2023 Best Value Colleges for Visual Communications (Income $0-$30k) in California
12
Ranked Colleges
702
Degrees Awarded
$21,300
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 5,765 people earned their degree in visual communications, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 702 visual communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in visual communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent visual communications 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 visual communications program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Visual Communications (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 228 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #3 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Visual Communications at University of California - Davis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 80 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,705 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full SFSU Visual Communications Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,287 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual Communications at University of Southern California
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s graphic arts degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $9,823 for california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - San Diego Visual Communications Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 62 degrees to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $11,754 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Visual Communications at Chico State
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s graphic arts degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUMB has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,192 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Visual Communications at CSUMB
University of Redlands did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution located in Redlands, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $20,409 for california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Redlands Visual Communications Report
California College of the Arts landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 25 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.
California College of the Arts also took the #6 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $29,530 for california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Visual Communications at California College of the Arts
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is a private for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
FIDM Los Angeles not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $36,764 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles.
Full FIDM Los Angeles Visual Communications Report
Biola University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Biola University is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s graphic arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Biola, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Biola University is $27,024 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual Communications at Biola
University of San Francisco landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 29 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.
USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,023 for California Graphic Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USFCA.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full University of San Francisco Visual Communications Report
With a ranking of #12, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.
Otis College of Art and Design also took the #4 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Otis College of Art and Design is $40,627 for california graphic arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 Visual Communications at Otis College of Art and Design
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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
- *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.
