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Sector Analysis · Visual & Performing Arts

Best Design Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

290 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Design, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Design graduate earns $33,862/yr across 290 schools.

What do Design graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why a Tech School Dominates a Design Ranking

Georgia Institute of Technology's #1 spot isn't an anomaly; it's a signal of where the design industry is headed. As a top-tier engineering and computing institution, Georgia Tech's design program is deeply integrated with technology, focusing on high-demand fields like UX/UI, industrial design, and interactive media. This tech-centric approach, combined with a pipeline into Atlanta's booming tech hub, produces graduates who command high salaries ($52,694/yr) because they can blend creative skill with technical problem-solving.

Where Are the Famous Private Art Schools?

You may notice that famous private art schools are absent from the top 20. This is by design. Our rankings heavily weigh return on investment, and the data reveals a clear pattern: the top 20 spots are entirely occupied by public universities. While private schools offer elite brands, their high tuition often leads to a poor ROI, even with good salaries. Graduates from top public programs like the University of Washington ($63,449/yr) are out-earning their peers while carrying a fraction of the debt.

AI Won't Take Your Job, It Will Change It

The average 42.4% AI task exposure in design sounds alarming, but it doesn't mean a 42% chance of unemployment. Instead, AI is automating the tedious parts of the job—like generating initial mockups or code—freeing you to focus on what clients actually pay for: strategy, user research, and creative vision. Your career success will depend less on your ability to use today's software and more on your ability to direct these powerful new tools to solve complex human problems.

The Two Paths: Debt Trap vs. Smart Investment

Your choice of school can set you on one of two very different financial paths. A graduate from the University of Washington-Seattle earns enough ($63,449/yr) to pay off their entire student debt ($12,250) more than five times over in a single year. In contrast, a graduate from the Los Angeles Film School earns just $26,583/yr against a staggering $46,750 in debt. This single metric—debt-to-earnings—can determine your financial freedom for the first decade of your career, making it a critical factor in your decision.

Programs Ranked

290

Avg Earnings

$33,862/yr

Avg DW Score

35/100

AI Risk

High

42% task exposure

Top Institutions

Leading the field for Design

The top four programs by DegreeOutlook Score. Full ranking of 290 programs below.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 69

