2021 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Design & Applied Arts is the #44 most popular major in Illinois with 1,100 degrees and certificates awarded in 2018-2019.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2021 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 2021 rankings named Illinois Institute of Technology the best school in Illinois for design and applied arts students. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
After completing their degree, design graduates from Illinois Tech carry an average student debtload of $142,414. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $1,659, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
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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 very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UIUC take out is $26,994. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Bradley take out is $24,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $254, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 17 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern U is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at DePaul take out is $25,773. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $267.
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Augustana College landed the #7 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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North Central College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the midsize 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 $25,750. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $267.
Full Design & Applied Arts at North Central College Report
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Elmhurst University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elmhurst.
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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, design graduates from UIC take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Michigan | 1,113 |
Ohio | 1,988 |
Indiana | 582 |
Wisconsin | 766 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Design
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Fine & Studio Arts | 40,751 |
Music | 26,968 |
Drama & Theater Arts | 17,726 |
Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,756 |
General Visual & Performing Arts | 5,720 |
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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