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2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

13 Ranked Colleges
469 Degrees Awarded
$26,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Graphic Design is the 105th most popular major in the country with 8,541 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,366 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 469 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in graphic design. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great graphic design programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the graphic design program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Graphic Design (Income $30-$48k) in California

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Graphic Design Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at California State University - Sacramento

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Design at San Jose State

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #4 spot on the list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Graphic Design Report

#5

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at California College of the Arts, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $32,503 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California College of the Arts Graphic Design Report

#6

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU also made our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Point Loma Nazarene University is $24,654 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Design at Point Loma Nazarene University

#7

Chapman University

Orange, California
#3 in overall quality

Chapman University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

Chapman also made our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $31,826 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Chapman.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Chapman Graphic Design Report

#8

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

Art Center College of Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $42,394 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Art Center College of Design.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design

#9

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Dominican University of California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. DUofC is a small school located in San Rafael, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

DUofC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University of California is $26,338 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Dominican University of California Graphic Design Report

#10

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, California
#6 in overall quality

Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. LCAD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laguna Beach, California. It awarded 25 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

LCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $43,066 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend LCAD.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at LCAD

#11

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, California Institute of the Arts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k list, CalArts has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of the Arts is $42,784 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of the Arts Graphic Design Report

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $38,804 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend FIDM Los Angeles.

Read full report on Graphic Design at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

#13

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Los Angeles Film School did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. LA Film School is a medium-sized school located in Hollywood, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

LA Film School not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend LA Film School is $31,259 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Los Angeles Film School Graphic Design Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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