<p>Are you looking for an art school or a university?
Art schools:
California College of the Arts (CCA)
Art Center College of Design (ACCD)
Academy of Art University (AAU)
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is good, but I don’t think they have design specifically as a major.</p>
<p>Universities:
San Jose State University (SJSU)
CSU Long Beach
CSU Fullerton
San Diego State Univeristy (SDSU)
UCLA
UC Davis (where I’m going to study design :))</p>
<p>There are a lot more schools to choose from if you include fine arts.</p>
<p>UCs are very research-based vs. CSUs, which are also California public universities but cheaper, so a lot of money goes towards that as well.
Art schools are generally very expensive, but if your portfolio is excellent, you may qualify for a scholarship.</p>