[General Arts, Entertainment, & Media Management](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/arts-media-management/arts-entertainmentand-media-management-general/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value general arts, entertainment, & media management schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general arts, entertainment, & media management, balancing cost against outcomes.
Our analysis ranked Columbia College Chicago the best value for a degree in general arts, entertainment, & media management in Illinois. Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Students from in state pay about $34,088 in tuition and fees. General Arts, Entertainment, & Media Management graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. General Arts, Entertainment, & Media Management graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn a median of $23,844 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 90%.
Northwestern University came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value general arts, entertainment, & media management schools. Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Students from in state pay about $68,322 in tuition and fees. General Arts, Entertainment, & Media Management graduates carry a median of $16,616 in student loans. Soon after graduation, general arts, entertainment, & media management degree recipients from Northwestern University generally make around $47,523. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Northwestern University admits about 8% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in general arts, entertainment, & media management will find it at Depaul University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $45,405 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $25,340 to complete the general arts, entertainment, & media management program here. Early-career general arts, entertainment, & media management graduates make about $55,390. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
