2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California
52
Ranked Colleges
2,472
Degrees Awarded
$33,654
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 36,323 people earned their degree in design & applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In , design & applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,210 and had an average of $24,297 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,768 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,229 and $26,041 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,472 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,904 and $19,503 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking analyzed 52 colleges that offered a degree in design & applied arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their design & applied arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree design students.
Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Design Institute of San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 26 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Design Institute of San Diego Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Laguna College of Art and Design. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Laguna Beach, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 84 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Otis College of Art and Design. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full Otis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Art Center College of Design landed the #4 spot on the list. Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 228 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Art Center College of Design Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cogswell College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California. Cogswell is located in San Jose, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Cogswell
Interior Designers Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Interior Designers Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Newport Beach, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute
With a ranking of #7, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. 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 99 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
Newschool of Architecture and Design landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Full Newschool of Architecture and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #10, Woodbury University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 33 students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Woodbury University Design & Applied Arts Report
Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University
Columbia College Hollywood came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Tarzana, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
Full Columbia College Hollywood Design & Applied Arts Report
Los Angeles Film School ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Los Angeles Film School is a private for-profit institution located in Hollywood, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 LA Film School Design & Applied Arts Report
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at FIDM Los Angeles
California Institute of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 15 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at CalArts
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 102 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Chico Design & Applied Arts Report
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 194 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SFSU Design & Applied Arts Report
San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 229 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State
University of California - Davis landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 244 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 91%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UC Davis
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 114 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 University of California - Santa Cruz
California Baptist University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California list. California Baptist University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 60 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Full California Baptist University Design & Applied Arts Report
Platt College - Ontario came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking. Platt College - Ontario is a small private for-profit school situated in Ontario, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - Ontario
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 105 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Design Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay Design & Applied Arts Report
