Gilroy, California has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $1,404 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. Gilroy has a population of about 58,561. Median household income is $131,554 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Web and Digital Interface Designer at a median $201,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to Gilroy
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Gilroy, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gilroy 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 Gilroy.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
66%
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,396
Avg net price
$17,890/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Key stats- Retention rate: 89%
- Programs offered: 15
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,988
Avg net price
$13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
97%
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,247
Avg net price
$13,663/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,779
Out‑of‑state$20,379
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 12
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,017
Avg net price
$27,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 64%
- Programs offered: 8
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,072
Avg net price
$7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,368
Avg net price
$2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 71
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
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,445
Avg net price
$25,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 89%
- Programs offered: 32
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California graphic design page.
Graphic Design Wages Near Gilroy
Gilroy is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). 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 | $97,360 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $88,188 |
| Art Director | $170,140 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $154,112 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $201,260 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $182,301 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $156,950 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $142,165 |
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.
Gilroy at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 58,561 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $131,554 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 28.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 110.4 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Gilroy-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- Morgan Hill, CA – 9.4 mi away (44,155 pop)
- Watsonville, CA – 11.8 mi away (77,266 pop)
- Hollister, CA – 14.5 mi away (45,496 pop)
- Salinas, CA – 22.0 mi away (193,126 pop)
- Santa Cruz, CA – 24.9 mi away (176,037 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near Gilroy, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Gilroy. The closest is Gavilan College in Gilroy, CA (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Santa Cruz (25.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Gilroy?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Gilroy are: Web and Digital Interface Designer ($201,260), Art Director ($170,140), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($156,950). 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 Morgan Hill instead of Gilroy?
Morgan Hill, CA is 9.4 miles from Gilroy 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 Gilroy an affordable place to study graphic design?
Gilroy’s median household income of $131,554 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gilroy 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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