2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region
9
Ranked Colleges
1,800
Degrees Awarded
$31,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 the Far Western US Region” 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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,800 graphic communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,721 and $31,437 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in graphic communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent graphic communications programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the graphic communications program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Graphic Communications Schools
The graphic communication school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region graphic communication students.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Graphic Communications in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 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 the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for far western us region graphic communication students.
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.
Read full report on Graphic Communications at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and 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 the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $36,143 for far western us region graphic communication students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Graphic Communications at Academy of Art University
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Cogswell College landed the #3 spot on the list. Cogswell College is a private for-profit institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cogswell also took the #7 spot in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cogswell is $25,714 for Far Western US Region Graphic Communication students.
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%.
Read full report on Graphic Communications at Cogswell College
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #4 spot on the list. UH Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UH Manoa also made our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $14,687 for far western us region graphic communication students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Graphic Communications at University of Hawaii at Manoa
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Laguna College of Art and Design. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Laguna College of Art and Design is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 25 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.
LCAD also made our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $35,944 for far western us region graphic communication students per year to attend Laguna College of Art and Design.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read more about Graphic Communications at Laguna College of Art and Design
Art Center College of Design landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 41 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.
Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $46,054 for Far Western US Region Graphic Communication students per year to attend Art Center College of Design.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Graphic Communications at Art Center College of Design
With a ranking of #7, DigiPen Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Redmond, Washington, this small private for-profit school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified ’s graphic communication students in 2020-2021.
Digipen also made our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for DigiPen Institute of Technology is $40,217 for far western us region graphic communication students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Graphic Communications at DigiPen Institute of Technology
SAE Expression College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. Emeryville, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s graphic communication degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region graphic communication students list, SAE Expression College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SAE Expression College is $26,772 for Far Western US Region Graphic Communication students.
Read more about Graphic Communications at SAE Expression College
California College of the Arts came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Communication Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. California College of the Arts is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 64 ’s graphic communication degrees in 2020-2021.
California College of the Arts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Graphic Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $33,122 for far western us region graphic communication students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Full California College of the Arts Graphic Communications Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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