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

14 Ranked Colleges
496 Degrees Awarded
$27,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,359 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $24,577 and had an average of $26,968 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,292 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,800 and $23,419 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 496 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in general visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general visual and performing 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 general visual and performing 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The visual 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 Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 116 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at UCSD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Marcos. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 93 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid.

The low 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 General Visual & Performing Arts at CSUSM

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Channel Islands. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. This medium-sized school is located in Camarillo, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid list, CSUCI has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUCI is $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Channel Islands

#5

William Jessup University

Rocklin, California
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William Jessup University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. William Jessup University is a small school located in Rocklin, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

William Jessup University also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William Jessup University is $21,207 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

Full William Jessup University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#6

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 65 students in 2019-2020.

Azusa Pacific also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific is $26,293 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Azusa Pacific University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Full USC General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#8

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#9 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. PLNU is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $33,044 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at PLNU

#9

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $34,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid per year to attend Academy of Art University.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Academy of Art University

#10

Woodbury University

Burbank, California
#12 in overall quality

Woodbury University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Woodbury also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Woodbury is $23,915 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Woodbury University

#11

Otis College of Art and Design

Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Otis College of Art and Design, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Otis College of Art and Design is $43,147 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

The impressive 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Otis College of Art and Design General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#12

Marymount California University

Rancho Palos Verdes, California

With a ranking of #12, Marymount California University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. MCU is a small school located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

MCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Marymount California University is $33,303 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

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 full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at MCU

#13

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

USFCA also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of San Francisco General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#14

San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco, California
#13 in overall quality

San Francisco Art Institute came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco Art Institute is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SFAI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFAI is $41,392 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at San Francisco Art Institute

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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.

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