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2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

13 Ranked Colleges
469 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 8,541 people earned their degree in graphic design, making the major the 105th most popular in the United States.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in graphic design. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent graphic design programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the graphic design program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Graphic Design Schools

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 $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Graphic Design (Income $48-$75k) in California

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s 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 estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Design at California State University - Fresno

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 36 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Graphic Design Report

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,397 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Graphic Design Report

#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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #4 spot on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 89 bachelors’s graphic design degrees 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 Cal Poly Pomona is $14,012 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Graphic Design at Cal Poly Pomona

#5

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #5 spot on the list. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $28,716 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Point Loma Nazarene University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at PLNU

#6

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

California College of the Arts came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts also took the #4 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,699 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California College of the Arts.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 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 full report on Graphic Design at California College of the Arts

#7

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California
#12 in overall quality

Dominican University of California ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. DUofC is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Rafael, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DUofC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,801 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DUofC.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Graphic Design at DUofC

#8

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $42,445 for California Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design

#9

Chapman University

Orange, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Chapman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Chapman has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $36,041 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Chapman 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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. LCAD is located in Laguna Beach, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.

LCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Laguna College of Art and Design is $40,566 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full Laguna College of Art and Design Graphic Design Report

#11

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#8 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2019-2020.

CalArts also took the #8 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of the Arts is $46,265 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Institute of the Arts

#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 $48-$75k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students 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. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $42,720 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full FIDM Los Angeles Graphic Design Report

#13

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, California
#13 in overall quality

Los Angeles Film School ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Hollywood, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k list, LA Film School has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $31,795 for california bachelor’s degree graphic design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Los Angeles Film School.

Read more about Graphic Design at LA Film School

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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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