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2026 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in District of Columbia

[Film, Video & Photographic Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong film, video & photographic arts education at a price that pays off.

College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value film, video & photographic arts schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in District of Columbia

2026 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in District of Columbia

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the film, video & photographic arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools

1

American University
Washington, DC

$58,771 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,250 Avg Student Debt

$77,370 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is American University, our #1 best value for film, video & photographic arts in District of Columbia. Set in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $58,771. Students borrow a median of $23,250 to complete the film, video & photographic arts program here. Soon after graduation, film, video & photographic arts degree recipients from American University generally make around $39,108. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 62%.

2

Howard University
Washington, DC

$35,810 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,498 Avg Student Debt

$63,066 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in film, video & photographic arts will find it at Howard University, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $35,810. Typical student debt for film, video & photographic arts graduates is $25,498. Film, Video & Photographic Arts graduates of Howard University earn a median of $58,495 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,498 median debt. Roughly 41% of applicants are accepted.

View All Film, Video & Photographic Arts Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.