Film/Video and Photographic Arts at Occidental College

Occidental's film program delivers surprisingly strong first-year earnings—$30,526 puts graduates well above the national median of $25,173 and California's $24,840. The 87th national percentile is impressive, though at 60th percentile statewide, it reflects the reality that California hosts many competitive film schools. Still, outearning the state median matters when programs like Cal State Fullerton and Academy of Art University leave graduates earning $19,000-$21,000 annually.

The debt load of $20,804 looks reasonable compared to the $25,000 national median, yielding a manageable 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio. For context, that means graduates owe roughly eight months of their first-year salary—not ideal, but far from crisis territory in a notoriously challenging field. Location helps here: Los Angeles provides direct access to entertainment industry opportunities that can accelerate career progression beyond what these first-year numbers capture.

The catch is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means one exceptional (or struggling) cohort could skew results dramatically. If your child is confident about film as a career and attracted to Occidental's selective environment, these numbers suggest reasonable outcomes. Just recognize you're investing in an LA-based launching pad, not guaranteed earnings, in an industry where connections and persistence often matter as much as that first paycheck.