2023 Best Value Photography Schools
99
Ranked Colleges
2,184
Degrees Awarded
$17,400
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Photography Schools” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Photography is the 310th most popular major in the country with 2,184 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools” ranking analyzed 99 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the photography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Photography Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Photography Schools” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Photography Schools
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Photography
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Photography Schools. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
BYU also made our “Best Photography Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,474 for Photography students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Full BYU Photography Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools list. GVSU is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 14 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our photography students list, GVSU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Photography Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,356 for Photography students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read full report on Photography at GVSU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Virginia Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Photography Schools. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Northern Virginia Community College is $9,452 for photography students.
Read more about Photography at Northern Virginia Community College
Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s photography degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $23,831 for Photography students.
Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Photography Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Central Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Photography Schools. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 5 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
UCF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Photography Schools” list. It costs about $8,618 for photography students per year to attend UCF.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Central Florida Photography Report
Purchase College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools ranking, coming in at #6. Purchase College is located in Purchase, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
Purchase College also took the #25 spot in our “Best Photography Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purchase College is $17,701 for photography students.
Read full report on Photography at Purchase College
With a ranking of #7, Lindenwood University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools list. Saint Charles, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Lindenwood University is $17,366 for photography students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at Lindenwood University
Southern New Hampshire University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 192 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Southern New Hampshire University is $42,645 for Photography students.
Read full report on Photography at SNHU
Miami Dade College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools ranking. MDC is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 5 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,870 for Photography students per year to attend MDC.
Full Miami Dade College Photography Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s photography degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for Photography students.
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
Harrisburg Area Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. Harrisburg Area Community College is a fairly large school located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 5 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend HACC is $11,608 for Photography students.
Full HACC Photography Report
With a ranking of #12, Freed-Hardeman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools list. FHU is a small school located in Henderson, Tennessee that handed out 10 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,152 for Photography students per year to attend Freed-Hardeman University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at FHU
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 21 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,308 for Photography students per year to attend Northern Arizona University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Photography at NAU
Columbia College Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Photography Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $26,258 for Photography students.
Full Columbia College Chicago Photography Report
University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools ranking, coming in at #15. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 5 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,945 for photography students.
Read more about Photography at University of Akron Main Campus
Youngstown State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. Located in Youngstown, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,225 for photography students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
Read full report on Photography at Youngstown State University
SUNY New Paltz landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools ranking. SUNY New Paltz is a medium-sized public school situated in New Paltz, New York. It awarded 9 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY New Paltz is $17,123 for photography students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read more about Photography at SUNY New Paltz
University of Houston came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UH is $13,721 for Photography students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. 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 full report on Photography at University of Houston
With a ranking of #19, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools list. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,449 for Photography students per year to attend Oakland University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at Oakland University
Temple University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools ranking, coming in at #19. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Photography Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Temple is $23,888 for Photography students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Photography at Temple University
Texas State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools ranking. Texas State University is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 26 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas State is $14,887 for Photography students.
Read full report on Photography at Texas State
With a ranking of #22, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools list. Ferris is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 7 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $12,213 for Photography students.
Read more about Photography at Ferris State University
Academy of Art University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools ranking. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our photography students list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Photography Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $36,143 for photography students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Photography at Academy of Art University
Webster University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools ranking. Webster is a medium-sized school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 6 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $23,248 for photography students per year to attend Webster University.
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 more about Photography at Webster
Sam Houston State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools list. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 9 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,035 for photography students per year to attend Sam Houston State University.
Read more about Photography at SHSU
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