Best Film Schools Near Wheat Ridge, CO (2026)

Wheat Ridge, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $10,383 to $78,476 per year for indexed programs. Wheat Ridge has a population of about 32,158. Median household income is $87,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Film and Video Editors at a median $93,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Film Schools to Wheat Ridge

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer film programs near Wheat Ridge, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Sort:
#1

Red Rocks Community College

Lakewood, CO 4.4 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

#2

Emily Griffith Technical College

Denver, CO 6.5 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

Sponsored Ad
#3

Front Range Community College

Westminster, CO 9.5 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

#4

University of Denver

Denver, CO 9.9 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

Sponsored Ad
#5

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Denver, CO 14.2 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

#6

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, CO 16.4 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

Sponsored Ad
#7

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, CO 18.6 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

#8

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO 65.6 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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

Sponsored Ad

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


Film Wages Near Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). 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 $93,600 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $88,469
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $70,879
Producers and Directors $80,590 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $76,172
Special Effects Artists and Animators $91,290 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $86,285
Audio and Video Technicians $57,970 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $54,792
Sound Engineering Technicians $60,060 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $56,767
Writers and Authors $69,100 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $65,312
Graphic Designers $72,500 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $68,526

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.


Wheat Ridge at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,158 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $87,598 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 105.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Wheat Ridge-Area Cities With Film Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Wheat Ridge, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Wheat Ridge. The closest is Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, CO (4.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus (14.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Wheat Ridge?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Wheat Ridge are: Film and Video Editors ($93,600), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($91,290), Producers and Directors ($80,590). 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 Arvada instead of Wheat Ridge?

Arvada, CO is 4.8 miles from Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge an affordable place to study film?

Wheat Ridge’s median household income of $87,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wheat Ridge:

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.