College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

7 Ranked Colleges
360 Degrees Awarded
$34,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Photography is the 310th most popular major in the country with 2,184 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 360 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in photography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent photography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the photography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Photography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Photography (Income $30-$48k) in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 20 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,055 for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 full report on Photography at California State University - Sacramento

2
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #2 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $32,975 for California Photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Academy of Art University Photography Report

3
CalArts crest
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #3 spot on the list. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CalArts is $51,512 for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full CalArts Photography Report

4
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California College of the Arts. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

California College of the Arts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. It costs about $24,239 for California Photography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California College of the Arts.

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. 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%.

Read full report on Photography at California College of the Arts

5
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Art Center College of Design. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Art Center College of Design is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 19 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

Art Center College of Design did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Photography Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $43,406 for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. 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.

Full Art Center College of Design Photography Report

6
SFAI crest
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Art Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco Art Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFAI, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $34,969 for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SFAI.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Photography at SFAI

7
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

New York Film Academy landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Photography Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 23 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california photography students whose families make $30-$48k list, New York Film Academy has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Photography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New York Film Academy is $43,683 for california photography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Photography at New York Film Academy

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options