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2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region

17 Ranked Colleges
1,301 Degrees Awarded
$36,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 6,355 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,134 and had an average of $26,019 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 1,301 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,844 and $25,361 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in general visual and performing arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general visual and performing arts programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region vets studying visual arts.

Top 17 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 46,287 students enrolled at USC, 1,311 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,487. During this same period, 388 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full USC Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 99 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of California - San Diego supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - San Diego]](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 63 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 8,928 students enrolled at Academy of Art University, 1,287 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,016 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,275. To help with additional expenses, 257 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Academy of Art University]](/colleges/academy-of-art-university/student-life/veterans/)

4

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Channel Islands landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 20 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 185 of the 7,446 students enrolled at California State University - Channel Islands were GI Bill® students, of which 97 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,012. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full CSUCI Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 16,367 students enrolled at California State University - San Marcos, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,056. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full CSUSM Veteran Student Life Report

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 4 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 660 of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State University were GI Bill® students, of which 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Jose State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State Veteran Student Life Report

7
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #7, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 14 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 6 of the 10,068 students enrolled at USFCA were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Read More…

8
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Seattle University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Seattle U, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 39 of the 7,050 students enrolled at Seattle University were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,383. In addition to receiving other benefits, 13 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

Full Seattle University Veteran Student Life Report

9
Columbia College Hollywood crest
Columbia College Hollywood
Tarzana, California

Columbia College Hollywood did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking, coming in at #9. Columbia College Hollywood is a small school located in Tarzana, California that handed out 15 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia College Hollywood not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 760 students enrolled at Columbia College Hollywood, 41 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,597. On top of their other funding sources, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Columbia College Hollywood Veteran Student Life Report

10
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking. Azusa Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Azusa, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Azusa Pacific also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 9,006 students enrolled at Azusa Pacific University, 58 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 44 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,529. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Azusa Pacific]](/colleges/azusa-pacific-university/student-life/veterans/)

11
Oregon State crest
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking. Corvallis, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Oregon State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 32,312 students enrolled at Oregon State, 1,559 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,000 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,385. During this same period, 17 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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.

Full Oregon State University Veteran Student Life Report

12
SPU crest
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #12, Seattle Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. Seattle Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SPU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 187 of the 3,601 students enrolled at Seattle Pacific University were GI Bill® students, of which 121 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,763. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full SPU Veteran Student Life Report

13

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 13 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 26,745 students enrolled at California State University - Los Angeles, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Cal State LA Veteran Student Life Report

14
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Otis College of Art and Design, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 43 of the 1,073 students enrolled at Otis College of Art and Design were GI Bill® students, of which 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $24,306. On top of their other funding sources, 19 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Otis College of Art and Design]](/colleges/otis-college-of-art-and-design/student-life/veterans/)

15

Southern Oregon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking, coming in at #15. Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Southern Oregon University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 5,140 students enrolled at Southern Oregon University, 250 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 116 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,435. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Southern Oregon University Veteran Student Life Report

16
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts ranking. San Diego Mesa College is located in San Diego, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

San Diego Mesa College also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, San Diego Mesa College supports 20,693 students, and 982 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 745 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $536. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full San Diego Mesa College Veteran Student Life Report

17
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #17, San Francisco Art Institute did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Visual Arts list. SFAI is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 2 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying visual arts list, SFAI has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 41 students enrolled at San Francisco Art Institute, 13 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 13 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,103. To help with additional expenses, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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