2023 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California
127
Ranked Colleges
$39,600
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,323 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , design & applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,210 and had an average of $24,297 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,768 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,229 and $26,041 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking analyzed 127 colleges that offered a degree in design & applied arts. That schools that top this list have a program in design & applied arts in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california design students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Design Institute of San Diego landed the #1 spot on the list. Design Institute of San Diego is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Design Institute of San Diego
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Interior Designers Institute. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Interior Designers Institute is located in Newport Beach, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 47 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #3 spot on the list. LCAD is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 90 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
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. 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 LCAD Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Otis College of Art and Design landed the #4 spot on the list. Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 132 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Art Center College of Design. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 264 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
Platt College - San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Platt College - San Diego is a small private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 24 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 274 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at FIDM Los Angeles
Cogswell College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Cogswell
With a ranking of #10, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 125 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full California College of the Arts Design & Applied Arts Report
Newschool of Architecture and Design landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 29 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. 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 Newschool of Architecture and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
Woodbury University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Woodbury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Woodbury University Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #14, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 162 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University
Los Angeles Pacific College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California 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 8 students in 2021-2022.
Full Los Angeles Pacific College Design & Applied Arts Report
Columbia College Hollywood ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tarzana, California. It awarded 5 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Hollywood
Platt College - Ontario did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. Platt College - Ontario is a private for-profit institution located in Ontario, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - Ontario
With a ranking of #18, Los Angeles Film School did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Hollywood, California, and it awarded 52 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at LA Film School
California Institute of the Arts came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 15 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at CalArts
California State University - Chico came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Chico State
San Francisco State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 202 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Design & Applied Arts Report
New York Film Academy did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. New York Film Academy is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 New York Film Academy
San Jose State University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 229 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2021-2022.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University
University of California - Davis came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 244 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UC Davis
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 114 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Design & Applied Arts Report
