2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree 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 Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for design students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured Design 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.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year.
Illinois State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois State University Report
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Out of the 14 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 small city of Champaign.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $21,307 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.
UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great value for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. 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
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a great value for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Columbia carry an average student debtload of $29,562. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.
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Bradley University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bradley are $36,360 per year.
Bradley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University Report
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Roosevelt University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Roosevelt are $31,493 a year. Design majors at Roosevelt take out an average of $26,399 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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North Central College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
North Central undergraduate students pay an average of $42,206 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Olivet Nazarene University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Olivet Nazarene University
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Dominican University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.
Dominican U undergraduate students pay an average of $35,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value 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 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Illinois
Other Related Design 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.
Design & Applied Arts Related Majors for Design
One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 14 schools only.
- 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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