Best Design and Applied Arts Programs in California (2026)
Updated
Part of Top Art & Design Colleges in California by Earnings
This page ranks the 25 Design and Applied Arts programs in California by the median earnings of Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. University of Southern California leads the list at $89,022, followed by Chapman University at $78,121 and Art Center College of Design at $76,093.
Across the listed schools, the median figure is $57,740, with a spread of $50,625 from $89,022 to $38,397.
The list is nearly evenly split between 13 public and 12 private nonprofit institutions. California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest showing on the page.
California State University-San Bernardino reports the lowest average net price at $4,564.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $89,022 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California reports $89,022 in median earnings of Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 10%. | |||||
| 2 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $78,121 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| Chapman University ranks 2nd on this list, with median earnings of $78,121 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Art Center College of Design · Pasadena, CA | $76,093 | $48,661 | $39,645 | 74.5% |
| Art Center College of Design reports a median federal debt of $31,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed, alongside earnings of $76,093 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Redlands · Redlands, CA | $75,374 | $30,031 | $28,287 | 82.7% |
| University of Redlands posts an average net price of $30,031, and its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median of $75,374 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Laguna College of Art and Design · Laguna Beach, CA | $68,934 | $42,505 | $37,203 | 94.3% |
| Laguna College of Art and Design admits 94% of applicants and reports median earnings of $68,934 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $66,435 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with a Design and Applied Arts earnings median of $66,435 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $66,333 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz reports an average net price of $17,890 and median earnings of $66,333 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $66,259 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| With median earnings of $66,259 four years after completing, University of California-Los Angeles ranks 8th on this list and reports a median federal debt of $19,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $62,209 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports $62,209 in median earnings for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, alongside a cohort of 244 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 10 | Woodbury University · Burbank, CA | $62,092 | $33,692 | $28,815 | 81.7% |
| Woodbury University admits 82% of applicants, and its Design and Applied Arts graduates earn a median of $62,092 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $59,678 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University posts an average net price of $12,278, with median earnings of $59,678 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | California College of the Arts · San Francisco, CA | $59,238 | $53,909 | $61,407 | 91.1% |
| California College of the Arts reports median earnings of $59,238 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $27,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 13 | Point Loma Nazarene University · San Diego, CA | $57,740 | $38,729 | $30,999 | 83.7% |
| Point Loma Nazarene University, a private nonprofit university in San Diego, reports median earnings of $57,740 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing, with 15 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | Otis College of Art and Design · Los Angeles, CA | $55,891 | $51,248 | $44,731 | 81.8% |
| Median federal debt of $27,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed coincides with median earnings of $55,891 four years after completing at Otis College of Art and Design. | |||||
| 15 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $55,744 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona admits 75% of applicants and reports median earnings of $55,744 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $53,871 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| An average net price of $9,338 and median earnings of $53,871 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing are the figures for California State University-Sacramento. | |||||
| 17 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $52,524 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University ranks 17th on this list, with 229 graduates in the earnings cohort and median earnings of $52,524 four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | California Institute of the Arts · Valencia, CA | $49,840 | $46,080 | $26,686 | 32.3% |
| California Institute of the Arts admits 32% of applicants and reports median earnings of $49,840 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | University of San Francisco · San Francisco, CA | $49,788 | $41,431 | $31,537 | 61.7% |
| University of San Francisco ranks 328th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows median earnings of $49,788 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Monterey Bay · Seaside, CA | $48,639 | $13,663 | $9,970 | 97.4% |
| California State University-Monterey Bay reports median earnings of $48,639 four years after completing and median federal debt of $13,902 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | California State University-Dominguez Hills · Carson, CA | $48,430 | $8,615 | $7,303 | 93.3% |
| An average net price of $8,615 and median earnings of $48,430 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing are the figures for California State University-Dominguez Hills. | |||||
| 22 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $47,494 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
| A private nonprofit institution in Riverside, California Baptist University reports median earnings of $47,494 four years after completing and median federal debt of $26,000 among Design and Applied Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 23 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $44,629 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| Median earnings of $44,629 four years after completing for Design and Applied Arts graduates are reported by California State University-Chico, which admits 93% of applicants. | |||||
| 24 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $42,468 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
| Ranked 43rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, California State University-San Bernardino shows median earnings of $42,468 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $38,397 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| With an admission rate of 95%, California State University-Fresno ranks 25th on this list and reports median earnings of $38,397 for its Design and Applied Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Illustration graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in California appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 2 of the 25 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked University of Southern California and second-ranked Chapman University is $10,901, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $50,625.
Related rankings
- Best Colleges in California
- Top Art & Design Colleges in California by Earnings
- Art & Design Colleges in California for Social Mobility