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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California (With Aid)

14 Ranked Colleges
1,198 Degrees Awarded
$26,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

General Visual & Performing Arts is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,355 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,134 and had an average of $26,019 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,198 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,951 and $24,479 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in general visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general visual and performing arts programs and cost less that 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 general visual and performing arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california visual arts students with aid.

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

1

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 in California For Those Getting Aid. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 99 students in 2020-2021.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,240 for california visual arts students with aid per year to attend UCSD.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UCSD

2

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 13 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $3,302 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

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%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Los Angeles

3

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Channel Islands landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Channel Islands is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUCI also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUCI is $14,928 for california visual arts students with aid.

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 General Visual & Performing Arts at CSUCI

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Marcos. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 59 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,218 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

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 General Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - San Marcos

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 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,542 for california visual arts students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full San Jose State General Visual & Performing Arts Report

6
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 2 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

San Diego Mesa College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego Mesa College is $5,573 for california visual arts students with aid.

Full San Diego Mesa College General Visual & Performing Arts Report

7
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Azusa Pacific is located in Azusa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Azusa Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific University is $30,744 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Azusa Pacific University

8
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 63 degrees to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $36,143 for california visual arts students with aid.

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%.

Full Academy of Art University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

9
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #9, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $32,569 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Southern California

10
Columbia College Hollywood crest
Columbia College Hollywood
Tarzana, California

With a ranking of #10, Columbia College Hollywood did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tarzana, California. It awarded 15 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia College Hollywood also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Hollywood is $32,909 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

Full Columbia College Hollywood General Visual & Performing Arts Report

11
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 14 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $40,053 for california visual arts students with aid.

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%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at USFCA

12
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

Otis College of Art and Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Otis College of Art and Design is $45,026 for California Visual Arts students with aid.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

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

13
Gnomon crest
Gnomon
Hollywood, California

Gnomon came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Gnomon is located in Hollywood, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Gnomon also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $45,301 for california visual arts students with aid per year to attend Gnomon.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Gnomon

14
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #14, San Francisco Art Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFAI is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 2 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california visual arts students with aid list, SFAI has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $40,793 for california visual arts students with aid per year to attend SFAI.

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

Full San Francisco Art Institute General Visual & Performing Arts Report

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