Best Film Schools Near Athens, GA (2026)

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

Athens, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering film programs. Athens has a population of about 137,582. In Georgia, the top-earning film-related role is Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film at a median $85,050 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Athens

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

Athens, GA 0.5 miles from Athens
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
88.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,726
Avg net price $13,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 241

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near Athens

Athens is part of the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area (BLS area code 12020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $51,280 GA statewide $54,962
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $85,050 GA statewide $91,158
Producers and Directors $79,950 GA statewide $85,691
Special Effects Artists and Animators $81,390 GA statewide $87,235
Audio and Video Technicians $40,360 Athens-Clarke County, GA $43,258
Sound Engineering Technicians $77,010 GA statewide $82,540
Writers and Authors $74,710 GA statewide $80,075
Graphic Designers $47,750 Athens-Clarke County, GA $51,179

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.

Athens at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Athens-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Athens, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Athens. The closest is University of Georgia in Athens, GA (0.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Emory University (56.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Athens?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Athens are: Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($85,050), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($81,390), Producers and Directors ($79,950). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Winder instead of Athens?

Winder, GA is 20.4 miles from Athens 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.

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 Athens

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

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 Georgia: Online Programs (2026)