2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k
34
Ranked Colleges
4,575
Degrees Awarded
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,575 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,016 and $26,876 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts 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 design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts 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 Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
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 Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k) in California
Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california design students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $12,644 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 228 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,193 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Davis
Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 141 students in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $11,189 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 48 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State also took the #24 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $8,030 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Fresno State Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 201 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $17,338 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State University Design & Applied Arts Report
Los Angeles Trade Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a medium-sized school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 56 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Los Angeles Trade Technical College has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,854 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College.
Full Los Angeles Trade Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report
California State University - Sacramento landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 55 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Sac State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $12,602 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #8, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $15,958 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 202 students in 2020-2021.
SFSU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $16,065 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Design & Applied Arts at SFSU
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 67 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $22,826 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #11, San Diego Mesa College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 38 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,272 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Diego Mesa College.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Diego Mesa College
With a ranking of #12, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,310 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCSD Design & Applied Arts Report
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 108 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $15,567 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 143 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $16,738 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Chico Design & Applied Arts Report
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 32 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,319 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at CSUMB
Woodbury University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Woodbury University is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Woodbury also took the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,603 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Woodbury University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Woodbury
With a ranking of #17, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
University of Redlands also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $21,947 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Redlands
California College of the Arts ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California College of the Arts is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California College of the Arts is $31,474 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 288 students in 2020-2021.
FIDM Los Angeles did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $40,670 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at FIDM Los Angeles
Art Center College of Design landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 276 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Art Center College of Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $42,992 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
Otis College of Art and Design came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 129 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Otis College of Art and Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Otis College of Art and Design is $44,125 for california design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
University of San Francisco ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 29 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california design students whose families make $48-$75k list, USFCA has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $36,818 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of San Francisco Design & Applied Arts Report
Academy of Art University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 170 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Academy of Art University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $34,695 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Academy of Art University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University
Chapman University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 24 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $38,525 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Chapman University
Columbia College Hollywood landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tarzana, California. It awarded 16 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Hollywood is $33,725 for California Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Hollywood
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