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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Michigan

14 Ranked Colleges
601 Degrees Awarded
$19,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Michigan

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Michigan” 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 Michigan, there were 1,084 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,014 and $27,962 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 601 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,161 and $25,915 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan” ranking looked at 14 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Michigan

#1

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #1 spot on the list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $19,173 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Michigan State.

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%. 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

#2

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $15,981 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Central Michigan University

#3

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ferris State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. Ferris is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 73 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Ferris also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $12,889 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Ferris.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ferris

#4

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WMU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Western Michigan University

#5

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saginaw Valley State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. Located in University Center, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Saginaw Valley State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students.

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

#6

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan ranking. Oakland University is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 58 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Oakland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list. It costs about $11,802 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Oakland University.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oakland

#7

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan ranking. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our michigan bachelor’s degree design students list, Eastern Michigan has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Eastern Michigan University

With a ranking of #8, University of Michigan - Flint did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. UM Flint is a medium-sized school located in Flint, Michigan that handed out 17 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UM Flint not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend UM Flint is $12,734 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UM Flint

#9

Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, Michigan

With a ranking of #9, Lawrence Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. This small school is located in Southfield, Michigan, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lawrence Tech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $32,721 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Lawrence Technological University.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Lawrence Tech

#10

Madonna University

Livonia, Michigan

Madonna University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan ranking, coming in at #10. Madonna University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Livonia, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Madonna also took the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Madonna is $17,574 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Madonna

#11

Cornerstone University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

Cornerstone University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan ranking. Cornerstone is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Cornerstone also took the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornerstone is $20,740 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cornerstone Design & Applied Arts Report

#12

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Spring Arbor University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. Spring Arbor University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Spring Arbor, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $19,183 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Spring Arbor.

Full Spring Arbor University Design & Applied Arts Report

#13

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Calvin University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan ranking. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Calvin also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $26,647 for michigan bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Calvin University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Calvin Design & Applied Arts Report

#14

College for Creative Studies

Detroit, Michigan

With a ranking of #14, College for Creative Studies did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Michigan list. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 168 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our michigan bachelor’s degree design students list, CCS has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $37,745 for Michigan Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend College for Creative Studies.

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 more about Design & Applied Arts at College for Creative Studies

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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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