2023 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 34 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for film students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Featured Film Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Top 10 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means San Francisco State University is a great value for film, video and photographic arts students. SFSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, film graduates from SFSU carry an average student debtload of $18,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $245, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at San Francisco State University
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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the # 3 spot on the list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. On average, film graduates from Sac State take out $19,413 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. The average amount in student loans that film majors at UC Berkeley take out is $15,000.
UC Berkeley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list.
Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Berkeley Report
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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Sonoma State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
SSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,988 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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University of California - Irvine ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year. After completing their degree, film graduates from UC Irvine carry an average student debtload of $15,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $235, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Irvine Report
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University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCLA are $13,258 per year. After completing their degree, film graduates from UCLA carry an average student debtload of $16,810.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCLA also did well on our Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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With a ranking of #8, National University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for film, video and photographic arts students. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.
National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at National University Report
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University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCSB are $14,417 per year. While working on their degree, film majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $17,712 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $259.
UCSB excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list.
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San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California ranking. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at San Diego State University Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Film, Video & Photographic Arts Rankings in California
Other Related Film Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts Related Majors for Film
One of 10 majors within the area of study, film, video and photographic arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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