MAJORS · 5 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI

Is a film, video & photography degree worth it?

Part of Visual Arts and Music — see the whole category’s numbers.

On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$151,551, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

−$151,551

across 191 bachelor’s programs · 20,318 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

−$179K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

−$262K ⟷ −$74K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

84.7%

MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE

42

Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

−$149K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$135K

Questions

Is a film, video & photography degree worth it?
On average no — across 191 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Film, Video & Photography is −$151,551 and the median is −$179,245. 84.7% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$261,628 and −$73,642.
How long until a film, video & photography degree pays off?
For Film, Video & Photography, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 42. 84.7% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
Does the school matter for a film, video & photography major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Film, Video & Photography graduates span −$261,628 to −$73,642 — a +$188K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Film, Video & Photography: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/film-video-and-photography