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2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

34 Ranked Colleges
2,741 Degrees Awarded
$24,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

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 California, there were 4,639 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,855 and $40,424 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,741 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $10,631 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Stanford University

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 184 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #10 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $14,544 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 185 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $18,395 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $19,590 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCLA.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 96%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $21,401 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $10,904 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 60 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,622 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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 93%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Davis

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 159 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCSB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $22,226 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 125 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #8 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $19,851 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The school has an impressive 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 94%.

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

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 83 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also took the #24 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $15,812 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#11

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 218 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $21,027 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 211 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $22,739 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Santa Cruz

#13

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 224 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $30,858 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The 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.

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

#14

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

Westmont College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Westmont also took the #13 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont is $29,230 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Westmont Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#15

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. Occidental College is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

Oxy also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Oxy is $27,417 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Oxy

#16

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $20,170 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

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

#17

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

With a ranking of #17, Pacific Union College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Pacific Union College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Angwin, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,912 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend PUC.

Full Pacific Union College Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#18

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#23 in overall quality

University of the Pacific came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend University of the Pacific is $30,956 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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.

Full Pacific Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#19

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #19. CLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $27,108 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California Lutheran University.

The 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 California Lutheran University

John Paul the Great Catholic University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. John Paul the Great Catholic University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Escondido, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

JPCatholic also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $31,927 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend John Paul the Great Catholic University.

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%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at John Paul the Great Catholic University

#21

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Biola University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 56 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $32,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Biola University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#22

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pepperdine, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pepperdine is $33,611 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

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

#23

Columbia College Hollywood

Tarzana, California

Columbia College Hollywood came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Columbia College Hollywood is a small school located in Tarzana, California that handed out 114 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Hollywood is $31,953 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#24

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $36,018 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California College of the Arts

#25

Chapman University

Orange, California

With a ranking of #25, Chapman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 158 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Chapman also took the #3 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $37,848 for california bachelor’s degree film students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Chapman

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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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