Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$30,695 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,016 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You

With 194 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #92 most popular major in California.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for design students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges.

Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found California State University - Long Beach to be the best value school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in California. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great value for design and applied arts students. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCLA also did well on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

$7,218 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Monterey Bay helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in California. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

CSUMB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,218 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay Report

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA
$25,424 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Academy of Art University are $25,424 per year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

$50,950 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Otis College of Art and Design are $50,950 per year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design

#7

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA
$52,312 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California College of the Arts did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

California College of the Arts undergraduate students pay an average of $52,312 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts Report

$33,600 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well on this year’s best value schools for design and applied arts students. Located in the rural area of Laguna Beach, LCAD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LCAD are $33,600 a year.

Full Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design Report

$61,503 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern California came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USC are $61,503 a year.

USC also claimed a spot on our Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

$48,044 Average Tuition & Fees

Art Center College of Design ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design & Applied Arts Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Art Center College of Design are $48,044 per year.

Read More…

Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 6
Oregon 18
Nevada 0

Design & Applied Arts is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Design

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 7,675
Fine & Studio Arts 3,224
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,704
Drama & Theater Arts 1,699
Arts & Media Management 1,184

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.