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2026 Best Value Documentary Production Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Documentary Production](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/documentary-production/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for documentary production students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Documentary Production Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2026 Best Value Documentary Production Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in documentary production, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Documentary Production Schools

1

Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL

$34,088 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,000 Avg Student Debt

$42,195 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is Columbia College Chicago, our #1 best value for documentary production in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $34,088. Typical student debt for documentary production graduates is $26,000. Documentary Production graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn a median of $29,694 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 90%.

2

Depaul University
Chicago, IL

$45,405 In-State Tuition & Fees

$24,717 Avg Student Debt

$68,751 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes Depaul University one of the best values for documentary production. Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,405. Students borrow a median of $24,717 to complete the documentary production program here. Documentary Production graduates of Depaul University earn a median of $55,226 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Depaul University admits about 76% of applicants.

View All Documentary Production Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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.