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2022 Best Value Colleges for Photography (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

5 Ranked Colleges
73 Degrees Awarded
$27,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 2,438 people earned their degree in photography, making the major the 291st most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 73 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in photography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great photography 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 photography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Photography (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois photography students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Photography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $21,998 for illinois photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Photography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Photography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,270 for Illinois Photography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UIC.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Photography at UIC

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bradley University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.

Bradley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $28,169 for Illinois Photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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 more about Photography at Bradley

#4

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 49 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Photography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $33,864 for illinois photography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read full report on Photography at Columbia College Chicago

#5

American Academy of Art

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, American Academy of Art landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

The Academy also made our “Best Photography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for The Academy is $32,536 for Illinois Photography students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Photography at The Academy

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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