Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Film, Video & Photographic Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

49 Ranked Colleges
1,384 Degrees Awarded
$10,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 17,506 people earned their degree in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the 64th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $22,714 and had an average of $31,549 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,853 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,124 and $29,674 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,384 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 49 colleges that offered a degree in film, video and photographic arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent film, video and photographic arts 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 film, video and photographic arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools

The film school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #1 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $3,166 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $2,712 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UChicago Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UIUC

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,483 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Purdue University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#5

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Michigan State

#6

Oberlin College

Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oberlin is a small school located in Oberlin, Ohio that handed out 24 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Oberlin also took the #6 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oberlin.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oberlin College

With a ranking of #7, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 26 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ohio State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $11,868 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UW - Whitewater

#9

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

With a ranking of #9, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

GVSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand Valley State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#10

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Ferris is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 1 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $7,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ferris State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#11

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Marquette, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $9,137 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Northern Michigan University

#12

Lawrence University

Appleton, Wisconsin
#11 in overall quality

Lawrence University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

Lawrence U also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $14,137 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lawrence University.

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 low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Lawrence University

#13

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $7,490 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oakland University

#14

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. UWM is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

UWM also took the #25 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $13,222 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#15

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,069 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Youngstown State University.

Full Youngstown State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16

Denison University

Granville, Ohio

Denison University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Denison is a small school located in Granville, Ohio that handed out 13 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Denison also took the #7 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $18,990 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Denison.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Denison University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#17

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wayne State University is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 24 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wayne State is $11,413 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Wayne State Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#18

Taylor University

Upland, Indiana

Taylor University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Upland, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

Taylor U also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Taylor University is $18,399 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Taylor University

#17 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $13,759 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Miami University - Oxford

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 38 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#21

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $13,904 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Eastern Michigan

#22

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,021 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Michigan University.

Full WMU Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#19 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

UC also took the #19 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,078 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Wright State University - Main Campus is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $13,460 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Wright State University - Main Campus

#25

Kenyon College

Gambier, Ohio

Kenyon College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Gambier, Ohio, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,582 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kenyon College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Kenyon College

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Photography / Film Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You