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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications (Income $0-$30k)

100 Ranked Colleges
2,861 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,657 people earned their degree in visual communications, making the major the 161st most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,861 visual communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 100 colleges that offered a degree in visual communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent visual communications programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the visual communications program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

WUSTL also took the #3 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $5,273 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Visual Communications at Washington University in St Louis

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,850 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Visual Communications Report

#3

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $12,498 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Visual Communications at Notre Dame

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,483 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Visual Communications Report

#5

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the #5 spot on the list. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 18 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $7,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at NC State

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#17 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 6 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #17 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at Indiana University - Bloomington

#7

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York

Farmingdale State College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Farmingdale State College is a fairly large public school situated in Farmingdale, New York. It awarded 45 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,469 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale

New York City College of Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New York City College of Technology is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 128 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend City Tech is $2,456 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full New York City College of Technology Visual Communications Report

#7 in overall quality

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $10,054 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at Iowa State

#25 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ohio State has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,194 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Visual Communications Report

#11

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $8,521 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Visual Communications at University of North Texas

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 235 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,842 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual Communications at University of California - Davis

#13

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #13, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Kentucky University is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for NKU is $4,156 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Visual Communications at NKU

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

BYU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,834 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend BYU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at BYU

#15

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ferris State University is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 2 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,207 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ferris.

Read full report on Visual Communications at Ferris State University

#16

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,542 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Carnegie Mellon Visual Communications Report

#17

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#19 in overall quality

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Western Washington University is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 49 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,743 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Washington University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at Western Washington University

#5 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 40 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $12,203 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Visual Communications Report

With a ranking of #19, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - San Diego Visual Communications Report

University of Maryland - Baltimore County ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - Baltimore County is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UMBC is $10,820 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Visual Communications at UMBC

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
Top 25% in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,123 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read more about Visual Communications at San Francisco State University

#22

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,337 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Green Bay.

Full UW - Green Bay Visual Communications Report

#23

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware
#11 in overall quality

University of Delaware landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Delaware is a large school located in Newark, Delaware that handed out 17 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UD has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Delaware is $11,487 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Visual Communications at University of Delaware

#24

Centenary University

Hackettstown, New Jersey

Centenary University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Hackettstown, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Centenary University is $15,601 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Visual Communications at Centenary

With a ranking of #25, Utah Valley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Orem, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Utah Valley University is $7,334 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Visual Communications at UVU

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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