2027 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota
[Design & Applied Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong design & applied arts education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 15 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value design & applied arts schools.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Minnesota
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in design & applied arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools
For return on investment in design & applied arts, no school beat Century College this year. Century College is a large public school located in the suburb of White Bear Lake. Students from in state pay about $6,214 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $15,000 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Century College earn a median of $41,814 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at North Hennepin Community College earned it the #2 place for design & applied arts. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,061. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $21,241 in student loans. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $52,492. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Minnesota State Community And Technical College came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Set in the rural area of Fergus Falls, Minnesota State Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,908. Students borrow a median of $18,197 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Minnesota State Community And Technical College generally make around $42,972. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Dakota County Technical College came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Set in the rural area of Rosemount, Dakota County Technical College is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $6,679 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $13,474. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $50,429. That is a strong return on a $13,474 median debt.
Alexandria Technical And Community College came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Alexandria Technical And Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Alexandria. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,236. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $12,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Alexandria Technical And Community College generally make around $31,830. That is a strong return on a $12,000 median debt.
Saint Cloud State University ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. Saint Cloud State University is a large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud. In-state tuition and fees average $10,245. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $25,076. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $34,627. That is a strong return on a $25,076 median debt. The acceptance rate is 95%.
Minneapolis Community And Technical College landed the #7 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community And Technical College is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,161. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $18,601. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Minneapolis Community And Technical College earn a median of $40,230 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earned the #8 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $17,214, while out-of-state students pay about $38,362. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $24,000. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from University Of Minnesota Twin Cities generally make around $42,462. That is a strong return on a $24,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 80%.
Bemidji State University landed the #9 spot for design & applied arts value this year. Set in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,237. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $27,000. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Bemidji State University earn a median of $40,231 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Bemidji State University admits about 56% of applicants.
Rasmussen College Minnesota came in at #10 for value in design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen College Minnesota is a large private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $12,199. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $32,080. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Rasmussen College Minnesota earn a median of $32,364 early in their careers. Set against $32,080 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Concordia University Saint Paul placed #11 among the best values for design & applied arts. Concordia University Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul. In-state tuition and fees average $25,600. Students borrow a median of $29,026 to complete the design & applied arts program here. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $34,384. That is a strong return on a $29,026 median debt. Roughly 79% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Minnesota Duluth ranked #12 on our 2027 list of the best value design & applied arts schools. University Of Minnesota Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,608, compared with $20,134 for out-of-state students. Design & Applied Arts graduates carry a median of $24,800 in student loans. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from University Of Minnesota Duluth generally make around $31,337. That is a strong return on a $24,800 median debt. The acceptance rate is 89%.
Minnesota State University Mankato earned the #13 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State University Mankato is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,572, compared with $18,942 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $25,260. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $53,088. That is a strong return on a $25,260 median debt. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Augsburg College earned the #14 position for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Augsburg College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,452. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $26,319. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $59,409. That is a strong return on a $26,319 median debt. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
Minneapolis College Of Art And Design came in at #15 for value in design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis College Of Art And Design is a small private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $45,484 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for design & applied arts graduates is $27,000. Early-career design & applied arts graduates make about $23,687. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Minneapolis College Of Art And Design admits about 48% of applicants.
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
View All Design & Applied Arts Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 15 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 15 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
