Best Design and Applied Arts Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Art & Design Colleges in the West
This page ranks 42 Design and Applied Arts programs in the West by median earnings of Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $89,193 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $89,193 to $38,397, with a median of $58,489. The gap between the top two schools is $171.
Public institutions account for 57% of the list, with 24 public and 18 private nonprofit programs. California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest showing on the page.
California State University-San Bernardino posts the lowest average net price at $4,564.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $89,193 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus reports $89,193 in median earnings of Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $14,091. | |||||
| 2 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $89,022 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| Admitting 10% of applicants, University of Southern California shows median earnings of $89,022 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $78,121 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| Chapman University ranks 3rd on this list, with median federal debt of $23,823 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | Art Center College of Design · Pasadena, CA | $76,093 | $48,661 | $39,645 | 74.5% |
| Art Center College of Design posted median earnings of $76,093 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $48,661. | |||||
| 5 | University of Redlands · Redlands, CA | $75,374 | $30,031 | $28,287 | 82.7% |
| University of Redlands ranks 651st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing earned a median of $75,374. | |||||
| 6 | Western Washington University · Bellingham, WA | $69,715 | $21,193 | $12,915 | 93.3% |
| An admission rate of 93% and median earnings of $69,715 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing are reported by Western Washington University. | |||||
| 7 | University of Denver · Denver, CO | $69,251 | $36,131 | $20,097 | 77.8% |
| University of Denver shows median federal debt of $21,844 across all of the school's borrowers who completed, while its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing earned a median of $69,251. | |||||
| 8 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $69,224 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University ranks 129th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $14,971. | |||||
| 9 | Laguna College of Art and Design · Laguna Beach, CA | $68,934 | $42,505 | $37,203 | 94.3% |
| With a cohort of 84 graduates in the earnings cohort, Laguna College of Art and Design reports median earnings of $68,934 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Seattle Pacific University · Seattle, WA | $68,547 | $24,488 | $20,735 | 83.4% |
| Seattle Pacific University ranks 10th on this list and shows median federal debt of $25,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 11 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $66,435 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach reports an average net price of $10,440 and median earnings of $66,435 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $66,333 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz shows median federal debt of $16,666 across all of the school's borrowers who completed, alongside an admission rate of 66%. | |||||
| 13 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $66,259 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| A public university in Los Angeles, University of California-Los Angeles admits 9% of applicants and reports $66,259 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | University of Oregon · Eugene, OR | $65,573 | $22,182 | $15,909 | 88.3% |
| With an average net price of $22,182, University of Oregon ranks 14th on this list and reports median earnings of $65,573 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $62,209 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports $62,209 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, and completers who borrowed left with a median of $14,924 in federal loans. | |||||
| 16 | Woodbury University · Burbank, CA | $62,092 | $33,692 | $28,815 | 81.7% |
| A private nonprofit university in Burbank, Woodbury University reports $62,092 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Metropolitan State University of Denver · Denver, CO | $61,654 | $15,327 | $12,481 | 98.8% |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver ranks 193rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $61,654 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $60,434 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| With an admission rate of 77%, Oregon State University reports $60,434 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $59,678 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University ranks 19th on this list, and its Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $15,000 in federal loans. | |||||
| 20 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $59,641 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion reports $59,641 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,967. | |||||
| 21 | California College of the Arts · San Francisco, CA | $59,238 | $53,909 | $61,407 | 91.1% |
| California College of the Arts posts an average net price of $53,909, and its Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $27,000 in federal loans. | |||||
| 22 | Point Loma Nazarene University · San Diego, CA | $57,740 | $38,729 | $30,999 | 83.7% |
| Point Loma Nazarene University reports $57,740 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $22,990 in federal loans. | |||||
| 23 | Portland State University · Portland, OR | $56,158 | $9,552 | $7,655 | 90.9% |
| Portland State University ranks 23rd on this list, with an average net price of $9,552 and median earnings of $56,158 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | Otis College of Art and Design · Los Angeles, CA | $55,891 | $51,248 | $44,731 | 81.8% |
| A private nonprofit institution in Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design reports $55,891 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $55,744 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona reports $55,744 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $20,825 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 26 | Walla Walla University · College Place, WA | $54,035 | $23,329 | $18,675 | Not reported |
| A private nonprofit university in College Place, Walla Walla University ranks 26th on this list with median earnings of $54,035 four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $23,329. | |||||
| 27 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $53,871 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento admits 94% of applicants and its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median of $53,871 four years after completing, placing it 27th on this page. | |||||
| 28 | Seattle University · Seattle, WA | $53,117 | $34,662 | $22,896 | 76.9% |
| Ranking 28th on this list, Seattle University posts median earnings of $53,117 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $22,896 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 29 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $52,929 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University ranks 27th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $12,065 in federal loans. | |||||
| 30 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $52,524 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| With 229 graduates in the earnings cohort, San Jose State University reports median earnings of $52,524 four years after completing and an average net price of $13,760. | |||||
| 31 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas · Las Vegas, NV | $51,437 | $10,359 | $8,526 | 96.2% |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas ranks 31st on this list, with a 96% admission rate and median earnings of $51,437 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 32 | California Institute of the Arts · Valencia, CA | $49,840 | $46,080 | $26,686 | 32.3% |
| An average net price of $46,080 coincides with California Institute of the Arts's 32% admission rate and median earnings of $49,840 four years after completing. | |||||
| 33 | University of San Francisco · San Francisco, CA | $49,788 | $41,431 | $31,537 | 61.7% |
| University of San Francisco ranks 33rd on this list, with median earnings of $49,788 four years after completing and median federal debt of $27,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 34 | Northern Arizona University · Flagstaff, AZ | $48,764 | $14,158 | $9,709 | 89.6% |
| Northern Arizona University reports $48,764 in median earnings four years after completing and an average net price of $9,709 for families earning under $30,000, ranking 34th on this list. | |||||
| 35 | California State University-Monterey Bay · Seaside, CA | $48,639 | $13,663 | $9,970 | 97.4% |
| California State University-Monterey Bay ranks 134th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median of $48,639 four years after completing. | |||||
| 36 | California State University-Dominguez Hills · Carson, CA | $48,430 | $8,615 | $7,303 | 93.3% |
| With a school-wide median federal debt of $13,807 across all of its borrowers who completed, California State University-Dominguez Hills reports median earnings of $48,430 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 37 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $47,494 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
| California Baptist University reports median earnings of $47,494 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, with 60 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 38 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $44,629 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| A public university in Chico, California State University-Chico ranks 38th on this list and shows an average net price of $14,480. | |||||
| 39 | Boise State University · Boise, ID | $42,527 | $21,610 | $18,165 | 87.2% |
| Boise State University admits 87% of applicants and posts median earnings of $42,527 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 40 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $42,468 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
| California State University-San Bernardino carries the lowest average net price on the page at $4,564, and its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median of $42,468 four years after completing. | |||||
| 41 | Northwest Nazarene University · Nampa, ID | $41,719 | $29,580 | $28,732 | 64.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left Northwest Nazarene University with a median of $23,750 in federal loans, while its Design and Applied Arts completers earn a median of $41,719 four years after completing. | |||||
| 42 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $38,397 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| California State University-Fresno ranks 26th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $38,397 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figure captures federally aided completers of the Design and Applied Arts program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 2 of the 42 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from University of Washington-Seattle Campus to the bottom of the list is $50,796, and the gap between University of Washington-Seattle Campus and University of Southern California is just $171.