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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography in the Far Western US Region

12 Ranked Colleges
195 Degrees Awarded
$31,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Photography is the 291st most popular major in the country with 2,438 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 485 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 195 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography in the Far Western US Region

#8 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students list, Sac State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students per year to attend Sac State.

The 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 full report on Photography at California State University - Sacramento

#2

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $34,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students.

Read more about Photography at Academy of Art University

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Photography Report

#4

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Union College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. PUC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Angwin, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

PUC also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific Union College is $21,835 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students.

Read more about Photography at Pacific Union College

#5

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oregon landed the #5 spot on the list. Eugene, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s photography degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UO did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oregon is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Photography at UO

#6

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#4 in overall quality

Art Center College of Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. Art Center College of Design is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.

Art Center College of Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $47,080 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend Art Center College of Design.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 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

#7

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington
#2 in overall quality

Seattle University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 10 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Seattle U, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Seattle University is $34,802 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Seattle U Photography Report

#9 in overall quality

Pacific Northwest College of Art landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pacific Northwest College of Art is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific Northwest College of Art, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $33,872 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students per year to attend Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Full Pacific Northwest College of Art Photography Report

#9

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California Institute of the Arts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California Institute of the Arts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students list, CalArts has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $50,412 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend CalArts.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Photography at California Institute of the Arts

#10

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#12 in overall quality

New York Film Academy landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New York Film Academy, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $45,280 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend New York Film Academy.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Photography at New York Film Academy

#11

San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco, California
#10 in overall quality

San Francisco Art Institute ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students list, SFAI has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $41,392 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend San Francisco Art Institute.

Since the school has a 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 SFAI

#12

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, California College of the Arts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $33,876 for far western us region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend California College of the Arts.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California College of the Arts Photography Report

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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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