by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Photography Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 2,184 people earned their degree in photography, making the major the 310th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Photography Major” ranking looked at 209 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in photography. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in photography.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Photography Major” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for photography students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Photography Major. Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Manchester, New Hampshire. The school has a large population, and it awarded 192 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Photography at Southern New Hampshire University
Out of the 209 schools in the Most Well Attended Photography Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Savannah College of Art and Design landed the #2 spot on the list. Savannah, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Photography at Savannah College of Art and Design
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend School of Visual Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Photography Major. SVA is a private for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 113 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 93 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The New School. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major list. New School University is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 63 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #6, Rochester Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major list. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s photography degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #8. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 36 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
New York University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Photography Major list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 30 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 26 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Photography at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Maryland Institute College of Art did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #12. MICA is a small school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 25 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
California Institute of the Arts ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Photography Major list. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 25 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
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 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Pratt Institute - Main did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Lesley University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking. This small school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 24 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #16, Purchase College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major list. Purchase College is a small school located in Purchase, New York that handed out 23 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Arizona University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Photography Major list. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Photography at Columbus College of Art and Design
The University of the Arts ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Photography Major list. This small school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 20 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #19. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s photography degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Art Center College of Design did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #21. Art Center College of Design is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
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%. 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.
University of Houston did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking, coming in at #21. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s photography degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Daytona State College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major list. Daytona State College is located in Daytona Beach, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
Temple University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 ’s photography degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
New York Film Academy came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking. Located in Burbank, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified ’s photography students in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Syracuse University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Photography Major ranking. Syracuse is located in Syracuse, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s photography degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies