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Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for photography Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for photography Majors in US for 2021:
  1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  2. University of Southern California
  3. University of California, Santa Barbara
  4. Tufts University
  5. Lafayette College
  6. University of California, Irvine
  7. Vanderbilt University
  8. Wesleyan University
  9. University of California, Berkeley
  10. Dartmouth College
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

25 best colleges for photography majors in the US

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,900

2. University of Southern California

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 13%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,400

3. University of California, Santa Barbara

Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Admission rate: 32%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $42,800

4. Tufts University

Location
Medford, MA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $56,600

5. Lafayette College

Location
Easton, PA
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $58,400

6. University of California, Irvine

Location
Irvine, CA
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $44,300

7. Vanderbilt University

Location
Nashville, TN
Admission rate: 10%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,900

8. Wesleyan University

Location
Middletown, CT
Admission rate: 17%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,400

9. University of California, Berkeley

Location
Berkeley, CA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $57,600

10. Dartmouth College

Location
Hanover, NH
Admission rate: 9%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $74,600

11. University of California - Los Angeles

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 14%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,000

12. Stanford University

Location
Stanford, CA
Admission rate: 4%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $92,800

13. SUNY at Binghamton

Location
Vestal, NY
Admission rate: 40%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,700

14. Washington University in St Louis

Location
Saint Louis, MO
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $63,400

15. Yale University

Location
New Haven, CT
Admission rate: 6%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $67,800

16. University of Maryland - College Park

Location
College Park, MD
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $50,100

17. Loyola Marymount University

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $53,000

18. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,900

19. Carleton College

Location
Northfield, MN
Admission rate: 20%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $43,400

20. California State University - Long Beach

Location
Long Beach, CA
Admission rate: 31%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $40,000

21. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Location
Champaign, IL
Admission rate: 62%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,300

22. Purdue University

Location
West Lafayette, IN
Admission rate: 58%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,000

23. SUNY at Buffalo

Location
Buffalo, NY
Admission rate: 56%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,100

24. New York University

Location
New York, NY
Admission rate: 20%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,900

25. University of Miami

Location
Coral Gables, FL
Admission rate: 32%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,500

How we determined the best photography colleges

We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what photography departments offer the best career opportunities:
  • Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
  • Mean Earnings After 10 Years
  • Mean Earnings After 6 Years
  • Admission Rate (More selective the better)
  • Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
  • Median amount of debt
  • Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years