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2026 Best Value Art Education Schools in California

[Art Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/art-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for art education students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Art Education Schools in California

2026 Best Value Art Education Schools in California

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the art education degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Art Education Schools

1

California State University Long Beach
Long Beach, CA

$7,374 In-State Tuition & Fees

$15,671 Avg Student Debt

$64,403 Median Earnings (10yr)

California State University Long Beach earned the #1 spot for value among art education schools in California. Located in the city of Long Beach, California State University Long Beach is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,374, compared with $19,974 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,671 to complete the art education program here. Soon after graduation, art education degree recipients from California State University Long Beach generally make around $50,982. That is a strong return on a $15,671 median debt. California State University Long Beach admits about 46% of applicants.

2

Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA

$44,458 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,656 Avg Student Debt

$66,677 Median Earnings (10yr)

Azusa Pacific University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value art education schools. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $44,458. Art Education graduates carry a median of $25,656 in student loans. Early-career art education graduates make about $64,084. That is a strong return on a $25,656 median debt. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.

View All Art Education Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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.