2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
There are about 10,359 students enrolled in Illustration in the USA.
Menu: summary
popularity
Below Average
Compared to national avg.
Diplomas received last year
2,625
Vs. National Avg.
-83%
popularity Rank
#215
cost
Somewhat Expensive
Compared to national avg.
Median degree cost
$32K
Vs. National Avg.
30%
cost Rank
#115
salary
Low Paying
Compared to national avg.
Average Salary Two Years Out of School
$38K
Vs. National Avg.
-5%
salary Rank
#320
professors
Not Very Good
Compared to national avg.
Professor Rating
C+
Vs. National Avg.
-11%
professors Rank
#376
students
Above Average
Compared to national avg.
Diversity Rating
B-
Vs. National Avg.
14%
students Rank
#49
SUMMARY
Majoring in Illustration is a valuable choice and typically a requisite first step for pupils endeavoring to enter a career as a logo creator, a product illustrator, or a comic book artist. Interestingly, illustration is an uncommon major being the 152nd most popular area of study. Last year, there were 2,000 illustration graduates. In-state tuition for illustration at private institutions is, on average, 3.5 times more expensive than their public counterparts.
With just 63 institutions having programs for this degree there might be limited options as to the institutions you can choose from. If you are looking to surround yourself with other illustration undergraduates, consider looking at institutions in New York which have more students admitted to illustration than any other state. More generally, the best region to get a degree in illustration is in the Mid East region with Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt Institute-Main, and School of Visual Arts best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick for the top conference to major in illustration is the Atlantic 10 Conference with Virginia Commonwealth University representing the conference. From our list of the best colleges, our choice for the best college for illustration is Rhode Island School of Design.
The objectively best school does not have to be the 'best' school for every student. There can be many more angels to think about when choosing college. External stuff like campus amenities, transportation services, and food might affect your thoughts on which college to attend. Here at authority.org, we have weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which illustration college has the top campus, the answer is Syracuse University. If, for example, you are very interested in which university has the top campus, we have a whole page dedicated to that. We have carefully pored through student reviews, government databases, professor reviews, and more to compare every major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can find our well researched list for the schools with the best student life and from that list, our selection of the school with the best student life for illustration is Rhode Island School of Design. Curious why? Continue reading to find out more about our top selections. Many of our conclusions might surprise you.
If expense is a primary influence in your decisions, you might be cautious about Syracuse University. Syracuse University is our most expensive college for illustration, at least for out of state students. That being said, we have an entire list of the most expensive colleges that could put the cost at Syracuse University into perspective. Additionally, you may want to know that illustration is the 116th most expensive degree in the US, with an average bill of $37,500. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for illustration in the country is Rhode Island with expenses at the main college, Rhode Island School of Design, of $51,800. Even more broadly, the most costly region for illustration is the Mid East region which is best demonstrated with The New School with a cost of $49,770, Pratt Institute-Main with a cost of $51,754, and Syracuse University with a cost of $50,616.
Our cheapest region for illustration is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design with a cost of $17,670 and Brigham Young University-Provo with a cost of $5,790. In better news, the most affordable university for illustration is Brigham Young University-Provo. Authority's entire list of the most affordable universities can be explored here.
In-state learners can anticipate paying about $11,600 for a degree in illustration. That price increases dramatically to an average of $25,300 for an out-of-state public-school undergraduate. On that note, our selection for the school with the best value for illustration: Syracuse University. Through this link you will find our comprehensive list of the schools we believe to be the best value overall. Do know, this idea is predicated on being an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.
Earnings for illustration students range widely, but within two years leaving college students will often earn in the neighborhood of $48,900. There can be a lot of variation in earnings potential; highest paid earners can bring in up to $89,800. Right out of school, the minimum earning jobs within the illustration field make $27,100, which could be worse. The top earning grads from illustration attended Syracuse University and if you are looking for universities with all of the highest earning graduates, Authority has that too.
The overall diversity of illustration ranks pretty high, coming in the 81st percentile of all programs. The school with the most composite diversity for illustration is The New School and here you can find our general list of the schools which have the most diversity. The financial diversity of the Illustration major ranks only within the 32nd percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is greater than financial diversity, in the 79th percentile. White students compose the largest proportion, 52%, of those majoring in illustration. Additionally, 78% of scholars seeking an illustration degree are women.
The median ranking of illustration's professors is 4.2 stars, a rating that is 5% above the median score for every major; which is a good score. If you want the most popular illustration instructor in the country, consider looking up Oliver Sin at Academy of Art University. It might come as a surprise, but the highest ranked illustration professors from student rankings come from Academy of Art University. If we including data beyond just rankings we find that the university with comprehensively the best professors for illustration is College for Creative Studies. One will find more detail on our ever evolving ranking methodology for the best overall professors here, along with some of the best professors nationwide.
Finally, the hardest college to get into for illustration is Rhode Island School of Design. While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have an extensive list for the hardest colleges to get into. That being said, we do hope you understand that approaching college with context only informed by superlatives could cause problems. We hope you read our more focused pages on different topics and explore some of our background articles on essential things to look for as your university search continues.
Top 25 Best Colleges for Illustration
Search for the best Illustration colleges according to your filter parameters.
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#4 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI | https://umich.edu/
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#5 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA | https://www.vcu.edu/
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#11 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
California Baptist University
Riverside, CA | www.calbaptist.edu/
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#12 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Concordia University-Wisconsin
Mequon, WI | https://www.cuw.edu/
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#13 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA | www.lcad.edu/
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#20 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, MN | mcad.edu/
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#21 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kalamazoo, MI | https://www.kvcc.edu/
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#23 2024 Best Colleges for Illustration
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Kirkland, WA | https://www.lwtech.edu/
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