2027 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina
Design & Applied Arts is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their design & applied arts programs.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 24 schools to find the best for design & applied arts students.
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Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in North Carolina
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall design & applied arts education in North Carolina.
Top Schools in Design & Applied Arts
Leading the list is North Carolina State University At Raleigh, our #1 school for design & applied arts. This very large public university is located in the city of Raleigh. Roughly 85% of students complete a degree within six years here. North Carolina State University At Raleigh awarded about 86 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from North Carolina State University At Raleigh earn around $48,940 in the first couple years of their career. North Carolina State University At Raleigh graduates carry a median of $20,500 in student loans.
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Students looking for a strong design & applied arts program will find one at High Point University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of High Point, High Point University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 72%. High Point University awarded about 56 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from High Point University generally make around $113,352. Typical student debt for the program is $23,785.
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Appalachian State University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in design & applied arts, ranking #3. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State University is a very large public university. Appalachian State University graduates 74% of students within six years. Appalachian State University awarded about 102 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Appalachian State University generally make around $34,722. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete this degree.
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East Carolina University came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 63%. East Carolina University awarded about 24 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from East Carolina University earn around $39,992 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete this degree.
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A rank of #5 makes University Of North Carolina At Charlotte one of the top schools for design & applied arts. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte graduates 69% of students within six years. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte awarded about 40 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Charlotte generally make around $51,799. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte graduates carry a median of $24,673 in student loans.
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Central Piedmont Community College earned the #6 position for design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a very large public institution. There were roughly 472 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Central Piedmont Community College earn around $30,979 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $11,861.
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Forsyth Technical Community College placed #7 among the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Technical Community College is a large public institution. There were roughly 22 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Forsyth Technical Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $29,715 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $16,374 to complete this degree.
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Meredith College placed #8 among the best design & applied arts schools. Meredith College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Raleigh. Meredith College graduates 70% of students within six years. There were roughly 35 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Meredith College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $36,357 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete this degree.
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Wake Technical Community College landed the #9 spot for design & applied arts this year. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a very large public university. There were roughly 719 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Wake Technical Community College in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Wake Technical Community College earn a median of $32,153 early in their careers. Wake Technical Community College graduates carry a median of $13,414 in student loans.
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University Of North Carolina At Greensboro ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the city of Greensboro, University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a very large public institution. University Of North Carolina At Greensboro graduates 56% of students within six years. About 31 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at University Of North Carolina At Greensboro in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from University Of North Carolina At Greensboro earn around $38,858 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,000.
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Wayne Community College placed #11 among the best design & applied arts schools. Set in the city of Goldsboro, Wayne Community College is a mid-sized public institution. About 56 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Wayne Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $33,116 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $5,500 to complete this degree.
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Western Carolina University landed the #12 spot for design & applied arts this year. Located in the town of Cullowhee, Western Carolina University is a large public university. Roughly 60% of students complete a degree within six years here. Western Carolina University awarded about 31 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Western Carolina University earn around $32,842 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $29,911 to complete this degree.
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Guilford Technical Community College earned the #13 position for design & applied arts this year. This large public university is located in the suburb of Jamestown. About 59 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Guilford Technical Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $24,827 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $15,250.
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Cape Fear Community College earned the #14 position for design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College is a very large public university. About 52 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Cape Fear Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $42,889 in their early career. Cape Fear Community College graduates carry a median of $12,388 in student loans.
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Alamance Community College earned the #15 position for design & applied arts this year. Alamance Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Graham. About 75 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Alamance Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $37,585 in their early career. Alamance Community College graduates carry a median of $6,625 in student loans.
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Catawba Valley Community College ranked #16 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Hickory. About 15 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Catawba Valley Community College in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Catawba Valley Community College earn a median of $38,219 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $9,842.
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Wilkes Community College placed #17 among the best design & applied arts schools. This mid-sized public university is located in the town of Wilkesboro. About 43 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Wilkes Community College in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Wilkes Community College earn a median of $36,341 early in their careers. Wilkes Community College graduates carry a median of $9,125 in student loans.
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Fayetteville Technical Community College landed the #18 spot for design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville Technical Community College is a large public university. There were roughly 83 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $40,584 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $16,909.
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Pitt Community College came in at #19 for design & applied arts this year. Located in the suburb of Winterville, Pitt Community College is a large public university. There were roughly 30 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Pitt Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $43,022 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,741.
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Randolph Community College placed #20 among the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the town of Asheboro, Randolph Community College is a mid-sized public university. About 33 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Randolph Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Randolph Community College generally make around $32,198.
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Mitchell Community College earned the #21 position for design & applied arts this year. This moderately-sized public university is located in the town of Statesville. About 68 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Mitchell Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Mitchell Community College generally make around $40,450. Mitchell Community College graduates carry a median of $6,313 in student loans.
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Lenoir Community College earned the #22 position for design & applied arts this year. Lenoir Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Kinston. Lenoir Community College awarded about 13 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Lenoir Community College earn a median of $38,736 early in their careers. Lenoir Community College graduates carry a median of $9,984 in student loans.
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Peace College came in at #23 for design & applied arts this year. Set in the city of Raleigh, Peace College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 45% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 13 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Peace College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $33,536 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $24,978 to complete this degree.
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Elizabeth City State University landed the #24 spot for design & applied arts this year. Set in the town of Elizabeth City, Elizabeth City State University is a mid-sized public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 44%. Elizabeth City State University awarded about 11 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Elizabeth City State University earn around $28,300 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,992.
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More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 24 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.
