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2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

56 Ranked Colleges
4,072 Degrees Awarded
$7,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 39,860 people earned their degree in fine and studio arts, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,847 and had an average of $28,316 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 6,942 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,810 and $30,915 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,072 fine and studio 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 56 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in fine and studio arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great fine and studio arts programs and 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 fine and studio arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Stanford

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 135 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Fine & Studio Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 376 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 & Studio Arts at California State University - Fullerton

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 & Studio Arts at UC Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 107 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at University of California - Irvine

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 154 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at UCLA

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 370 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSULB Fine & Studio Arts Report

California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full Fresno State Fine & Studio Arts Report

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 296 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 CSUN Fine & Studio Arts Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of California - Riverside

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 212 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at SDSU

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 & Studio Arts at CSUDH

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 Fine & Studio Arts at UC Davis

#15

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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 Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - San Bernardino

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Fine & Studio Arts Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Stanislaus

#19

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 280 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at San Jose State University

California State University - East Bay came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $8,036 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Cal State East Bay Fine & Studio Arts Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at UCSD

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 116 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFSU Fine & Studio Arts Report

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 153 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Santa Cruz Fine & Studio Arts Report

#24

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #24, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Occidental College is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

Oxy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Occidental College is $13,146 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Occidental College

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full USC Fine & Studio Arts 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.

Credits

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

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