2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
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 Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,692 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,196 and $27,472 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,305 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 35 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 130 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
Fresno State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Fresno
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Davis Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #6, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 153 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State University.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - San Diego landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #8, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 150 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 89 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Design & Applied Arts Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #11, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. CSUMB is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,688 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUMB.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 ranking of #13, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 124 students in 2019-2020.
Chico State also took the #25 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Redlands not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $21,763 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Redlands
University of the Pacific ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,972 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pacific.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Cogswell College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Cogswell College is a small school located in San Jose, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $25,774 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cogswell.
Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Point Loma Nazarene University is $25,073 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #18, Woodbury University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Woodbury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Woodbury has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,148 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Woodbury.
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. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Woodbury University
With a ranking of #19, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Azusa Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Azusa, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific is $21,179 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #20, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 156 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at California College of the Arts, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $28,555 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
Dominican University of California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. DUofC is located in San Rafael, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend DUofC is $27,906 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Dominican University of California
Biola University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Biola is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $25,135 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Biola University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Art Center College of Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 223 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Art Center College of Design, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $42,297 for california bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
Chapman University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $33,219 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
University of San Francisco came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
USFCA also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $27,690 for California Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of San Francisco
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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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