by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 16,778 people earned their degree in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $24,170 and had an average of $25,804 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 11,759 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 403 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in film, video and photographic arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular film, video and photographic arts programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Full Sail University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Winter Park, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 401 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Full Sail University
Out of the 403 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 372 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 New York University
Out of the 403 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Emerson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Emerson is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 356 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Savannah College of Art and Design. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s. Savannah College of Art and Design is located in Savannah, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 297 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Los Angeles Film School. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s. LA Film School is located in Hollywood, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 240 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
San Francisco State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Full San Francisco State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Georgia State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school handed out 235 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Georgia State University
With a ranking of #8, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 221 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Columbia College Chicago
University of California - Riverside came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 199 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
DePaul University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 191 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at DePaul
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 182 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 178 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at CSULB
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 177 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Santa Cruz
Temple University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 173 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 87%.
Full Temple University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 167 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Irvine
University of Southern California came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 158 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 91%. The undergraduate 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 University of Southern California
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 151 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at ASU - Tempe
With a ranking of #18, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 143 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
School of Visual Arts came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. School of Visual Arts is a private for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 136 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Columbia College Hollywood did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Columbia College Hollywood is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tarzana, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Columbia College Hollywood
University of Utah did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 123 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full University of Utah Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Southern New Hampshire University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Manchester, New Hampshire. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #22, Brooklyn College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. Brooklyn College is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Brooklyn College Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
New York Film Academy ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s list. New York Film Academy is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at New York Film Academy
Chapman University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 111 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Chapman University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, MA |
| 52 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ |
| 54 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 55 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 56 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 56 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 58 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 58 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 60 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 60 | Fordham University | Bronx, NY |
| 60 | Montana State University | Bozeman, MT |
| 60 | University of New Mexico - Main Campus | Albuquerque, NM |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
