2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast 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.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.
The Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 90 schools in the Southeast 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. 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 15% Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Gwinnett Technical College the best value school in the Southeast Region for design and applied arts students. GTC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $5,636 per year. Design majors at GTC take out an average of $16,605 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Gwinnett Technical College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center are $19,400 a year. Design majors at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Guilford Technical Community College is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Guilford Technical Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,665 in tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from Guilford Technical Community College take out $19,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,367 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at WCU accumulate an average of around $26,738 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Western Carolina University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Technical Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
Wake Technical Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,912 in tuition and fees each year. Design majors at Wake Technical Community College take out an average of $12,411 in student loans while working on their egree.
Wake Technical Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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Central Piedmont Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Piedmont Community College are $8,936 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Central Piedmont Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Piedmont Community College
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Seminole State College of Florida 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 small city of Sanford, Seminole State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Seminole State are $11,456 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at Seminole State accumulate an average of around $22,417 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Seminole State also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
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Liberty University 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. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Liberty University are $16,160 a year. Design majors at Liberty University take out an average of $25,833 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $432, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Liberty University Report
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Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.
A-State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,698 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at A-State take out is $28,000.
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Northern Virginia 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 #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Northern Virginia Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,648 in tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from Northern Virginia Community College take out $21,281 in student loans while working on their degree.
Northern Virginia Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Northern Virginia Community College Report
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Harding University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Searcy.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Harding are $22,230 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Harding also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Harding University
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Horry-Georgetown Technical College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Conway.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Horry-Georgetown Technical College are $8,593 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at Horry-Georgetown Technical College accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Horry-Georgetown Technical College Report
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University of Central Arkansas ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Conway, UCA is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCA are $16,433 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Central Arkansas Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 15 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 15 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 17 | Regent University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 18 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 1,446 |
| Virginia | 889 |
| North Carolina | 944 |
| Florida | 1,128 |
| Tennessee | 296 |
| Kentucky | 84 |
| South Carolina | 316 |
| Louisiana | 84 |
| Arkansas | 228 |
| Alabama | 246 |
| Mississippi | 81 |
| West Virginia | 114 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in the Southeast 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.
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 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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