2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 185 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones were the most popular 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.
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2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Far Western US Region Schools in Design & Applied Arts
Our analysis found FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles to be the most popular school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from FIDM Los Angeles carry an average student debt load of $22,573. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $635, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Out of the 185 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Art Center College of Design landed the # 2 spot 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.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Art Center College of Design take out is $31,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $878.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in the Far Western US Region . UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
While working on their degree, design majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $15,357 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Davis Report
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Francisco State University is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $18,687 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $378, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
Academy of Art University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from Academy of Art University carry an average student debt load of $33,391. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $719.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University
Portland Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular design and applied arts programs. Portland Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Portland.
While working on their degree, design majors at Portland Community College accumulate an average of around $20,185 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Portland Community College
California State University - Chico ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chico.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Chico State take out is $18,488.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Chico
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSULB take out is $17,095.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report
Otis College of Art and Design did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Otis College of Art and Design take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $711.
Oregon State University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular design and applied arts programs. Oregon State is a very large public school located in the small city of Corvallis.
While working on their degree, design majors at Oregon State accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Oregon State University Report
California College of the Arts did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at California College of the Arts take out is $27,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $322, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, design graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $17,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at UC Santa Cruz accumulate an average of around $26,333 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz
Sierra College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #15 on the list. Sierra College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Rocklin.
Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular design and applied arts programs. Located in the rural area of Laguna Beach, LCAD is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at LCAD accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $512, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Santa Monica College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the city of Santa Monica, SMC is a public school with a very large student population.
Portland State University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Portland, Portland State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Portland State University take out is $27,000.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Portland State University Report
West Valley College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. West Valley College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Saratoga.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at West Valley College
Bellevue College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. BC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Bellevue.
Saddleback College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a public college with a large student population.
Western Washington University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. WWU is a large public school located in the small city of Bellingham.
Design majors at WWU take out an average of $22,986 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #23, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from USC carry an average student debt load of $18,275.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California Report
Mt. San Antonio College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Mt. SAC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Walnut.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Mt. San Antonio College Report
University of Oregon came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Eugene, UO is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Design majors at UO take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Rest of the Top Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region
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 Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Shoreline Community College | Shoreline, WA |
| 30 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 32 | Palomar College | San Marcos, CA |
| 33 | Interior Designers Institute | Newport Beach, CA |
| 33 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 35 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA |
| 36 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 37 | Los Angeles Film School | Hollywood, CA |
Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best design and applied arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 3,773 |
| Washington | 532 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
Majors Related to 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 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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