El Cerrito, California has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed programs. El Cerrito has a population of about 5,121. Median household income is $122,472 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Art Director at a median $165,210 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to El Cerrito
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near El Cerrito, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from El Cerrito 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 El Cerrito.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,008
Avg net price
$40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 21
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,538
Avg net price
$25,181/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 0%
- Programs offered: 2
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,414
Avg net price
$53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 10
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$84,713
Avg net price
$35,333/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,812
Avg net price
$41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,077
Avg net price
$12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,170
Avg net price
$4,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California graphic design page.
Graphic Design Wages Near El Cerrito
El Cerrito is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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 | $92,050 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $79,628 |
| Art Director | $165,210 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $142,915 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $163,810 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $141,704 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $136,770 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $118,313 |
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.
El Cerrito at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 5,121 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $122,472 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 14.3% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 115.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other El Cerrito-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- Richmond, CA – 2.8 mi away (109,813 pop)
- Berkeley, CA – 3.6 mi away (121,240 pop)
- San Pablo, CA – 3.7 mi away (30,536 pop)
- Hercules, CA – 6.5 mi away (25,360 pop)
- Oakland, CA – 10.1 mi away (420,005 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near El Cerrito, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near El Cerrito. The closest is Berkeley City College in Berkeley, CA (3.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of Alameda (9.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near El Cerrito?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near El Cerrito are: Art Director ($165,210), Web and Digital Interface Designer ($163,810), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($136,770). 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 Richmond instead of El Cerrito?
Richmond, CA is 2.8 miles from El Cerrito 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 El Cerrito an affordable place to study graphic design?
El Cerrito’s median household income of $122,472 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in El Cerrito 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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