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

WA · #2

$63,449/yr · 15.9x ROI

University of California-Los Angeles

CA · #3

$57,615/yr · 14.6x ROI

The University of Texas at Austin

TX · #4

$44,506/yr · 17.8x ROI

The Ranking Matrix

All Design Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

Sort by

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	69 68–69	$52,694/yr	18.3x
2	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	69 69–70	$63,449/yr	15.9x
3	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	67 67–68	$57,615/yr	14.6x
4	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	64 65–65	$44,506/yr	17.8x
5	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	63 64–64	$43,144/yr	27.8x
6	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	61 60–61	$49,144/yr	22.2x
7	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	61 60–62	$52,526/yr	11.8x
8	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	61 61–62	$47,461/yr	15.5x
9	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	59 59–60	$44,930/yr	16.2x
10	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	58 59–59	$45,176/yr	12.5x
11	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	58 57–58	$49,780/yr	12.1x
12	University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK · Public	56 58–57	$42,619/yr	16.4x
13	Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public	56 57–57	$44,396/yr	12.6x
14	Bellevue College Bellevue, WA · Public	56 57–57	$45,947/yr	25.7x
15	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	55 61–56	$37,395/yr	23.2x
16	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	55 54–56	$47,295/yr	8.4x
17	Weber State University Ogden, UT · Public	55 58–55	$40,507/yr	20.5x
18	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	55 55–56	$46,761/yr	9.6x
19	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	55 55–55	$44,823/yr	10.9x
20	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	54 54–55	$46,585/yr	10.7x
21	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	54 56–55	$42,585/yr	10.0x
22	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	53 54–54	$44,215/yr	11.2x
23	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA · Public	53 60–54	$34,845/yr	22.9x
24	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO · Public	53 57–54	$39,450/yr	13.9x
25	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	53 57–54	$38,938/yr	20.4x
26	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	53 53–54	$49,727/yr	2.8x
27	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	53 57–54	$39,847/yr	14.9x
28	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public	53 54–54	$44,602/yr	12.4x
29	East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public	52 56–53	$39,992/yr	17.3x
30	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	51 51–52	$64,846/yr	1.9x
31	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	51 51–52	$46,689/yr	8.3x
32	Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit	50 50–51	$47,053/yr	2.9x
33	Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL · Public	50 54–51	$39,221/yr	29.4x
34	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	50 52–51	$42,168/yr	9.9x
35	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI · Public	50 54–50	$39,077/yr	10.0x
36	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	50 51–50	$42,462/yr	8.3x
37	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	49 48–50	$50,599/yr	3.1x
38	Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public	49 50–50	$43,530/yr	6.2x
39	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	49 57–49	$33,915/yr	21.8x
40	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	48 51–48	$39,355/yr	15.7x
41	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	48 48–49	$46,825/yr	2.3x
42	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC · Public	48 52–48	$38,858/yr	15.0x
43	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND · Public	48 50–49	$41,846/yr	10.7x
44	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI · Public	48 51–49	$40,615/yr	11.7x
45	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	47 53–48	$35,960/yr	12.1x
46	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	47 48–47	$43,992/yr	9.1x
47	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public	47 54–48	$34,677/yr	16.0x
48	Portland State University Portland, OR · Public	47 54–48	$35,304/yr	13.2x
49	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	47 46–48	$66,274/yr	1.6x
50	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR · Public	46 48–47	$43,106/yr	9.7x
51	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public	46 52–47	$36,736/yr	16.5x
52	Chapman University Orange, CA · Private nonprofit	46 46–47	$46,519/yr	2.1x
53	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	46 51–47	$37,565/yr	12.1x
54	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA · Public	46 50–46	$38,637/yr	12.0x
55	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public	46 51–47	$37,508/yr	11.2x
56	Park University Parkville, MO · Private nonprofit	46 46–47	$46,340/yr	6.1x
57	Bellevue University Bellevue, NE · Private nonprofit	46 50–47	$39,313/yr	12.7x
58	Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public	46 54–47	$34,722/yr	17.2x
59	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC · Public	46 54–46	$32,842/yr	27.5x
60	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX · Public	46 50–47	$39,959/yr	12.1x
