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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California

56 Ranked Colleges
4,072 Degrees Awarded
$8,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 $30-$48k” 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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 56 colleges that offered a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Full Stanford Fine & Studio Arts Report

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 $30-$48k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 135 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national 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 $30-$48k. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 376 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCLA.

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 University of California - Los Angeles

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

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 $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of California - Berkeley

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,595 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

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

California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,731 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Fresno State.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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 & Studio Arts at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at UC Irvine

California State University - Northridge landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 296 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSUN has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 California State University - Northridge Fine & Studio Arts Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 59 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 55 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #20 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $9,151 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,115 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#13

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUSB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

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

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at UCSB

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full University of California - Davis Fine & Studio Arts Report

#16

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. SDSU 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.

The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 San Diego State University Fine & Studio Arts Report

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k 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

#18

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

Occidental College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oxy, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oxy is $17,662 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. 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%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Oxy

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Stan State

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University 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 $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 280 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Full San Jose State University Fine & Studio Arts Report

#21

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #21, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

USC also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend USC is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Fine & Studio Arts at USC

California State University - East Bay ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $8,891 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

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

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #23, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 116 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

SFSU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

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

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of California - San Diego

#25

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 153 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,793 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. 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 UC Santa Cruz

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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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