by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 the Southwest region, there were 3,286 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,079 and $23,287 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,473 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,112 and $26,227 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 55 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. That schools that top this list have a program in design and applied arts in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Art Institute of Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Art Institute of Dallas. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Art Institute of San Antonio. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Ai San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Full The Art Institute of San Antonio Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Art Institute of Houston. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Houston
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wade College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region. Wade College is a small private for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 11 bachelors’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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Advancing Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Advancing Technology is a small school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 15 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Advancing Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Oklahoma Christian University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma Christian University is a small school located in Edmond, Oklahoma that handed out 31 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Oklahoma Christian University Design & Applied Arts Report
Lubbock Christian University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Saint Edward’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. St. Edward’s University is a small school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 31 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Schreiner University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Kerrville, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Abilene Christian University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Abilene, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Abilene Christian
McMurry University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Abilene, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at McMurray University
Oklahoma Baptist University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. OBU is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Dallas Baptist University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Dallas Baptist University
Texas Christian University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Texas Christian University Design & Applied Arts Report
Texas State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State University is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 124 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
University of the Incarnate Word came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott is located in Prescott, Arizona and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
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 more about Design & Applied Arts at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #19. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of North Texas
With a ranking of #20, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Northern Arizona University Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Central Oklahoma landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large school located in Edmond, Oklahoma that handed out 28 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 183 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Arizona State University - Tempe
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Dallas is a large school located in Richardson, Texas that handed out 68 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Mary Hardin - Baylor ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in the Southwest Region list. UMHB is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Belton, Texas. It awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
