2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You
With 3,773 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #34 most popular major in California.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 35 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for design students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured Design Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. On average, design graduates from CSULB take out $21,064 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value design and applied arts schools in California. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students pay an average of $7,439 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, design graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $19,547 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Out of the 35 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $19,788 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $378, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Sacramento Report
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California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno State are $6,653 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Fresno State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,211.
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California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for design and applied arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. CSUSB is a large public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.
CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSUSB take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,113.
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University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $13,258 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Design majors at UCLA take out an average of $16,210 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
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California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Seaside.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUMB are $7,218 a year. Design majors at CSUMB take out an average of $19,337 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay
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With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Davis are $14,645 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, design majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $15,187 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.
UC Davis also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Request InformationBest Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 532 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in California
Other Related Design Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Majors Related to Design
Design & Applied Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Design
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 27 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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