2023 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California
28
Ranked Colleges
4,258
Degrees Awarded
$20,600
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is the 62nd most popular major in the country with 16,778 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $24,170 and had an average of $25,804 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,258 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,500 and $27,453 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 28 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in film, video and photographic arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality film, video and photographic arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the film, video and photographic arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The film school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 79 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 127 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 184 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,568 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Santa Barbara
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 167 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 310 students in 2020-2021.
USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Southern California
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 199 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california film students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UCR
California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 178 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,663 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 179 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california film students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,038 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 93 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UC Davis
California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,163 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
With a ranking of #11, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 247 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $10,705 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Film, Video & Photographic Arts at SFSU
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 32 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,657 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.
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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Humboldt State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $11,473 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Humboldt State University
Woodbury University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Woodbury University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 42 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Woodbury, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Woodbury is $25,495 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Woodbury Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 172 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
Academy of Art University also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $33,484 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Academy of Art University
California Lutheran University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. CLU is a small school located in Thousand Oaks, California that handed out 8 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California Lutheran University is $20,774 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California Lutheran University
Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
MSMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,531 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full MSMU Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Biola University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Biola is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 56 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Biola also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $27,024 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Biola University.
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%.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Biola University
Loyola Marymount University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 104 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,730 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Loyola Marymount
Chapman University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 190 ’s film degrees to qualified students.
Chapman also took the #5 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman University is $34,946 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 85%.
Full Chapman University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
Columbia College Hollywood landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia College Hollywood is a small school located in Tarzana, California that handed out 135 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia College Hollywood also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $31,954 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia College Hollywood.
Full Columbia College Hollywood Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report
California College of the Arts came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
California College of the Arts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California College of the Arts is $29,530 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at California College of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 63 ’s film degrees in 2020-2021.
CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of the Arts is $52,801 for california film students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at CalArts
Art Center College of Design landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Art Center College of Design, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Art Center College of Design is $40,209 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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 more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Art Center College of Design
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Film Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s film students in 2020-2021.
FIDM Los Angeles not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is $36,764 for California Film students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at FIDM Los Angeles
