### SUMMARY

 Choosing to study Photography is a valuable choice and naturally a requisite first step for scholars endeavoring to enter a career as a studio photographer, a medical illustrator, or a photo technician. Interestingly, photography is a very rare degree being the 194th most popular degree. Last academic year, there were 1,219 photography graduates. In-state tuition for photography at private institutions is, on average, 3.4 times more spendy than their public peers.

 With just 131 universities offering photography you may have limited options as to the institutions you can choose from. If you are looking to immerse yourself with other photography majors, consider looking at schools in New York which have more undergrads admitted to photography than any other state. Zooming out, the top region to get a degree in photography is in the Mid East region with [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school), [Rochester Institute of Technology](/colleges/rochester-institute-of-technology), and [School of Visual Arts](/colleges/school-of-visual-arts) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection of the top conference to major in photography is the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association with [Rochester Institute of Technology](/colleges/rochester-institute-of-technology) representing the conference. From our extensive list on the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best school for photography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university).

 The overall best school might not actually be the 'best' school for you. There might be tons more perspectives to weigh when choosing school. Things like campus amenities, transportation services, and food might definitely alter one's decision on where to go to university. At authority.org, we've evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which photography university has the top campus, the answer is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If, for example, you are primarily interested in which school is home to the best campus, then we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, student reviews, professor reviews, and more in order to compare every major in the United States in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can find our well researched list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand our pick of the university with the best student life for photography is [Rhode Island School of Design](/colleges/rhode-island-school-of-design). Curious why? Keep scrolling to discover more about our top recommendations. Some of our decisions will probably surprise you.

 If expense is a major deciding factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [Syracuse University](/colleges/syracuse-university). [Syracuse University](/colleges/syracuse-university)&nbspappears to be our most expensive school for photography, at least regarding out of state students. We do have an entire list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that could put the expense at [Syracuse University](/colleges/syracuse-university)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you could be interested to know that photography is the 171st most expensive degree in the United States, with an average bill of $32,400. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for photography nationally is Rhode Island demonstrated with a cost of $51,800 at the main college in the state Rhode Island School of Design. Even more broadly, the most expensive region of the country for photography is the Mid East region which is best demonstrated with [Pratt Institute-Main](/colleges/pratt-institute-main) with a cost of $51,754, [Syracuse University](/colleges/syracuse-university) with a cost of $50,616, and [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university) with a cost of $52,146.

 Our cheapest region for photography is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790. On the bright side, the most affordable university for photography is [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college). Authority.org's full list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state attendees can anticipate paying in the neighborhood of $11,400 for a degree in photography. The price swells dramatically to an average of $24,500 for an out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our choice for the school representing the best value for photography: [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). Through this link you will see our comprehensive list of the schools we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. Bear in mind, this discussion is predicated on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for photography students can cover a wide range, but within two-years of leaving college students will often make around $47,900. While there is much variation in earnings potential; top earners can enjoy pay up to $89,700. Straight out of college, the lowest end jobs within the photography field make $26,100, which could be worse. The top earning graduates for photography come from [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university)&nbspand if you want to find the colleges with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The all-around diversity of photography is on the higher end, being within the 57th percentile of all programs. The college with the highest composite diversity for photography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the colleges which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Photography major is only within the 72nd percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is even lower in the 48th percentile. White students compose the largest share at 62% of scholars studying photography. Additionally, 66% of students pursuing a photography major are women.

 We have insufficient professors data for photography to make the conclusions we normally would have made in this sentence. As we including information other than simply rankings we find that the university with the best professors for photography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). One can find an explanation of our ever evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the finest professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the most difficult university to get into for photography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have a general page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we hope you believe that considering university through a lens primarily formed from superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental issues. We at Authority encourage you to look at some of our more focused pages on individual universities and peruse a few of our background pages on essential things to look out for as your university search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 Photography is the 194th most popular degree in America, with 1,219 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #195 [Physiological Psychology](/rankings/best-colleges-for-physiological-psychology), and narrowly lost to #193 [Web Design](/rankings/best-colleges-for-web-design).

