2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 39,860 people earned their degree in fine and studio arts, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,847 and had an average of $28,316 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 6,942 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,810 and $30,915 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 2,158 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in fine and studio arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent fine and studio arts 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 fine and studio arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools

The fine arts 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 Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california associate degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California

#1 in overall quality

$5,026 Average Net Price

$26,715 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #1 spot on the list. SRJC is a public institution located in Santa Rosa, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SRJC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Rosa Junior College is $5,026 for california associate degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Santa Rosa Junior College Fine & Studio Arts Report

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

#4 in overall quality

$898 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified associates’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. SAC is $898 for California Associate Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Mt. SAC

#3

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

#3 in overall quality

$29,390 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 9 associates’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,390 for california associate degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Academy of Art University.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Academy of Art University

#4

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$37,103 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5 associates’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $37,103 for California Associate Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at FIDM Los Angeles

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.

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