Which state pays film and photography bachelor's graduates the most?

Michigan, where the median program pays its graduates $25,256 in their first year, the highest of 6 state rankings. California is next, at $24,840.

Which film and photography bachelor's program pays the most?

Tufts University in Massachusetts reports the highest first-year pay of the 137 programs ranked here, $56,418.

How much debt do film and photography bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 98% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Film and Photography (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

145 programs report first-year pay
6 state rankings
Bachelor's in Film/Video and Photographic Arts

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median film and photography bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $25,256 in their first year and $42,042 five years after. Michigan has the highest state median ($25,256), and Ohio the lowest ($23,519). The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$25,256Across 145 programs

Median pay after 5 years$42,042Across 132 programs

Median federal debt$25,000Across 141 programs

Debt-to-earnings98%Across 133 programs

All 137 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	$56,418	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
2	Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	$51,772	$53,765	Not reported	$27,000	52%
3	Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	$41,833	$42,314	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
4	RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	$38,508	$35,392	Not reported	$23,250	60%
5	Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	$36,704	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,000	68%
6	Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	$35,795	$32,329	$65,834	$19,123	53%
7	University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL · private nonprofit	$35,485	$34,314	$36,961	$18,500	52%
8	USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$34,187	$30,877	$53,923	$21,687	63%
9	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$33,610	$34,629	$44,971	$26,864	80%
10	SNHUManchester, NH · private nonprofit	$33,578	Not adjusted	Not reported	$33,345	99%
11	Woodbury UniversityBurbank, CA · private nonprofit	$32,477	$29,333	$51,579	$27,000	83%
12	University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	$32,126	Not adjusted	$35,512	$24,000	75%
13	UMass DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA · public	$31,886	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
14	Lesley UniversityCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	$31,846	$30,112	$44,851	$26,974	85%
15	Florida StateTallahassee, FL · public	$31,689	Not adjusted	$58,465	$20,476	65%
16	University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE · public	$31,172	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
17	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$31,148	$30,939	$48,485	$20,534	66%
18	Seattle Film InstituteSeattle, WA · private for-profit	$30,789	$28,771	Not reported	$24,000	78%
19	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$30,697	Not adjusted	$42,386	$23,250	76%
20	Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$30,526	$27,570	Not reported	$20,804	68%
21	Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit	$30,256	$28,273	$28,355	$24,583	81%
22	Belmont UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	$30,188	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,500	68%
23	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$29,958	$30,377	$44,896	$19,875	66%
24	George Fox UniversityNewberg, OR · private nonprofit	$29,745	Not adjusted	$36,616	$23,625	79%
25	UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	$29,696	$26,821	$66,565	$19,000	64%
26	University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	$29,634	Not adjusted	$45,389	$22,500	76%
27	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$29,613	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,833	67%
28	Montana StateBozeman, MT · public	$29,608	$31,283	$41,239	$24,495	83%
29	Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	$29,253	Not adjusted	Not reported	$24,864	85%
30	GCUPhoenix, AZ · private nonprofit	$29,094	Not adjusted	$47,224	$28,625	98%
31	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$29,011	$26,202	$38,182	$15,693	54%
32	Columbus College of Art & DesignColumbus, OH · private nonprofit	$28,994	$31,252	$40,134	$27,000	93%
33	RITRochester, NY · private nonprofit	$28,858	$26,740	$51,613	$27,000	94%
34	University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	$28,634	$29,347	Not reported	$22,313	78%
35	UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · public	$28,608	$25,838	$52,687	$15,000	52%
36	University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	$28,561	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
37	Wheaton College (Massachusetts)Norton, MA · private nonprofit	$28,498	Not adjusted	Not reported	$24,250	85%
38	Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	$28,474	$26,170	$49,366	$27,000	95%
39	University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	$28,289	$31,408	$36,506	$24,750	87%
40	California Institute of the ArtsValencia, CA · private nonprofit	$28,247	$25,512	Not reported	$27,000	96%
41	Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	$28,202	$30,698	Not reported	$19,270	68%
42	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$28,138	$28,461	$48,574	$24,063	86%
43	Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY · private nonprofit	$28,028	Not adjusted	$64,947	$17,993	64%
44	Huntington UniversityHuntington, IN · private nonprofit	$27,455	$29,417	Not reported	$26,996	98%
45	Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	$27,348	$28,423	$42,656	$27,000	99%
46	CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	$27,290	$24,648	$38,272	$18,266	67%
47	Keene State CollegeKeene, NH · public	$27,261	$26,171	$45,890	$27,000	99%
48	John Paul the Great Catholic UniversityEscondido, CA · private nonprofit	$27,221	$24,585	Not reported	$26,925	99%
49	Emerson CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$27,032	Not adjusted	$52,518	$24,250	90%
50	Portland StatePortland, OR · public	$27,028	$26,149	$44,469	$25,000	92%
51	University of Central ArkansasConway, AR · public	$26,939	$30,987	$19,899	$22,983	85%
52	City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	$26,918	$24,942	$47,856	Not reported	Not reported
53	American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	$26,767	Not adjusted	$69,028	$23,250	87%
54	University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	$26,641	$25,762	$40,328	$20,500	77%
55	University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY · public	$26,630	$24,675	$50,882	$24,509	92%
56	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$26,502	$27,544	$42,211	$27,000	102%
57	Saint Cloud StateSaint Cloud, MN · public	$26,332	$26,700	$34,107	Not reported	Not reported
58	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	$26,331	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	103%
59	DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$26,164	$26,175	$49,205	$24,717	94%
60	Minneapolis College of Art and DesignMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	$26,156	$26,522	$31,566	$27,000	103%
61	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$26,147	$29,793	$44,273	$25,000	96%
62	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$26,054	$25,879	$55,707	$21,500	83%
63	Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$25,835	$23,334	Not reported	$27,000	105%
