Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications in California (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
536 Degrees Awarded
$25,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,657 people earned their degree in visual communications, making the major the 161st most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 726 visual communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 536 visual communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in visual communications. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great visual communications programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the visual communications 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 Visual Communications Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications in California (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 235 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Visual Communications Report

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot on the list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual Communications at San Francisco State University

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about Visual Communications at UCSD

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Chico Visual Communications Report

#11 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

CSUMB also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at CSUMB

#6

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $27,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.

The low 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 full report on Visual Communications at University of Redlands

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend USC.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at USC

#8

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

Biola also took the #10 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $31,859 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend Biola University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Biola University Visual Communications Report

#9

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Otis College of Art and Design came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Otis College of Art and Design also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Otis College of Art and Design is $43,147 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Visual Communications Report

#10

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. USFCA is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 39 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid list, USFCA has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Visual Communications at USFCA

#8 in overall quality

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles also took the #8 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $41,505 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual Communications at FIDM Los Angeles

#12

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California
#12 in overall quality

Platt College - Ontario ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Ontario, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $23,287 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend Platt College - Ontario.

Full Platt College - Ontario Visual Communications Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You