61	Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit	46 50–47	$39,248/yr	4.2x
62	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI · Public	46 48–47	$41,243/yr	10.7x
63	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	45 48–46	$41,782/yr	9.7x
64	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	45 52–45	$34,670/yr	9.9x
65	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA · Public	45 49–46	$40,286/yr	10.2x
66	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public	45 47–46	$41,968/yr	9.3x
67	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public	45 54–46	$31,078/yr	16.4x
68	Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA · Public	45 45–46	$45,572/yr	5.4x
69	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	44 53–45	$32,240/yr	17.7x
70	Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	44 43–44	$47,415/yr	2.4x
71	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR · Public	43 49–43	$35,970/yr	14.1x
72	San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public	43 52–44	$31,459/yr	16.2x
73	Kean University Union, NJ · Public	43 50–44	$35,673/yr	10.0x
74	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY · Public	43 52–44	$27,023/yr	22.7x
75	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	43 46–43	$39,856/yr	8.6x
76	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public	43 49–44	$35,944/yr	12.6x
77	Utah State University Logan, UT · Public	43 42–44	$52,431/yr	4.6x
78	California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA · Public	43 52–43	$30,378/yr	17.9x
79	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	42 51–43	$32,816/yr	10.1x
80	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	42 41–43	$49,254/yr	0.9x
81	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI · Public	42 48–43	$36,917/yr	8.9x
82	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public	42 46–42	$38,587/yr	10.1x
83	The College of Saint Rose Albany, NY · Private nonprofit	42 43–43	$43,418/yr	3.0x
84	Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC · Public	42 46–43	$40,119/yr	7.2x
85	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public	42 46–42	$38,807/yr	9.2x
86	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	42 48–42	$36,061/yr	9.4x
87	Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public	42 52–43	$31,888/yr	19.2x
88	Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, CA · Private for-profit	41 40–42	$51,188/yr	3.0x
89	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public	41 44–42	$41,020/yr	5.2x
90	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public	41 45–42	$38,443/yr	7.4x
91	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	41 45–42	$38,585/yr	8.5x
92	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA · Public	41 49–42	$34,981/yr	10.9x
93	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	41 49–42	$33,867/yr	11.4x
94	University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI · Public	41 47–42	$36,920/yr	10.8x
95	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	40 50–41	$30,065/yr	16.5x
96	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public	40 47–40	$34,930/yr	9.7x
97	Endicott College Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit	40 44–41	$39,271/yr	3.2x
98	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	40 46–40	$36,784/yr	7.5x
99	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	40 46–41	$36,351/yr	9.1x
100	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	40 47–41	$24,716/yr	20.6x
101	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	40 47–41	$24,716/yr	20.6x
102	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	40 47–41	$24,716/yr	20.6x
103	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	40 47–41	$24,716/yr	20.6x
104	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	40 47–41	$24,716/yr	20.6x
105	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	40 45–41	$37,755/yr	8.8x
106	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR · Public	40 47–41	$35,614/yr	9.6x
107	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	39 47–39	$33,964/yr	9.7x
108	Illinois State University Normal, IL · Public	39 43–40	$39,287/yr	5.1x
109	Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO · Public	39 45–40	$37,200/yr	8.5x
110	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	39 39–40	$46,181/yr	1.6x
111	University of Dayton Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit	39 40–40	$43,609/yr	2.2x
112	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR · Public	39 46–40	$35,614/yr	8.9x
113	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA · Public	39 48–40	$26,823/yr	22.9x
114	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit	38 43–39	$38,976/yr	4.6x
115	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	38 44–39	$36,864/yr	7.6x
116	Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN · Public	38 41–39	$40,231/yr	7.6x
117	Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit	38 41–39	$40,302/yr	2.9x
118	Keene State College Keene, NH · Public	38 45–39	$34,947/yr	8.2x
119	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ · Public	38 42–39	$38,975/yr	4.1x
120	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	38 45–39	$35,645/yr	8.2x
121	Samford University Birmingham, AL · Private nonprofit	37 40–38	$41,323/yr	1.7x
