Urbana, Illinois has 3 accredited schools offering photography programs. Urbana has a population of about 38,447. Median household income is $45,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $60,200 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Photography Schools to Urbana
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Urbana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbana 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 Urbana.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois photography page.
Photography Wages Near Urbana
Urbana is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). 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 | $36,570 | IL statewide | $39,450 |
| Graphic Designer | $60,200 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $64,941 |
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.
Urbana at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 38,447 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $45,854 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 58.4% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 92.7 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Urbana-Area Cities With Photography Programs
- Champaign, IL – 4.0 mi away (155,368 pop)
- Danville, IL – 31.0 mi away (48,785 pop)
- Decatur, IL – 42.8 mi away (89,653 pop)
- Charleston, IL – 43.3 mi away (21,105 pop)
- Bloomington, IL – 47.9 mi away (135,015 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited photography schools are near Urbana, IL?
Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering photography programs near Urbana. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Bradley University (84.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying photography roles near Urbana?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Urbana are: Graphic Designer ($60,200), Photographer ($36,570). 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 Champaign instead of Urbana?
Champaign, IL is 4.0 miles from Urbana 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 Urbana an affordable place to study photography?
Urbana’s median household income of $45,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbana 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 Urbana
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Urbana:
- Medical Billing and Coding programs in Urbana, IL
- Medical Assistant programs in Urbana, IL
- Pharmacy Technician programs in Urbana, IL
- Health Science programs in Urbana, IL
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Urbana, IL
- Entrepreneurship programs in Urbana, IL
- Interior Design programs in Urbana, IL
- Sustainability Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Urbana, IL
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Urbana, IL
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Urbana, IL
- Journalism programs in Urbana, IL
- Public Relations programs in Urbana, IL
- Communication Disorders programs in Urbana, IL
- Speech Pathology programs in Urbana, IL
- Technical Communication programs in Urbana, IL
- Professional Writing programs in Urbana, IL
- Strategic Communications programs in Urbana, IL
- Business Development programs in Urbana, IL
- Construction Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Economics programs in Urbana, IL
- Financial Technology programs in Urbana, IL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Urbana, IL
- Health Information Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Hospitality Management programs in Urbana, IL
- International Business programs in Urbana, IL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Urbana, IL
- Management Information Systems programs in Urbana, IL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Operations Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Public Administration programs in Urbana, IL
- Real Estate programs in Urbana, IL
- Recreation Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Retail Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Risk Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Statistics programs in Urbana, IL
- Taxation programs in Urbana, IL
- Corrections programs in Urbana, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Urbana, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Urbana, IL
- Criminology programs in Urbana, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Urbana, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Fire Science programs in Urbana, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Urbana, IL
- Legal Services programs in Urbana, IL
- Legal Studies programs in Urbana, IL
- Paralegal programs in Urbana, IL
- Security Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Urbana, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Urbana, IL
- Innovation programs in Urbana, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Urbana, IL
- Software Development programs in Urbana, IL
- User Experience programs in Urbana, IL
- Web Development programs in Urbana, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Urbana, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Urbana, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Urbana, IL
- Public Health programs in Urbana, IL
- Human Resources programs in Urbana, IL
- Project Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Special Education programs in Urbana, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Urbana, IL
- Marketing programs in Urbana, IL
- Finance programs in Urbana, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Urbana, IL
- Sports Management programs in Urbana, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Urbana, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Urbana, IL
- Biology programs in Urbana, IL
- Communications programs in Urbana, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Urbana, IL
- Human Services programs in Urbana, IL
- MBA programs in Urbana, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Urbana, IL
- Nursing programs in Urbana, IL
- Business Administration programs in Urbana, IL
- Computer Science programs in Urbana, IL
- Psychology programs in Urbana, IL
- Education programs in Urbana, IL
- Engineering programs in Urbana, IL
- Technology programs in Urbana, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Urbana, IL
- Healthcare programs in Urbana, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Urbana, IL
- Accounting programs in Urbana, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Urbana, IL
- Social Work programs in Urbana, IL
- Counseling programs in Urbana, 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)
