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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
1,223 Degrees Awarded
$23,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” 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 Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 10 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California (With Aid)

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #1 spot on the list. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s design degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students with aid list, SRJC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SRJC is $5,782 for california associate degree design students with aid.

Full SRJC Design & Applied Arts Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Walnut, California, and it awarded 23 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mt. SAC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,729 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Mt. SAC.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Mt. San Antonio College

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles Trade Technical College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this fairly large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified associates’s design students in 2019-2020.

Los Angeles Trade Technical College also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,907 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College

#4

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #4 spot on the list. MSMU is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSMU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,214 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid.

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%. 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.

Full MSMU Design & Applied Arts Report

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. FIDM Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 318 associates’s design degrees to qualified students.

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 $41,505 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid.

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

#7

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 18 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree design students with aid 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 $34,145 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid.

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

#8

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #8, Platt College - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Platt College - San Diego is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 75 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Platt College - San Diego also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Platt College - San Diego is $26,218 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid.

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

#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 Getting Aid list. Platt College - Ontario is a small private for-profit school situated in Ontario, California. It awarded 15 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Platt College - Ontario is $23,287 for california associate degree design students with aid.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - Ontario

#9

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, California

With a ranking of #9, Interior Designers Institute did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Interior Designers Institute is a small school located in Newport Beach, California that handed out 36 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Interior Designers Institute, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Interior Designers Institute is $29,030 for California Associate Degree Design students with aid.

Full Interior Designers Institute Design & Applied Arts Report

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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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