by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 the New England region, there were 1,952 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,122 and $26,301 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,511 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,403 and $25,944 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 49 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular design and applied arts programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for new england region bachelor’s degree design students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern New Hampshire University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 388 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern New Hampshire University Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 194 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lesley University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. Lesley University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 74 bachelors’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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 49 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Rhode Island School of Design landed the #4 spot on the list. RISD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a small population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national 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. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Rhode Island School of Design Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 49 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Wentworth Institute of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Northeastern University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 97%.
With a ranking of #6, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Full University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth Design & Applied Arts Report
Champlain College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Champlain College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Burlington, Vermont. It awarded 49 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Champlain College
University of Hartford did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students 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.
Endicott College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Beverly, Massachusetts, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Fitchburg State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Fitchburg State is a medium-sized school located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts that handed out 35 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
University of Massachusetts - Lowell came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a fairly large school located in Lowell, Massachusetts that handed out 33 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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 ranking of #12, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Suffolk University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Central Connecticut State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. CCSU is located in New Britain, Connecticut and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
University of Bridgeport came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Bridgeport is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It awarded 32 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Bridgeport
With a ranking of #17, New England College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. New England College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Henniker, New Hampshire. It awarded 27 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New England College
Maine College of Art ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Portland, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Maine College of Art
New England Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. East Greenwich, Rhode Island is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 22 students 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full New England Institute of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Keene State College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. Keene State is a public institution located in Keene, New Hampshire. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Quinnipiac University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s list. Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hamden, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Quinnipiac University
Lasell University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Lasell is a small school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 17 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Montserrat College of Art did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Montserrat College of Art is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Montserrat College of Art
Stonehill College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Easton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Roger Williams University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the New England Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Bristol, Rhode Island, and it awarded 13 bachelors’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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Roger Williams University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
