Palm Springs, California has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs, with tuition ranging from $1,428 to $16,911 per year for indexed 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 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 Palm Springs
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer interior 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.
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: 17
Source: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
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,974
TuitionIn‑state$20,250
Out‑of‑state$20,250
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,120
Avg net price
$5,814/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,891
Avg net price
$52,570/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 3
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,526
Avg net price
$3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California interior design page.
Interior 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) |
|---|
| Interior Designer | $76,090 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $71,513 |
| Graphic Designer | $65,900 | Riverside-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.
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 Interior 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 interior design schools are near Palm Springs, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering interior 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 California Baptist University (51.7 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying interior design roles near Palm Springs?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying interior design-related roles near Palm Springs 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 Cathedral City instead of Palm Springs?
Cathedral City, CA is 4.8 miles from Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs an affordable place to study interior 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 Interior Design Programs
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- Education programs in Palm Springs, CA
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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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