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

11 Ranked Colleges
366 Degrees Awarded
$19,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Minnesota

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Minnesota, there were 670 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,046 and $22,484 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 366 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,526 and $26,035 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Minnesota

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

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Minnesota

#1

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Cloud State University landed the #1 spot on the list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large school located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota that handed out 21 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Saint Cloud State University is $14,267 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Design students.

Full Saint Cloud State University Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 132 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $17,740 for minnesota bachelor’s degree design students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #3 spot on the list. MSU Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

MSU Moorhead also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $16,893 for minnesota 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 MSU Moorhead

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 50 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for minnesota 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%.

Full UMN Duluth Design & Applied Arts Report

#5

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. Bemidji State University is a small school located in Bemidji, Minnesota that handed out 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bemidji State University, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $15,868 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Bemidji State University.

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

#6

Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Dunwoody College of Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list. The yearly cost to attend Dunwoody College of Technology is $24,488 for minnesota 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 Dunwoody College of Technology

#7

Concordia University, Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

With a ranking of #7, Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Saint Paul also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $16,245 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Design students per year to attend Concordia University, Saint Paul.

Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Design & Applied Arts Report

#8

Rasmussen University - Minnesota

St. Cloud, Minnesota

Rasmussen University - Minnesota ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is located in St. Cloud, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Rasmussen University - Minnesota also took the #11 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rasmussen University - Minnesota is $18,586 for minnesota bachelor’s degree design students.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Rasmussen University - Minnesota

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Northwestern - St Paul did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. Northwestern is a small school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 6 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $21,871 for minnesota bachelor’s degree design students per year to attend Northwestern.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern

#10

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis College of Art and Design ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota list. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

MCAD also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend MCAD is $28,717 for minnesota bachelor’s degree design students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota ranking. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

SMU MN also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SMU MN is $19,514 for minnesota 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

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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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