2027 Best Value Film Studies Schools in Illinois
[Film Studies](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/film-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for film studies students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Film Studies Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the film studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Film Studies Schools
Leading the list is University Of Chicago, our #1 best value for film studies in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $69,324 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for film studies graduates is $15,854. Film Studies graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of $81,002 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 4%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Columbia College Chicago earned it the #2 place for film studies. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $34,088 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for film studies graduates is $26,000. Early-career film studies graduates make about $29,694. That is a strong return on a $26,000 median debt. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
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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 · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
