Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Film, Video & Photographic Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

30 Ranked Colleges
1,089 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Film, Video & Photographic Arts is the 64th most popular major in the country with 17,506 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $22,714 and had an average of $31,549 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,089 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,081 and $27,676 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 30 colleges that offered a degree in film, video and photographic arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent film, video and photographic arts 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 film, video and photographic arts 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. Central New Mexico Community College is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNM, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central New Mexico Community College is $2,604 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at CNM

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 149 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at ASU - Tempe

#3

Pima Community College

Tucson, Arizona

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pima Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pima County Community College District has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pima Community College is $2,574 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Pima Community College

#4

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 73 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,562 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arizona.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Arizona

#5

Scottsdale Community College

Scottsdale, Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Scottsdale Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Scottsdale Community College is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

Scottsdale Community College also took the #2 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Scottsdale Community College is $8,963 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Scottsdale Community College

With a ranking of #6, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Okmulgee, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, OSU Institute of Technology has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is $4,771 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at OSU Institute of Technology

#7

Northwest Vista College

San Antonio, Texas

Northwest Vista College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwest Vista College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwest Vista College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwest Vista College is $4,355 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Northwest Vista College

Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M University - Commerce is a public institution located in Commerce, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Commerce not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $10,013 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Texas A&M University - Commerce

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a medium-sized public school situated in Portales, New Mexico. It awarded 11 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

ENMU - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,115 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ENMU - Main Campus.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at ENMU - Main Campus

#10

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 10 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $10,203 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Houston

#11

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SHSU is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 4 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $10,561 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Sam Houston State University

#12

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

With a ranking of #12, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 50 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Skysong has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Skysong is $12,037 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full ASU - Skysong Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#12

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified ’s film students in 2019-2020.

NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Arizona University is $9,251 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Northern Arizona University

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 39 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NMSU Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#14

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Texas State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $11,125 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Texas State University

#15

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 27 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#16

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Oklahoma City University is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OCU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OCU is $17,214 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Oklahoma City University

#17

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Oral Roberts University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tulsa, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s film degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, ORU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ORU is $17,078 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full ORU Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 19 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $16,675 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%.

Full University of Oklahoma Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#19

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma

University of Tulsa landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Tulsa is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

University of Tulsa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $14,391 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Tulsa.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Tulsa

Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and it awarded 7 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,094 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Institute of American Indian Arts.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#21

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona

Grand Canyon University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this large private for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s film students in 2019-2020.

Grand Canyon University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,405 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grand Canyon University.

Full Grand Canyon University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#22

Houston Baptist University

Houston, Texas

Houston Baptist University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. HBU is located in Houston, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k list, HBU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Houston Baptist University is $19,550 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at HBU

#23

Saint Edward's University

Austin, Texas

Saint Edward’s University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 7 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Edward’s University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $19,126 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Edward’s University.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Saint Edward’s University

With a ranking of #24, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Methodist University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 20 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

SMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SMU is $26,718 for southwest region film students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full Southern Methodist University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

The Art Institute of Houston ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 8 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,248 for Southwest Region Film students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ai Houston.

Full Ai Houston Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Featured Photography / Film Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You