2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Visual & Performing Arts is the 125th most popular major in the country with 6,359 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general visual and performing arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general visual and performing arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Marcos. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSM also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - San Marcos General Visual & Performing Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 116 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
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 University of California - San Diego
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 list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Channel Islands. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUCI is located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree visual arts students list, CSUCI has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUCI is $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree visual arts students 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. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $34,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.
Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Academy of Art University
Azusa Pacific University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Azusa, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific University is $26,293 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Azusa Pacific
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at PLNU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $33,044 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students per year to attend Point Loma Nazarene University.
The low 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 more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Point Loma Nazarene University
William Jessup University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Rocklin, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at William Jessup University, the school also landed 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.
Full William Jessup University General Visual & Performing Arts Report
Woodbury University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. Woodbury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Woodbury did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Woodbury is $23,915 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #10, Marymount California University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. MCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s 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. It costs about $33,303 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students per year to attend Marymount California University.
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%.
Full Marymount California University General Visual & Performing Arts Report
Otis College of Art and Design ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s visual arts degrees 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 a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
With a ranking of #12, San Francisco Art Institute did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFAI, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFAI is $41,392 for california bachelor’s degree visual arts students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at SFAI
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 ranking. USFCA is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 10 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.
USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students per year to attend University of San Francisco.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Southern California landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students per year to attend University of Southern California.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California General Visual & Performing Arts Report
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0.
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