Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $24,400 to $82,902 per year for indexed programs. Harrisburg has a population of about 50,092. Median household income is $47,783 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Art Director at a median $95,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to Harrisburg
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Harrisburg, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
87%
Graduation rate
39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,374
Avg net price
$15,376/yr
TuitionIn‑state$24,400
Out‑of‑state$24,400
Key stats- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 16
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,007
Avg net price
$14,471/yr
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 Harrisburg
Harrisburg is part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area (BLS area code 25420). 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 | $58,150 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $58,916 |
| Art Director | $95,310 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $96,565 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $81,830 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $82,908 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $71,760 | PA statewide | $72,705 |
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.
Harrisburg at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 50,092 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $47,783 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 26.3% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 98.7 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Harrisburg-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- York, PA – 22.9 mi away (232,796 pop)
- Lebanon, PA – 24.7 mi away (77,839 pop)
- Hanover, PA – 32.4 mi away (67,480 pop)
- Lancaster, PA – 34.7 mi away (401,205 pop)
- Shamokin, PA – 39.4 mi away (29,054 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near Harrisburg, PA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Harrisburg. The closest is Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Harrisburg, PA (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Elizabethtown College (17.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Harrisburg?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Harrisburg are: Art Director ($95,310), Web and Digital Interface Designer ($81,830), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($71,760). 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 York instead of Harrisburg?
York, PA is 22.9 miles from Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg an affordable place to study graphic design?
Harrisburg’s median household income of $47,783 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harrisburg 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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