Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$29,584 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$17,809 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree School for You

With 3,916 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, film, video and photographic arts is the #33 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for film students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Associate Degree Schools in California

Check out the film associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Film, Video & Photographic Arts

#1

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Academy of Art University the best value school in California for film, video and photographic arts students working on their associate degree. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

Academy of Art University undergraduate students pay an average of $25,424 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, film graduates from Academy of Art University carry an average student debtload of $36,443.

Read More…

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia College Hollywood is a great value for film, video and photographic arts students working on their associate degree. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Tarzana.

Columbia College Hollywood undergraduate students pay an average of $26,175 in in-state tuition and fees each year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $290.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Columbia College Hollywood

Out of the 5 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles landed the # 3 spot on the list. FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

FIDM Los Angeles undergraduate students pay an average of $32,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, film graduates from FIDM Los Angeles carry an average student debtload of $18,619.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles Report

#4

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means New York Film Academy is a great value for film, video and photographic arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

New York Film Academy undergraduate students pay an average of $34,090 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#5

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, CA

Out of the 5 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles Film School landed the # 5 spot on the list. LA Film School is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the city of Hollywood.

Film majors at LA Film School take out an average of $24,166 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $338, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Los Angeles Film School Report

Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 132
Oregon 167
Nevada 77

One of 10 majors within the area of study, film, video and photographic arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 5 schools only.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.