2026 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Indiana
Design & Applied Arts programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their design & applied arts programs.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Indiana
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design & applied arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Design & Applied Arts
University Of Notre Dame tops our 2026 ranking of the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, University Of Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university. University Of Notre Dame graduates 95% of students within six years. There were roughly 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at University Of Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from University Of Notre Dame generally make around $46,825. Typical student debt for the program is $20,250.
Get the full design & applied arts details for University Of Notre Dame
A rank of #2 makes Purdue University Main Campus one of the top schools for design & applied arts. This very large public university is located in the city of West Lafayette. Roughly 83% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 68 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Purdue University Main Campus in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Purdue University Main Campus earn a median of $44,602 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $20,250 to complete this degree.
See the full design & applied arts program report for Purdue University Main Campus
Indiana University Bloomington is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a very large public university. Roughly 80% of students complete a degree within six years here. Indiana University Bloomington awarded about 67 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Indiana University Bloomington earn a median of $26,421 early in their careers. Indiana University Bloomington graduates carry a median of $21,064 in student loans.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Indiana University Bloomington
Ball State University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #4 spot this year. Ball State University is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie. About 62% of students finish within six years. About 61 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Ball State University in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Ball State University earn around $36,864 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $22,000 to complete this degree.
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Students looking for a strong design & applied arts program will find one at Taylor University, which ranked #5. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the rural area of Upland. The six-year graduation rate is 74%. There were roughly 12 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Taylor University in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Taylor University earn a median of $31,921 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $22,000 to complete this degree.
See the full design & applied arts program report for Taylor University
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis landed the #6 spot for design & applied arts this year. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis graduates 54% of students within six years. There were roughly 32 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis earn around $56,930 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $23,146.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Vincennes University landed the #7 spot for design & applied arts this year. This very large public university is located in the town of Vincennes. Vincennes University graduates 3% of students within six years. About 11 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Vincennes University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Vincennes University generally make around $45,976. Typical student debt for the program is $14,506.
See the full design & applied arts program report for Vincennes University
Ivy Tech Community College earned the #8 position for design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a very large public institution. About 229 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Ivy Tech Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Ivy Tech Community College earn around $26,602 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $12,710.
See the full design & applied arts program report for Ivy Tech Community College
Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne placed #9 among the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne is a large public university. Roughly 36% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 16 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne earn a median of $27,517 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 22 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
