Film/Video and Photographic Arts at University of Hartford

The numbers here tell a tough story: University of Hartford film graduates earn $17,521 in their first year—about 30% below Connecticut's already-modest median for film programs and in just the 5th percentile nationally. That first-year figure is barely above poverty level for a single person, and while earnings do climb 55% by year four to $27,227, that's still roughly what peers at nearby Quinnipiac earn right out of the gate.

The $27,000 debt load means graduates owe more than 1.5 times their first-year earnings, a ratio that makes standard loan repayment genuinely difficult in those early years. Even among Connecticut's eight film programs—none of which produce particularly strong earnings—this one ranks below the state median. Film is a notoriously challenging field for early earnings anywhere, but these outcomes suggest Hartford's program struggles to provide the connections or skills that help graduates land even entry-level positions with livable wages.

If your child is committed to film and Hartford specifically, understand they'll likely need financial support during those first years or a side job that may limit their ability to pursue creative work. The moderate sample size means these numbers are reasonably reliable. Programs like Quinnipiac's demonstrate that Connecticut film graduates *can* do better, which makes this a hard case to justify at this debt level unless other factors—specific faculty, equipment, or opportunities—strongly differentiate Hartford's program.