Chester, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $6,930 to $26,782 per year for indexed programs. Chester has a population of about 33,209. Median household income is $39,809 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 13.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Art Director at a median $105,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to Chester
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Chester, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chester city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Chester.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,837
Avg net price
$14,265/yr
TuitionIn‑state$10,904
Out‑of‑state$18,870
Key stats- Retention rate: 68%
- Programs offered: 8
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$111,371
Avg net price
$28,699/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 51
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$84,648
Avg net price
$38,509/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 92
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,839
Avg net price
$43,086/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$77,449
Avg net price
$28,928/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$29,881
Avg net price
$42,454/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 42%
- Programs offered: 2
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania graphic design page.
Graphic Design Wages Near Chester
Chester is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Graphic Designer | $63,090 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $61,491 |
| Art Director | $105,260 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $102,593 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $104,840 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $102,183 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $76,770 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,825 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Chester at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 33,209 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $39,809 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 13.3% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 102.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Chester-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- Wilmington, DE – 11.3 mi away (71,442 pop)
- Camden, NJ – 15.4 mi away (74,420 pop)
- Philadelphia, PA – 16.9 mi away (5,591,554 pop)
- Norristown, PA – 19.2 mi away (34,370 pop)
- Newark, DE – 23.5 mi away (33,398 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near Chester, PA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Chester. The closest is Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Delaware College of Art and Design (11.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Chester?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Chester are: Art Director ($105,260), Web and Digital Interface Designer ($104,840), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($76,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Wilmington instead of Chester?
Wilmington, DE is 11.3 miles from Chester and has its own set of local graphic design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Chester an affordable place to study graphic design?
Chester’s median household income of $39,809 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chester while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Graphic Design Programs
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Data verified: July 30, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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