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2022 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
631 Degrees Awarded
$15,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Film Schools in Illinois 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 Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 17,506 people earned their degree in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the 64th most popular in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 631 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,838 and $41,036 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in film, video and photographic arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great film, video and photographic arts programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools

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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,800 for Illinois Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Illinois Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

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

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,306 for Illinois Film students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#6

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,232 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bradley.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Full Bradley Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#7

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Dominican University is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $17,586 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

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

#8

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 336 ’s film degrees to qualified students.

Columbia also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $27,397 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Columbia Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 195 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #5 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $25,842 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#10

American Academy of Art

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, American Academy of Art did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. The Academy is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The Academy, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American Academy of Art is $24,609 for illinois film students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full The Academy Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

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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.

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