The best design schools in America

There are many ways to measure design education, but GDUSA thinks excellent outputs are evidence of excellent input. Top schools below are ranked by winning student projects. The winning student work below represents high achievement from 2015 to today: 1,340 wins across 63 schools. Placement here is earned with excellence.

University of Central Oklahoma

199 winning student projects · 7-year streak (2019–2025)

Savannah College of Art and Design

179 winning student projects · 7-year streak (2020–2026)

The Modern College of Design

115 winning student projects · 8-year streak (2018–2025)

Methodology: winning student projects per school in the GDUSA awards archive, 2015–present, including every named program and department of the school. Refreshed automatically as new results publish. Ties break on wins in the most recent year.

For schools & faculty

How a school climbs this list

One way: win. Professors and program chairs enter their students’ best work each term; every win is permanent, credited to the student, the instructor, and the school.

Student design at GDUSA →

Questions

How is this ranking of the best design schools calculated?

Purely by results: every school is ranked by its number of winning student projects in the juried GDUSA awards from 2015 to today (1,340 wins across 63 schools). Judging is blind, the ranking is computed from the archive, and placement cannot be bought.

Is this the same as GDUSA’s Top Design Schools honor roll?

No. Top Design Schools is an annual editorial honor roll chosen by GDUSA. This leaderboard is computed — wins in, rank out — and updates as new results publish.

How does a school move up this list?

By winning. Professors and program chairs enter their students’ best work each term; every win is permanent and counts here. Most student entries are submitted by faculty on their students’ behalf.

What does a win mean for a student?

A permanent, credited page in the GDUSA archive — student name, school, and instructor — that recruiters browse and that follows the student into their career.

University of Central Oklahoma

Savannah College of Art and Design

The Modern College of Design

How a school climbs this list

Questions

How is this ranking of the best design schools calculated?

Is this the same as GDUSA’s Top Design Schools honor roll?

How does a school move up this list?

What does a win mean for a student?

Get Featured in the GDUSA Design Gallery

University of Central Oklahoma

Savannah College of Art and Design

The Modern College of Design

How a school climbs this list

Questions

How is this ranking of the best design schools calculated?

Is this the same as GDUSA’s Top Design Schools honor roll?

How does a school move up this list?

What does a win mean for a student?