2023 Best Value Colleges for Graphic Design in California (With Aid)
12
Ranked Colleges
1,327
Degrees Awarded
$31,300
Avg Net Price*
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 Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Graphic Design is the 107th most popular major in the country with 8,710 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 1,327 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in graphic design. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality graphic design programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the graphic design program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california graphic design students with aid.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Graphic Design in California (With Aid)
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #1 spot on the list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $16,542 for california graphic design students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Design at San Jose State
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,230 for california graphic design students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno Graphic Design Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 44 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,178 for California Graphic Design students with aid per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Graphic Design at California State University - Sacramento
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #4 spot on the list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for california graphic design students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Graphic Design at Cal Poly Pomona
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. FIDM Los Angeles is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 25 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
FIDM Los Angeles did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $40,793 for California Graphic Design students with aid.
Read full report on Graphic Design at FIDM Los Angeles
Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Laguna College of Art and Design is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 26 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california graphic design students with aid list, LCAD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for LCAD is $35,944 for California Graphic Design 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%.
Full Laguna College of Art and Design Graphic Design Report
Art Center College of Design landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 99 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Art Center College of Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. It costs about $46,054 for California Graphic Design students with aid per year to attend Art Center College of Design.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Art Center College of Design Graphic Design Report
With a ranking of #8, Platt College - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Diego, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 33 degrees to qualified ’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Platt College - San Diego, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Platt College - San Diego is $26,014 for California Graphic Design students with aid.
Read full report on Graphic Design at Platt College - San Diego
With a ranking of #9, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 15 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Otis College of Art and Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Otis College of Art and Design is $45,026 for California Graphic Design students with aid.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Graphic Design at Otis College of Art and Design
With a ranking of #10, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 24 ’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman also took the #6 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for California Graphic Design students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Design at Chapman University
California Institute of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. California Institute of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CalArts also took the #9 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $56,876 for California Graphic Design students with aid per year to attend California Institute of the Arts.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Graphic Design at California Institute of the Arts
Los Angeles Film School did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Design Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Los Angeles Film School is a private for-profit institution located in Hollywood, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
LA Film School did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Graphic Design Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Los Angeles Film School is $32,723 for california graphic design students with aid.
Read more about Graphic Design at Los Angeles Film School
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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.
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