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2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas

9 Ranked Colleges
187 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Arkansas

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Arkansas” 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 Arkansas, there were 222 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,100 and $23,000 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 187 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,332 and $22,750 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Arkansas” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas

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

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Arkansas

#1

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arkansas. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. UARK is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 41 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UARK also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UARK is $16,381 for arkansas bachelor’s degree design students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UARK

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Arkansas landed the #2 spot on the list. UCA is located in Conway, Arkansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

UCA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Arkansas is $15,376 for Arkansas Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UCA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at A-State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arkansas State University - Main Campus is $13,406 for arkansas bachelor’s degree design students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at A-State

#4

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harding University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas. Harding is located in Searcy, Arkansas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Harding also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $19,375 for arkansas bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Harding.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Harding University

#5

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, Arkansas

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Arkansas Tech University landed the #5 spot on the list. Arkansas Tech University is located in Russellville, Arkansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

ATU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $10,772 for Arkansas Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Arkansas Tech University.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Arkansas Tech University

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is a public institution located in Magnolia, Arkansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our arkansas bachelor’s degree design students list, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is $14,270 for Arkansas Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Full Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. This medium-sized school is located in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our arkansas bachelor’s degree design students list, UAFS has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UAFS is $9,637 for arkansas bachelor’s degree design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UAFS

#8

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, Arkansas

With a ranking of #8, John Brown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. Located in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

JBU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for John Brown University is $21,963 for Arkansas Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at John Brown University

#9

Ouachita Baptist University

Arkadelphia, Arkansas
#5 in overall quality

Ouachita Baptist University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Arkansas list. Located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Ouachita Baptist also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Arkansas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ouachita Baptist University is $19,815 for arkansas bachelor’s degree design students.

Full Ouachita Baptist University 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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