College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Photography in the Far Western US Region

11 Ranked Colleges
369 Degrees Awarded
$33,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region

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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Photography is the 310th most popular major in the country with 2,184 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 369 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in photography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great photography programs and 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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Photography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region photography students.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Photography in the Far Western US Region

1

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 in the Far Western US Region. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also made our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for far western us region photography students.

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 Sac State

2
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 93 degrees to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $36,143 for far western us region photography students per year to attend Academy of Art University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Academy of Art University Photography Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 1 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,017 for Far Western US Region Photography students per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Photography Report

4
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Central Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Ellensburg, Washington. It awarded 1 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

CWU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Washington University is $16,514 for Far Western US Region Photography students.

Read more about Photography at Central Washington University

5
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Seattle University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 1 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

Seattle U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $35,109 for Far Western US Region Photography students per year to attend Seattle University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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

6
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

Art Center College of Design ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Art Center College of Design is $46,054 for Far Western US Region Photography students.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Art Center College of Design Photography Report

7
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Art Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFAI, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFAI is $40,793 for far western us region photography students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full San Francisco Art Institute Photography Report

8
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

New York Film Academy ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region list. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 23 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New York Film Academy, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New York Film Academy is $44,350 for Far Western US Region Photography students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full New York Film Academy Photography Report

9

California Institute of the Arts landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 25 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

CalArts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of the Arts is $56,876 for far western us region photography students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CalArts Photography Report

10

Pacific Northwest College of Art did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Pacific Northwest College of Art is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 6 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific Northwest College of Art, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pacific Northwest College of Art is $34,201 for far western us region photography students.

Read full report on Photography at Pacific Northwest College of Art

11
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. 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 made our “Best Photography Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend California College of the Arts is $33,122 for Far Western US Region Photography students.

The low undergrad 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Photography at California College of the Arts

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options