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2023 Best Value Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

8 Ranked Colleges
975 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,130 people earned their degree in visual and performing arts, making the major the 221st most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 975 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great 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 visual and performing arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Visual & Performing Arts Schools

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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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 99 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for california visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - San Diego Visual & Performing Arts Report

2

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,887 for California Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Visual & Performing Arts Report

3

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k 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 located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,011 for California Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.

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 more about Visual & Performing Arts at CSUCI

4

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #4 spot on the list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 59 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSM also took the #6 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,397 for california visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - San Marcos

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

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #5 spot on the list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 4 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $12,158 for California Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State University

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

San Diego Mesa College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. San Diego Mesa College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Diego Mesa College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego Mesa College is $4,672 for california visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at San Diego Mesa College

7
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

With a ranking of #7, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 48 degrees to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Azusa Pacific, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Azusa Pacific is $26,548 for california visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate 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 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%.

Full Azusa Pacific Visual & Performing Arts Report

8
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 14 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $32,023 for California Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Visual & Performing Arts at USFCA

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