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2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

139 Ranked Colleges
4,276 Degrees Awarded
$6,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Film/Cinema/Media Studies is the 145th most popular major in the country with 5,210 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,276 film / cinema / media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 139 colleges that offer a degree in film / cinema / media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality film / cinema / media studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

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

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#2

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 16 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $5,273 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. The 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Washington University in St Louis

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 25 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low 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%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UPenn

#14 in overall quality

Out of the 139 schools in the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

U-M also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $3,166 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at U-M

#5

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,156 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

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

#6

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Yale University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 bachelors’s film studies degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Yale is in the top on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Yale University is $2,125 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Yale University Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#7

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth is $12,052 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#8

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,712 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Chicago Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#9

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#7 in overall quality

Emory University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 14 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emory has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,468 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Emory.

The impressive 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 Emory Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle also took the #24 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,850 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW Seattle Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#11

Hunter College

New York, New York

With a ranking of #11, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $320 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#12

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#2 in overall quality

Colgate University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Colgate University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamilton, New York. It awarded 15 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Colgate not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colgate is $9,752 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Colgate

#13

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,483 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Purdue

#14

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota
Top 25% in overall quality

Carleton College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,579 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carleton.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

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

#15

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#16 in overall quality

Tufts University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

Tufts also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $5,267 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts.

The 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 92%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Tufts

#16

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont
Top 25% in overall quality

Middlebury College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Middlebury, Vermont, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,161 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Middlebury.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Middlebury Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

Top 25% in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film studies degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $9,558 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full UC Irvine Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#18

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#15 in overall quality

Hamilton College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Hamilton College is located in Clinton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

Hamilton also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Hamilton College is $7,942 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 impressive 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.

Full Hamilton Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#19

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Lafayette College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lafayette College is a small school located in Easton, Pennsylvania that handed out 18 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lafayette also took the #5 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $6,934 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Lafayette

#20

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#19 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 82 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UC Berkeley

#21

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Boston College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston College has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,353 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boston College.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Boston College

#22

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UCLA

#23

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Vassar College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vassar College is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 19 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Vassar did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,186 for Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vassar College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Vassar Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 184 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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 full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#25

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Queens College is a fairly large public school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 9 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $1,255 for bachelor’s degree film studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at QC

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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