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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa

17 Ranked Colleges
378 Degrees Awarded
$34,314 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa” 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.

Across Iowa, there were 545 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,807 and $23,790 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 378 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,980 and $30,839 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa” ranking looked at 17 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.

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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 Iowa” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa”.

Top 17 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa

1

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 239 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University

2
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Luther College landed the #2 spot on the list. Luther College is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 11 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Luther College

3
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Northern Iowa

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Graceland University - Lamoni. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Graceland Lamoni Design & Applied Arts Report

5
Briar Cliff crest
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Briar Cliff University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Briar Cliff University Design & Applied Arts Report

6
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Drake is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

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. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Full Drake Design & Applied Arts Report

7
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

Grand View University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Grand View University

8
UIU crest
Upper Iowa University
Fayette, Iowa

With a ranking of #8, Upper Iowa University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Upper Iowa University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa. It awarded 15 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UIU

9
Mount Mercy crest
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #9. Mount Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 6 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Mount Mercy University Design & Applied Arts Report

10
Wartburg crest
Wartburg College
Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waverly, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Wartburg Design & Applied Arts Report

11
Morningside crest
Morningside College
Sioux City, Iowa

Morningside College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Morningside College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Morningside College

12
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa

Simpson College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Indianola, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Simpson College

13
NWC crest
Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa

Northwestern College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #13. NWC is a small school located in Orange City, Iowa that handed out 3 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at NWC

14
BVU crest
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa

Buena Vista University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking. This small school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 Buena Vista University Design & Applied Arts Report

15
Dordt crest
Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Dordt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Center, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Dordt University

16
Clarke crest
Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa

With a ranking of #16, Clarke University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa list. Clarke University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 1 bachelors’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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Clarke

17
St. Ambrose University crest
Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in Iowa ranking. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at St. Ambrose University

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References

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