Best Online Graphic Design Programs in Santa Ana, CA (2026)

Updated July 30, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Ana, California has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs, with tuition ranging from $1,180 to $12,375 per year for indexed programs. Santa Ana has a population of about 311,639. Median household income is $88,354 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.0% 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 Santa Ana

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer graphic design programs near Santa Ana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Ana 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:

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 Santa Ana. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Graduation rate 31%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,552

Avg net price $3,133/yr

Tuition

In‑state$1,180

Out‑of‑state$10,756

Contact

1530 W. 17th Street Santa Ana, CA 92706-3398
(714) 564-6000
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 100%
Programs offered: 70

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDS College Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California graphic design page.

Graphic Design Wages Near Santa Ana

Santa Ana 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.

Santa Ana at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	311,639	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$88,354	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	18.0%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	113.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Ana-Area Cities With Graphic Design Programs

Tustin, CA – 4.1 mi away (80,395 pop)
Fountain Valley, CA – 4.4 mi away (56,529 pop)
Costa Mesa, CA – 5.2 mi away (112,822 pop)
Garden Grove, CA – 5.4 mi away (174,858 pop)
Orange, CA – 5.8 mi away (140,504 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited graphic design schools are near Santa Ana, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering graphic design programs near Santa Ana. The closest is Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, CA (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Chapman University (6.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying graphic design roles near Santa Ana?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying graphic design-related roles near Santa Ana 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 Tustin instead of Santa Ana?

Tustin, CA is 4.1 miles from Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana an affordable place to study graphic design?

Santa Ana’s median household income of $88,354 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Ana 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

Other Programs Available in Santa Ana

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Ana:

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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