2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 associate degree level specifically, there were 678 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california associate degree visual arts students.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California

#1 in overall quality

$5,782 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Santa Rosa, California, this fairly large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified associates’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

SRJC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,782 for California Associate Degree Visual Arts students per year to attend SRJC.

Full SRJC General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

#2 in overall quality

$1,729 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mt. San Antonio College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California list. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified associates’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. San Antonio College is $1,729 for california associate degree visual arts students.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Mt. San Antonio College

#3

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

#3 in overall quality

$34,145 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for an Associate in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s visual arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $34,145 for california associate degree visual arts students.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Academy of Art University

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts

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 Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0.

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