Best Photography Schools Near Lafayette, CA (2026)

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

Lafayette, California has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs. Lafayette has a population of about 25,277. Median household income is $222,393 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 77.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $92,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Photography Schools to Lafayette

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Lafayette, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lafayette 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 Lafayette. 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

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 17.2 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
20.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,008
Avg net price $40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 17.6 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,414
Avg net price $53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 36.6 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA 50.1 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
68.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,484
Avg net price $41,008/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 59.9 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
81.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,876
Avg net price $9,338/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,018
Out‑of‑state$20,618
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 12

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

#6

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 62.8 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 308.5 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, CA 312.6 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
38.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,198
Avg net price $46,080/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Photography Wages Near Lafayette

Lafayette is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Photographer$58,840San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$50,900
Graphic Designer$92,050San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$79,628

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.

Lafayette at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population25,277Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$222,393Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+77.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lafayette-Area Cities With Photography Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited photography schools are near Lafayette, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs near Lafayette. The closest is Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA (5.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is City College of San Francisco (21.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying photography roles near Lafayette?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Lafayette are: Graphic Designer ($92,050), Photographer ($58,840). 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 Walnut Creek instead of Lafayette?

Walnut Creek, CA is 4.4 miles from Lafayette and has its own set of local photography programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lafayette an affordable place to study photography?

Lafayette’s median household income of $222,393 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lafayette 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 Photography Programs

Other Programs Available in Lafayette

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

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.

Back to Best Photography Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)