Best Industrial Design Schools Near Fuquay-Varina, NC (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina has 1 accredited school offering industrial design programs. Fuquay-Varina has a population of about 37,749. Median household income is $111,447 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $169,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Industrial Design Schools to Fuquay-Varina

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Fuquay-Varina, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fuquay-Varina 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:

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 Fuquay-Varina. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Graduation rate 85%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,758

Avg net price $17,303/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

2101 Hillsborough Street Raleigh, NC 27695-7001
(919) 515-2011
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 94%
Programs offered: 152

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

Graduation rate 75%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,836

Avg net price $16,836/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

287 Rivers St Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-2000
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 84%
Programs offered: 108

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

Industrial Design Wages Near Fuquay-Varina

Fuquay-Varina is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area (BLS area code 39580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers	$87,620	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$89,226
Industrial Engineers	$104,030	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$105,937
Graphic Designers	$61,700	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$62,831
Mechanical Drafters	$61,220	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$62,342
Interior Designers	$64,480	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$65,662
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$169,780	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$172,892
Set and Exhibit Designers	$49,410	NC statewide	$50,316
Mechanical Engineers	$100,000	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$101,833

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.

Fuquay-Varina at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	37,749	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$111,447	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	52.9%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	98.2 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Fuquay-Varina-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs

Holly Springs, NC – 5.2 mi away (33,260 pop)
Apex, NC – 10.1 mi away (47,349 pop)
Garner, NC – 11.3 mi away (28,776 pop)
Cary, NC – 13.0 mi away (162,320 pop)
Morrisville, NC – 16.9 mi away (24,732 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited industrial design schools are near Fuquay-Varina, NC?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Fuquay-Varina. The closest is North Carolina State University at Raleigh in Raleigh, NC (14.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is North Carolina State University at Raleigh (14.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Fuquay-Varina?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Fuquay-Varina are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($169,780), Industrial Engineers ($104,030), Mechanical Engineers ($100,000). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Holly Springs instead of Fuquay-Varina?

Holly Springs, NC is 5.2 miles from Fuquay-Varina and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fuquay-Varina an affordable place to study industrial design?

Fuquay-Varina’s median household income of $111,447 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fuquay-Varina while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Industrial Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Fuquay-Varina

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fuquay-Varina:

Data verified: September 5, 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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