Film/Video and Photographic Arts at Los Angeles Film School

The Los Angeles Film School charges nearly twice the debt of California's typical film program while delivering below-average earnings. First-year graduates earn $22,596—less than both the national median ($25,173) and California's median ($24,840)—while carrying $42,250 in debt. That's nearly double what graduates from other California film schools typically owe and ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for debt levels in this field.

The numbers get more troubling in context: you're paying premium prices (65% of students receive Pell grants, suggesting these aren't families who can easily absorb this debt) for below-median outcomes. Even within California's competitive film market, this program sits at just the 40th percentile for earnings. Compare that to USC graduates starting at $34,187 or UCLA at nearly $30,000—both with significantly less debt—and the value gap becomes stark.

With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.87, graduates would need to spend nearly two years of gross income just to cover their loans. For a field where entry-level positions rarely provide quick financial stability, this creates real hardship. The Hollywood location isn't translating into better employment outcomes or lower debt burdens compared to other California schools with industry connections.