2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
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 Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 804 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.
Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree design students list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Illinois State University.
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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Illinois State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 108 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend UIUC.
The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Northeastern Illinois University
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 68 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
SIUC also took the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Columbia College Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 272 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Columbia also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students.
Bradley University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
With a ranking of #8, American Academy of Art did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. The Academy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The Academy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $28,106 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend The Academy.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Olivet Nazarene University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Olivet Nazarene.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Olivet Nazarene
Dominican University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.
Dominican U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Dominican U.
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.
Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Trinity International University - Illinois is a small school located in Deerfield, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
TIU Illinois also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity International University - Illinois is $21,204 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
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.
Elmhurst University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree design students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Elmhurst University
Roosevelt University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt University is $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Roosevelt University
With a ranking of #14, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 23 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Millikin University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $21,331 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Millikin University
With a ranking of #16, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
DePaul University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
DePaul also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
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%.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
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%.
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- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts
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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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