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2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region

13 Ranked Colleges
697 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 1,129 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,836 and $27,386 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 697 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking, we looked at 13 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Rocky Mountains Region

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,322 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at BYU

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Weber State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This large school is located in Ogden, Utah, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

WSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Weber State University is $11,968 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Weber State University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah Valley University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. Utah Valley University is a public institution located in Orem, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 149 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UVU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UVU is $9,159 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UVU

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This small school is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

RMCAD also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $25,334 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend RMCAD.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

#5

Southern Utah University

Cedar City, Utah

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Utah University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. This fairly large school is located in Cedar City, Utah, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Southern Utah University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Utah University is $14,285 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern Utah University

#6

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 23 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $14,773 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 89%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at U of U

Utah State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Utah State University is a large public school situated in Logan, Utah. It awarded 11 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students list, USU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $13,634 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend USU.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Utah State University

#8

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. U of I is located in Moscow, Idaho and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

U of I did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for U of I is $14,132 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at U of I

With a ranking of #9, Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. MSU Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

MSU Denver not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend MSU Denver is $14,257 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at MSU Denver

#10

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho

Boise State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school awarded 92 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boise State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boise State University is $15,787 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Boise State

#11

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado

Colorado Mesa University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Colorado Mesa is a medium-sized school located in Grand Junction, Colorado that handed out 19 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado Mesa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Colorado Mesa University is $15,569 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Colorado Mesa

#12

Independence University

Salt Lake City, Utah

Independence University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Branch of Stevens-Henager College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 48 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Branch of Stevens-Henager College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Independence University is $27,114 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Independence University

#13

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado

With a ranking of #13, University of Denver did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree design students list, DU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $32,361 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend DU.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Denver

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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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