2026 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their film, video & photographic arts programs.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 15 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
No school ranked higher than University Of Chicago this year for 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%. About 16 film, video & photographic arts degrees were awarded at University Of Chicago in the most recent year. Film, Video & Photographic Arts graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of $81,002 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $15,854.
See the full film, video & photographic arts program report for University Of Chicago
Depaul University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. There were roughly 304 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Depaul University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the film, video & photographic arts program make about $25,028 in their early career. Depaul University graduates carry a median of $24,717 in student loans.
Read more about the film, video & photographic arts program at Depaul University
Columbia College Chicago is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. About 52% of students finish within six years. Columbia College Chicago awarded about 323 film, video & photographic arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, film, video & photographic arts degree recipients from Columbia College Chicago generally make around $29,694. 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
More Film, Video & Photographic Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 15 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.
