2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
Design & Applied Arts is the #28 most popular major in North Carolina with 944 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 13 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best value programs for design students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. 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 analysis found Guilford Technical Community College to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Guilford Technical Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Jamestown.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Guilford Technical Community College are $2,289 a year. Design majors at Guilford Technical Community College take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Guilford Technical Community College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Technical Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wake Technical Community College are $2,768 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Wake Technical Community College accumulate an average of around $12,411 in student debt.
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 North Carolina list.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Wake Technical Community College Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Central Piedmont Community College is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Central Piedmont Community College are $2,792 a year.
Central Piedmont Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list. WCU is a large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $4,367 per year. After completing their degree, design graduates from WCU carry an average student debtload of $26,738.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Appalachian State University is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Appalachian State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at Appalachian State accumulate an average of around $23,750 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $242.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Appalachian State also is in the top 10% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Appalachian State University
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East Carolina University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECU are $7,297 per year. Design majors at ECU take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECU also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at East Carolina University
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 per year.
UNC Charlotte excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list.
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North Carolina State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value design and applied arts programs. NC State is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $9,131 per year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at NC State take out is $23,954.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NC State is ranked #5 for overall quality for design in North Carolina.
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. UNC Greensboro is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Greensboro are $7,468 per year. On average, design graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
UNC Greensboro excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in North Carolina list.
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North Carolina A & T 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 #10 on the list. NC A&T is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro.
NC A&T undergraduate students pay an average of $6,733 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from NC A&T take out $28,617 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at North Carolina A & T State University Report
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 1,446 |
| Virginia | 889 |
| 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 North Carolina
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 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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