Academy of Art University Film and Photography (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Film/Video and Photographic Arts
- Private for-profit university
- San Francisco, CA
- About 56 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Academy of Art University film and photography graduates earn about what film and photography graduates earn nationally, $23,354 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $36,500 in federal loans, more than at 96% of film and photography programs in the country. Several California programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all film and photography bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Academy of Art University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,211 less than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California film and photography program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 68% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $44,469 against $28,875.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $387 a month, or 19.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 55 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $77,708.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
76% of graduates (65 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Francisco area are about 16% above the national average, so a $23,354 salary here buys what about $20,200 buys in a typical US city.
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 all experience levels.
Producers and Directors
$129,790Median pay in California. 34,110 people work in this job in California. 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.
Photographers
$47,840Median pay in California. 7,980 people work in this job in California. 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.
Film and Video Editors
$88,490Median pay in California. 8,110 people work in this job in California. 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.
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
$106,900Median pay in California. 4,700 people work in this job in California. 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.
About Academy of Art University
Film and Photography ranks 7th of 9 bachelor's programs at Academy of Art University by first-year earnings. The top three are Drafting and Design Technology ($48,978), Software and Media Applications ($45,387), and Visual and Performing Arts ($28,494).
Other film and photography bachelor's programs near San Francisco
Common questions
The median graduate earns $23,354 one year after graduating and $39,174 five years after. The median across film and photography bachelor's programs in California is $24,840.
The median federal loan balance is $36,500, which ranks 24th lowest of 25 film and photography bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $387 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 156% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 98%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.
Most do. 76% (65 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the film and photography program.
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
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024