2026 Best Value Film Studies Schools in Virginia
[Film Studies](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/film-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for film studies students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Film Studies Schools in Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in film studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Film Studies Schools
Leading the list is Northern Virginia Community College, our #1 best value for film studies in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,891, with out-of-state students paying around $12,410. Typical student debt for film studies graduates is $14,413. Film Studies graduates of Northern Virginia Community College earn a median of $40,126 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,413 median debt.
Regent University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value film studies schools. Regent University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach. In-state tuition and fees average $21,650. Students borrow a median of $29,451 to complete the film studies program here. Soon after graduation, film studies degree recipients from Regent University generally make around $44,205. That is a strong return on a $29,451 median debt. The acceptance rate is 38%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
