College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Photography Schools in Illinois

4 Colleges in Illinois
56 Photography Degrees Awarded
Photography is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #310 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Photography Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 56 degrees in photography during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Photography School

Best Photography Schools in Illinois Your choice of photography school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Photography School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Photography Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Photography
Master's Degrees in Photography

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Photography Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Photography in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of photography degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Photography

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
44 Photography Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in photography needs to check out Columbia College Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 16th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 44 photography students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in photography from Columbia College Chicago

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in photography. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 8 photography students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in photography from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in photography. UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 photography students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in photography from University of Illinois at Chicago

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL

Every student pursuing a degree in photography has to check out Bradley University. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 14th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 1 photography students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in photography from Bradley University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL

American Academy of Art is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in photography. Located in the city of Chicago, The Academy is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 1 photography students who graduated with this degree at The Academy in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in photography from American Academy of Art

Best Photography Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Photography Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 42
Michigan 915 66
Indiana 737 8
Wisconsin 672 3

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Film, Video & Photographic Arts area of study, Photography has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Film & Video Production 434
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 34
Documentary Production 14

View All Photography Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options