2026 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Rhode Island
Design & Applied Arts degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 7 schools to find the best for design & applied arts students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Rhode Island
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
Rhode Island School Of Design is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island School Of Design is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 89%. Rhode Island School Of Design awarded about 116 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $29,489 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Rhode Island School Of Design
Roger Williams University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Bristol, Roger Williams University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. About 69% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 16 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Roger Williams University in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Roger Williams University earn a median of $48,664 early in their careers. Roger Williams University graduates carry a median of $26,445 in student loans.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Roger Williams University
New England Institute Of Technology is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of East Greenwich, New England Institute Of Technology is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. There were roughly 69 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at New England Institute Of Technology in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from New England Institute Of Technology earn around $26,833 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,584.
Get the full design & applied arts details for New England Institute Of Technology
Rhode Island College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #4 spot this year. This large public university is located in the suburb of Providence. Roughly 48% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 11 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Rhode Island College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $45,088 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $23,394.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Rhode Island College
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 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.
