by our College Data Analytics Team
[Industrial Design](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/industrial-design/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for industrial design students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the industrial design degrees they offer, see the list below.
Iowa State University tops our 2026 list of the best value industrial design schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,787, compared with $28,881 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for industrial design graduates is $27,000. Early-career industrial design graduates make about $36,634. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.