2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Fine & Studio Arts is the 29th most popular major in the country with 39,860 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 associate degree level specifically, there were 2,158 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California” ranking analyzed 4 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 an Associate in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 an Associate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California

#1 in overall quality

$5,782 Average Net Price

$26,715 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Rosa, California, and it awarded 25 associates’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SRJC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Rosa Junior College is $5,782 for California Associate Degree Fine Arts students.

Full Santa Rosa Junior College Fine & Studio Arts Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

#4 in overall quality

$1,729 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the #2 spot on the list. Mt. San Antonio College is a large school located in Walnut, California that handed out 33 associates’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Mt. San Antonio College is $1,729 for california associate degree fine arts students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Mt. SAC

#3

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

#3 in overall quality

$34,145 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $34,145 for California Associate Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend Academy of Art University.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Academy of Art University

#4

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$41,505 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 associates’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california associate degree fine arts students list, FIDM Los Angeles has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $41,505 for california associate degree fine arts students.

Full FIDM Los Angeles Fine & Studio Arts Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio 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.

Featured Fine Arts Schools

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