Plainfield, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs, with tuition ranging from $31,360 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. Plainfield has a population of about 45,705. Median household income is $142,265 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $66,490 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Photography Schools to Plainfield
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Plainfield, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Plainfield city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Plainfield.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,327
Avg net price
$11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 9
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
48%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,313
Avg net price
$18,558/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Key stats- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 7
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 15
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,195
Avg net price
$26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 13
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,852
Avg net price
$22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,054
Avg net price
$14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,262
Avg net price
$21,989/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 12
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois photography page.
Photography Wages Near Plainfield
Plainfield is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Photographer | $36,810 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $35,531 |
| Graphic Designer | $66,490 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $64,180 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Plainfield at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 45,705 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $142,265 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 54.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Plainfield-Area Cities With Photography Programs
- Romeoville, IL – 6.5 mi away (39,706 pop)
- Crest Hill, IL – 6.7 mi away (21,169 pop)
- Oswego, IL – 7.3 mi away (34,571 pop)
- Joliet, IL – 7.9 mi away (148,262 pop)
- Bolingbrook, IL – 8.1 mi away (74,518 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited photography schools are near Plainfield, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs near Plainfield. The closest is College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL (17.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Prairie State College (31.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying photography roles near Plainfield?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Plainfield are: Graphic Designer ($66,490), Photographer ($36,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Romeoville instead of Plainfield?
Romeoville, IL is 6.5 miles from Plainfield and has its own set of local photography programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Plainfield an affordable place to study photography?
Plainfield’s median household income of $142,265 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Plainfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Photography Programs
Other Programs Available in Plainfield
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Plainfield:
- Medical Billing and Coding programs in Plainfield, IL
- Medical Assistant programs in Plainfield, IL
- Pharmacy Technician programs in Plainfield, IL
- Health Science programs in Plainfield, IL
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Plainfield, IL
- Entrepreneurship programs in Plainfield, IL
- Interior Design programs in Plainfield, IL
- Sustainability Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Plainfield, IL
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Plainfield, IL
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Plainfield, IL
- Journalism programs in Plainfield, IL
- Public Relations programs in Plainfield, IL
- Communication Disorders programs in Plainfield, IL
- Speech Pathology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Technical Communication programs in Plainfield, IL
- Professional Writing programs in Plainfield, IL
- Strategic Communications programs in Plainfield, IL
- Business Development programs in Plainfield, IL
- Construction Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Economics programs in Plainfield, IL
- Financial Technology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Plainfield, IL
- Health Information Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Hospitality Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- International Business programs in Plainfield, IL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Plainfield, IL
- Management Information Systems programs in Plainfield, IL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Operations Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Public Administration programs in Plainfield, IL
- Real Estate programs in Plainfield, IL
- Recreation Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Retail Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Risk Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Statistics programs in Plainfield, IL
- Taxation programs in Plainfield, IL
- Corrections programs in Plainfield, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Plainfield, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Plainfield, IL
- Criminology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Plainfield, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Fire Science programs in Plainfield, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Plainfield, IL
- Legal Services programs in Plainfield, IL
- Legal Studies programs in Plainfield, IL
- Paralegal programs in Plainfield, IL
- Security Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Plainfield, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Plainfield, IL
- Innovation programs in Plainfield, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Plainfield, IL
- Software Development programs in Plainfield, IL
- User Experience programs in Plainfield, IL
- Web Development programs in Plainfield, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Plainfield, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Plainfield, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Plainfield, IL
- Public Health programs in Plainfield, IL
- Human Resources programs in Plainfield, IL
- Project Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Special Education programs in Plainfield, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Plainfield, IL
- Marketing programs in Plainfield, IL
- Finance programs in Plainfield, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Sports Management programs in Plainfield, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Plainfield, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Plainfield, IL
- Biology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Communications programs in Plainfield, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Plainfield, IL
- Human Services programs in Plainfield, IL
- MBA programs in Plainfield, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Plainfield, IL
- Nursing programs in Plainfield, IL
- Business Administration programs in Plainfield, IL
- Computer Science programs in Plainfield, IL
- Psychology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Education programs in Plainfield, IL
- Engineering programs in Plainfield, IL
- Technology programs in Plainfield, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Plainfield, IL
- Healthcare programs in Plainfield, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Plainfield, IL
- Accounting programs in Plainfield, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Plainfield, IL
- Social Work programs in Plainfield, IL
- Counseling programs in Plainfield, IL
Data verified: August 25, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
← Back to Best Photography Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)
