by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Film Major in California” ranking.
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 California, there were 4,258 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,500 and $27,453 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Film Major in California” ranking analyzed 96 colleges that offered a degree 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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Film Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for california film students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles Film School. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Hollywood, California, and it awarded 352 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 310 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. 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.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Southern California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 355 students in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full New York Film Academy Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Out of the 96 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Film Major in California. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 199 ’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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Chapman University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Chapman University is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 190 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
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 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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Chapman University
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 184 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 179 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Santa Cruz
California State University - Long Beach came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 178 students in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California State University - Long Beach
Academy of Art University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 172 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Academy of Art University
University of California - Irvine came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 167 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Irvine
Columbia College Hollywood did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Tarzana, California, and it awarded 135 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Columbia College Hollywood
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 127 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 104 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Full Loyola Marymount University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
University of California - Davis ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 93 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Berkeley
California State University - Sacramento ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
American Film Institute Conservatory ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 82 diplomas to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 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 American Film Institute Conservatory
California Institute of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 63 ’s film 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 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 California Institute of the Arts Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Art Center College of Design landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 60 ’s film 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%. 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 Art Center College of Design Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Santa Monica College ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. Santa Monica, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Biola University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Biola is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Mirada, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Biola University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Woodbury University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in California ranking. Woodbury University is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at CSUDH
With a ranking of #25, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in California list. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California Baptist University
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