2022 Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California

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 Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 5,693 people earned their degree in interior design, making the major the 158th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 745 interior design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 224 interior design graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in interior design. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent interior design programs, but they also cost less that 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 interior design program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Interior Design Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California.

Top 5 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Interior Design in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California

#3 in overall quality

$5,782 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Santa Rosa Junior College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California. Santa Rosa Junior College is a public institution located in Santa Rosa, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SRJC also made our “Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for SRJC is $5,782 for california associate degree interior design students.

Full SRJC Interior Design Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

#4 in overall quality

$1,729 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the #2 spot on the list. Mt. SAC is a large school located in Walnut, California that handed out 8 associates’s interior design degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also made our “Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. SAC is $1,729 for California Associate Degree Interior Design students.

Read full report on Interior Design at Mt. SAC

#3

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$41,505 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 37 associates’s interior design degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $41,505 for california associate degree interior design students per year to attend FIDM Los Angeles.

Full FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles Interior Design Report

#5

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, California

#5 in overall quality

$29,030 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Interior Designers Institute. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Interior Design Schools for an Associate in California list. Interior Designers Institute is located in Newport Beach, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 associates’s interior design degrees to qualified students.

Interior Designers Institute also made our “Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Interior Designers Institute is $29,030 for california associate degree interior design students.

Read full report on Interior Design at Interior Designers Institute

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Interior Design in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Interior Design

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

Footnotes

• *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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