by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Fine & Studio Arts is the 31st most popular major in the country with 37,413 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,051 and had an average of $25,492 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 6,526 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,004 and $23,549 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California” ranking looked at 182 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in fine and studio arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their fine and studio arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for california fine arts students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Platt College - San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 48 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Platt College - San Diego
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco Art Institute. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 182 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Laguna Beach, California, and it awarded 35 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 70 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 California College of the Arts
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Otis College of Art and Design. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 32 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad 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 more about Fine & Studio Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
Mills College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Mills is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 34 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Institute of the Arts ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California Institute of the Arts
With a ranking of #8, Art Center College of Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 38 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Academy of Art University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 84 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Academy of Art University
Westmont College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Westmont College is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 15 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 424 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 419 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Pitzer College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Whittier College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. Whittier is a private not-for-profit institution located in Whittier, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 - Channel Islands
California State University - Northridge came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 307 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Northridge
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 177 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Scripps College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 8 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 147 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 85%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Fine & Studio Arts Report
Glendale Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Glendale, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Azusa Pacific University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 60 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Azusa Pacific University
California State University - East Bay came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 118 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 - East Bay
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #24. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 230 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 216 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at San Jose State University
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
