by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Design Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Design Major in California” ranking analyzed 127 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful design and applied arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Design Major in California”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Design Major in California”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at FIDM Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Art Center College of Design. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 276 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Art Center College of Design
Out of the 127 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 228 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Davis Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 127 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 202 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in California. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 201 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #6, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 170 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 143 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 141 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 California State University - Long Beach
Otis College of Art and Design ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. 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.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Otis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #10, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 114 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 113 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 108 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #13, Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. LCAD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laguna Beach, California. It awarded 100 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full University of Southern California Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 61 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Santa Monica College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. SMC is located in Santa Monica, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
California Baptist University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 56 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 55 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Interior Designers Institute ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Interior Designers Institute is located in Newport Beach, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, 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 87%.
Los Angeles Film School landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking. LA Film School is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Hollywood, California. It awarded 47 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Film School
Sierra College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Located in Rocklin, California, this fairly large public school handed out 104 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
Platt College - San Diego ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. Platt College - San Diego is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego
With a ranking of #24, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 32 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Woodbury University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in California list. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 30 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Woodbury University
West Valley College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in California ranking. West Valley College is a medium-sized school located in Saratoga, California that handed out 76 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
