by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Virginia, there were 988 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,842 and $26,331 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia” ranking analyzed 16 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.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia design students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Art Institute of Virginia Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. This small school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 9 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Virginia Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Marymount University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified ’s design 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 Marymount University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 315 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Located in Farmville, Virginia, this small public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Radford University is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 36 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Tidewater Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia ranking. Tidewater Community College is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Tidewater Community College
Virginia Western Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia Western Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Roanoke, Virginia. It awarded 15 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Virginia Western Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 236 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University
Central Virginia Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Central Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Central Virginia Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
Thomas Nelson Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #10. TNCC is located in Hampton, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Thomas Nelson Community College
With a ranking of #11, Northern Virginia Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northern Virginia Community College
Ferrum College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Ferrum College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ferrum, Virginia. It awarded 1 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Regent University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Regent University is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
George Mason University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at George Mason University
Emory and Henry College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Emory, Virginia, and it awarded 0 ’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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Emory and Henry College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
