2027 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia
Design & Applied Arts programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for design & applied arts students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Virginia
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
Leading the list is Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, our #1 school for design & applied arts. Set in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 86%. About 75 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University generally make around $46,761. Students borrow a median of $25,802 to complete this degree.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University
A rank of #2 makes Virginia Commonwealth University one of the top schools for design & applied arts. This very large public university is located in the city of Richmond. Roughly 63% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 398 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Virginia Commonwealth University in the most recent year. Design & Applied Arts graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University earn a median of $36,156 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $25,937.
See the full design & applied arts program report for Virginia Commonwealth University
Liberty University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in design & applied arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg. Liberty University graduates 67% of students within six years. There were roughly 269 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $40,295 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Liberty University
A rank of #4 makes Northern Virginia Community College one of the top schools for design & applied arts. Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Annandale. About 59 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Northern Virginia Community College earn around $33,232 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $18,250.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Northern Virginia Community College
Marymount University came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Arlington. The six-year graduation rate is 54%. Marymount University awarded about 22 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $44,175 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Marymount University
Radford University ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best design & applied arts schools. Radford University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Radford. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. About 25 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Radford University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Radford University generally make around $34,096. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Radford University
Tidewater Community College earned the #7 position for design & applied arts this year. Located in the city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a very large public university. Tidewater Community College awarded about 93 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design & applied arts degree recipients from Tidewater Community College generally make around $22,935. Typical student debt for the program is $10,195.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Tidewater Community College
Virginia Western Community College came in at #8 for design & applied arts this year. Virginia Western Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Roanoke. About 11 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Virginia Western Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their design & applied arts degree from Virginia Western Community College earn around $31,440 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $13,715.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Virginia Western Community College
Germanna Community College earned the #9 position for design & applied arts this year. Set in the rural area of Locust Grove, Germanna Community College is a large public institution. Germanna Community College awarded about 15 design & applied arts degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $41,880 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $10,999.
Read more about the design & applied arts program at Germanna Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College placed #10 among the best design & applied arts schools. Located in the suburb of Hampton, Thomas Nelson Community College is a moderately-sized public university. About 11 design & applied arts degrees were awarded at Thomas Nelson Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the design & applied arts program make about $36,758 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $14,402 to complete this degree.
Get the full design & applied arts details for Thomas Nelson Community College
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
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 · 10 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.
