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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

51 Colleges
$8,821 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,022 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 22,397 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Visual & Performing 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. This report analyzed 51 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for visual and performing arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - East Bay helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value visual and performing arts schools in California. 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.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Long Beach

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Out of the 51 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 per year.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Fullerton Report

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#6

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA

Sonoma State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year.

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#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at San Francisco State University Report

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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year.

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California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Cal State LA undergraduate students pay an average of $6,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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California State University - Northridge ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year.

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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,718
Oregon 1,672
Hawaii 196
Nevada 554
Alaska 60

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
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
Arts & Media Management 4,788
Dance 3,288
Other Visual Art 912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 10

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 556,813
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

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 Bonnielou2013.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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