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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine Arts in California

27 Ranked Colleges
1,240 Degrees Awarded
$24,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 12,032 people earned their degree in fine arts, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,478 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,240 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking looked at 27 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in fine arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality fine arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the fine arts 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 Fine Arts Schools

The fine 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 Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine Arts in California

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #1 spot on the list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 94%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Fine Arts Report

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 159 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at San Jose State University

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 289 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at California State University - Fullerton

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also took the #12 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Full Cal State East Bay Fine Arts Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - Chico came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Chico State

#7

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#19 in overall quality

Sonoma State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Sonoma State University

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 51 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, UCSB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Fine Arts Report

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at UC Berkeley

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend UC Davis.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at University of California - Davis

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend UCSD.

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%. 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 Fine Arts at UCSD

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at California State University - Stanislaus

#13

Mills College

Oakland, California
#21 in overall quality

Mills College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

Mills also took the #21 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mills College is $22,202 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about Fine Arts at Mills College

#14

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

Pacific Union College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Pacific Union College is a small school located in Angwin, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for PUC is $21,835 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

Read full report on Fine Arts at PUC

#15

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#25 in overall quality

Laguna College of Art and Design came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This small school is located in Laguna Beach, California, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

LCAD also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $35,355 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Laguna College of Art and Design.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full LCAD Fine Arts Report

#16

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#20 in overall quality

Biola University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Biola is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 30 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $31,859 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine 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 Fine Arts Report

#17

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#15 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Art Center College of Design is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $47,080 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The impressive 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. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Fine Arts at Art Center College of Design

#18

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount University is $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Loyola Marymount University Fine Arts Report

#19

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#23 in overall quality

University of the Pacific landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Fine Arts at University of the Pacific

#20

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California
#24 in overall quality

Dominican University of California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #20. DUofC is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Rafael, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DUofC also took the #24 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,978 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Dominican University of California.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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. The low 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%.

Read more about Fine Arts at DUofC

#21

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#11 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $50,412 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend CalArts.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at California Institute of the Arts

#22

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California
#22 in overall quality

Otis College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #22. 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 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Otis College of Art and Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $43,147 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend Otis College of Art and Design.

The 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 low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Read more about Fine Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

#23

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#18 in overall quality

University of Redlands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $27,958 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts 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 Fine Arts at University of Redlands

#24

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#17 in overall quality

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #24. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Francisco is $36,424 for california bachelor’s degree fine 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 Fine Arts at USFCA

#25

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California
#16 in overall quality

California College of the Arts landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at California College of the Arts, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California College of the Arts is $33,876 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 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.

Read full report on Fine Arts at California College of the Arts

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.

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