2027 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois
Film, Video & Photographic Arts programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for film, video & photographic arts students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall film, video & photographic arts education in Illinois.
Top Schools in Film, Video & Photographic Arts
University Of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 96%. There were roughly 13 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at University Of Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who receive their film, video & photographic arts degree from University Of Chicago earn around $81,002 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $15,854 to complete this degree.
Read more about the film, video & photographic arts program at University Of Chicago
Depaul University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in film, video & photographic arts, ranking #2. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Chicago. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. Depaul University awarded about 330 film, video & photographic arts degrees in the most recent data year. Film, Video & Photographic Arts graduates of Depaul University earn a median of $25,028 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $24,717 to complete this degree.
Get the full film, video & photographic arts details for Depaul University
Students looking for a strong film, video & photographic arts program will find one at College Of Dupage, which ranked #3. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn. About 21 film, video & photographic arts degrees were awarded at College Of Dupage in the most recent year. Graduates of the film, video & photographic arts program make about $43,025 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $12,492 to complete this degree.
See the full film, video & photographic arts program report for College Of Dupage
A rank of #4 makes Columbia College Chicago one of the top schools for film, video & photographic arts. Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. The six-year graduation rate is 52%. There were roughly 312 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia College Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who receive their film, video & photographic arts degree from Columbia College Chicago earn around $29,694 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Columbia College Chicago
Students looking for a strong film, video & photographic arts program will find one at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, which ranked #5. Set in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public institution. About 60% of students finish within six years. Southern Illinois University Carbondale awarded about 13 film, video & photographic arts degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the film, video & photographic arts program make about $21,322 in their early career. Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduates carry a median of $19,500 in student loans.
Get the full film, video & photographic arts details for Southern Illinois University Carbondale
More Film, Video & Photographic Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 5 schools evaluated.
- 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.
