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2023 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Design (Income $0-$30k) in California

6 Ranked Colleges
215 Degrees Awarded
$22,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Industrial Design is the 304th most popular major in the country with 1,792 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 215 industrial design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in industrial design. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality industrial 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 industrial design program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Design (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 34 ’s product design degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california product design students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,663 for california product design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Industrial Design at CSULB

2
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also made our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $12,158 for California Product Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State University.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University Industrial Design Report

3
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 52 ’s product design degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $10,705 for california product design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Design at San Francisco State University

4
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California College of the Arts is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s product design degrees to qualified students.

California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,530 for California Product Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California College of the Arts.

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%. 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.

Full California College of the Arts Industrial Design Report

5
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Otis College of Art and Design landed the #5 spot on the list. Otis College of Art and Design is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s product design degrees to qualified students.

Otis College of Art and Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Otis College of Art and Design is $40,627 for California Product Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Industrial Design Report

6

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Product Design Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 18 ’s product design degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california product design students whose families make $0-$30k list, FIDM Los Angeles has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Industrial Design Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $36,764 for california product design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Industrial Design at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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