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2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

12 Ranked Colleges
702 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Getting Aid” 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in visual communications. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality visual communications programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california graphic arts students with aid.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Visual Communications in California (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 228 degrees to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for california graphic arts students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Davis Visual Communications Report

2
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

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 Getting Aid. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 80 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $14,459 for california graphic arts students with aid.

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

3

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,240 for California Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend UCSD.

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%. 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

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 62 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,218 for california graphic arts students with aid per year to attend Chico State.

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%.

Full California State University - Chico Visual Communications Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Monterey Bay. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 31 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $13,597 for california graphic arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUMB Visual Communications Report

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 30 degrees to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $32,569 for California Graphic Arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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 Visual Communications at USC

7
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

With a ranking of #7, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.

University of Redlands not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $26,098 for California Graphic Arts students with aid.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Visual Communications at University of Redlands

8

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 69 degrees to qualified ’s graphic arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FIDM Los Angeles, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $40,793 for california graphic arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual Communications at FIDM Los Angeles

9
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 9 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Biola not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $33,269 for california graphic arts students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on Visual Communications at Biola University

10
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 30 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Otis College of Art and Design also made our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $45,026 for California Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend Otis College of Art and Design.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Visual Communications Report

11
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #11, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $33,122 for California Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend California College of the Arts.

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 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at California College of the Arts

12
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 29 ’s graphic arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Francisco is $40,053 for California Graphic Arts students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual Communications at USFCA

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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