by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2021-2022, 8,361 people earned their degree in film & video production, making the major the 117th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major” ranking, we looked at 257 colleges that offer a degree in film & video production. That schools that top this list have a program in film & video production in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Compass College of Cinematic Arts. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified ’s cinematography students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Film & Video Production at Compass College of Cinematic Arts
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Hollywood. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major. Columbia College Hollywood is a small school located in Tarzana, California that handed out 89 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Film & Video Production at Columbia College Hollywood
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Seattle Film Institute. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major. Seattle Film Institute is a small school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 20 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Film & Video Production at Seattle Film Institute
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 316 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film & Video Production at New York Film Academy
Out of the 257 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 89 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of North Carolina School of the Arts Film & Video Production Report
With a ranking of #6, KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. KD Conservatory is a private for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Emerson College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 359 degrees to qualified ’s cinematography students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Colegio de Cinematografía Artes y Television did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. CCAT is a private for-profit institution located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #9, Los Angeles Film School did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Los Angeles Film School is a medium-sized school located in Hollywood, California that handed out 177 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Film & Video Production at Los Angeles Film School
Columbia College Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 111 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia College Chicago Film & Video Production Report
The Art Institute of Atlanta did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this small private for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s cinematography students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Film & Video Production at The Art Institute of Atlanta
With a ranking of #12, The Art Institute of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Located in Houston, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s cinematography students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The Art Institute of Houston Film & Video Production Report
California Institute of the Arts ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. California Institute of the Arts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 30 ’s cinematography degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film & Video Production at California Institute of the Arts
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this small public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s cinematography students in 2021-2022.
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 more about Film & Video Production at Institute of American Indian Arts
With a ranking of #16, Atlantic University College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Atlantic University College is a small school located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico that handed out 11 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Film & Video Production at Atlantic University College
Savannah College of Art and Design landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. Savannah, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s cinematography degrees to 296 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Art Center College of Design landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 38 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Film & Video Production at Art Center College of Design
Nossi College of Art came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. Nossi College of Art is a small private for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 6 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Film & Video Production at Nossi College of Art
With a ranking of #21, Woodbury University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s cinematography degrees to 24 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Chapman University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 292 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read more about Film & Video Production at Chapman University
The Art Institute of Dallas landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major ranking. The Art Institute of Dallas is a small private for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 3 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The Art Institute of Dallas Film & Video Production Report
Community College of Aurora ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Community College of Aurora is a medium-sized public school situated in Aurora, Colorado. It awarded 51 ’s cinematography degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Vermont College of Fine Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Cinematography Major list. Montpelier, Vermont is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s cinematography degrees to 16 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Not only did these schools make the top 39 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies