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2023 Best Value Colleges for Photography (Income $75-$110k) in California

7 Ranked Colleges
360 Degrees Awarded
$41,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 2,184 people earned their degree in photography, making the major the 310th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 360 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in photography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent photography programs, but they also 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 photography program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The photography 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 Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Photography (Income $75-$110k) in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california photography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Sac State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,925 for california photography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 full report on Photography at California State University - Sacramento

2
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 93 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Photography Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $40,983 for California Photography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Academy of Art University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Photography at Academy of Art University

3
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 10 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

California College of the Arts also made our “Best Photography Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend California College of the Arts is $35,494 for California Photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Photography at California College of the Arts

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of the Arts. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 25 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CalArts, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $58,534 for California Photography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CalArts.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of the Arts Photography Report

5
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Art Center College of Design. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Art Center College of Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Art Center College of Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Art Center College of Design is $48,702 for California Photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 undergraduate 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 Photography at Art Center College of Design

6
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Art Institute came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Francisco Art Institute is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 12 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

SFAI also took the #6 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full SFAI Photography Report

7
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

New York Film Academy came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 23 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

New York Film Academy also took the #7 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New York Film Academy is $46,510 for California Photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. 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 Photography at New York Film Academy

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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