64	Oral Roberts UniversityTulsa, OK · private nonprofit	$25,696	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
65	Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · private nonprofit	$25,690	$24,476	Not reported	$27,000	105%
66	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$25,565	Not adjusted	$49,997	$19,760	77%
67	BYUProvo, UT · private nonprofit	$25,506	$25,799	$44,912	$12,000	47%
68	New Mexico StateLas Cruces, NM · public	$25,344	$27,484	$35,433	$15,625	62%
69	Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	$25,256	$26,249	$41,264	$25,899	103%
70	Eastern Washington UniversityCheney, WA · public	$25,090	$23,446	$48,000	Not reported	Not reported
71	California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit	$25,031	$22,607	Not reported	$26,988	108%
72	Marymount Manhattan CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$25,014	$23,178	Not reported	$27,000	108%
73	Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	$24,869	$23,044	$48,104	$7,134	29%
74	UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	$24,840	$22,435	$47,385	$20,500	83%
75	University of MontanaMissoula, MT · public	$24,679	$26,075	$36,392	$26,400	107%
76	Sacramento StateSacramento, CA · public	$24,618	$22,234	$53,310	$16,205	66%
77	Wright StateDayton, OH · public	$24,617	$26,534	Not reported	$26,750	109%
78	Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$24,561	$22,183	$45,035	$23,250	95%
79	College for Creative StudiesDetroit, MI · private nonprofit	$24,350	$25,307	$41,247	$27,000	111%
80	Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	$24,345	$24,951	$42,474	$25,000	103%
81	Full Sail UniversityWinter Park, FL · private for-profit	$24,078	Not adjusted	$34,243	$27,000	112%
82	University of North Carolina School of the ArtsWinston Salem, NC · public	$24,053	Not adjusted	$43,562	$27,000	112%
83	George MasonFairfax, VA · public	$23,989	$23,727	$49,691	$25,000	104%
84	SCADSavannah, GA · private nonprofit	$23,976	Not adjusted	$44,203	$27,000	113%
85	Columbia College ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$23,905	$23,915	$36,486	$26,000	109%
86	NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$23,869	$22,117	$56,749	$22,250	93%
87	UW-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI · public	$23,840	$25,336	$41,542	$27,000	113%
88	Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	$23,782	Not adjusted	$44,112	$25,000	105%
89	University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC · public	$23,686	$25,265	$40,191	$25,750	109%
90	UCFOrlando, FL · public	$23,676	$22,894	$36,327	$21,375	90%
91	UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · public	$23,614	$21,328	$45,511	$16,439	70%
92	Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit	$23,519	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,500	108%
93	Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ · public	$23,418	Not adjusted	$45,594	$19,000	81%
94	Academy of Art UniversitySan Francisco, CA · private for-profit	$23,354	$21,093	$39,174	$36,500	156%
95	Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA · public	$23,126	$21,610	$41,604	$23,000	99%
96	VCURichmond, VA · public	$23,109	$22,857	$43,942	$26,000	113%
97	Art Center College of DesignPasadena, CA · private nonprofit	$22,988	$20,762	$33,995	$31,000	135%
98	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	$22,843	Not adjusted	$53,340	Not reported	Not reported
99	Massachusetts College of Art and DesignBoston, MA · public	$22,764	$21,525	$42,630	$25,965	114%
100	SUNY OswegoOswego, NY · public	$22,682	$21,017	$44,107	$25,798	114%
101	DeSales UniversityCenter Valley, PA · private nonprofit	$22,651	Not adjusted	$48,623	$27,000	119%
102	Kansas City Art InstituteKansas City, MO · private nonprofit	$22,619	Not adjusted	$43,448	$27,000	119%
103	CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	$22,601	$21,932	$44,272	$20,000	88%
104	Los Angeles Film SchoolHollywood, CA · private for-profit	$22,596	$20,408	Not reported	$42,250	187%
105	Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	$22,588	$23,458	$42,807	$25,755	114%
106	UNC WilmingtonWilmington, NC · public	$22,315	$23,657	$35,422	$22,052	99%
107	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan CampusTeaneck, NJ · private nonprofit	$22,311	$20,505	Not reported	$25,000	112%
108	Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	$22,263	$23,997	$38,453	$26,774	120%
109	Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	$22,011	$22,876	$27,634	$27,000	123%
110	The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$21,523	$19,943	$53,471	$25,829	120%
111	University of Nevada-Las VegasLas Vegas, NV · public	$21,491	$21,496	$39,968	$18,500	86%
112	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$21,397	$19,325	$44,541	$16,300	76%
113	Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleCarbondale, IL · public	$21,322	$21,331	$34,839	$19,500	91%
114	Champlain CollegeBurlington, VT · private nonprofit	$21,092	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	128%
115	Pace UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$20,775	Not adjusted	$54,429	$25,238	121%
116	Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · public	$20,611	$19,931	Not reported	$6,500	32%
117	Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA · private nonprofit	$20,512	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,500	110%
118	California College of ASULos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit · closed	$20,483	$18,500	$37,746	$28,334	138%
119	Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	$20,476	$18,973	$35,878	$13,622	67%
120	School of Visual ArtsNew York, NY · private for-profit	$20,312	$18,821	$34,499	$27,000	133%
121	University of OregonEugene, OR · public	$20,041	$19,389	$35,905	$24,500	122%
122	Bowling Green StateBowling Green, OH · public	$19,803	$21,345	$43,486	$26,000	131%
123	Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$19,758	$20,250	Not reported	$25,379	128%
124	UC DavisDavis, CA · public	$19,258	$17,393	$50,629	$18,000	93%
125	Cal Poly HumboldtArcata, CA · public	$19,107	$17,257	Not reported	$23,162	121%
126	Webster UniversitySaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit	$19,071	$20,999	$33,345	$23,700	124%
127	Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI · public	$18,685	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
128	San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	$18,654	$16,848	$48,379	$17,850	96%
129	Ringling College of Art and DesignSarasota, FL · private nonprofit	$18,551	Not adjusted	$29,879	$27,000	146%
130	SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	$18,128	$16,797	$37,180	$26,949	149%
131	Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	$17,701	Not adjusted	$51,503	$27,000	153%
132	University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	$17,521	Not adjusted	$29,401	$27,000	154%
133	Maryland Institute College of ArtBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$17,500	Not adjusted	$39,347	$27,000	154%
134	Pratt InstituteBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	$16,710	$15,484	$34,194	$27,000	162%
135	New York Film AcademyBurbank, CA · private for-profit	$16,415	$14,826	Not reported	$31,000	189%
136	Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public	$15,952	$16,566	Not reported	$27,896	175%
137	Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	$15,906	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,928	132%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 97 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 40, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

11 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay. One of these schools has since closed.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. 8 more programs report pay but aren't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name their schools. The national medians above still count them.

Film and Photography (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's film and photography bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Michigan	7	$25,256	$27,000
2	California	25	$24,840	$21,687
3	Pennsylvania	5	$24,345	$25,190
4	Florida	7	$24,078	$20,500
5	New York	18	$23,826	$25,798
6	Ohio	5	$23,519	$26,375

Programs in 32 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Miami Dade College, FL$6,500
Hunter College, NY$7,134
Brooklyn College, NY$13,622
UC Santa Barbara, CA$15,000
UC Berkeley, CA$15,693
Sacramento State, CA$16,205
UC Irvine, CA$16,300
UC Santa Cruz, CA$16,439
San Francisco State, CA$17,850
Vassar College, NY$17,993

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 64 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to film and photography, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$90,360

Median pay in the US. 143,120 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $45,780Top 10%: $198,540

Photographers

$44,660

Median pay in the US. 51,760 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $30,820Top 10%: $91,810

Film and Video Editors

$75,420

Median pay in the US. 25,610 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $40,280Top 10%: $148,550

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

$74,990

Median pay in the US. 21,550 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,520Top 10%: $135,180

Common questions

The median film and photography bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $25,256 in their first year and $42,042 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024