2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography in the Great Lakes Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Photography is the 291st most popular major in the country with 2,438 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 297 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 165 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 16 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.
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.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.
Top 16 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Photography in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.
The low 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. 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.
Youngstown State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferris State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
Ferris did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend Ferris.
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 1 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
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 be in good company if you decide to attend University of Akron Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s photography students in 2019-2020.
University of Akron Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.
Read full report on Photography at University of Akron Main Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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
Oakland University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Oakland is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 7 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
Oakland also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland University is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
With a ranking of #8, Indiana Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Wesleyan University is a small school located in Marion, Indiana that handed out 9 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students list, IWU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana Wesleyan University is $20,946 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia also made our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.
Bradley University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $25,634 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Columbus College of Art and Design ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbus College of Art and Design is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CCAD, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbus College of Art and Design is $27,299 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Shawnee State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Shawnee State University is a small school located in Portsmouth, Ohio that handed out 5 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
Shawnee State University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shawnee State University is $16,320 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students.
Art Academy of Cincinnati landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Art Academy of Cincinnati is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
AAC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Art Academy of Cincinnati is $24,071 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Photography students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
American Academy of Art ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
The Academy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $28,106 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend The Academy.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #15, College for Creative Studies did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. College for Creative Studies is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s photography degrees to qualified students.
CCS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $37,745 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend College for Creative Studies.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Dayton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.
UDayton also took the #3 spot in our “Best Photography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $31,003 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree photography students per year to attend UDayton.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
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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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