122	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY · Public	37 46–38	$27,827/yr	14.0x
123	University of Oregon Eugene, OR · Public	37 47–38	$28,844/yr	9.4x
124	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA · Private nonprofit	37 39–38	$42,510/yr	1.8x
125	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	36 43–37	$34,377/yr	7.8x
126	Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Public	36 45–37	$33,590/yr	11.1x
127	Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	36 40–37	$39,623/yr	3.5x
128	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit	36 43–37	$35,878/yr	6.6x
129	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public	36 46–37	$30,470/yr	15.4x
130	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA · Public	35 41–36	$23,160/yr	15.6x
131	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Public	35 43–36	$34,627/yr	7.6x
132	University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO · Public	35 43–35	$33,921/yr	10.0x
133	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public	35 44–36	$32,546/yr	11.4x
134	East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN · Public	35 42–35	$34,177/yr	7.6x
135	Longwood University Farmville, VA · Public	35 41–35	$35,612/yr	4.9x
136	Radford University Radford, VA · Public	35 43–36	$34,096/yr	8.6x
137	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI · Public	35 44–36	$32,991/yr	11.6x
138	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	35 41–36	$35,960/yr	—
139	California State University-Chico Chico, CA · Public	34 43–35	$27,573/yr	13.5x
140	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	34 38–34	$38,154/yr	1.8x
141	Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit	34 38–34	$38,553/yr	1.3x
142	Baylor University Waco, TX · Private nonprofit	34 38–35	$39,333/yr	1.9x
143	Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	33 39–34	$37,132/yr	2.1x
144	Judson University Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit	33 39–34	$37,466/yr	2.0x
145	University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	33 38–34	$37,966/yr	1.6x
146	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY · Public	33 35–34	$19,349/yr	14.0x
147	Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI · Private nonprofit	33 38–33	$37,856/yr	1.1x
148	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI · Public	32 40–32	$34,045/yr	6.9x
149	Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN · Private for-profit	32 41–33	$32,482/yr	6.5x
150	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO · Public	32 40–33	$33,695/yr	9.4x
151	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV · Public	32 41–33	$31,702/yr	7.7x
152	Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit	32 38–32	$36,040/yr	1.8x
153	Harding University Searcy, AR · Private nonprofit	31 38–31	$35,582/yr	3.6x
154	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA · Public	31 38–32	$24,604/yr	12.8x
155	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL · Public	31 37–32	$23,504/yr	14.8x
156	Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL · Private for-profit	31 39–31	$32,482/yr	4.4x
157	Boise State University Boise, ID · Public	31 40–32	$31,083/yr	10.2x
158	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public	31 40–32	$26,421/yr	9.6x
159	Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI · Public	31 40–32	$27,577/yr	9.1x
160	CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY · Public	31 35–32	$21,445/yr	13.2x
161	Rasmussen University-North Dakota Fargo, ND · Private for-profit	31 40–32	$32,482/yr	5.4x
162	Cedarville University Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit	31 37–31	$35,768/yr	2.7x
163	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	31 38–32	$24,716/yr	8.7x
164	Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD · Public	31 41–32	$31,022/yr	7.6x
165	Champlain College Burlington, VT · Private nonprofit	31 35–31	$38,264/yr	1.8x
166	Carthage College Kenosha, WI · Private nonprofit	31 38–32	$35,511/yr	2.8x
167	Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford, IL · Private for-profit	31 40–32	$32,482/yr	5.0x
168	Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI · Private for-profit	31 40–32	$32,482/yr	5.8x
169	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	31 39–32	$25,839/yr	10.2x
170	Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	30 37–31	$34,589/yr	1.9x
171	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT · Private nonprofit	30 36–31	$35,884/yr	0.7x
172	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL · Private nonprofit	30 37–30	$34,236/yr	3.6x
173	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	30 38–31	$34,020/yr	6.5x
174	Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA · Public	30 37–30	$24,706/yr	7.7x
175	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public	30 39–30	$29,660/yr	7.1x
176	Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	30 38–31	$34,384/yr	2.4x
177	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ · Public	30 38–31	$26,027/yr	7.9x
178	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	30 39–31	$32,397/yr	3.7x
179	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	30 36–31	$36,191/yr	0.5x
180	SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY · Public	30 33–31	$19,451/yr	11.5x
181	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	30 36–31	$36,433/yr	2.1x
