2026 Best Value Painting Schools in California
[Painting](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/fine-and-studio-arts/painting/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 1 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for painting students.
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2026 Best Value Painting Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in painting, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Painting Schools
Our analysis ranked California College Of The Arts the best value for a degree in painting in California. California College Of The Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $60,226. Students borrow a median of $29,250 to complete the painting program here. Early-career painting graduates make about $21,093. Set against $29,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 91% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
