2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 137 schools in California to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Design & Applied Arts program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for design majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles the most popular school in California for design and applied arts students. FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
After completing their degree, design graduates from FIDM Los Angeles carry an average student debt load of $22,573. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $635, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
The excellent programs at Art Center College of Design helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in California. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Art Center College of Design take out is $31,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $878.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in California. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $15,357 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Francisco State University is a great place for design and applied arts students. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Francisco State University
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great place for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University
Academy of Art University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
After completing their degree, design graduates from Academy of Art University carry an average student debt load of $33,391. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $719.
California State University - Chico ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Chico, Chico State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Chico State take out is $18,488.
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at CSULB take out is $17,095.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report
Otis College of Art and Design landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular design and applied arts programs. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at Otis College of Art and Design take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $711.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design Report
California College of the Arts landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular design and applied arts programs. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at California College of the Arts take out is $27,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $322, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
With a ranking of #11, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
On average, design graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $17,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Design & Applied Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.
While working on their degree, design majors at UC Santa Cruz accumulate an average of around $26,333 in student debt.
Full Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz Report
With a ranking of #13, Sierra College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the large suburb of Rocklin, Sierra College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Laguna College of Art and Design came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. LCAD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Laguna Beach.
While working on their degree, design majors at LCAD accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $512, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design
With a ranking of #14, Santa Monica College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. SMC is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Santa Monica College
With a ranking of #16, West Valley College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the large suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Saddleback College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. Saddleback College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Mission Viejo.
With a ranking of #18, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
After completing their degree, design graduates from USC carry an average student debt load of $18,275.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Southern California
Mt. San Antonio College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Mt. San Antonio College Report
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, design majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $16,500 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional popular schools for Design & Applied Arts students in the state of California that almost earned our Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | California Baptist University | Riverside, CA |
| 21 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 23 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 24 | Palomar College | San Marcos, CA |
| 25 | Interior Designers Institute | Newport Beach, CA |
| 25 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 27 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA |
Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 532 |
| Oregon | 490 |
| Nevada | 110 |
| Hawaii | 19 |
Design & Applied Arts Related Majors
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 26 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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