2026 Best Value Costume Design Schools in California
[Costume Design](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/drama-and-theater-arts/costume-design/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for costume design students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Costume Design Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the costume design degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Costume Design Schools
Our analysis ranked Academy Of Art University the best value for a degree in costume design in California. Set in the city of San Francisco, Academy Of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $30,736 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for costume design graduates is $31,000. Soon after graduation, costume design degree recipients from Academy Of Art University generally make around $28,717. Set against $31,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in costume design will find it at Fidm Fashion Institute Of Design And Merchandising Los Angeles, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Los Angeles, Fidm Fashion Institute Of Design And Merchandising Los Angeles is a small private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $35,000. Costume Design graduates carry a median of $20,498 in student loans. Soon after graduation, costume design degree recipients from Fidm Fashion Institute Of Design And Merchandising Los Angeles generally make around $28,741. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #3 makes California Institute Of The Arts one of the best values for costume design. Set in the suburb of Valencia, California Institute Of The Arts is a small private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $58,996. Costume Design graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career costume design graduates make about $28,915. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 32% of applicants are accepted.
More Costume Design Rankings
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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 · 3 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.
