2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 39 schools in California to see which 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 Schools
Our analysis found Los Angeles Trade Technical College to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in California. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Los Angeles Trade Technical College are $1,238 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Diego Mesa College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 per year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Diego Mesa College
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Out of the 39 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSULB take out is $17,095.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a great value for design and applied arts students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. Design majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out an average of $17,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, design majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $18,687 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.
Full Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University Report
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California State University - Sacramento came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. Design majors at Sac State take out an average of $16,398 in student loans while working on their egree.
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California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at Fresno State take out is $17,000.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Fresno Report
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California State University - San Bernardino came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. CSUSB is a large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSB are $7,213 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSUSB take out is $16,125.
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University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year. The average amount in student loans that design majors at UCLA take out is $16,500.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 10% of our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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 25 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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