 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Seminole State College Of Florida earn a median of $31,347 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Florida State College At Jacksonville is a great value for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Jacksonville, Florida State College At Jacksonville is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,657, compared with $9,631 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $19,139. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Florida State College At Jacksonville generally make around $46,748. That is a strong return on a $19,139 median debt.
College Of The Canyons came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Set in the suburb of Santa Clarita, College Of The Canyons is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $1,166 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $10,958. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $9,776. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from College Of The Canyons generally make around $51,913. Set against $9,776 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #5 makes Mt San Antonio College one of the best values for design & applied arts. Mt San Antonio College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Walnut. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,364, compared with $10,464 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $9,384 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Mt San Antonio College earn a median of $44,391 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
El Centro College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the city of Dallas. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,730, with out-of-state students paying around $6,900. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $11,835. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from El Centro College generally make around $31,478. Set against $11,835 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Saddleback College placed #7 among the best values for design & applied arts. Set in the suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $1,432 in tuition and fees, compared with $14,812 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $5,707. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Saddleback College earn a median of $15,890 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $5,707 median debt.
Central Piedmont Community College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Set in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,792, with out-of-state students paying around $8,936. Students borrow a median of $11,861 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $30,979. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Santa Monica College landed the #9 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Santa Monica College is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Monica. In-state tuition and fees average $1,156, compared with $10,708 for out-of-state students. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $42,193.
San Diego Mesa College landed the #10 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Set in the city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,146, while out-of-state students pay about $10,002. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $6,999 in student loans. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from San Diego Mesa College generally make around $29,852. That is a strong return on a $6,999 median debt.
Suffolk County Community College earned the #11 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the suburb of Selden, Suffolk County Community College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $6,630, compared with $12,460 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $9,132 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $24,907. Set against $9,132 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
West Valley College earned the #12 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Set in the suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $0, while out-of-state students pay about $9,320. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $14,308 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $25,378. That is a strong return on a $14,308 median debt.
Metropolitan Community College Area earned the #13 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Metropolitan Community College Area is a very large public school located in the city of Omaha. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,375, while out-of-state students pay about $4,950. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $12,526 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $29,902. Set against $12,526 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Hinds Community College came in at #14 for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the rural area of Raymond, Hinds Community College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,250, while out-of-state students pay about $7,300. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $16,385. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Hinds Community College generally make around $34,003. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Cerritos College came in at #15 for value in design & applied arts this year. Cerritos College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Norwalk. In-state tuition and fees average $1,364, with out-of-state students paying around $12,004. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $11,306 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $29,495. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #16 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Junior College is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $1,318 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $11,308. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $14,692 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $80,047. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Canada College landed the #17 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Canada College is a large public school located in the suburb of Redwood City. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,332, with out-of-state students paying around $11,384. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $15,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Canada College generally make around $106,691. That is a strong return on a $15,000 median debt.
De Anza College came in at #18 for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Cupertino, De Anza College is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,571, compared with $12,596 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $7,271 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $56,596. That is a strong return on a $7,271 median debt.
Trident Technical College earned the #19 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $4,546 in tuition and fees, compared with $8,620 for out-of-state students. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $18,116 in student loans. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Trident Technical College earn a median of $50,166 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Orange Coast College earned the #20 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Costa Mesa, Orange Coast College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,392, compared with $11,640 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $8,978. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Orange Coast College earn a median of $46,306 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Pasadena City College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Pasadena City College is a very large public school located in the city of Pasadena. Students from in state pay about $1,180 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,924 for out-of-state students. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $9,191 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $38,841. That is a strong return on a $9,191 median debt.
Cuyahoga Community College District ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Cuyahoga Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Cleveland. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,249, with out-of-state students paying around $7,249. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $11,795. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Cuyahoga Community College District earn a median of $22,517 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $11,795 median debt.
Fresno City College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Fresno City College is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno. In-state tuition and fees average $1,378, while out-of-state students pay about $8,638. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $7,234. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Fresno City College generally make around $37,470. That is a strong return on a $7,234 median debt.
Sinclair Community College landed the #24 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Sinclair Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Dayton. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,675, with out-of-state students paying around $8,556. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $11,000. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Sinclair Community College earn a median of $24,490 early in their careers. Set against $11,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
College Of Dupage placed #25 among the best values for design & applied arts. College Of Dupage is a very large public school located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,560, while out-of-state students pay about $12,750. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $10,653. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $31,463. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s design & applied arts value ranking:
Other Design & Applied Arts Degree Levels
Explore the best-value design & applied arts schools at other degree levels:
View All Design & Applied Arts Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1237 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 88 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
