2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography (With Aid)
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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,303 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 87 colleges that offer a degree in photography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality photography 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 photography program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Photography Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
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 Photography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 1 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
Purdue also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $13,986 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid per year to attend Purdue.
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.
Read full report on Photography at Purdue University - Main Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. BYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at Brigham Young University - Provo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
UCF also took the #25 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Photography at University of Central Florida
California State University - Sacramento came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is located in San Juan, and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is $11,714 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M Commerce is $13,017 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
Read full report on Photography at Texas A&M University - Commerce
SUNY New Paltz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Located in New Paltz, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree photography students with aid list, SUNY New Paltz has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,171 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid per year to attend SUNY New Paltz.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, 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 87%.
With a ranking of #10, Sam Houston State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. SHSU is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $14,617 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree photography students with aid list, GVSU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,646 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
SUNY Fredonia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Fredonia, New York, this small public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,824 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid per year to attend SUNY Fredonia.
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%.
Ferris State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Ferris is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $12,889 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
University of Southern Maine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Portland, Maine is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s photography degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Maine is $12,339 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
Texas State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,230 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid per year to attend Texas State.
Youngstown State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Youngstown State University is $11,947 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
Purchase College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Purchase College is located in Purchase, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $18,326 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid per year to attend Purchase College.
University of Houston came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Houston is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 10 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UH is $12,838 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #19, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $26,869 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid per year to attend WUSTL.
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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Photography at Washington University in St Louis
Buffalo State came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Buffalo State is $12,960 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
With a ranking of #21, University of Central Missouri did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UCM is a public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UCM is $13,677 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
Read more about Photography at University of Central Missouri
With a ranking of #22, University of Oregon did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UO is $16,461 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Northern Arizona University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,915 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid per year to attend NAU.
Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for Bachelor’s Degree Photography students with aid.
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 44 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
VCU also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $22,021 for bachelor’s degree photography students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Photography at Virginia Commonwealth University
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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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