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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major

1,086 Ranked Colleges
36,301 Degrees Awarded
$41,000 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Design Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major” ranking.

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.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major” ranking, we looked at 1,086 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in design and applied arts.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major”.

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

Schools Highly Focused on Design Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts

1
Design Institute of San Diego crest
Design Institute of San Diego
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Design Institute of San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major. Design Institute of San Diego is a small private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 18 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Design Institute of San Diego Design & Applied Arts Report

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Modern College of Design. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major. The Modern College of Design is a small private for-profit school situated in Kettering, Ohio. It awarded 70 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at The Modern College of Design

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest College of Art & Design. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. NCAD is a small school located in Poulsbo, Washington that handed out 14 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at NCAD

4
Nossi College of Art crest
Nossi College of Art
Madison, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Nossi College of Art. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Madison, Tennessee, and it awarded 42 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Nossi College of Art

5
Interior Designers Institute crest
Interior Designers Institute
Newport Beach, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Interior Designers Institute. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Newport Beach, California, and it awarded 51 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Interior Designers Institute Design & Applied Arts Report

6

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 45 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

7
The Academy crest
American Academy of Art
Chicago, Illinois

American Academy of Art landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. American Academy of Art is a small private for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at The Academy

8

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 106 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at MIAD

9

College for Creative Studies ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. College for Creative Studies is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full College for Creative Studies Design & Applied Arts Report

10
The North Coast College crest
The North Coast College
Lakewood, Ohio

The North Coast College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Lakewood, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full The North Coast College Design & Applied Arts Report

11
LCAD crest
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, California

Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. This small school is located in Laguna Beach, California, and it awarded 100 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full LCAD Design & Applied Arts Report

12

New York School of Interior Design did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking, coming in at #12. NYSID is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 157 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 NYSID

13
Wade College crest
Wade College
Dallas, Texas

Wade College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Wade College is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Wade College Design & Applied Arts Report

14
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 129 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

15

With a ranking of #15, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and it awarded 117 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

Full Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

16

With a ranking of #16, Maryland Institute College of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 334 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art

17

With a ranking of #17, Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Columbus College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 119 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Columbus College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report

18
AAC crest
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio

Art Academy of Cincinnati did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 15 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full AAC Design & Applied Arts Report

19

Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in San Juan, , and it awarded 38 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at EAPD

20

With a ranking of #20, Cleveland Institute of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 66 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at CIA

21
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

Art Center College of Design ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 276 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design

22
Moore College crest
Moore College of Art and Design
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #22, Moore College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 Moore College of Art and Design

23
24

With a ranking of #24, Delaware College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Wilmington, Delaware, and it awarded 17 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

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 more about Design & Applied Arts at Delaware College of Art and Design

25
Pratt Institute crest
Pratt Institute - Main
Brooklyn, New York

Pratt Institute - Main did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking, coming in at #25. Pratt Institute - Main is a medium-sized school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 618 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Pratt Institute

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools Highly Focused on Design Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
Platt College - San Diego crest
Platt College - San Diego
San Diego, California
31
32
33
34
35
Montserrat College of Art crest
Montserrat College of Art
Beverly, Massachusetts
36
37
38
39
40
41
Kansas City Art Institute crest
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, Missouri
42
43
Cornish College of the Arts crest
Cornish College of the Arts
Seattle, Washington
44
Cogswell crest
Cogswell College
San Jose, California
45
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California
46
Carnbrook Academy crest
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
47
SVA crest
School of Visual Arts
New York, New York
48
Maine College of Art crest
Maine College of Art
Portland, Maine
49
New School University crest
The New School
New York, New York
50
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools Highly Focused on Design Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, CA
52 The Art Institute of Atlanta Atlanta, GA
53 Atlantic University College Guaynabo, PR
54 The Art Institute of Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, VA
55 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia, PA
56 SAE Expression College Emeryville, CA
57 Villa Maria College Buffalo, NY
58 The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA
59 Cazenovia College Cazenovia, NY
60 University of Advancing Technology Tempe, AZ
61 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
62 William Peace University Raleigh, NC
63 EDP University - San Juan San Juan, PR
64 Woodbury University Burbank, CA
65 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
Rank College Location
66 Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO
67 International Business College - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
68 Vermont College of Fine Arts Montpelier, VT
69 Los Angeles Pacific College Los-Angeles, CA
70 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
71 Columbia College Hollywood Tarzana, CA
72 Platt College - Ontario Ontario, CA
73 New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI
74 Guam Community College Mangilao, GU
75 Albright College Reading, PA
76 Full Sail University Winter Park, FL
77 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA
78 Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, OK
79 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
80 Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN
81 Delta College of Arts & Technology Baton Rouge, LA
82 New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY
83 Marymount University Arlington, VA
84 Bryant & Stratton College - Greece Rochester, NY
85 Cedarville University Cedarville, OH
86 Berkeley College - Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ
87 Meredith College Raleigh, NC
88 St. Andrews University Laurinburg, NC
89 Adirondack Community College Queensbury, NY
90 Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ
Rank College Location
91 Community College of Vermont Montpelier, VT
92 EDP University - Humacao Humacao, PR
93 Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA
94 Sussex County Community College Newton, NJ
95 John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR
96 Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Fajardo Fajardo, PR
97 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
98 Adrian College Adrian, MI
99 Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI
100 Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE
101 Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY
102 Defiance College Defiance, OH
103 Davis College Toledo, OH
103 Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY
105 Hampshire College Amherst, MA
106 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
107 Walla Walla University College Place, WA
108 Flagler College - St Augustine Saint Augustine, FL
109 Northwest College Powell, WY
110 Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX
111 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
112 High Point University High Point, NC
113 SUNY Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY
114 Sullivan County Community College Loch Sheldrake, NY
115 Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA
Rank College Location
116 Taylor University Upland, IN
117 Bryant & Stratton College - Buffalo Buffalo, NY
118 Norwalk Community College Norwalk, CT
118 McPherson College McPherson, KS
120 LIM College New York, NY
121 Endicott College Beverly, MA
122 Bryant & Stratton College - Syracuse North Liverpool, NY
123 Manchester Community College Manchester, CT
124 Harcum College Bryn Mawr, PA
125 Chowan University Murfreesboro, NC
126 Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY
127 Eureka College Eureka, IL
128 Seattle Central College Seattle, WA
129 Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ
130 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA
131 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
132 Cecil College North East, MD
133 Concord University Athens, WV
134 Converse College Spartanburg, SC
135 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN
136 Southwestern Michigan College Dowagiac, MI
137 La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA
138 University of Cincinnati - Blue Ash College Blue Ash, OH
139 Purchase College Purchase, NY
140 Salem College Winston-Salem, NC
Rank College Location
141 LDS Business College Salt Lake City, UT
142 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
143 EDP University - San Sebastian San Sebastian, PR
144 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
145 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
146 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
147 University of Puerto Rico - Carolina Carolina, PR
148 Maryville College Maryville, TN
149 Colby - Sawyer College New London, NH
150 Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA
151 Russell Sage College Troy, NY
152 Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke, PA
153 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
154 Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN
155 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA
156 Harford Community College Bel Air, MD
157 Champlain College Burlington, VT
158 Bowie State University Bowie, MD
159 Mercyhurst University Erie, PA
160 Saint Edward’s University Austin, TX
161 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA
162 Iowa State University Ames, IA
163 Montgomery College Rockville, MD

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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