182	Marymount University Arlington, VA · Private nonprofit	30 39–31	$33,180/yr	2.9x
183	Rasmussen University-Kansas Topeka, KS · Private for-profit	30 39–31	$32,482/yr	4.3x
184	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI · Public	29 38–29	$30,687/yr	6.8x
185	LIM College New York, NY · Private for-profit	29 38–30	$31,885/yr	3.4x
186	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR · Public	28 31–29	$20,285/yr	10.9x
187	Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN · Public	28 37–29	$27,517/yr	6.4x
188	University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN · Private nonprofit	28 35–28	$35,439/yr	2.3x
189	Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit	28 37–29	$31,122/yr	3.1x
190	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA · Public	28 38–29	$29,146/yr	9.1x
191	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA · Public	28 37–29	$28,206/yr	5.8x
192	Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA · Public	28 38–29	$29,191/yr	5.6x
193	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	28 38–29	$31,337/yr	6.6x
194	Mississippi College Clinton, MS · Private nonprofit	28 37–29	$32,020/yr	2.7x
195	William Peace University Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit	28 36–29	$33,536/yr	1.5x
196	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	28 35–28	$24,959/yr	8.1x
197	York College of Pennsylvania York, PA · Private nonprofit	28 38–29	$30,567/yr	4.4x
198	Bob Jones University Greenville, SC · Private nonprofit	28 34–28	$36,424/yr	2.3x
199	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	28 36–29	$25,872/yr	6.6x
200	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit	27 31–28	$20,829/yr	4.2x
201	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	27 35–28	$33,615/yr	0.3x
202	Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit	27 36–28	$28,336/yr	2.6x
203	Nazareth University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	27 36–28	$33,461/yr	1.0x
204	Meredith College Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit	27 33–28	$36,357/yr	1.6x
205	Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, OK · Private nonprofit	27 37–28	$31,466/yr	3.8x
206	Anderson University Anderson, SC · Private nonprofit	27 35–28	$34,040/yr	2.6x
207	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	27 36–28	$26,629/yr	7.1x
208	University of Advancing Technology Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit	27 37–28	$30,640/yr	2.9x
209	Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit	27 35–28	$26,583/yr	—
210	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR · Public	26 31–27	$22,016/yr	4.6x
211	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	26 35–27	$32,070/yr	1.8x
212	Woodbury University Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit	26 35–26	$32,175/yr	0.8x
213	DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	26 36–27	$30,536/yr	2.4x
214	Emmanuel College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	26 35–27	$32,413/yr	0.7x
215	College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI · Private nonprofit	26 35–27	$32,665/yr	1.9x
216	Russell Sage College Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	26 33–26	$35,294/yr	1.8x
217	SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY · Public	26 29–27	$20,252/yr	4.9x
218	Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR · Public	26 32–27	$23,583/yr	4.3x
219	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit	26 35–26	$30,019/yr	4.3x
220	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR · Private nonprofit	26 24–27	$7,580/yr	10.5x
221	Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit	25 34–26	$27,785/yr	2.9x
222	Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	25 35–26	$31,172/yr	1.9x
223	Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit	25 34–26	$29,829/yr	3.8x
224	Taylor University Upland, IN · Private nonprofit	25 35–26	$31,921/yr	1.0x
225	St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	25 34–26	$31,547/yr	0.6x
226	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	25 33–26	$34,709/yr	1.4x
227	Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH · Private nonprofit	25 35–26	$31,749/yr	1.1x
228	Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	25 34–26	$29,489/yr	1.9x
229	Northwest College of Art & Design Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit	25 34–26	$27,694/yr	2.8x
230	University of Denver Denver, CO · Private nonprofit	24 34–25	$31,104/yr	0.3x
231	Grand View University Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit	24 33–25	$26,996/yr	3.0x
232	University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI · Public	24 25–24	$18,339/yr	6.1x
233	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC · Public	24 32–25	$26,076/yr	6.9x
234	Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX · Private nonprofit	24 34–25	$29,479/yr	1.7x
235	John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR · Private nonprofit	23 30–24	$24,893/yr	3.1x
236	California Baptist University Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$28,669/yr	0.8x
237	University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$31,207/yr	2.3x
238	Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD · Private nonprofit	23 32–23	$27,969/yr	2.4x
239	Lasell University Newton, MA · Private nonprofit	23 33–24	$29,661/yr	3.2x
240	Lesley University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	23 30–23	$25,227/yr	2.9x
