2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Plains States region, there were 2,352 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,931 and $22,419 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,383 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 48 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 the Plains States Region” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is located in Fargo, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
North Dakota State University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,584 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at North Dakota State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $19,252 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at South Dakota State
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bemidji State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Bemidji State University is located in Bemidji, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Bemidji State University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $15,868 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Bemidji State University.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bemidji State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bellevue University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Located in Bellevue, Nebraska, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,616 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Bellevue University.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 227 students in 2019-2020.
Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Saint Cloud State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 21 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Cloud State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Cloud State University is $14,267 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at St. Cloud State University
University of North Dakota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. University of North Dakota is a fairly large school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 9 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $15,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Dakota Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students list, NSU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $15,851 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northern State University
Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized school located in Moorhead, Minnesota that handed out 26 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
MSU Moorhead also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $16,893 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Minnesota State University - Moorhead
University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $15,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Northern Iowa
With a ranking of #12, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northwest Missouri State University is $12,354 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #13. Park University is located in Parkville, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Park University is $15,579 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Park University
University of Central Missouri came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students list, UCM has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,677 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend University of Central Missouri.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Central Missouri
Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students list, Missouri State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,725 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.
Lindenwood University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Charles, Missouri that handed out 8 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Lindenwood University also took the #22 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lindenwood University is $17,491 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Lindenwood University
Dunwoody College of Technology ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 12 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dunwoody College of Technology, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $24,488 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Dunwoody College of Technology.
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.
Full Dunwoody College of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #18, Wayne State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Wayne State College is a public institution located in Wayne, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State College is $13,765 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Black Hills State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, this small public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Black Hills State University is $16,641 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Black Hills State University
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
K -State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Kansas State University is $18,285 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 31 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UNL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,208 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Kansas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 78 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree design students list, KU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend KU is $18,918 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in Wichita, Kansas, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Wichita State University is $14,382 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Wichita State University
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Maryville U, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $29,064 for plains states region bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Maryville University of Saint Louis.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Maryville University of Saint Louis
With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $17,740 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region
Design & Applied Arts students in the Plains States Region
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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