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Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

50 Colleges
$8,897 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,004 Avg Salary

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 50 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for Fine Arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for Fine Arts majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools

#1

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA
$1,144 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named San Diego Mesa College the best value school in California for fine and studio arts students. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 per year.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at San Diego Mesa College Report

$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California list.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for fine and studio arts students. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at San Jose State University

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. On average, Fine Arts graduates from CSULB take out $16,422 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 50 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year. While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Cal State East Bay accumulate an average of around $18,111 in student debt.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - East Bay

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 per year. While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $17,250 in student debt.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Fullerton

$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUCI are $6,817 per year. After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from CSUCI carry an average student debtload of $15,125.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at California State University - Channel Islands Report

#8

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$7,988 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Sonoma State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year. Fine Arts majors at SSU take out an average of $17,514 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Sonoma State University

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value fine and studio arts programs. SFSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. On average, Fine Arts graduates from SFSU take out $18,312 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at San Francisco State University

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

CSUN undergraduate students pay an average of $7,043 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at CSUN take out is $15,054.

Read More…

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

Explore all the Best Value 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.

  • 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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