Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Fine & Studio Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

56 Ranked Colleges
4,072 Degrees Awarded
$11,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

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 Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 56 colleges that offer a degree in fine and studio arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality fine and studio arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the fine and studio arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in California (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 135 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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%.

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

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 376 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #15 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#3

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Stanford University Fine & Studio Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 296 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 370 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at CSULB

California State University - Fresno landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of California - Irvine

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 41 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend CSUDH.

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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Fine & Studio Arts Report

#10

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 124 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at CSUSB

#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 Getting Aid ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 55 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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%. 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 UCR Fine & Studio Arts Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #2 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Fine & Studio Arts Report

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 56 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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%.

Full Sac State Fine & Studio Arts Report

#14

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #14, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 280 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

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

#16

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 212 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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

Full SDSU Fine & Studio Arts Report

#17

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Fine & Studio Arts Report

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 24 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 with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Fine & Studio Arts Report

#19

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 111 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio 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 with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#20

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU 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 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 $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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

University of California - Davis ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at UC Davis

California State University - Channel Islands ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized public school situated in Camarillo, California. It awarded 91 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUCI also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend CSUCI.

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 CSUCI

University of California - San Diego ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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

Full University of California - San Diego Fine & Studio Arts Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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

Full Cal Poly Pomona Fine & Studio Arts Report

California State University - Chico ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - Chico.

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%.

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

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Fine Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You