 The degree is offered at a total of 131 colleges across the nation, and is the 128th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 5% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 50% of colleges offering photography are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most photography graduates, largely led by [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school), while it’s the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school) and [Rochester Institute of Technology](/colleges/rochester-institute-of-technology).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more photography graduates than [Cabrillo College](/colleges/cabrillo-college), which graduated 82 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study photography). More students studied photography as a percentage of total students at [Maine College of Art](/colleges/maine-college-of-art) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Photography is the 171st most expensive major in the United States, with a median cost of $32,411 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #172, [Information Technology](rankings/best-colleges-for-information-technology), with a median cost of $32,310).

 The Mid East has the most expensive schools with top 50 photography programs led by [Pratt Institute-Main](/colleges/pratt-institute-main) with an annual cost of $51,754. Rhode Island is the most expensive state for photography led by [Rhode Island School of Design](/colleges/rhode-island-school-of-design).

 Public schools with solid programs generally charge 70.83% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 37.51% less than your average private school. So, if you're trying to find a state school, make sure you qualify for in-state tuition ASAP.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [Syracuse University](/colleges/syracuse-university), which is the 94th most expensive college in the US. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Universidad del Sagrado Corazon](/colleges/universidad-del-sagrado-corazon). It costs just $4,800 per year and is its photography program is ranked #49. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable school, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo)  could be for you, ranked #25 with an in-state cost of just $5,790. Another more affordable pick would be #19, [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college) in Westchester County, NY with a cost of $7,070 for in-state students and $16,980 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Enrolling in college is a serious investment for most. It's critical to make sure you justify that cash outlay. We intend for the following career and income information to assist you in making an intelligent decision when electing your focus.

 The average Photography major draws a first year income of $25,270 a year (bottom 4%). After a bit more time in their vocations, they usually make somewhere between $26,053 and $89,718, but average more or less $47,937. For context, that's 24% more than the national average.

 The most common work position for a Photography graduate is Technical Support Specialist, which commonly earn more or less $41,000; next are Business Analyst and Marketing Internship, which typically make around $55,000 and $24,000 respectively.

 The Southwest has the most well paid Photography graduates. TN has the highest grossing Photography graduates of any state. The highest grossing conference for Photography graduates is Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.



### STUDENTS

 College is a profoundly poignant investment in one's life; it is an occasion for personal growth and development. Undergrads try to find out who they can be and build the indispensable skills to be a thriving member of society. But growth isn't exclusively confined to a classroom - the interactions one has with his peers, the personal lesson received from an eccentric professor, the exposure to a different take on things. As such, attending a diverse college vastly enhances what you gain from your time spent in school.

 Photography is a slightly more ethnically diverse subject than average\*. 62% of America's Photography majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(14%), latino students (12%), and black students (7%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Seattle University](/colleges/seattle-university)&nbspin Seattle, WA.

 Second, Photography significatly skews female, with 66% of students majoring in Photography identifying as women. [Eastern Mennonite University](/colleges/eastern-mennonite-university) in Harrisonburg, VA has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

  Another important type of diversity is income diversity. Photography is more financially diverse than 72% of subjects. 27% of its students come from families who take home below $30,000 a year, 16% are from lower middle>income families, and 27% grew up in households with $110,000 plus annual incomes. [Oakland University](/colleges/oakland-university) is the most economically diverse college in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall CA is the most diverse state for Photography. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Sunshine State Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 4%
* Black: 7%
* Latino: 12%
* White: 62%
* Other: 14%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 34%
* Female: 66%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 27%
* 30k - 48k: 16%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 27%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 63%
* Out of State: 31%
* International: 6%


2023 Photography Cost

There are about 10,740 students enrolled in Photography in the USA.

COST