2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
With 532 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #33 most popular major in Washington.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Washington 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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 Washington for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Spokane Falls Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at Spokane Falls Community College accumulate an average of around $14,193 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Bellevue College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Washington. Located in the city of Bellevue, BC is a public school with a large student population.
BC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,057 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, BC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue College Report
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The excellent programs at Lake Washington Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Washington. Located in the large suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LWTech are $4,609 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WWU are $8,703 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at WWU accumulate an average of around $22,986 in student debt.
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Out of the 13 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UW Seattle are $12,076 a year. Design majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $13,702 in student loans while working on their egree.
UW Seattle did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list.
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With a ranking of #6, Central Washington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. CWU is a large public school located in the town of Ellensburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CWU are $8,685 a year.
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Washington State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wazzu are $12,417 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at Wazzu accumulate an average of around $24,191 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wazzu also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington ranking.
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With a ranking of #8, Eastern Washington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. EWU is a large public school located in the town of Cheney.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EWU are $7,922 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Eastern Washington University
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Seattle Pacific University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Seattle, SPU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SPU are $35,646 a year. Design majors at SPU take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
SPU also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Northwest College of Art & Design ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Poulsbo, NCAD is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NCAD are $18,100 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at NCAD accumulate an average of around $30,750 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Northwest College of Art & Design Report
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 3,773 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Washington
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.
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
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 13 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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