Best Interior Design Schools Near Cathedral City, CA (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Cathedral City, California has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs, with tuition ranging from $1,428 to $16,911 per year for indexed programs. Cathedral City has a population of about 52,047. Median household income is $67,031 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning interior design-related role is Interior Designer at a median $76,090 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Interior Design Schools to Cathedral City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer interior design programs near Cathedral City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cathedral City 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 Cathedral City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 55.4 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,504
Avg net price $26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Design Institute of San Diego

San Diego, CA 77.4 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
27.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,920
Avg net price $44,010/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, CA 81.5 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,974
Tuition
In‑state$20,250
Out‑of‑state$20,250
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA 82.0 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
57.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,120
Avg net price $5,814/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 31

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

#5

Newschool of Architecture and Design

San Diego, CA 87.1 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
50.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,891
Avg net price $52,570/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 94.7 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Los Angeles, CA 103.8 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Antelope Valley Community College District

Lancaster, CA 114.0 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
40.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,526
Avg net price $3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Interior Design Wages Near Cathedral City

Cathedral City 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Interior Designer$76,090Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$71,513
Graphic Designer$65,900Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$61,936

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.

Cathedral City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population52,047Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,031Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+25.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)106.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Cathedral City-Area Cities With Interior Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited interior design schools are near Cathedral City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs near Cathedral City. The closest is College of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA (6.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California Baptist University (55.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying interior design roles near Cathedral City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying interior design-related roles near Cathedral City are: Interior Designer ($76,090), Graphic Designer ($65,900). 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 Palm Springs instead of Cathedral City?

Palm Springs, CA is 4.8 miles from Cathedral City and has its own set of local interior design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Cathedral City an affordable place to study interior design?

Cathedral City’s median household income of $67,031 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cathedral City 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 Interior Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Cathedral City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cathedral City:

Data verified: August 25, 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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