2024 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Rocky Mountains Region
14
Ranked Colleges
1,124
Degrees Awarded
$14,000
Avg Net Price*
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 in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design & applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, design & 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 1,124 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,459 and $32,125 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in design & applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design & 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 & 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.
More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
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 in the Rocky Mountains Region”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 in the Rocky Mountains Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 95 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
BYU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,474 for rocky mountains region design students per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full BYU Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend LDS Business College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. LDS Business College is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
LDS Business College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $7,971 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students per year to attend LDS Business College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at LDS Business College
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah Valley University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Orem, Utah, and it awarded 287 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UVU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UVU is $9,955 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UVU Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Salt Lake Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Salt Lake Community College is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 66 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Salt Lake Community College also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Salt Lake Community College is $6,197 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students.
Full Salt Lake Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Weber State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Ogden, Utah, this large public school awarded 51 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
WSU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $11,647 for rocky mountains region design students per year to attend WSU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Weber State University
Arapahoe Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Arapahoe Community College is located in Littleton, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Arapahoe Community College also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arapahoe Community College is $10,265 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Arapahoe Community College
Northwest College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #7. Northwest College is located in Powell, Wyoming and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Northwest Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwest Community College is $7,427 for rocky mountains region design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwest Community College
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. RMCAD is a small private for-profit school situated in Lakewood, Colorado. It awarded 117 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
RMCAD also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend RMCAD is $18,533 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students.
Since the school has a undergrad 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 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
University of Utah landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. University of Utah is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,572 for rocky mountains region design students per year to attend University of Utah.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 University of Utah
Boise State University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school handed out 104 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Boise State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boise State University is $16,153 for rocky mountains region design students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Boise State
Southern Utah University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Southern Utah University is a public institution located in Cedar City, Utah. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region design students list, Southern Utah University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $13,578 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students per year to attend Southern Utah University.
The undergrad 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern Utah University
Montana State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. MSU Bozeman is a public institution located in Bozeman, Montana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region design students list, MSU Bozeman has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $19,453 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students per year to attend MSU Bozeman.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MSU Bozeman Design & Applied Arts Report
Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #13. MSU Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
MSU Denver not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for MSU Denver is $14,313 for Rocky Mountains Region Design students.
Full Metropolitan State University of Denver Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Denver ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Denver is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 31 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
DU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DU is $33,830 for rocky mountains region design students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 DU
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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
- *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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