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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California (With Aid)

36 Ranked Colleges
2,741 Degrees Awarded
$20,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 California For Those Getting Aid” 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 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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 36 colleges that offered a degree in film, video and photographic arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality film, video and photographic arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. 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. It costs about $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Stanford University

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 184 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree film students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 89%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 125 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

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

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Irvine

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 185 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #11 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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

#5

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 #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s film degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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 estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full CSUDH Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 159 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California State University - Sacramento

University of California - Berkeley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 82 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. 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 University of California - Berkeley

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 218 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #17 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 211 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

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

#13

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Full Humboldt State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#14

National University

La Jolla, California

With a ranking of #14, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. National University is a fairly large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#15

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #15, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. MSMU is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree film students with aid list, MSMU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full MSMU Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #16, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 224 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#17

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

Westmont College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Westmont not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont College is $31,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Westmont

#18

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

Pacific Union College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Angwin, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Pacific Union College is $21,835 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at PUC

#19

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CLU is $26,489 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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 CLU

John Paul the Great Catholic University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Escondido, California, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree film students with aid list, JPCatholic has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for John Paul the Great Catholic University is $29,749 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

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 JPCatholic

#21

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#23 in overall quality

University of the Pacific came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of the Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid per year to attend Pacific.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#22

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #22, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 100 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $34,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid.

Full Academy of Art University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#23

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#22 in overall quality

Biola University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

Biola also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree film students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Biola University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#24

Woodbury University

Burbank, California

Woodbury University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Woodbury is a small school located in Burbank, California that handed out 25 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $23,915 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid per year to attend Woodbury.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Woodbury

#25

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Oxy is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Oxy also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $29,638 for California Bachelor’s Degree Film students with aid per year to attend Occidental College.

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%. 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.

Full Occidental College Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

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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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