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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in California (With Aid)

73 Ranked Colleges
13,375 Degrees Awarded
$11,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 155,377 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,427 and had an average of $28,377 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 25,365 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,067 and $32,687 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,375 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 73 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in California (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 191 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Cal State LA

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Stanford University

#19 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 584 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal State Fullerton Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 474 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Visual & Performing Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 191 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Visual & Performing Arts Report

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 909 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Long Beach

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 373 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UC Irvine

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 101 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full CSUDH Visual & Performing Arts Report

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 384 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Visual & Performing Arts Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#22 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 272 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #22 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Riverside Visual & Performing Arts Report

#11

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 169 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at CSUSB

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing 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 507 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

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%. 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

California State University - Sacramento landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 261 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Sac State

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 104 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing 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 Visual & Performing Arts at CSUSM

#15 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 259 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing 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 low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 UCSD

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 425 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Visual & Performing Arts Report

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #18, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 321 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend San Diego State University.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at SDSU

With a ranking of #19, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 111 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Cal State East Bay

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Stan State

#21

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 369 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 91%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UCSB

#22

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 275 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UC Berkeley

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 175 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Cal Poly Pomona

#24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 567 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Full San Francisco State University Visual & Performing Arts Report

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 103 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

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%.

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

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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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