Best colleges for Fine and Studio Arts in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of Southern California leads: its Fine and Studio Arts graduates earn a median $72,428 four years after finishing, against the field's $41,367 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | $72,428 | +$31,061 |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $59,721 | +$18,354 |
| 3 | Loyola Marymount University | $58,468 | +$17,101 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Fine programs?
$13,960 separates the top and bottom of this list — $72,428 at University of Southern California against $58,468 at Loyola Marymount University, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Fine graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $31,061 above the $41,367 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.