Best Film Schools Near Fort Collins, CO (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Fort Collins, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $10,383 to $44,918 per year for indexed programs. Fort Collins has a population of about 169,705. Median household income is $83,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Writers and Authors at a median $102,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Fort Collins

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer film programs near Fort Collins, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Collins 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:

  • 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 Fort Collins. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, CO 38.8 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
73.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,738
Avg net price $25,346/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,666
Out‑of‑state$44,918
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Front Range Community College

Westminster, CO 44.7 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,910
Avg net price $13,031/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Emily Griffith Technical College

Denver, CO 55.6 miles from Fort Collins
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
74.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,487
Avg net price $7,197/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:Accreditor: Council on Occupational EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Denver, CO 56.8 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 75%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,270
Avg net price $11,900/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,383
Out‑of‑state$29,391
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Red Rocks Community College

Lakewood, CO 57.4 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,288
Avg net price $9,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, CO 59.1 miles from Fort Collins
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
47.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,592
Avg net price $8,656/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,470
Out‑of‑state$17,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of Denver

Denver, CO 60.4 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,155
Avg net price $36,131/yr
Tuition
In‑state$61,398
Out‑of‑state$61,398
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO 118.2 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
63.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 18%
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,222
Avg net price $33,375/yr
Tuition
In‑state$70,734
Out‑of‑state$70,734
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado film page.

Film Wages Near Fort Collins

Fort Collins is part of the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area (BLS area code 22660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $84,620 CO statewide $83,699
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990 CO statewide $74,174
Producers and Directors $64,990 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $64,283
Special Effects Artists and Animators $91,290 CO statewide $90,297
Audio and Video Technicians $56,790 CO statewide $56,172
Sound Engineering Technicians $60,630 CO statewide $59,970
Writers and Authors $102,570 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $101,454
Graphic Designers $62,060 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $61,385

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.

Fort Collins at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 169,705 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,598 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 59.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Fort Collins-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Fort Collins, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Fort Collins. The closest is University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, CO (38.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Red Rocks Community College (57.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Fort Collins?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Fort Collins are: Writers and Authors ($102,570), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($91,290), Film and Video Editors ($84,620). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Loveland instead of Fort Collins?

Loveland, CO is 9.1 miles from Fort Collins and has its own set of local film programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Collins an affordable place to study film?

Fort Collins’s median household income of $83,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Collins while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado 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 Film Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Collins

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Collins:

Data verified: September 5, 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 Film Schools in Colorado: Online Programs (2026)