Best Film & Photography Schools (2026): 23 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Film & Photography, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Film & Photography graduate earns $21,229/yr across 23 schools.
BLS projects 2.6% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 44 annual job openings per related program area.
All Film & Photography Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Metropolitan Community College Area
Omaha, NE · Film & Photography |
57
53–59 |
$39,877/yr | 59.7x |
| 2 |
DSDT
Detroit, MI · Film & Photography |
41
36–44 |
$27,870/yr | — |
| 3 |
Community College of Aurora
Aurora, CO · Film & Photography |
39
31–42 |
$20,533/yr | 44.6x |
| 4 |
Miami Dade College
Miami, FL · Film & Photography |
40
37–42 |
$22,587/yr | 38.8x |
| 5 |
Valencia College
Orlando, FL · Film & Photography |
41
32–44 |
$16,635/yr | 74.3x |
| 6 |
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL · Film & Photography |
37
34–40 |
$21,002/yr | 33.4x |
| 7 |
Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology
Orlando, FL · Film & Photography |
37
32–39 |
$21,610/yr | — |
| 8 |
Nashville Film Institute
Nashville, TN · Film & Photography |
37
32–40 |
$22,919/yr | — |
| 9 |
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA · Film & Photography |
36
31–38 |
$30,178/yr | 5.5x |
| 10 |
Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, CA · Film & Photography |
36
31–38 |
$19,434/yr | — |
| 11 |
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis, MN · Film & Photography |
35
28–37 |
$21,172/yr | 24.3x |
| 12 |
Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City, OK · Film & Photography |
35
31–37 |
$21,032/yr | 24.9x |
| 13 |
Seattle Film Institute
Seattle, WA · Film & Photography |
35
30–37 |
$28,447/yr | 7.6x |
| 14 |
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH · Film & Photography |
34
30–37 |
$27,990/yr | 7.5x |
| 15 |
Ohio Media School-Valley View
Valley View, OH · Film & Photography |
34
29–37 |
$16,262/yr | — |
| 16 |
Digital Film Academy
New York, NY · Film & Photography |
34
29–37 |
$16,050/yr | — |
| 17 |
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL · Film & Photography |
33
28–35 |
$25,501/yr | 8.7x |
| 18 |
Illinois Media School
Chicago, IL · Film & Photography |
33
28–36 |
$12,032/yr | — |
| 19 |
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL · Film & Photography |
31
26–34 |
$24,679/yr | 3.7x |
| 20 |
Colegio de Cinematografia Artes y Television
Bayamon, PR · Film & Photography |
29
22–32 |
$7,470/yr | 22.5x |
| 21 |
California College of ASU
Los Angeles, CA · Film & Photography |
29
23–31 |
$19,982/yr | 6.0x |
| 22 |
New York Film Academy
Burbank, CA · Film & Photography |
28
22–30 |
$17,109/yr | 7.3x |
| 23 |
Colegio de Cinematografia Artes y Television
Bayamon, PR · Film & Photography |
26
21–28 |
$7,907/yr | 4.5x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 6 | $22,002/yr | 27 |
| California | 4 | $21,676/yr | 23 |
| Puerto Rico | 2 | $7,689/yr | 20 |
| Washington | 1 | $28,447/yr | 26 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $22,919/yr | 28 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $21,032/yr | 26 |
| Ohio | 1 | $16,262/yr | 25 |
| New York | 1 | $16,050/yr | 25 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | $27,990/yr | 25 |
| Nebraska | 1 | $39,877/yr | 45 |
| Minnesota | 1 | $21,172/yr | 26 |
| Michigan | 1 | $27,870/yr | 32 |
| Illinois | 1 | $12,032/yr | 24 |
| Colorado | 1 | $20,533/yr | 31 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Film & Photography Schools ranks 23 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.