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2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey

11 Ranked Colleges
585 Degrees Awarded
$19,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in New Jersey” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.

Across New Jersey, there were 585 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,071 and $27,227 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

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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 in New Jersey” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in New Jersey

1
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Montclair State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey list. Located in Montclair, New Jersey, this large public school handed out 99 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Montclair State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list. It costs about $17,381 for New Jersey Design students per year to attend Montclair State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Montclair State

2
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kean University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey. Located in Union, New Jersey, this fairly large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Kean not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list. It costs about $18,191 for new jersey design students per year to attend Kean University.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Kean University

3
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey. Rutgers New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 40 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $23,035 for New Jersey Design students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Rutgers University - New Brunswick Design & Applied Arts Report

4
Brookdale Community College crest
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brookdale Community College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey. Lincroft, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

Brookdale Community College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Brookdale Community College is $9,351 for new jersey design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Brookdale Community College

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Jersey Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey. Newark, New Jersey is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

NJIT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend New Jersey Institute of Technology is $18,582 for new jersey design students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at NJIT

6
County College of Morris crest
County College of Morris
Randolph, New Jersey

County College of Morris came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey ranking. Randolph, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new jersey design students list, County College of Morris has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for County College of Morris is $9,274 for new jersey design students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at County College of Morris

7
Berkeley College - Woodland Park crest
Berkeley College - Woodland Park
Woodland Park, New Jersey

Berkeley College - Woodland Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #7. Woodland Park, New Jersey is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.

Berkeley College - Woodland Park also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Berkeley College - Woodland Park is $14,923 for new jersey design students.

Full Berkeley College - Woodland Park Design & Applied Arts Report

8
Centenary crest
Centenary University
Hackettstown, New Jersey

Centenary University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in Hackettstown, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Centenary, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $16,105 for new jersey design students per year to attend Centenary University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Centenary University

9

With a ranking of #9, Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey list. Located in Madison, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

FDU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” list. It costs about $21,754 for New Jersey Design students per year to attend FDU.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at FDU

10
Monmouth crest
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, New Jersey

Monmouth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #10. West Long Branch, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Monmouth, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $29,877 for New Jersey Design students per year to attend Monmouth University.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Monmouth

11
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey

Seton Hall University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #11. Seton Hall is a medium-sized school located in South Orange, New Jersey that handed out 16 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Seton Hall, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $32,634 for new jersey design students per year to attend Seton Hall University.

The low undergrad 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 more about Design & Applied Arts at Seton Hall

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Notes and References

References

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