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Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

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2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

50 Colleges
$25,004 Avg Salary
$23,549 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Fine & Studio Arts School for You

Fine & Studio Arts is the #20 most popular major in California with 6,381 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Fine & Studio Arts 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 50 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges.

Top 10 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools

Our analysis found Gemological Institute of America-Carlsbad to be the best school for fine and studio arts students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Carlsbad, Gemological Institute of America-Carlsbad is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at Gemological Institute of America-Carlsbad take out is $8,233.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Fine Arts majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $302, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from UC Berkeley take out $13,522 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Out of the 50 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 4 spot on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from USC take out $21,695 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $531.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of Southern California

#5

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, CA

The excellent programs at Platt College - San Diego helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best fine and studio arts schools in California. Located in the large city of San Diego, Platt College - San Diego is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from Platt College - San Diego carry an average student debtload of $27,241.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Platt College - San Diego

With a ranking of #6, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

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#7

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

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With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $17,600 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #9, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from Azusa Pacific take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $266.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Azusa Pacific University

#10

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Loyola Marymount accumulate an average of around $23,104 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $983.

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Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 402
Oregon 419
Nevada 141
Hawaii 116
Alaska 35

One of 10 majors within the area of study, fine and studio arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
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.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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