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# Best Design and Applied Arts Programs in California (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

Part of [Top Art & Design Colleges in California by Earnings](/rankings/best-art-and-design-colleges-in-california/)

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](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/) leads the list at $89,022, followed by [Chapman University](/school/chapman-university/majors/) 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

25 schools in list order

| 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](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/) reports [$89,022 in median earnings](/school/university-of-southern-california/outcomes/) 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](/school/chapman-university/majors/) ranks 2nd on this list, with [median earnings of $78,121](/school/chapman-university/outcomes/) 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](/school/university-of-redlands/majors/) posts an [average net price of $30,031,](/school/university-of-redlands/cost/) 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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/) [ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/) 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](/school/university-of-california-santa-cruz/majors/) reports an [average net price of $17,890](/school/university-of-california-santa-cruz/cost/) 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](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/outcomes/) four years after completing, [University of California-Los Angeles](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/majors/) 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](/school/university-of-california-davis/majors/) reports [$62,209 in median earnings](/school/university-of-california-davis/outcomes/) 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](/school/woodbury-university/majors/) [admits 82% of applicants](/school/woodbury-university/admissions/), 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](/school/san-francisco-state-university/majors/) posts an [average net price of $12,278,](/school/san-francisco-state-university/cost/) 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](/school/point-loma-nazarene-university/majors/), a private nonprofit university in San Diego, reports [median earnings of $57,740](/school/point-loma-nazarene-university/outcomes/) 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](/school/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona/majors/) [admits 75% of applicants](/school/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona/admissions/) 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](/school/california-state-university-sacramento/cost/) 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](/school/california-state-university-sacramento/majors/). |
| 17 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $52,524 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
|  | [San Jose State University](/school/san-jose-state-university/majors/) ranks 17th on this list, with 229 graduates in the earnings cohort and [median earnings of $52,524](/school/san-jose-state-university/outcomes/) 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](/school/university-of-san-francisco/majors/) [ranks 328th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-san-francisco/) 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](/school/california-state-university-monterey-bay/majors/) reports [median earnings of $48,639](/school/california-state-university-monterey-bay/outcomes/) 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](/school/california-state-university-dominguez-hills/cost/) 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](/school/california-state-university-dominguez-hills/majors/). |
| 22 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $47,494 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
|  | A private nonprofit institution in Riverside, [California Baptist University](/school/california-baptist-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $47,494](/school/california-baptist-university/outcomes/) 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](/school/california-state-university-chico/majors/), which [admits 93% of applicants](/school/california-state-university-chico/admissions/). |
| 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](/school/california-state-university-san-bernardino/majors/) shows [median earnings of $42,468](/school/california-state-university-san-bernardino/outcomes/) 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%](/school/california-state-university-fresno/admissions/), [California State University-Fresno](/school/california-state-university-fresno/majors/) 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](/rankings/best-colleges-in-california/)
-   [Top Art & Design Colleges in California by Earnings](/rankings/best-art-and-design-colleges-in-california/)
-   Art & Design Colleges in California for Social Mobility