by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 “Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 53 colleges that offered a degree 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Illinois”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 illinois design students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 271 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 105 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 53 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 83 ’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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago
Out of the 53 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University
College of DuPage ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. College of DuPage is a large public school situated in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. It awarded 55 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
American Academy of Art came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s design 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%.
With a ranking of #9, William Rainey Harper College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. 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 William Rainey Harper College
Joliet Junior College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Joliet Junior College is a fairly large school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 19 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Joliet Junior College
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
University of Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 16 ’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.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #14, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 14 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Loyola University Chicago
With a ranking of #14, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Dominican University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 12 ’s design 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%. 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.
Elmhurst University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 12 ’s design degrees 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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Elmhurst University
Elgin Community College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Elgin Community College
Roosevelt University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Lewis University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Lewis University is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s design students 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%.
Triton College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. 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.
Aurora University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’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%.
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full Illinois Institute of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Quincy University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois ranking. Quincy, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in Illinois list. Lisle, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Benedictine University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies