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2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Veterans in California

13 Ranked Colleges
1,198 Degrees Awarded
$35,300 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Visual & Performing Arts is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,355 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 1,198 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,951 and $24,479 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general visual and performing arts programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Visual Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts”.

Top 13 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 49 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying visual arts list, USC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,311 of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC were GI Bill® students, of which 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. On top of their other funding sources, 388 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 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%.

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2

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 99 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying visual arts list, UCSD has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of California - San Diego Veteran Student Life Report

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

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Academy of Art University supports 8,928 students, and 1,287 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,016 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,275. During this same period, 257 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Academy of Art University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

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4

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Channel Islands landed the #4 spot on the list. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

CSUCI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 7,446 students enrolled at California State University - Channel Islands, 185 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 97 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,012. During this same period, 0 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 California State University - Channel Islands]](/colleges/california-state-university-channel-islands/student-life/veterans/)

5

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #5 spot on the list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 59 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.Of the 16,367 students enrolled at California State University - San Marcos, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,056. 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 California State University - San Marcos Veteran Student Life Report

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

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 4 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 660 of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State were GI Bill® students, of which 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Jose State offers credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

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 California for Visual Arts list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 14 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,232. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of San Francisco does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

Full USFCA Veteran Student Life Report

8
Columbia College Hollywood crest
Columbia College Hollywood
Tarzana, California

Columbia College Hollywood did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts ranking, coming in at #8. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tarzana, California. It awarded 15 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia College Hollywood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 41 of the 760 students enrolled at Columbia College Hollywood were GI Bill® students, of which 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school 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.

Read More…

9
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

With a ranking of #9, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts list. This medium-sized school is located in Azusa, California, and it awarded 48 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Azusa Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 58 of the 9,006 students enrolled at Azusa Pacific were GI Bill® students, of which 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. Azusa Pacific does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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 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%.

Read More…

10

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 26,745 students enrolled at California State University - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,700. 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 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Los Angeles]](/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)

11
Otis College of Art and Design crest
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 52 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying visual arts list, Otis College of Art and Design has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,073 students enrolled at Otis College of Art and Design, 43 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 $24,306. On top of their other funding sources, 19 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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. 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 More…

12
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #12, San Diego Mesa College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts list. San Diego Mesa College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying visual arts list, San Diego Mesa College has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 20,693 students enrolled at San Diego Mesa College, 982 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 745 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $536. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Diego Mesa College offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

13
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Art Institute landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Visual Arts ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFAI, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 41 students enrolled at SFAI, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,103. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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