College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Film/Cinema/Media Studies (With Aid)

118 Ranked Colleges
5,191 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

This year’s “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 118 colleges that offered 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the film / cinema / media studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Film Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The film studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Film/Cinema/Media Studies (With Aid)

1

Out of the 118 schools in the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 37 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for film studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

2
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brooklyn College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $3,067 for film studies students with aid.

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%.

Full Brooklyn College Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

3
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hunter College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $2,158 for film studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fashion Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Fashion Institute of Technology is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 16 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend FIT SUNY is $10,389 for film studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full FIT SUNY Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 127 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for Film Studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 University of California - Los Angeles

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for film studies students with aid.

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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

7

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 46 degrees to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

BYU also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,474 for Film Studies students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo

8

The City College of New York ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 16 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,805 for film studies students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 CCNY

9
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 31 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for Film Studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 167 degrees to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for film studies students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UC Irvine

11

University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 108 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for Film Studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UCR Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 184 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our film studies students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for film studies students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

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

13

California State University - Long Beach came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 178 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for film studies students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSULB Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 79 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our film studies students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for film studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UC Berkeley

15
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. QC is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 10 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for QC is $3,469 for film studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

16
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. It costs about $15,296 for Film Studies students with aid per year to attend Yale University.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Yale University

17
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 126 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,572 for Film Studies students with aid per year to attend U of U.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 U of U

18
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $14,459 for Film Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

19

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 74 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,993 for Film Studies students with aid per year to attend UNLV.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

20
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

With a ranking of #20, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 66 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $19,401 for Film Studies students with aid.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full University of Iowa Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

21

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 93 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $15,768 for Film Studies students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.

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 1.5% 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 University of California - Davis

22

Northern Virginia Community College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Annandale, Virginia, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Virginia Community College is $9,452 for film studies students with aid.

Full Northern Virginia Community College Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

23

With a ranking of #23, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $22,823 for Film Studies students with aid per year to attend Columbia.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Columbia

24
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

University at Buffalo landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University at Buffalo is a large public school situated in Buffalo, New York. It awarded 92 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University at Buffalo is $19,262 for film studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

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

25
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Studies Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this large public school awarded 74 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UO is $18,047 for Film Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Oregon

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options