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2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

47 Ranked Colleges
3,147 Degrees Awarded
$19,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 5,094 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,973 and $38,643 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,147 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 47 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in the Far Western US Region

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 184 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #11 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

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

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 218 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

Full San Francisco State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#3

National University

La Jolla, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 83 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend John Paul the Great Catholic University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Located in Escondido, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 60 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at JPCatholic, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for John Paul the Great Catholic University is $29,749 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at John Paul the Great Catholic University

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $11,424 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#7

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Central Washington University is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students per year to attend CWU.

Full Central Washington University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree film students list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $34,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

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

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,215 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students per year to attend CSUDH.

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%.

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

#10

Columbia College Hollywood

Tarzana, California

Columbia College Hollywood came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Tarzana, California, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Hollywood is $31,339 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

Full Columbia College Hollywood Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#11

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, this medium-sized public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,333 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students per year to attend University of Alaska Fairbanks.

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

#12

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $13,040 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

Full Portland State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#13

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

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

#14

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $12,607 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

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

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 33 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree film students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16

Cornish College of the Arts

Seattle, Washington

Cornish College of the Arts came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cornish College of the Arts is $39,078 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Cornish College of the Arts

#17

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

Pacific Union College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Angwin, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,835 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students per year to attend Pacific Union College.

Full Pacific Union College Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#18

George Fox University

Newberg, Oregon

With a ranking of #18, George Fox University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. George Fox University is located in Newberg, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for GFU is $30,378 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full George Fox University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#19

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

With a ranking of #19, University of Oregon did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UO is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UO Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#20

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#25 in overall quality

Biola University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region 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 the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $31,859 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students per year to attend Biola.

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 full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Biola

#21

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

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 student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 University of California - Los Angeles Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#22

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 159 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $15,884 for far western us region bachelor’s degree film students per year to attend UCSB.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UCSB

University of California - Irvine landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#24

Woodbury University

Burbank, California

Woodbury University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Woodbury University 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 Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students per year to attend Woodbury University.

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. 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%.

Full Woodbury University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#25

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $29,214 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Film students.

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.

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

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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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