Best Film Schools Near Tampa, FL (2026)

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

Tampa, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $34,408 to $51,614 per year for indexed programs. Tampa has a population of about 393,389. Median household income is $71,302 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Producers and Directors at a median $74,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Tampa

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

Acceptance rate 40%

Graduation rate 63%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,436

Avg net price $36,211/yr

Tuition

In‑state$34,408

Out‑of‑state$34,408

Contact

401 W Kennedy Blvd Tampa, FL 33606-1490
(813) 253-3333
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 83%
Programs offered: 73

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDS College Scorecard

Graduation rate 34%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,782

Avg net price $3,861/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

39 Columbia Drive Tampa, FL 33606-3584
(813) 253-7000
Visit website

Key stats

Programs offered: 88

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

Film Wages Near Tampa

Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors	$60,430	FL statewide	$59,891
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film	$63,230	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$62,666
Producers and Directors	$74,810	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$74,143
Special Effects Artists and Animators	$74,140	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$73,479
Audio and Video Technicians	$53,970	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$53,489
Sound Engineering Technicians	$70,360	FL statewide	$69,732
Writers and Authors	$72,560	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$71,913
Graphic Designers	$62,900	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$62,339

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.

Tampa at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	393,389	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$71,302	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	44.6%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	100.9 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Tampa-Area Cities With Film Programs

Temple Terrace, FL – 5.4 mi away (26,515 pop)
Pinellas Park, FL – 18.5 mi away (52,137 pop)
Saint Petersburg, FL – 19.3 mi away (260,999 pop)
Clearwater, FL – 19.4 mi away (114,361 pop)
Plant City, FL – 19.9 mi away (38,200 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Tampa, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Tampa. The closest is The University of Tampa in Tampa, FL (3.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florida Southern College (30.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Tampa?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Tampa are: Producers and Directors ($74,810), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($74,140), Writers and Authors ($72,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Temple Terrace instead of Tampa?

Temple Terrace, FL is 5.4 miles from Tampa 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 Tampa an affordable place to study film?

Tampa’s median household income of $71,302 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Tampa while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Tampa

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

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 Florida: Online Programs (2026)