Best Drafting & Design Technology Schools (2026): 45 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Drafting & Design Technology, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Drafting & Design Technology graduate earns $42,040/yr across 45 schools.
BLS projects -3.7% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 16 annual job openings per related program area.
All Drafting & Design Technology Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Portland Community College
Portland, OR · Drafting & Design Technology |
57
54–59 |
$54,198/yr | 53.9x |
| 2 |
Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Drafting & Design Technology |
57
52–59 |
$55,893/yr | 55.0x |
| 3 |
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI · Drafting & Design Technology |
58
54–60 |
$49,865/yr | 60.4x |
| 4 |
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
63
59–65 |
$50,584/yr | 98.4x |
| 5 |
Northcentral Technical College
Wausau, WI · Drafting & Design Technology |
60
56–63 |
$53,105/yr | 78.8x |
| 6 |
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN · Drafting & Design Technology |
53
50–56 |
$49,539/yr | 46.8x |
| 7 |
College of Western Idaho
Nampa, ID · Drafting & Design Technology |
65
61–68 |
$48,988/yr | 178.9x |
| 8 |
College of Western Idaho
Nampa, ID · Drafting & Design Technology |
60
56–62 |
$49,508/yr | 73.2x |
| 9 |
Valencia College
Orlando, FL · Drafting & Design Technology |
61
57–63 |
$45,701/yr | 91.4x |
| 10 |
Southern Maine Community College
South Portland, ME · Drafting & Design Technology |
56
52–58 |
$45,319/yr | 58.7x |
| 11 |
Mott Community College
Flint, MI · Drafting & Design Technology |
56
51–58 |
$44,903/yr | 65.5x |
| 12 |
Macomb Community College
Warren, MI · Drafting & Design Technology |
56
53–59 |
$44,701/yr | 61.1x |
| 13 |
Oakland Community College
Auburn Hills, MI · Drafting & Design Technology |
59
55–61 |
$45,844/yr | 74.9x |
| 14 |
St Cloud Technical and Community College
Saint Cloud, MN · Drafting & Design Technology |
52
50–54 |
$45,565/yr | 47.6x |
| 15 |
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
64
60–67 |
$45,343/yr | 176.8x |
| 16 |
Houston Community College
Houston, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
63
58–65 |
$45,548/yr | 133.8x |
| 17 |
Fox Valley Technical College
Appleton, WI · Drafting & Design Technology |
54
49–57 |
$44,782/yr | 57.1x |
| 18 |
Waukesha County Technical College
Pewaukee, WI · Drafting & Design Technology |
56
51–58 |
$46,460/yr | 62.5x |
| 19 |
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN · Drafting & Design Technology |
51
47–54 |
$41,467/yr | 50.4x |
| 20 |
Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE · Drafting & Design Technology |
57
51–59 |
$41,599/yr | 79.3x |
| 21 |
Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA · Drafting & Design Technology |
51
48–53 |
$44,886/yr | 39.4x |
| 22 |
Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Wichita, KS · Drafting & Design Technology |
52
49–54 |
$46,949/yr | 38.0x |
| 23 |
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Fergus Falls, MN · Drafting & Design Technology |
51
48–53 |
$44,988/yr | 37.1x |
| 24 |
State Technical College of Missouri
Linn, MO · Drafting & Design Technology |
50
47–52 |
$49,789/yr | 29.7x |
| 25 |
YTI Career Institute-York
York, PA · Drafting & Design Technology |
48
44–50 |
$45,684/yr | — |
| 26 |
Texas State Technical College
Waco, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
48
45–50 |
$43,742/yr | 33.6x |
| 27 |
Front Range Community College
Westminster, CO · Drafting & Design Technology |
52
48–55 |
$33,893/yr | 70.5x |
| 28 |
Porter & Chester Institute
Bridgeport, CT · Drafting & Design Technology |
46
43–49 |
$40,650/yr | 34.3x |
| 29 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Perkinston, MS · Drafting & Design Technology |
48
45–50 |
$35,706/yr | 44.2x |
| 30 |
Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, VA · Drafting & Design Technology |
48
45–50 |
$41,114/yr | 35.0x |
| 31 |
Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, MN · Drafting & Design Technology |
46
41–48 |
$55,512/yr | 13.7x |
| 32 |
South Louisiana Community College
Lafayette, LA · Drafting & Design Technology |
45
42–48 |
$34,056/yr | 39.4x |
| 33 |
ITI Technical College
Baton Rouge, LA · Drafting & Design Technology |
43
37–45 |
$39,208/yr | 22.7x |
| 34 |
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Lancaster, PA · Drafting & Design Technology |
42
37–45 |
$36,002/yr | 28.0x |
| 35 |
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Williamsport, PA · Drafting & Design Technology |
43
38–45 |
$44,821/yr | 11.5x |
| 36 |
Pittsburgh Technical College
Oakdale, PA · Drafting & Design Technology |
41
37–43 |
$41,991/yr | 12.0x |
| 37 |
Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus
League City, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
39
33–42 |
$29,323/yr | 32.8x |
| 38 |
Remington College-Online Dallas
Dallas, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
38
32–40 |
$29,323/yr | 27.9x |
| 39 |
Remington College-Mobile Campus
Mobile, AL · Drafting & Design Technology |
36
30–39 |
$29,323/yr | 21.3x |
| 40 |
Remington College-Fort Worth Campus
North Richland Hills, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
36
30–39 |
$29,323/yr | 22.6x |
| 41 |
Remington College-Memphis Campus
Memphis, TN · Drafting & Design Technology |
36
30–39 |
$29,323/yr | 21.8x |
| 42 |
Remington College-North Houston Campus
Houston, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
36
30–39 |
$29,323/yr | 21.8x |
| 43 |
Remington College-Lafayette Campus
Lafayette, LA · Drafting & Design Technology |
35
30–38 |
$29,323/yr | 19.4x |
| 44 |
Remington College-Dallas Campus
Dallas, TX · Drafting & Design Technology |
35
29–38 |
$29,323/yr | 18.2x |
| 45 |
Remington College-Shreveport Campus
Shreveport, LA · Drafting & Design Technology |
35
29–38 |
$29,323/yr | 18.4x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 9 | $36,870/yr | 38 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | $42,125/yr | 37 |
| Minnesota | 4 | $48,901/yr | 45 |
| Michigan | 4 | $46,328/yr | 48 |
| Louisiana | 4 | $32,978/yr | 33 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | $48,116/yr | 48 |
| Idaho | 2 | $49,248/yr | 48 |
| Virginia | 1 | $41,114/yr | 41 |
| Utah | 1 | $55,893/yr | 50 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $29,323/yr | 30 |
| Oregon | 1 | $54,198/yr | 50 |
| Nebraska | 1 | $41,599/yr | 45 |
| Mississippi | 1 | $35,706/yr | 41 |
| Missouri | 1 | $49,789/yr | 43 |
| Maine | 1 | $45,319/yr | 47 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Drafting & Design Technology Schools ranks 45 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.