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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications in California

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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

Visual Communications is the 161st most popular major in the country with 5,657 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

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” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in visual communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent visual communications programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the visual communications program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Visual Communications Schools

The graphic arts 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 “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications in California

#1

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

Read more about Visual Communications at SFSU

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees 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 yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual Communications at University of California - Davis

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 63 students 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 per year to attend Chico State.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

The low 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%.

Full CSUMB Visual Communications Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego Visual Communications Report

#8 in overall quality

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FIDM Los Angeles, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $41,505 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students per year to attend FIDM Los Angeles.

Full FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles Visual Communications Report

#7

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#10 in overall quality

Biola University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Biola University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Mirada, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students.

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 Visual Communications Report

#8

Platt College - Ontario

Ontario, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Platt College - Ontario did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Ontario, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.

Platt College - Ontario not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Platt College - Ontario is $23,287 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

Read more about Visual Communications at Platt College - Ontario

#9

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Otis College of Art and Design is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

Otis College of Art and Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Otis College of Art and Design is $43,147 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Visual Communications at Otis College of Art and Design

#10

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands also made our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $27,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students per year to attend University of Redlands.

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%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at University of Redlands

#11

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

University of San Francisco ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students 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 USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at USFCA

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree graphic arts students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The 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 USC Visual Communications 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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