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Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois

17 Colleges
$37,103 Avg Salary
$26,512 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You

With 979 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #37 most popular major in Illinois.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois

Check out the design programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

Our analysis found Illinois Institute of Technology to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Out of the 17 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 2 spot on the list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

While working on their degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $22,407 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $501, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for design and applied arts students. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University Report

Out of the 17 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Design majors at Illinois State take out an average of $22,868 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois State University Report

#5

North Central College

Naperville, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Central College is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, design graduates from North Central carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Central College

#6

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

While working on their degree, design majors at Bradley accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University Report

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at UIC take out is $25,425. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $295.

Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#8

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

Roosevelt University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, design majors at Roosevelt accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt.

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Columbia College Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Design majors at Columbia take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report

Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,011
Ohio 1,456
Indiana 417
Wisconsin 717

One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 17 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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