Top Film, Video and Photographic Arts Programs in the South
Updated
Part of Best Art & Design Colleges in the South
Regional list from Best Film, Video and Photographic Arts Programs by Earnings
This page ranks the 30 Film, Video and Photographic Arts programs in the South by median earnings of Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing. American University leads the list with median earnings of $52,661 four years after completing, followed by University of Miami at $52,032.
Across the listed programs, earnings range from $52,661 to $23,649, with a median of $40,530.
The list includes 17 public and 13 private nonprofit institutions. Clayton State University reports the lowest average net price at $8,365, while University of Houston ranks 13th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American University · Washington, DC | $52,661 | $41,943 | $23,233 | 62.0% |
| American University reports median earnings of $52,661 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, with 53 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of Miami · Coral Gables, FL | $52,032 | $37,244 | $15,978 | 18.9% |
| University of Miami admits 19% of applicants and its Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $17,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 3 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $50,713 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| Ranks 3rd on this list, University of Maryland-College Park shows an average net price of $15,678 and a median of $19,000 in federal debt across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 4 | George Mason University · Fairfax, VA | $50,086 | $17,915 | $11,942 | 87.5% |
| George Mason University reports median earnings of $50,086 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $17,915. | |||||
| 5 | Florida State University · Tallahassee, FL | $46,180 | $11,297 | $5,938 | 24.2% |
| Florida State University ranks 5th on this list and its Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,538 in federal loans. | |||||
| 6 | Maryland Institute College of Art · Baltimore, MD | $43,227 | $42,729 | $32,389 | 76.8% |
| Maryland Institute College of Art has an average net price of $32,389 for families earning under $30,000, and its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing earned a median of $43,227. | |||||
| 7 | Liberty University · Lynchburg, VA | $43,025 | $29,357 | $30,667 | 99.0% |
| Liberty University admits 99% of applicants and its Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed left with a median of $22,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 8 | Georgia State University · Atlanta, GA | $42,457 | $15,931 | $13,787 | 55.4% |
| Georgia State University reports median earnings of $42,457 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, with 217 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 9 | The University of Tampa · Tampa, FL | $42,090 | $36,211 | $30,011 | 40.3% |
| The University of Tampa ranks 1089th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows an average net price of $36,211. | |||||
| 10 | Belmont University · Nashville, TN | $42,033 | $33,147 | $22,950 | 95.3% |
| Belmont University reports median earnings of $42,033 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, and its completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 11 | Savannah College of Art and Design · Savannah, GA | $41,651 | $49,430 | $44,858 | 83.0% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design has an average net price of $44,858 for families earning under $30,000, and its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing earned a median of $41,651. | |||||
| 12 | University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL | $41,255 | $10,411 | $5,816 | 40.1% |
| University of Central Florida, a public university in Orlando, admits 40% of applicants and reports 192 graduates in the earnings cohort for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts program. | |||||
| 13 | Ringling College of Art and Design · Sarasota, FL | $41,024 | $57,742 | $47,261 | 69.7% |
| Ringling College of Art and Design reports median earnings of $41,024 four years after completing and a median federal debt of $27,000 among Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 14 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts · Winston Salem, NC | $41,000 | $14,906 | $3,165 | 30.0% |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts admits 30% of applicants and posts an average net price of $14,906. | |||||
| 15 | University of South Carolina-Columbia · Columbia, SC | $40,962 | $22,811 | $12,634 | 60.2% |
| With median earnings of $40,962 four years after completing, University of South Carolina-Columbia ranks 15th on this list and counts 100 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 16 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK | $40,097 | $15,300 | $10,509 | 76.6% |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus carries a median federal debt of $21,063 among Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years out earn a median of $40,097. | |||||
| 17 | Texas State University · San Marcos, TX | $39,473 | $16,805 | $12,715 | 89.3% |
| Texas State University posts an average net price of $16,805 and ranks 40th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 18 | Emory University · Atlanta, GA | $39,369 | $22,585 | $7,363 | 10.7% |
| Emory University ranks 123rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $39,369 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Stevenson University · Owings Mills, MD | $38,813 | $26,505 | $15,894 | 78.9% |
| Stevenson University posts median earnings of $38,813 four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $27,000 among Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 20 | Virginia Commonwealth University · Richmond, VA | $37,958 | $23,433 | $17,512 | 92.6% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University admits 93% of applicants and reports median earnings of $37,958 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | University of Central Arkansas · Conway, AR | $37,484 | $16,511 | $14,656 | 89.5% |
| University of Central Arkansas ranks 21st on this list, with an average net price of $16,511 and 43 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 22 | Middle Tennessee State University · Murfreesboro, TN | $37,274 | $13,359 | $9,289 | 69.1% |
| Middle Tennessee State University reports a median federal debt of $18,797 among Film, Video and Photographic Arts completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $37,274 four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | John Brown University · Siloam Springs, AR | $36,796 | $20,397 | $17,484 | 76.1% |
| John Brown University ranks 1063rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries an average net price of $20,397. | |||||
| 24 | Clayton State University · Morrow, GA | $36,510 | $8,365 | $7,405 | 68.5% |
| Clayton State University posts median earnings of $36,510 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $8,365. | |||||
| 25 | University of North Carolina Wilmington · Wilmington, NC | $34,184 | $20,109 | $10,778 | 64.2% |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington reports median earnings of $34,184 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing, with 84 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 26 | Southern Methodist University · Dallas, TX | $29,685 | $40,892 | $23,544 | 63.4% |
| A private nonprofit university in Dallas, Southern Methodist University posts an average net price of $40,892 and an admission rate of 63%. | |||||
| 27 | University of Houston · Houston, TX | $27,204 | $14,276 | $10,929 | 73.9% |
| University of Houston ranks 27th on this list and reports median earnings of $27,204 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 28 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette · Lafayette, LA | $25,967 | $13,530 | $11,157 | 87.0% |
| Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates from University of Louisiana at Lafayette report median earnings of $25,967 four years after completing, with 11 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 29 | University of Georgia · Athens, GA | $24,035 | $13,936 | $8,085 | 37.7% |
| With an admission rate of 38%, University of Georgia reports an average net price of $8,085 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 30 | Saint Edward's University · Austin, TX | $23,649 | $25,578 | $20,799 | 81.4% |
| Saint Edward's University ranks 30th on this list, with median earnings of $23,649 for its Film, Video and Photographic Arts graduates four years after completing and 7 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Photography graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the South appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. For 6 of the 30 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked American University and second-ranked University of Miami is $629.
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- Best Colleges in the South
- Art & Design Colleges in the South for Social Mobility
- Best Art & Design Colleges in the South