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2026 Best Value Photography Schools in Massachusetts

[Photography](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/photography/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for photography students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Photography Schools in Massachusetts

2026 Best Value Photography Schools in Massachusetts

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the photography degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Photography Schools

1

Massachusetts College Of Art And Design
Boston, MA

$15,400 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,965 Avg Student Debt

$43,582 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is Massachusetts College Of Art And Design, our #1 best value for photography in Massachusetts. Set in the city of Boston, Massachusetts College Of Art And Design is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $15,400 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $43,400. Photography graduates carry a median of $25,965 in student loans. Early-career photography graduates make about $22,764. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.

2

Lesley University
Cambridge, MA

$34,256 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,974 Avg Student Debt

$51,173 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Lesley University earned it the #2 place for photography. Located in the city of Cambridge, Lesley University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,256. Photography graduates carry a median of $26,974 in student loans. Soon after graduation, photography degree recipients from Lesley University generally make around $31,846. That is a strong return on a $26,974 median debt. Lesley University admits about 97% of applicants.

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Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.