by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,727 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,608 and $26,594 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,290 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 72 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in film, video and photographic arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful film, video and photographic arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
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 in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree film students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 221 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Columbia College Chicago
Out of the 72 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #2 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 191 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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at DePaul University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Out of the 72 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Grand Valley State University
Cleveland State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 45 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Cleveland State University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. BGSU is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Western Michigan University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Western Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 35 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. CCAD is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Columbus College of Art and Design Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 31 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Purdue
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Marquette University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Marquette University is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 29 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Marquette
Eastern Michigan University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s film students in 2020-2021.
Full Eastern Michigan University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
With a ranking of #14, Calvin University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Grand Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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%.
Oakland University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oakland
Compass College of Cinematic Arts came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Compass College of Cinematic Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 Compass College of Cinematic Arts
Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees 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 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
With a ranking of #18, Oberlin College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Oberlin, Ohio, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Chicago landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Chicago
Wright State University - Main Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s film degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
Full Wright State University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Michigan State University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad 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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Michigan State
With a ranking of #23, Taylor University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Upland, Indiana, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Huntington University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Huntington is located in Huntington, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s film degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Full Huntington University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Denison University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Denison University is a small school located in Granville, Ohio that handed out 11 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Denison University
Lawrence University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. Lawrence U is a small school located in Appleton, Wisconsin that handed out 11 bachelors’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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.
Full Lawrence University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
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