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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California

5 Ranked Colleges
583 Degrees Awarded
$31,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 an Associate in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Film, Video & Photographic Arts is the 64th most popular major in the country with 17,506 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 associate degree level specifically, there were 583 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California” ranking, we looked at 5 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the film, video and photographic arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The film school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California”.

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 an Associate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California.

Top 5 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Rosa, California, and it awarded 11 associates’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

SRJC also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Santa Rosa Junior College is $5,782 for California Associate Degree Film students.

Full SRJC Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#2

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 29 associates’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $34,145 for California Associate Degree Film students.

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

#3

Columbia College Hollywood

Tarzana, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Hollywood. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California. Columbia College Hollywood is located in Tarzana, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 associates’s film degrees to qualified students.

Columbia College Hollywood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Hollywood is $31,339 for California Associate Degree Film students.

Full Columbia College Hollywood Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 12 associates’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

FIDM Los Angeles not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM Los Angeles is $41,505 for California Associate Degree Film students.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at FIDM Los Angeles

#5

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for an Associate in California list. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 8 associates’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend New York Film Academy is $45,280 for California Associate Degree Film students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at New York Film Academy

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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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