Best Film/Video and Photographic Arts Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
132
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$393,570
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$43,378
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Brandeis University
Grad rate: 86.7% |
MA | -$49,652 | $55,942 | $82,123 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | -$151,504 | $39,912 | $27,436 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Fairfield University
Grad rate: 84.0% |
CT | -$158,164 | $48,766 | $73,371 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Binghamton University
Grad rate: 83.2% |
NY | -$161,348 | $39,864 | $29,657 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of Houston
Grad rate: 64.0% |
TX | -$162,084 | $38,907 | $25,056 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | -$164,194 | $39,909 | $23,683 | $20,476 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
State University of New York at New Paltz
Grad rate: 71.0% |
NY | -$164,456 | $39,184 | $27,034 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of California-Santa Barbara
Grad rate: 85.5% |
CA | -$164,974 | $42,119 | $36,776 | $15,000 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
CUNY City College
Grad rate: 56.6% |
NY | -$181,156 | $35,645 | $13,514 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | -$187,022 | $41,260 | $36,643 | $19,000 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
CUNY Hunter College
Grad rate: 58.7% |
NY | -$192,430 | $35,522 | $13,310 | $7,134 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Central Washington University
Grad rate: 51.0% |
WA | -$192,722 | $38,946 | $25,148 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | -$195,655 | $39,600 | $29,320 | $22,500 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Carleton College
Grad rate: 90.9% |
MN | -$197,640 | $48,388 | $81,350 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grad rate: 84.6% |
MN | -$199,523 | $39,168 | $29,013 | $19,875 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Grad rate: 27.4% |
AZ | -$201,720 | $33,300 | N/A | $20,534 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
California State University-Northridge
Grad rate: 56.1% |
CA | -$206,827 | $36,955 | $20,317 | $18,266 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
University of Utah
Grad rate: 64.2% |
UT | -$211,721 | $37,398 | $21,799 | $24,063 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University at Buffalo
Grad rate: 73.5% |
NY | -$213,159 | $38,805 | $29,043 | $24,509 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
American University
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | -$223,063 | $46,726 | $71,549 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Saint Cloud State University
Grad rate: 45.5% |
MN | -$231,036 | $34,726 | $21,389 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
CUNY Brooklyn College
Grad rate: 55.8% |
NY | -$242,081 | $33,530 | $13,573 | $13,622 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | -$244,857 | $36,917 | $28,543 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | -$256,096 | $34,181 | $20,879 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Eastern Michigan University
Grad rate: 45.5% |
MI | -$267,422 | $36,085 | $28,168 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | -$269,258 | $35,620 | $26,348 | $26,864 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Keene State College
Grad rate: 58.9% |
NH | -$270,946 | $36,180 | $29,524 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | -$277,028 | $36,977 | $38,067 | $18,000 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Grad rate: 55.0% |
MN | -$281,834 | $34,370 | $24,419 | $23,377 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Western Michigan University
Grad rate: 56.5% |
MI | -$289,390 | $35,084 | $28,655 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Vassar College
Grad rate: 90.6% |
NY | -$291,262 | $45,366 | $83,573 | $17,993 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 62.1% |
OH | -$292,992 | $34,953 | $29,238 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
California State University-Sacramento
Grad rate: 55.1% |
CA | -$297,032 | $32,785 | $22,714 | $16,205 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Grad rate: 72.5% |
NC | -$304,622 | $33,440 | $25,913 | $22,052 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Northern Arizona University
Grad rate: 58.0% |
AZ | -$309,850 | $33,689 | $29,495 | $19,000 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | -$313,908 | $33,300 | $28,047 | $20,534 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Northern Michigan University
Grad rate: 51.8% |
MI | -$314,844 | $31,499 | $26,206 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | -$315,244 | $34,281 | $33,466 | $20,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Rhode Island
Grad rate: 71.4% |
RI | -$316,951 | $34,188 | $32,584 | $22,500 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Montclair State University
Grad rate: 64.8% |
NJ | -$318,274 | $33,094 | $25,926 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | -$318,336 | $34,086 | $33,345 | $19,760 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Montana State University
Grad rate: 57.1% |
MT | -$329,004 | $31,959 | $23,779 | $24,495 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of California-Irvine
Grad rate: 86.3% |
CA | -$329,549 | $33,847 | $36,121 | $16,300 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
State University of New York at Oswego
Grad rate: 62.2% |
NY | -$331,407 | $32,602 | $27,155 | $25,798 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
San Francisco State University
Grad rate: 52.2% |
CA | -$335,309 | $31,491 | $25,258 | $17,850 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Grad rate: 49.6% |
WI | -$335,846 | $31,465 | $22,174 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
Grad rate: 64.9% |
VA | -$337,624 | $33,743 | $34,346 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Grad rate: 75.7% |
OK | -$348,892 | $31,942 | $28,833 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Chapman University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
CA | -$350,384 | $42,037 | $81,327 | $19,123 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
University of Oregon
Grad rate: 72.5% |
OR | -$352,679 | $32,547 | $32,636 | $24,500 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Film/Video and Photographic Arts Degrees by State
Browse Film/Video and Photographic Arts programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.