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2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

24 Ranked Colleges
614 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Southwest region, there were 1,089 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,081 and $27,676 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 614 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in film, video and photographic arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great film, video and photographic arts 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 film, video and photographic arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 149 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#2

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arizona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Arizona

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large school located in Commerce, Texas that handed out 6 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Commerce, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,013 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M Commerce.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Texas A&M University - Commerce

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Portales, New Mexico, this medium-sized public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ENMU - Main Campus, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ENMU - Main Campus is $8,115 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#5

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UH.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#6

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#8 in overall quality

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

SHSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,561 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SHSU.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at SHSU

Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,037 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.

Full ASU - Skysong Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#7

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

With a ranking of #7, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NAU is $9,251 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $6,896 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at NMSU Main Campus

#9

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

Texas State also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $11,125 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State University.

Full Texas State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#10

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UNM

#11

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
#14 in overall quality

Oklahoma City University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

OCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma City University is $17,214 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oklahoma City University

#12

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma
#7 in overall quality

Oral Roberts University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Oral Roberts University is a small school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma that handed out 10 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

ORU also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend ORU is $17,078 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full ORU Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#14

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma
#4 in overall quality

University of Tulsa came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Tulsa also took the #4 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Tulsa is $14,391 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full University of Tulsa Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#22 in overall quality

Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development is a small school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico that handed out 7 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Institute of American Indian Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Institute of American Indian Arts is $12,094 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Full Institute of American Indian Arts Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona

Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Grand Canyon University has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,405 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grand Canyon University.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Grand Canyon University

#17

Houston Baptist University

Houston, Texas
#19 in overall quality

Houston Baptist University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

HBU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $19,550 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Houston Baptist University.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at HBU

#18

Saint Edward's University

Austin, Texas

With a ranking of #18, Saint Edward’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Edward’s University, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Edward’s University is $19,126 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Saint Edward’s University

#1 in overall quality

Southern Methodist University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SMU is a fairly large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 17 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $26,718 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Methodist University.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

The Art Institute of Houston came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ai Houston is a small school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 8 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Ai Houston also took the #23 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ai Houston is $21,248 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Ai Houston

#20 in overall quality

The Art Institute of Dallas came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The Art Institute of Dallas is a private for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The Art Institute of Dallas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The Art Institute of Dallas is $20,737 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas

#21 in overall quality

University of Mary Hardin - Baylor landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMHB is a small school located in Belton, Texas that handed out 2 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMHB, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mary Hardin - Baylor is $24,867 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Mary Hardin - Baylor

#23

The Art Institute of San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas

The Art Institute of San Antonio came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ai San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ai San Antonio, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $20,988 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The Art Institute of San Antonio.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Ai San Antonio

The Art Institute of Austin landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

Ai Austin also took the #25 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The Art Institute of Austin is $21,877 for southwest region bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Ai Austin

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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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