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” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is the 62nd most popular major in the country with 16,778 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 87 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.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region film students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 234 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 224 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at DePaul University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 89 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 87 students 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 1.3% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school awarded 64 degrees to qualified ’s film students 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%.
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 list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 45 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Cleveland State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 41 ’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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Ohio State University - Main Campus
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 ranking. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 35 diplomas to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 35 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Western Michigan University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Columbus College of Art and Design landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. CCAD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 33 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 31 ’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus
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 ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 30 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Marquette University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 29 ’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Marquette University
Washtenaw Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Washtenaw Community College is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Washtenaw Community College
Eastern Michigan University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 23 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Eastern Michigan
Calvin University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Grand Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 23 students 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 1.2% 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 #15, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 23 ’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%.
Full Oakland University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
With a ranking of #18, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at OHIO Athens
Compass College of Cinematic Arts ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Compass College of Cinematic Arts is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
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.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Compass College of Cinematic Arts
Northcentral Technical College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. North Central Technical College is located in Wausau, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
Full Northcentral Technical College Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UChicago
With a ranking of #22, Oberlin College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oberlin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oberlin
Xavier University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Xavier is a medium-sized school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 16 ’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 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%.
Wright State University - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dayton, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
Full Wright State University - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Michigan State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies