2026 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois
[Film, Video & Photographic Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/film-video-and-photographic-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong film, video & photographic arts education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 15 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value film, video & photographic arts schools.
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2026 Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the film, video & photographic arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Chicago the best value for a degree in film, video & photographic arts in Illinois. University Of Chicago 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 $69,324. Students borrow a median of $15,854 to complete the film, video & photographic arts program here. Film, Video & Photographic Arts graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of $81,002 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,854 median debt. University Of Chicago admits about 4% of applicants.
Columbia College Chicago came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value film, video & photographic arts schools. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,088. Film, Video & Photographic Arts graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Early-career film, video & photographic arts graduates make about $29,694. That is a strong return on a $26,000 median debt. Columbia College Chicago admits about 90% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in film, video & photographic arts will find it at Depaul University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,405. Students borrow a median of $24,717 to complete the film, video & photographic arts program here. Early-career film, video & photographic arts graduates make about $25,028. Set against $24,717 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Depaul University admits about 76% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 15 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
