2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts 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 Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Illinois 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.
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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for design and applied arts students. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. Design majors at Illinois State take out an average of $22,868 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $22,407 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 also took the #3 spot in our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois rankings.
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Out of the 17 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the # 3 spot on the list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois Tech are $50,375 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at UIC take out is $25,425. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $295.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
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Columbia College Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Columbia is a medium-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. Design majors at Columbia take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report
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With a ranking of #7, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bradley are $36,360 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Bradley accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Bradley is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list.
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With a ranking of #8, Roosevelt University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Roosevelt undergraduate students pay an average of $31,493 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at Roosevelt accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Roosevelt University Report
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North Central College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value design and applied arts programs. 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. After completing their degree, design graduates from North Central carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at North Central College
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Northwestern University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value design and applied arts programs. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwestern are $60,768 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #1 for overall quality for design in Illinois.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University
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 17 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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