Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film/Cinema/Media Studies in California (With Aid)

19 Ranked Colleges
1,286 Degrees Awarded
$22,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,210 people earned their degree in film / cinema / media studies, making the major the 145th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,709 film / cinema / media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,286 film / cinema / media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 19 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools

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 a Bachelor’s in California 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film/Cinema/Media Studies in California (With Aid)

#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 in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 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.

Full Stanford University Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 184 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #9 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 125 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #4 spot on the list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 116 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCLA Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUDH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 159 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UCSB Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 82 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The low 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%. 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 University of California - Berkeley

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#13 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 218 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid.

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

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s film studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UC Davis

#11

National University

La Jolla, California
#17 in overall quality

National University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. National University is a fairly large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

National University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 National University

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film studies degrees to 110 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid per year to attend USC.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a 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

#13

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Westmont College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Westmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont is $31,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#14

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific also made our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Pacific

#15

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oxy, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,638 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid per year to attend Occidental College.

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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#16

Columbia College Hollywood

Tarzana, California
#16 in overall quality

Columbia College Hollywood did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Columbia College Hollywood is a small school located in Tarzana, California that handed out 114 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia College Hollywood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Hollywood is $31,339 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

Full Columbia College Hollywood Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#17

Chapman University

Orange, California
#3 in overall quality

Chapman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $41,350 for california bachelor’s degree film studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 85%.

Full Chapman Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report

#18

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#14 in overall quality

Pepperdine University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $36,996 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid per year to attend Pepperdine.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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 Pepperdine

#19

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#19 in overall quality

New York Film Academy did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s film studies degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend New York Film Academy is $45,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a 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 New York Film Academy

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Photography / Film Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You