Calvin University Film and Photography (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Film/Video and Photographic Arts
- Private nonprofit university
- Grand Rapids, MI
- About 12 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Calvin University film and photography graduates earn less than graduates of most film and photography programs nationally, $15,906 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,928 in federal loans, less than at 76% of film and photography programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Michigan median of $25,256.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all film and photography bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan film and photography program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $222 a month, or 16.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Grand Rapids area are about 4% below the national average, so a $15,906 salary here buys what about $16,647 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
$65,720Median pay in Michigan. 2,310 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$44,660Median pay nationwide. 970 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$59,100Median pay in Michigan. 360 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$55,290Median pay in Michigan. 380 people work in this job in Michigan. 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 Calvin University
Film and Photography ranks 16th of 16 bachelor's programs at Calvin University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,682), Computer Science ($73,145), and Engineering ($68,852).
Other film and photography bachelor's programs near Grand Rapids
Common questions
The median graduate earns $15,906 one year after graduating. The median across film and photography bachelor's programs in Michigan is $25,256.
The median federal loan balance is $20,928, which ranks 2nd lowest of 7 film and photography bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $222 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 132% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 98%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.
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 Michigan 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