2023 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois
53
Ranked Colleges
1,084
Degrees Awarded
$32,800
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in Illinois” ranking.
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 Illinois, there were 1,084 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,103 and $26,512 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 53 colleges that offered 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois”.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Academy of Art. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois. The Academy is a private for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full The Academy Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 53 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 271 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eureka College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Eureka College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eureka, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Eureka College
Out of the 53 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Quincy University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois. Quincy U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 7 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Quincy U Design & Applied Arts Report
Judson University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. Judson is a small school located in Elgin, Illinois that handed out 6 ’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Judson University Design & Applied Arts Report
School of the Art Institute of Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Augustana College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Augustana College
North Central College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 North Central College
DePaul University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 89 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 DePaul Design & Applied Arts Report
Dominican University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 Dominican University
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Elmhurst University is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 12 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Elmhurst University Design & Applied Arts Report
College of DuPage did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Glen Ellyn, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at COD
With a ranking of #14, Trinity Christian College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Trinity Christian College is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 Trinity Christian College
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Design & Applied Arts Report
Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. TIU Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Deerfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees 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.
Full Trinity International University - Illinois Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 105 students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UIUC
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Olivet Nazarene
Joliet Junior College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Joliet Junior College
Triton College ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Triton College is a public institution located in River Grove, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Triton College
Roosevelt University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Full Roosevelt University Design & Applied Arts Report
William Rainey Harper College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois ranking. William Rainey Harper College is a public institution located in Palatine, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Harper College
With a ranking of #23, Lewis University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Lewis Design & Applied Arts Report
Elgin Community College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Elgin Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Elgin, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at ECC
With a ranking of #25, Black Hawk College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Illinois list. Black Hawk College is a small public school situated in Moline, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full BHC Design & Applied Arts Report
college factual
