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2023 Best Value Colleges for Graphic Communications in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
1,462 Degrees Awarded
$29,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Graphic Communications is the 122nd most popular major in the country with 7,518 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, graphic communications graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,311 and had an average of $25,483 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,462 graphic communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,422 and $32,648 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in graphic communications. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality graphic communications programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the graphic communications program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Graphic Communications in California (With Aid)

1

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 94 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for california graphic communication students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graphic Communications Report

2
Laurus College crest
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Laurus College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Laurus College is a small private for-profit school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 11 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

Laurus College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,683 for California Graphic Communication students with aid per year to attend Laurus College.

Full Laurus College Graphic Communications Report

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 222 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $36,143 for California Graphic Communication students with aid per year to attend Academy of Art University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Graphic Communications at Academy of Art University

4
Cogswell crest
Cogswell College
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cogswell College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cogswell College is a small school located in San Jose, California that handed out 44 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california graphic communication students with aid list, Cogswell has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cogswell College is $25,714 for California Graphic Communication students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Cogswell College Graphic Communications Report

5
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Art Center College of Design landed the #5 spot on the list. Art Center College of Design is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s graphic communication degrees to qualified students.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $46,054 for California Graphic Communication students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Graphic Communications at Art Center College of Design

6
LCAD crest
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, California

Laguna College of Art and Design came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Laguna Beach, California, and it awarded 25 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

LCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Laguna College of Art and Design is $35,944 for california graphic communication students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Communications at Laguna College of Art and Design

7
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $33,122 for california graphic communication students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California College of the Arts Graphic Communications Report

8
LA Film School crest
Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, California

Los Angeles Film School ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Hollywood, California, and it awarded 35 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

LA Film School not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend LA Film School is $32,723 for california graphic communication students with aid.

Read more about Graphic Communications at LA Film School

9
SAE Expression College crest
SAE Expression College
Emeryville, California

SAE Expression College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SAE Expression College is a small school located in Emeryville, California that handed out 11 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.

SAE Expression College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SAE Expression College is $26,772 for california graphic communication students with aid.

Full SAE Expression College Graphic Communications Report

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Notes and References

References

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