Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, California · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 9/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Los Angeles Film School scores 9 (Below Benchmark). The 41.3% completion rate means nearly six in ten enrolled students never graduate. Most critically, only 33.1% of borrowers are reducing their loan balance after three years - meaning two-thirds of LAFS borrowers are not making progress on their debt. The 63.2% Pell rate means a majority of students are low-income and at the highest financial risk. Every program in the Scorecard data earns an F-grade ROI.
How Los Angeles Film School scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score9/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Los Angeles Film School
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | N/A/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | N/A/yr |
| Average net price | $30,980/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $123,920 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $31,632 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $268 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 41.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 5,472 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: N/A/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $30,980/year, or roughly $123,920 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $30,655/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $37,462/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,250, which works out to about $268 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,900) and comes to 0.84, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $30,655 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $30,952 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $32,250 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $31,598 |
| $110,001+ | $37,462 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $30,655 net per year - about $122,600 over four years. This is extremely high for low-income families, and the data shows the majority of LAFS students are in this income bracket. At $29,900 average earnings, low-income LAFS students who borrow and complete the degree face a financial position where their degree-level earnings may not materially exceed what they would have earned without the degree, while carrying significant debt. Those who do not complete face even worse outcomes.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $32,250 net per year - about $129,000 over four years. This is near full-price for middle-income families. At $29,900 average earnings, the financial return does not support this investment for most graduates.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $37,462 net per year - about $150,000 over four years. Families who can pay without borrowing face lower financial risk than students who borrow, but the opportunity cost of $150,000 against entertainment industry entry-level wages remains a poor financial trade.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Los Angeles Film School with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $35,151 | F |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | $37,857 | F |
| Graphic Communications | $34,138 | F |
| Design and Applied Arts | $34,769 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Film/Video is LAFS's largest program at 207 graduates, earning $22,596 at year one and $35,151 at year four. Debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.870 (ROI grade F) and $42,250 median debt means graduates owe 1.87 times annual earnings at graduation. Entry-level film industry roles in Hollywood are notoriously low-paying and competition is intense. Graduates face years of debt service on income that does not cover their borrowing.
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
Arts/Entertainment/Media Management (116 graduates) earns $18,706 at year one and $37,857 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.366 (ROI grade F) and $44,250 median debt. Graduates owe nearly 2.4 times their annual salary at graduation on an $18,706 starting wage. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.366 means financial recovery from this program will take many years under favorable circumstances.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts (46 graduates) earns $26,583 at year one and $34,769 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.928 (ROI grade F) and $51,250 median debt. Graduates owe nearly twice their annual salary immediately after graduation. At a four-year earnings ceiling of $34,769, recovery of this debt load requires income growth significantly beyond what the Scorecard data shows.
Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications (85 graduates) earns $15,529 at year one and $34,138 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.141 (ROI grade F) and $33,250 median debt. The financial case for this program at this school is not supported by the Scorecard data.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 29.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 33.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 31.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 55.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Los Angeles Film School’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2011-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 5,472 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 63.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,540 |
No acceptance rate is reported in the Scorecard, and no SAT/ACT data is available. For-profit specialty schools of this type typically accept most applicants who can obtain federal financial aid. Prospective students should treat admissions as the beginning of a financial commitment evaluation, not an academic achievement.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
LAFS's ROI is 9.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Film School (this school) | 9 | $30,980 | $31,632 |
| University of Silicon Valley | 23 | $27,815 | $51,017 |
| Academy of Art University | 10 | $40,613 | $39,008 |
| Strayer University-Georgia | 9 | $18,318 | $40,092 |
| South University-Savannah Online | 7 | $28,049 | $34,421 |
| American InterContinental University System | 6 | $15,172 | $36,144 |
Who Thrives Here
LAFS is a private for-profit institution in Hollywood with no reported acceptance rate. The 63.2% Pell rate indicates LAFS enrolls a majority low-income student population who are borrowing heavily against earnings that will likely not cover the debt. Students passionate about film, media production, or the entertainment industry should examine the LAFS outcomes data carefully before enrolling, and should consider the actual entry-level entertainment industry labor market.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Los Angeles Film School scores 9/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $30,980 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $31,632 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 41.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 33.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Los Angeles Film School: Common Questions
Is Los Angeles Film School worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Los Angeles Film School scores 9/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $30,980 a year after aid against $31,632 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Los Angeles Film School cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $30,980 a year, or roughly $123,920 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Los Angeles Film School graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $31,632 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Los Angeles Film School?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Los Angeles Film School. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Los Angeles Film School graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,250, against average earnings of $29,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Los Angeles Film School?
The six-year graduation rate is 41.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.