Palm Springs, California has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs. Palm Springs has a population of about 44,998. Median household income is $71,979 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning graphic design-related role is Web and Digital Interface Designer at a median $136,110 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Graphic Design Schools to Palm Springs
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Palm Springs, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
83%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,690
Avg net price
$30,031/yr
TuitionIn‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,977
Avg net price
$4,564/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,824
Avg net price
$45,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,845
Avg net price
$7,339/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 89%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,669
Avg net price
$20,711/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,867
Avg net price
$42,505/yr
TuitionIn‑state$37,500
Out‑of‑state$37,500
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 4
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,920
Avg net price
$44,010/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 1
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California graphic design page.
Graphic Design Wages Near Palm Springs
Palm Springs is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). 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 | $65,900 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $61,936 |
| Art Director | $104,360 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $98,083 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $136,110 | CA statewide | $127,923 |
| Special Effects Artist and Animator | $95,420 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $89,680 |
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.
Palm Springs at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 44,998 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $71,979 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 45.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 106.4 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Palm Springs-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs
- Cathedral City, CA – 4.8 mi away (54,056 pop)
- Palm Desert, CA – 10.6 mi away (52,231 pop)
- Desert Hot Springs, CA – 10.6 mi away (43,327 pop)
- Indio, CA – 18.0 mi away (402,166 pop)
- La Quinta, CA – 18.1 mi away (40,956 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited graphic design schools are near Palm Springs, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Palm Springs. The closest is College of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA (8.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Moreno Valley College (38.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Palm Springs?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Palm Springs are: Web and Digital Interface Designer ($136,110), Art Director ($104,360), Special Effects Artist and Animator ($95,420). 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 Cathedral City instead of Palm Springs?
Cathedral City, CA is 4.8 miles from Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs an affordable place to study graphic design?
Palm Springs’s median household income of $71,979 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Palm Springs 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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