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 BREAK-EVEN AGE
42
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 graduates in this field never break even on the degree. 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?
- Among Film, Video & Photography programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 42 (FREOPP 2021). 84.7% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- 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