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2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

275 Ranked Colleges
16,778 Degrees Awarded
$6,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 16,778 people earned their degree in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $24,170 and had an average of $25,804 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 275 colleges that offer 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

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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 Those Making $30-$48k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $30-$48k)

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Yale University is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 30 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $3,083 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Yale Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 75 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Columbia Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

3
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 275 schools in the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #9 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $917 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 97%.

Full Northwestern Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

4

Out of the 275 schools in the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #4 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

WUSTL also took the #2 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $2,446 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate 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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Washington University in St Louis

5

Out of the 275 schools in the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It costs about $5,670 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized school located in Hanover, New Hampshire that handed out 14 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth is $8,718 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Dartmouth College

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn also took the #20 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 University of Pennsylvania

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 17 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt excels when it comes to film quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It costs about $4,652 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 Vanderbilt Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

8

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $6,399 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 93%.

Full UW Seattle Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

10
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wellesley, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Wellesley excels when it comes to film quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley is $8,021 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

11
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Emory University is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

Emory did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Emory is $8,976 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 79 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Berkeley

13
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

Purdue also claimed a top spot on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,853 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Purdue

14

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 127 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our film students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

15
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 139 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $3,105 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

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

16
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Tufts is in the top on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It costs about $7,987 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tufts University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Tufts University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

17
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 46 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,135 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Hunter.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

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

18
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #18, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 52 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Florida State excels when it comes to film quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,349 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Florida State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Florida State

19
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Vassar College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,193 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vassar College.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Vassar

20
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, Florida

With a ranking of #20, Valencia College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Valencia College is $5,637 for film students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

21

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 167 students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It costs about $8,449 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Irvine

22
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 9 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins excels when it comes to film quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,859 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Johns Hopkins University

23
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #23, Lafayette College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Easton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Lafayette also took the #13 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette College is $12,400 for Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Lafayette

24

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

BYU also took the #25 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,333 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend BYU.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

25

University of California - Riverside came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 199 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.

UCR also claimed a top spot on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools” list. It costs about $8,193 for film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

Rest of the Best 42 in Best Value Film Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 42 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
27
28
29
30
31
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
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Queens College
Queens, New York
39
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Miami Dade College
Miami, Florida
40
41
42

Notes and References

References

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