In June 2026, we began a research project to add tags to each artist connecting them to the major mfa programs in the Bay Area. So far, it includes graduates of the closing or closed art MFA programs: SFAI,(graduated ~100/yr) CCA (~40/yr) and Mills (~12/yr) and the smaller but free-tuition programs: UC Berkeley (~6/yr), Stanford University (~5/yr). Undergraduate degrees are also referenced in the tags, so some artists will have more than one.
Department of Art Practice. Interdisciplinary studio program (painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, digital media); thesis exhibition at BAMPFA. Two-year program, roughly twelve students per cohort; tuition fully covered for California residents.
art.berkeley.edu/degrees/master-fine-arts-mfa-degree
School of Art, College of Liberal & Creative Arts. 60-unit interdisciplinary program with facilities for printmaking, painting and drawing, sculpture, photography, textiles, ceramics, and digital media.
art.sfsu.edu/master-fine-arts
School of Cinema. Cinema production with a thesis film; curriculum covers history, theory, and aesthetics alongside production.
cinema.sfsu.edu/master-fine-arts
Department of Art & Art History. 60-unit program across four concentrations: Digital Media Art, Photography, Pictorial Art, and Spatial Art. Guaranteed studio space for five semesters; typically 5–6 semesters to completion.
sjsu.edu/art/admissions/mfa-admissions.php
Department of Art & Art History. Two-year program, full tuition covered for all admitted students.
art.stanford.edu/academics/graduate-programs/mfa-art-practice
Private, for-profit institution offering MFA degrees across a wide range of fields.
academyart.edu/art-degree/graduate-education
California College of the Arts — MFA programs (CLOSING end of 2026)
CCA offered MFA degrees in Fine Arts. In January 2026, CCA announced it will close by the end of the 2026–27 academic year.
cca.edu/fine-arts/mfa-fine-arts
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) — Ceased degree programs July 2022; filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy April 2023. North beach campus is becoming CASA (California Academy of Studio Arts), an unaccredited, tuition-free residency, not a degree program.
Mills College at Northeastern University (Oakland) — After the 2022 Northeastern merger, Mills’ studio-arts MFA programs (visual art, book art, electronic music) were discontinued. Graduate offerings at the Oakland campus are now MA degrees in education.
UC Santa Cruz — MFA in Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) — Admissions suspended for the 2026 cycle while the program restructures. Not currently available; check ucsc.edu for updates.