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Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

650 Colleges
$33,319 Avg Salary
$28,541 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

Design & Applied Arts is the #36 most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 650 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Design & Applied Arts program at each school on the list.

Check out the design bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

Our 2023 rankings named Savannah College of Art and Design the most popular school in the United States for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. SCAD is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Savannah.

Women make up 73% of the design majors at the school.

Design majors at SCAD take out an average of $26,596 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $981, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fashion Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, FIT SUNY is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 607 students majoring in design at FIT SUNY, 15% are male and 85% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from FIT SUNY carry an average student debt load of $23,797. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $313, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology Report

#3

Pratt Institute - Main

Brooklyn, NY

Out of the 650 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Pratt Institute - Main landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, Pratt Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

About 72% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 28% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Pratt Institute carry an average student debt load of $24,423. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $970.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Pratt Institute - Main

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern New Hampshire University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Women make up 68% of the design majors at the school.

On average, design graduates from SNHU take out $32,458 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern New Hampshire University

#5

The New School

New York, NY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The New School. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. New School University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Women make up 79% of the design majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at New School University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,446. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $775.

Full Design & Applied Arts at The New School Report

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 77% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 23% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at VCU accumulate an average of around $24,250 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $280.

Read More…

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 66% of the design majors at the school.

Design majors at Columbia take out an average of $29,562 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $485, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Chicago

Art Center College of Design did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Pasadena, Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 71% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 29% are male.

Design majors at Art Center College of Design take out an average of $35,062 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $878, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design Report

#9

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

Full Sail University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Winter Park, Full Sail University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

About 58% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 42% are male.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Full Sail University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $38,080. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $274, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Full Sail University

Iowa State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.

Of the 239 students majoring in design at Iowa State, 30% are male and 70% are female.

Design majors at Iowa State take out an average of $24,944 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $262.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 235 students majoring in design at UC, 22% are male and 78% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UC accumulate an average of around $24,382 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $365.

Read More…

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.

Women make up 79% of the design majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debt load of $15,187. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $319.

Read More…

Kent State University at Kent ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public college with a very large student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 11% are male.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $322.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Kent State University at Kent Report

#14

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.

About 62% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 38% are male.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University

Massachusetts College of Art and Design ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 74% of the design majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, design graduates from Massachusetts College of Art and Design carry an average student debt load of $23,824. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $322.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design

#16

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Of the 193 students majoring in design at Drexel, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $888.

Read More…

#16

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 60% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 40% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $19,788 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $378, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University Report

#18

School of Visual Arts

New York, NY

School of Visual Arts ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, SVA is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 76% of the design majors at the school.

Design majors at SVA take out an average of $27,034 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $911.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at School of Visual Arts

With a ranking of #19, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.

Of the 183 students majoring in design at ASU - Tempe, 22% are male and 78% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at ASU - Tempe accumulate an average of around $22,487 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $313, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

With a ranking of #20, Appalachian State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 62% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 38% are male.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Appalachian State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,791. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $242.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Appalachian State University Report

#21

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 71% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 29% are male.

Design majors at Liberty University take out an average of $23,836 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $432.

Read More…

College for Creative Studies ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. CCS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Detroit.

About 57% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 43% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at CCS accumulate an average of around $28,655 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $594.

Read More…

With a ranking of #23, Maryland Institute College of Art did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Baltimore, MICA is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 77% of the design majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at MICA take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,320. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $779, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art Report

With a ranking of #24, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chico.

Of the 143 students majoring in design at Chico State, 65% are male and 35% are female.

The average amount in student loans that design majors at Chico State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,522.

Read More…

California State University - Long Beach landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree design and applied arts programs. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

About 65% of the students majoring in design at the school are women while 35% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $21,064 in student debt.

Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report

#29

Queens College

Queens, NY
#32

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX
#34

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
#37

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR
#37

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, CA
#42

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI
#46

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ
#46

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
#48

Clemson University

Clemson, SC
#50

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, CA

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 650 different United States design and applied arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
52 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
53 Portland State University Portland, OR
53 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
55 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
56 DePaul University Chicago, IL
57 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
58 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
59 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
59 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
59 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA
62 AI Miami International University of Art and Design Miami, FL
63 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
63 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
63 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
66 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
67 Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN
67 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
69 Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH
69 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
71 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
72 Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Indiana, PA
72 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
74 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA
74 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
76 Kean University Union, NJ
76 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
76 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
79 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
80 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
81 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA
81 Northeastern University Boston, MA
81 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
84 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
84 Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY
84 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
84 The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA
84 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
84 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
84 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
91 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
91 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
93 Bellevue University Bellevue, NE
93 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
93 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
93 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
97 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
98 University of Houston Houston, TX
98 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
98 Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO
98 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
102 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
103 Cedarville University Cedarville, OH
103 Champlain College Burlington, VT
105 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
106 Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA
106 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
106 Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC
109 High Point University High Point, NC
109 Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA
109 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
109 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
109 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
114 Universidad del Turabo Gurabo, PR
114 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA
114 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA
117 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
117 Bradley University Peoria, IL
117 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
120 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
120 Berkeley College - Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ
120 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
123 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
123 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
123 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
126 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
126 Nossi College of Art Madison, TN
126 Endicott College Beverly, MA
129 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
130 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL

Design & Applied Arts by Region

View the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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