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Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

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2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$19,907 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,924 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You

With 316 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #50 most popular major in Colorado.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

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 Colorado ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Colorado 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.

2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges.

Best Colorado Schools for Affordable Quality in Design & Applied Arts

#1

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO
$4,080 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Arapahoe Community College to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in Colorado. Located in the suburb of Littleton, Arapahoe Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Arapahoe Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,080 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from Arapahoe Community College take out $23,985 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#2

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO
$9,000 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Colorado Mesa University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Colorado. Located in the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado Mesa is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Colorado Mesa undergraduate students pay an average of $9,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Colorado Mesa University Report

$10,021 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan State University of Denver landed the # 3 spot on the list. MSU Denver is a large public school located in the city of Denver.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MSU Denver are $10,021 a year. After completing their degree, design graduates from MSU Denver carry an average student debtload of $28,500.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Metropolitan State University of Denver Report

$21,615 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado list. Located in the medium-sized city of Lakewood, RMCAD is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RMCAD are $21,615 per year. On average, design graduates from RMCAD take out $44,406 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $420.

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#5

University of Denver

Denver, CO
$54,819 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Denver. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Colorado list. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Denver.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DU are $54,819 per year.

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Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region

Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Utah 569
Idaho 125
Montana 25
Wyoming 22

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 5 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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