2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Design & Applied Arts is the #36 most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 459 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Design & Applied Arts
Our 2023 rankings named The Creative Circus the best school in the United States for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Atlanta, The Creative Circus is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from The Creative Circus carry an average student debtload of $28,334.
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Out of the 459 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the # 2 spot on the list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
On average, design graduates from Notre Dame take out $19,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gnomon is a great place for design and applied arts students. Gnomon is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Hollywood.
On average, design graduates from Gnomon take out $41,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Gnomon Report
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Out of the 459 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center landed the # 4 spot on the list. Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center take out is $25,250.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
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Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Carnegie Mellon accumulate an average of around $25,532 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Carnegie Mellon University Report
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With a ranking of #7, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Virginia Tech accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Virginia Tech Report
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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, design graduates from Georgia Tech take out $22,125 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report
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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
Design majors at UT Austin take out an average of $19,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #10, Lawrence Technological University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Southfield, Lawrence Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Lawrence Technological University Report
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Madison Area Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at Madison College accumulate an average of around $14,374 in student debt.
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The Modern College of Design landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the small city of Kettering, The Modern College of Design is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at The Modern College of Design accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $279.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UW - Madison take out is $23,854.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
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Sacred Heart University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Sacred Heart is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a very large student population.
Design majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $13,702 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #16, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
On average, design graduates from North Dakota State University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.
On average, design graduates from UIUC take out $22,407 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $501.
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Luther College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.
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Washington University in St Louis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from WUSTL carry an average student debtload of $15,808.
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Texas Christian University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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Drake University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Drake University Report
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Alexandria Technical & Community College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. ATCC is a small public school located in the town of Alexandria.
Design majors at ATCC take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Alexandria Technical & Community College Report
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at RPI accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Purdue is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.
On average, design graduates from Purdue take out $23,266 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $329, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus Report
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University of South Dakota ranked #25 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Additional Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Design & Applied Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 459 different United States design and applied arts schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 52 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 53 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE |
| 54 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 54 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 56 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 57 | University of Evansville | Evansville, IN |
| 58 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 59 | American Institute of Interior Design | Fountain Hills, AZ |
| 60 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 61 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 62 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 63 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 64 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 65 | Scottsdale Community College | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 66 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 67 | Arapahoe Community College | Littleton, CO |
| 68 | Cogswell College | San Jose, CA |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Design & Applied Arts Schools award.
Design & Applied Arts by Region
View the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Design
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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.
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