How much debt do Oberlin College film and photography graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,500, which ranks the lowest of 5 film and photography bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $270 a month over 10 years.

Is a film and photography degree from Oberlin College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 108% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 98%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Oberlin College Film and Photography (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Private nonprofit college
Oberlin, OH
About 14 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Oberlin College film and photography graduates earn about what film and photography graduates earn nationally, $23,519 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Two other Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$23,51933rd percentile of 145 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,500The lowest of 5 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings108%Ohio median 109%, national 98%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Ohio and national columns are the medians across all film and photography bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Oberlin College	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,519	$23,519	$25,256
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,500	$26,375	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	108%	109%	98%
Programs compared		5	145

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio film and photography program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Ohio medians.

Oberlin CollegeOther Ohio programs

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 $270 a month, or 13.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Cleveland area are about 6% below the national average, so a $23,519 salary here buys what about $25,041 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

$69,350

Median pay in Ohio. 1,610 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $44,950Top 10%: $122,450

Photographers

$38,470

Median pay in Ohio. 1,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $23,670Top 10%: $80,990

Film and Video Editors

$56,410

Median pay in Ohio. 340 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $28,280Top 10%: $91,110

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

$64,860

Median pay in Ohio. 520 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $43,080Top 10%: $104,830

About Oberlin College

Tuition and fees	$67,366 / year
Average net price after aid	$38,645 / year
Admission rate	34%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	81%
Undergraduate students	2,887

Film and Photography ranks 4th of 11 bachelor's programs at Oberlin College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($61,713), Neuroscience ($34,593), and Political Science ($30,187).

Other film and photography bachelor's programs near Oberlin

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit		$23,519	$25,500
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	32 mi	$22,263	$26,774

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,519 one year after graduating. The median across film and photography bachelor's programs in Ohio is $23,519.

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 Ohio 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

Film and Photography bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Film and Photography bachelor's programs in the US, ranked145 programs by pay and debt All Oberlin College programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt