by our College Data Analytics Team
[Design And Applied Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a design and applied arts degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their design and applied arts graduates.
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If you want to know which schools send design and applied arts graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Chemeketa Community College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying design and applied arts schools in Oregon. Chemeketa Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Salem. Design And Applied Arts graduates of Chemeketa Community College earn a median of about $38,597 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in design and applied arts will find them at Portland State University, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Portland, Portland State University is a public institution. Students who complete the design and applied arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,970.
Strong graduate earnings at Portland Community College earned it the #3 place for design and applied arts. Portland Community College is a public school located in the city of Portland. Design And Applied Arts graduates of Portland Community College earn a median of about $43,969 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Oregon earned it the #4 place for design and applied arts. University Of Oregon is a public school located in the city of Eugene. Students who complete the design and applied arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $64,994.
A rank of #5 makes Oregon State University one of the highest-paying schools for design and applied arts. Oregon State University is a public school located in the city of Corvallis. Design And Applied Arts graduates of Oregon State University earn a median of about $53,265 a year early in their careers.
Pacific Northwest College Of Art ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying design and applied arts schools. Located in the city of Portland, Pacific Northwest College Of Art is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, design and applied arts degree recipients from Pacific Northwest College Of Art typically earn about $38,214 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their design and applied arts graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.