241	Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ · Private for-profit	23 32–24	$27,937/yr	1.4x
242	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ · Private nonprofit	23 33–24	$29,445/yr	0.9x
243	Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH · Public	23 30–24	$24,375/yr	7.0x
244	Albright College Reading, PA · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$29,793/yr	2.9x
245	Mercyhurst University Erie, PA · Private nonprofit	23 33–24	$28,267/yr	2.3x
246	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$29,488/yr	2.6x
247	University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$27,986/yr	2.7x
248	Walla Walla University College Place, WA · Private nonprofit	23 32–24	$28,436/yr	1.2x
249	California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	22 31–23	$28,673/yr	1.7x
250	University of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA · Private for-profit	22 27–23	$22,656/yr	1.5x
251	FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles, CA · Private for-profit	22 30–23	$26,479/yr	0.9x
252	University of New Haven West Haven, CT · Private nonprofit	22 30–22	$26,425/yr	0.4x
253	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL · Private for-profit	22 30–23	$25,479/yr	3.2x
254	Bradley University Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit	22 28–23	$22,893/yr	2.5x
255	Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	22 32–23	$29,630/yr	2.5x
256	Roosevelt University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	22 24–22	$19,028/yr	1.3x
257	Assumption University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	22 31–23	$28,032/yr	0.4x
258	Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit	22 32–23	$31,611/yr	1.8x
259	New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI · Private nonprofit	22 31–23	$27,383/yr	0.9x
260	Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	22 31–23	$28,801/yr	2.2x
261	Nossi College of Art and Design Nashville, TN · Private for-profit	22 29–23	$24,497/yr	3.9x
262	North Central College Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit	21 31–22	$28,037/yr	2.1x
263	Dominican University River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit	21 27–22	$22,938/yr	0.5x
264	Webster University Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	21 24–22	$20,257/yr	0.6x
265	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ · Private nonprofit	21 28–22	$24,357/yr	0.7x
266	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ · Private nonprofit	21 28–22	$24,357/yr	0.7x
267	Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit	21 27–22	$23,358/yr	0.2x
268	Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO · Private nonprofit	20 29–21	$29,513/yr	1.7x
269	The New School New York, NY · Private nonprofit	20 27–21	$24,804/yr	1.7x
270	Marywood University Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit	20 28–20	$25,727/yr	2.1x
271	Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	20 29–20	$30,053/yr	1.6x
272	University of Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit	19 28–20	$29,515/yr	1.3x
273	Belmont University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	19 28–20	$28,702/yr	1.5x
274	Saint Edward's University Austin, TX · Private nonprofit	19 29–20	$30,589/yr	1.1x
275	Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL · Private nonprofit	18 27–18	$28,137/yr	1.0x
276	Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA · Private nonprofit	18 24–19	$23,400/yr	1.7x
277	Maine College of Art & Design Portland, ME · Private nonprofit	18 28–19	$29,001/yr	1.3x
278	Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit	18 27–19	$27,246/yr	1.4x
279	Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit	18 24–19	$23,687/yr	1.6x
280	School of Visual Arts New York, NY · Private for-profit	18 18–19	$15,985/yr	1.6x
281	Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit	18 28–19	$27,970/yr	1.6x
282	Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	17 21–18	$20,974/yr	1.7x
283	American Academy of Art College Chicago, IL · Private for-profit	17 19–17	$19,537/yr	1.3x
284	Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit	17 19–18	$19,865/yr	1.4x
285	Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ · Private nonprofit	17 26–18	$26,569/yr	1.4x
286	Art Academy of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit	17 20–17	$20,921/yr	1.3x
287	Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	17 20–18	$20,587/yr	1.3x
288	Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit	17 25–18	$25,830/yr	1.1x
289	University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	17 21–18	$21,765/yr	1.2x
290	Pacific Northwest College of Art Portland, OR · Private nonprofit	16 18–17	$19,501/yr	0.9x

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is the best school for Design?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ranks #1 for Design with a score of 69/100 and graduate earnings of $52,694/yr.

How much do Design graduates earn?

Across 290 schools, Design graduates earn an average of $33,862/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $66,274/yr.

Is Design a good major for AI resistance?

Design has an average AI task exposure of 42%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.

Programs are ranked by DegreeOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.