Brea, California has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $23,955 per year for indexed programs. Brea has a population of about 47,337. Median household income is $124,837 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Art Director at a median $137,560 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to Brea
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Brea, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Brea city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Brea.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,951
Avg net price
$6,555/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,778
Avg net price
$31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
75%
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,902
Avg net price
$11,531/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Key stats- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,492
Avg net price
$25,757/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 58%
- Programs offered: 9
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,533
Avg net price
$4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,950
Avg net price
$14,379/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,677
Avg net price
$22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California graphic design page.
Graphic Design Wages Near Brea
Brea is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Graphic Designer | $72,400 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $63,732 |
| Art Director | $137,560 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $121,092 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $106,550 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $93,794 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $124,590 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $109,674 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Brea at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 47,337 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $124,837 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 50.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Brea-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- Placentia, CA – 3.1 mi away (52,228 pop)
- Fullerton, CA – 4.6 mi away (140,721 pop)
- La Habra, CA – 4.9 mi away (61,664 pop)
- Diamond Bar, CA – 5.8 mi away (56,793 pop)
- Yorba Linda, CA – 6.0 mi away (68,235 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near Brea, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Brea. The closest is California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton, CA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (9.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Brea?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Brea are: Art Director ($137,560), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($124,590), Web and Digital Interface Designer ($106,550). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Placentia instead of Brea?
Placentia, CA is 3.1 miles from Brea and has its own set of local graphic design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Brea an affordable place to study graphic design?
Brea’s median household income of $124,837 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brea while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Graphic Design Programs
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Data verified: July 30, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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