2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 59 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for design students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. 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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Spokane Falls Community College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for design and applied arts students. Spokane Falls Community College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 a year. Design majors at Spokane Falls Community College take out an average of $14,193 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Spokane Falls Community College
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Gnomon is a great value for design and applied arts students. Gnomon is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Hollywood.
Gnomon undergraduate students pay an average of $28,155 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Gnomon take out is $41,000.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellevue College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. BC is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Bellevue.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BC are $9,594 per year.
BC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means College of Southern Nevada is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a very large student population.
CSN undergraduate students pay an average of $11,534 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at College of Southern Nevada Report
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The excellent programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.
San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University
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Los Angeles Trade Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value design and applied arts programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Los Angeles Trade Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,012 in tuition and fees each year.
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Lake Washington Institute of Technology landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value design and applied arts programs. LWTech is a small public school located in the suburb of Kirkland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LWTech are $10,146 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Lake Washington Institute of Technology Report
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California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CSULB are $18,726 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSULB take out is $17,095.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report
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With a ranking of #9, Cogswell College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Cogswell is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cogswell are $21,784 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Cogswell accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Cogswell College
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Platt College - San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Platt College - San Diego is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Platt College - San Diego are $16,378 per year. Design majors at Platt College - San Diego take out an average of $16,334 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $112.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego Report
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 3,773 |
| Washington | 532 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Far Western US Region
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 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.
- 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.