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2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
1,223 Degrees Awarded
$21,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for an Associate 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. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,692 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,196 and $27,472 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 1,223 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts 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.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

The design 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 Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 10 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mt. San Antonio College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mt. SAC is $898 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Mt. San Antonio College Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Santa Rosa Junior College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Santa Rosa Junior College is located in Santa Rosa, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

SRJC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,026 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SRJC.

Full Santa Rosa Junior College Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles Trade Technical College landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 29 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Los Angeles Trade Technical College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $6,716 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 318 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FIDM Los Angeles, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $37,103 for California Associate Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 1 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, MSMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $27,107 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#7

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, California

Platt College - San Diego landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Platt College - San Diego is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Platt College - San Diego has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Platt College - San Diego is $20,595 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 18 degrees to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $29,390 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

#9

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California

With a ranking of #9, Platt College - Ontario did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ontario, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Ontario is $22,554 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Platt College - Ontario Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, California

Interior Designers Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k 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 design degrees to qualified students.

Interior Designers Institute not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Interior Designers Institute is $27,000 for california associate degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute

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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

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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