2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, design and applied arts was ranked #36 in the country. In fact 36,301 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 81 schools in the Great Lakes 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges.
Top 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Madison Area Technical College the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for design and applied arts students. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Madison College are $6,769 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Madison College take out is $14,374.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Madison College also is in the top 5% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Waukesha County Technical College is a great value for design and applied arts students. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCTC are $6,603 a year. Design majors at WCTC take out an average of $15,554 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Waukesha County Technical College
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Technical College is a great value for design and applied arts students. Western Technical College is a small public school located in the city of La Crosse.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Western Technical College are $6,687 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Western Technical College accumulate an average of around $13,500 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Western Technical College Report
Out of the 81 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Milwaukee Area Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MATC are $6,908 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Milwaukee Area Technical College
Out of the 81 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Macomb Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Warren.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Macomb Community College are $7,680 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Macomb Community College take out is $9,255.
Macomb Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Macomb Community College
Out of the 81 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Gateway Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Gateway Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,803 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, design graduates from Gateway Technical College carry an average student debtload of $14,333.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Gateway Technical College Report
Sinclair Community College 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 city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Sinclair Community College take out is $14,075.
Ivy Tech Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 a year. After completing their degree, design graduates from Ivy Tech Community College carry an average student debtload of $13,912.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ivy Tech Community College also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Ivy Tech Community College Report
Franklin University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Franklin University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbus.
Franklin University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,577 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at Franklin University accumulate an average of around $43,242 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Franklin University
University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Menomonie.
UW - Stout undergraduate students pay an average of $17,820 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at UW - Stout accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $131, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Stout is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stout
Ferris State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the town of Big Rapids.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at Ferris accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $235.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Ferris State University
Central Michigan University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per year. Design majors at Central Michigan take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $296, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Michigan University
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Design & Applied Arts students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 15 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 16 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,011 |
| Ohio | 1,456 |
| Illinois | 979 |
| Indiana | 417 |
| Wisconsin | 717 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar 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.
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