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2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California

182 Ranked Colleges
6,526 Degrees Awarded
$32,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 37,413 people earned their degree in fine and studio arts, making the major the 31st most popular in the United States. 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.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California” ranking, we looked at 182 colleges that offer a degree in fine and studio arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful fine and studio arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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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 “Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california fine arts students.

1

Out of the 182 schools in the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 424 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 419 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Cal State Fullerton

3

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 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 307 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 230 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at SDSU

5
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 216 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University Fine & Studio Arts Report

6

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 177 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Cal State LA

7

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 155 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at UCLA

8

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 147 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 more about Fine & Studio Arts at UC Santa Cruz

9

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 119 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 91%.

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

10

California State University - East Bay came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 118 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 - East Bay

11

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 114 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.

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

12

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 107 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Fine & Studio Arts Report

13

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.

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

Full CSUSB Fine & Studio Arts Report

14
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 99 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 San Francisco State University Fine & Studio Arts Report

15
Pasadena City College crest
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

Pasadena City College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Pasadena City College

16
Fullerton College crest
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California

Fullerton College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Fullerton College is located in Fullerton, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Fullerton College

17

University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 86 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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

18
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #18, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 84 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

19
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 82 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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.

Full USC Fine & Studio Arts Report

20
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

With a ranking of #20, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 75 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Humboldt State University Fine & Studio Arts Report

21
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at California College of the Arts

22

California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. This medium-sized school is located in Camarillo, California, and it awarded 65 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at CSUCI

22

California State University - Chico landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 65 ’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%.

Full Chico State Fine & Studio Arts Report

24
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, California

El Camino College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Torrance, California, and it awarded 61 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at El Camino College

24
Long Beach City College crest
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, California

Long Beach City College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California ranking. Long Beach City College is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Long Beach City College

Rest of the Best 28 in Most Well Attended Fine Arts Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
26
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California
28

Notes and References

References

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