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2027 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in New Jersey

18 Colleges in the United States
552 Design & Applied Arts Degrees Awarded
$38,866 Avg Early-Career Salary

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 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 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 New Jersey

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall design & applied arts education in New Jersey.

Top Schools in Design & Applied Arts

1
Rowan University crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ

Rowan University tops our 2027 ranking of the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan University is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 67%. Rowan University awarded about 12 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Rowan University generally make around $52,031. Students borrow a median of $24,488 to complete this degree. Read more about the design & applied arts program at Rowan University

2

County College Of Morris is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in design & applied arts, ranking #2. Set in the suburb of Randolph, County College Of Morris is a moderately-sized public institution. County College Of Morris awarded about 17 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from County College Of Morris earn around $30,966 in the first couple years of their career. County College Of Morris graduates carry a median of $9,420 in student loans. Read more about the design & applied arts program at County College Of Morris

3

Rutgers University New Brunswick came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers University New Brunswick is a very large public institution. About 84% of students finish within six years. About 42 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Rutgers University New Brunswick in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Rutgers University New Brunswick earn a median of $32,397 early in their careers. Rutgers University New Brunswick graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Get the full design & applied arts details for Rutgers University New Brunswick

4

New Jersey Institute Of Technology came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the city of Newark, New Jersey Institute Of Technology is a large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 73%. New Jersey Institute Of Technology awarded about 25 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $38,975 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000. Read more about the design & applied arts program at New Jersey Institute Of Technology

5

Bergen Community College came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the suburb of Paramus, Bergen Community College is a large public university. About 45 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Bergen Community College in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Bergen Community College earn a median of $51,280 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $17,720. See the full design & applied arts program report for Bergen Community College

6
Seton Hall University crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ

Seton Hall University earned the #6 position for design & applied arts this year. Set in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall University is a large private not-for-profit institution. About 70% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 15 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Seton Hall University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $63,871 in their early career. Seton Hall University graduates carry a median of $23,500 in student loans. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Seton Hall University

7

Montclair State University ranked #7 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State University is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 65%. Montclair State University awarded about 77 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Montclair State University generally make around $26,027. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree. Get the full design & applied arts details for Montclair State University

8
Monmouth University crest
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ

Monmouth University earned the #8 position for design & applied arts this year. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of West Long Branch. The six-year graduation rate is 72%. About 17 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Monmouth University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Monmouth University generally make around $49,709. Typical student debt for the program is $26,847. See the full design & applied arts program report for Monmouth University

9
Kean University crest
Kean University
Union, NJ

Kean University came in at #9 for design & applied arts this year. Located in the suburb of Union, Kean University is a large public university. Roughly 47% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 76 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Kean University in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Kean University earn a median of $35,673 early in their careers. Kean University graduates carry a median of $26,713 in student loans. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Kean University

10
Burlington County College crest
Burlington County College
Mount Laurel, NJ

Burlington County College placed #10 among the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the suburb of Mount Laurel, Burlington County College is a large public institution. Burlington County College awarded about 21 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Burlington County College earn around $52,240 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $12,488. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Burlington County College

11

Raritan Valley Community College earned the #11 position for design & applied arts this year. Raritan Valley Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Branchburg. Raritan Valley Community College awarded about 14 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Raritan Valley Community College generally make around $47,248. Typical student debt for the program is $9,668. Get the full design & applied arts details for Raritan Valley Community College

12

Sussex County Community College landed the #12 spot for design & applied arts this year. This mid-sized public university is located in the rural area of Newton. There were roughly 18 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Sussex County Community College in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Sussex County Community College earn a median of $27,179 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $10,750. See the full design & applied arts program report for Sussex County Community College

13
Rider University crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ

Rider University came in at #13 for design & applied arts this year. Located in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Roughly 61% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 12 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Rider University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Rider University generally make around $29,445. Rider University graduates carry a median of $26,241 in student loans. See the full design & applied arts program report for Rider University

14

Mercer County Community College landed the #14 spot for design & applied arts this year. Mercer County Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of West Windsor. Mercer County Community College awarded about 41 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Mercer County Community College generally make around $45,389. Students borrow a median of $12,250 to complete this degree. Get the full design & applied arts details for Mercer County Community College

15

Brookdale Community College earned the #15 position for design & applied arts this year. Brookdale Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Lincroft. Brookdale Community College awarded about 40 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Brookdale Community College earn around $37,374 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $12,651 to complete this degree. Get the full design & applied arts details for Brookdale Community College

16

Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham ranked #16 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Madison. Roughly 66% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 17 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $24,357 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $24,701 to complete this degree. See the full design & applied arts program report for Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham

17

Berkeley College Woodland Park earned the #17 position for design & applied arts this year. This mid-sized private for-profit university is located in the suburb of Woodland Park. The six-year graduation rate is 40%. About 53 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Berkeley College Woodland Park in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Berkeley College Woodland Park earn a median of $27,937 early in their careers. Berkeley College Woodland Park graduates carry a median of $23,949 in student loans. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Berkeley College Woodland Park

18

Ocean County Vocational Technical School came in at #18 for design & applied arts this year. Ocean County Vocational Technical School is a small public school located in the suburb of Toms River. About 10 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Ocean County Vocational Technical School in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Ocean County Vocational Technical School earn around $27,482 in the first couple years of their career. More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Ocean County Vocational Technical School

View All Design & Applied Arts Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 18 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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