2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools
Finding the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 16,778 people earned a degree or certificate in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the #63 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 325 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Film, Video & Photographic Arts
Our analysis found Lafayette College to be the best school for film, video and photographic arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Easton.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dartmouth College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools list. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Dallas, KD Conservatory is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Emory University is a great place for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend SAE Institute - Atlanta. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools list. SAE Institute - Atlanta is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.
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College of the Holy Cross landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best film, video and photographic arts programs. Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Worcester.
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With a ranking of #7, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Orlando, F.I.R.S.T. Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, film graduates from F.I.R.S.T. Institute carry an average student debtload of $7,853. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $136.
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Brandeis University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best film, video and photographic arts programs. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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Winona State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best film, video and photographic arts programs. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Nashville Film Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Nashville, Nashville Film Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that film majors at Nashville Film Institute take out is $9,500.
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With a ranking of #12, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of Atlanta, Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
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With a ranking of #14, Sacred Heart University did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the large suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #15, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Film majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $15,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #16, American Film Institute Conservatory did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. American Film Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
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Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best film, video and photographic arts programs. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, film graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $18,857.
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With a ranking of #19, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Washington University in St Louis landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best film, video and photographic arts programs. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Georgia did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. UGA is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Athens.
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University of Pennsylvania ranked #23 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #24, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Film majors at USC take out an average of $21,466 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $395.
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Southern Methodist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts students that almost earned our Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 50 | Huntington University | Huntington, IN |
| 51 | John Tyler Community College | Chester, VA |
| 52 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 53 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 54 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 55 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 56 | Harding University | Searcy, AR |
| 57 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 58 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 59 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 60 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 61 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 62 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 63 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 64 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 65 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
Film, Video & Photographic Arts by Region
View the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Film, Video & Photographic Arts Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Film
One of 10 majors within the area of study, film, video and photographic arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Film
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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