2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 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” ranking looked at 56 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools
The fine arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 370 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, CSULB has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 296 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students 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 $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge Fine & Studio Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 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 yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 84 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 376 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students 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 $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
With a ranking of #7, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 82 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees 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 California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - East Bay
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. 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 made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. 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 $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend SFSU.
California State University - Chico came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 91 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.
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 more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Channel Islands
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - San Bernardino 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
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%.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
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%.
Sonoma State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 40 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Sonoma State University.
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%.
University of California - Irvine ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees 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. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend UC Irvine.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Full University of California - Irvine Fine & Studio Arts Report
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 212 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
University of California - Berkeley ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also took 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 per year to attend UC Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 University of California - Berkeley
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 8 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. 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.
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 estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay
With a ranking of #23, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 55 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR also took the #20 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 per year to attend UCSD.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of California - San Diego Fine & Studio Arts Report
Humboldt State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Humboldt State University
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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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