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2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

117 Ranked Colleges
5,191 Degrees Awarded
$5,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Film/Cinema/Media Studies is the 142nd most popular major in the country with 5,191 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 117 colleges that offer a degree in film / cinema / media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great film / cinema / media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the film / cinema / media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Film/Cinema/Media Studies (Income $0-$30k)

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 117 schools in the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 5 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. It costs about $245 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Northwestern University

2

Out of the 117 schools in the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 87 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #4 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Yale also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $961 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Yale University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $1,556 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Washington University in St Louis

5
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $580 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Pennsylvania Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 17 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt also took the #22 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,176 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Vanderbilt

7
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania

Lafayette College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Lafayette is a small school located in Easton, Pennsylvania that handed out 13 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our film studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lafayette has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $11,728 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Lafayette College

8
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,084 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Johns Hopkins University

9

University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 127 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. It costs about $9,037 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UCLA

11

With a ranking of #11, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

Columbia also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

12

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UW Seattle Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

13
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 26 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $1,547 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Brooklyn College

14
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #14, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Purdue

15
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,122 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Tufts

16
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hunter is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $396 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Hunter College

17
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

With a ranking of #17, Emory University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

Emory also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Emory is $8,538 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Emory University

18
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 13 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $10,212 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Boston College

19
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 94 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our film studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,287 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full USC Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

20

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 184 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $10,568 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCSB Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

21

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 46 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

BYU also took the #21 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $9,445 for film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo

22

University of California - Irvine came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 167 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our film studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,540 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Irvine Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

23
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. It costs about $6,034 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dartmouth College.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Dartmouth College

24

With a ranking of #24, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. CCNY is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $1,254 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The City College of New York Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

25

University of California - Riverside came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 108 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UCR

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