2027 Best Value Documentary Production Schools in New York
[Documentary Production](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/documentary-production/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for documentary production students.
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2027 Best Value Documentary Production Schools in New York
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the documentary production degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Documentary Production Schools
Ithaca College tops our 2027 list of the best value documentary production schools in New York. Set in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $52,616 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for documentary production graduates is $25,000. Soon after graduation, documentary production degree recipients from Ithaca College generally make around $23,782. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Ithaca College admits about 69% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Syracuse University one of the best values for documentary production. Syracuse University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse. Students from in state pay about $65,528 in tuition and fees. Documentary Production graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career documentary production graduates make about $54,785. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Syracuse University admits about 46% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in documentary production will find it at The New School, which ranked #3. The New School is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. In-state tuition and fees average $58,730. Documentary Production graduates carry a median of $25,829 in student loans. Documentary Production graduates of The New School earn a median of $38,468 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,829 median debt. The acceptance rate is 64%.
More Documentary Production Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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.
