2023 Best Value Colleges for Photography in California (With Aid)
7
Ranked Colleges
360
Degrees Awarded
$38,400
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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 Getting Aid” 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california photography students with aid.
Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Photography in California (With Aid)
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #1 spot on the list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 20 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Photography Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for california photography students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at Sac State
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 Getting Aid list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 93 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Academy of Art University also made our “Best Photography Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $36,143 for california photography students with aid.
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%.
Full Academy of Art University Photography Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 25 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. It costs about $56,876 for california photography students with aid per year to attend California Institute of the Arts.
The low undergrad 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%. 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.
Full CalArts Photography Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Art Center College of Design landed the #4 spot on the list. Art Center College of Design is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 19 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Art Center College of Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $46,054 for California Photography students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Full Art Center College of Design Photography Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California College of the Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California College of the Arts is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 10 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
California College of the Arts also took the #4 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $33,122 for California Photography students with aid.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California College of the Arts Photography Report
With a ranking of #6, San Francisco Art Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california photography students with aid list, SFAI has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFAI is $40,793 for California Photography students with aid.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Photography at San Francisco Art Institute
New York Film Academy landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
New York Film Academy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. It costs about $44,350 for california photography students with aid per year to attend New York Film Academy.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Photography at New York Film Academy
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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
- *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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