2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
With 889 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #43 most popular major in Virginia.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 10 schools in Virginia 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. 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 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Northern Virginia Community College the best value school in Virginia for design and applied arts students. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 per year. Design majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out an average of $21,281 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Northern Virginia Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great value for design and applied arts students. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Virginia Tech are $14,174 a year. On average, design graduates from Virginia Tech take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Virginia Tech did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia list.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Tidewater Community College is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tidewater Community College are $5,561 a year. On average, design graduates from Tidewater Community College take out $9,950 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 10 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Radford are $11,542 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Radford accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Liberty University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Virginia. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year. While working on their degree, design majors at Liberty University accumulate an average of around $25,833 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $432, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at VCU are $15,028 per year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at VCU take out is $26,274. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $280.
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George Mason University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia ranking. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
GMU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,119 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, GMU also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Regent 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. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Regent undergraduate students pay an average of $18,820 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Marymount is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Arlington.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Marymount are $35,250 a year. After completing their degree, design graduates from Marymount carry an average student debtload of $30,375.
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The Art Institute of Virginia Beach 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 large city of Virginia Beach, Ai Virginia Beach is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ai Virginia Beach are $19,354 a year. While working on their degree, design majors at Ai Virginia Beach accumulate an average of around $42,822 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $381, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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 |
| 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 Virginia
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 10 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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