How much debt do USC film and photography graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,687, which ranks 13th lowest of 25 film and photography bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $230 a month over 10 years.

Is a film and photography degree from USC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 98%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

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

Q: Do USC film and photography graduates stay in California?

Most do. 82% (159 of 194) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Private nonprofit university
Los Angeles, CA
About 178 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

USC film and photography graduates earn more than graduates of most film and photography programs nationally, $34,187 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,687 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying film and photography degrees in California.

First-year earnings$34,18794th percentile of 145 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,92358% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,68713th lowest of 25 California programs

Debt-to-earnings63%California median 93%, national 98%

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.

	USC	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,187	$24,840	$25,256
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,923	$47,385	$42,042
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,687	$21,687	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	93%	98%
Programs compared		25	145

Five years out, USC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,538 more 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.

USCOther California programs

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 58% between the first and fifth year.

USC grads, year 1$34,187

USC grads, year 5$53,923

All California film and photography grads, year 5$47,385

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $22,000 against $20,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,743Median debt $22,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$33,972Median debt $20,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $230 a month, or 8.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (182 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	40–49%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% or less

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, 84 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $51,815.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (159 of 194) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $34,187 salary here buys what about $30,103 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

$129,790

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $63,570Top 10%: $306,850

Photographers

$47,840

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $36,470Top 10%: $125,490

Film and Video Editors

$88,490

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $42,020Top 10%: $169,810

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

$106,900

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $53,910Top 10%: $154,240

About USC

Tuition and fees	$72,097 / year
Average net price after aid	$32,740 / year
Admission rate	10%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	92%
Undergraduate students	20,443

Film and Photography ranks 34th of 43 bachelor's programs at USC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($137,284), Software and Media Applications ($103,071), and Real Estate ($98,763).

Other film and photography bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit		$34,187	$21,687
Los Angeles Film SchoolHollywood, CA · private for-profit	6 mi	$22,596	$42,250
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$24,561	$23,250
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$30,526	$20,804
New York Film AcademyBurbank, CA · private for-profit	10 mi	$16,415	$31,000
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	10 mi	$29,696	$19,000
Art Center College of DesignPasadena, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$22,988	$31,000
Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$25,835	$27,000
Woodbury UniversityBurbank, CA · private nonprofit	13 mi	$32,477	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,187 one year after graduating and $53,923 five years after. The median across film and photography bachelor's programs in California is $24,840.

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

Film and Photography bachelor's programs in California, ranked25 programs by pay and debt Film and Photography bachelor's programs in the US, ranked145 programs by pay and debt All USC programs, ranked43 programs by pay and debt