Program ranking · CIP 10.03 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Graphic Design

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Graphic Design (CIP 10.03) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$79,432
Highest graphic design earnings: 33
Colleges ranked: $23,042
#33 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $23,042 median earnings for Graphic Design bachelor's (CIP 10.03) completers. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads at $79,432.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$79,432
#1 - California Polytechnic State: $23,042
#33 - the cutoff to make this list: 25+
completers required per school: 133
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

California Polytechnic S…

$79,432
Ringling College of Art …

$75,213
Brigham Young University

$73,941
University of Minnesota-…

$61,062
University of Maryland G…

$58,759
Arizona State University…

$57,618
Rochester Institute of T…

$55,122
Bowling Green State Univ…

$52,388
Academy of Art University

$50,833
University of Silicon Va…

$49,968
George Mason University

$47,440
DigiPen Institute of Tec…

$45,571
DePaul University

$45,028
Ferris State University

$44,116
Columbia College Chicago

$43,970

What this shows Graphic-communications medians mix studio, production, and digital roles - compare debt and completer counts before treating pay as program quality.

The full top 33

#	School Name	State	Median Earnings	Median Debt	Completers
1	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	$79,432	$17,961	83
2	Ringling College of Art and Design	FL	$75,213	$27,000	118
3	Brigham Young University	UT	$73,941	-	32
4	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	$61,062	$24,500	29
5	University of Maryland Global Campus	MD	$58,759	$22,971	75
6	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	$57,618	$18,964	87
7	Rochester Institute of Technology	NY	$55,122	$27,000	33
8	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	OH	$52,388	$26,338	58
9	Academy of Art University	CA	$50,833	$31,125	95
10	University of Silicon Valley	CA	$49,968	$31,000	35
11	George Mason University	VA	$47,440	$22,985	53
12	DigiPen Institute of Technology	WA	$45,571	$27,000	66
13	DePaul University	IL	$45,028	$25,000	52
14	Ferris State University	MI	$44,116	$27,000	71
15	Columbia College Chicago	IL	$43,970	$20,000	209
16	Minneapolis College of Art and Design	MN	$43,745	$27,000	27
17	Savannah College of Art and Design	GA	$43,058	$25,300	523
18	Sam Houston State University	TX	$42,579	$24,500	53
19	East Tennessee State University	TN	$41,074	$22,250	53
20	Pittsburg State University	KS	$39,946	$21,750	33
21	Laguna College of Art and Design	CA	$38,850	$27,000	29
22	Bradley University	IL	$37,657	$27,000	25
23	Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design	CO	$37,239	$28,115	36
24	University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	$35,830	$21,125	64
25	Pratt Institute-Main	NY	$35,100	$26,000	66
26	Indian River State College	FL	$34,741	-	26
27	Los Angeles Film School	CA	$34,138	$33,250	67
28	College for Creative Studies	MI	$34,003	$27,000	72
29	New Mexico State University-Main Campus	NM	$33,612	$22,500	43
30	Columbus College of Art & Design	OH	$33,389	$27,000	44
31	California College of the Arts	CA	$31,068	$26,899	60
32	School of Visual Arts	NY	$30,125	$27,000	88
33	Atlantic University	PR	$23,042	$5,440	39

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Graphic Design (CIP 10.03) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Graphic Design (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. College Scorecard's closest dedicated CIP for "graphic design" search demand is Graphic Communications (CIP 10.03) - this list ranks that bachelor's CIP. Broader Design and Applied Arts (CIP 50.04), which mixes interior design and other studio majors, is ranked on its own interior-design page.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.