Best Film Schools Near Annapolis, MD (2026)

Annapolis, Maryland has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $35,810 to $54,630 per year for indexed programs. Annapolis has a population of about 40,744. Median household income is $104,257 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $90,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Film Schools to Annapolis

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

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

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#1

Anne Arundel Community College

Arnold, MD 5.5 miles from Annapolis
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,219
Avg net price $14,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD 23.7 miles from Annapolis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,860
Avg net price $15,678/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Maryland Institute College of Art

Baltimore, MD 24.2 miles from Annapolis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,212
Avg net price $42,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD 25.5 miles from Annapolis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
88.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,555
Avg net price $18,809/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 164

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Stevenson University

Owings Mills, MD 34.7 miles from Annapolis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,079
Avg net price $26,505/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

McDaniel College

Westminster, MD 50.1 miles from Annapolis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,663
Avg net price $21,916/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Frederick Community College

Frederick, MD 59.1 miles from Annapolis
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,449
Avg net price $9,465/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Film Wages Near Annapolis

Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area (BLS area code 12580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Maryland statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $79,560 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $76,134
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $65,870 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $63,033
Producers and Directors $80,850 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $77,368
Special Effects Artists and Animators $90,050 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $86,172
Audio and Video Technicians $65,270 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $62,459
Sound Engineering Technicians $74,890 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $71,665
Writers and Authors $87,020 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $83,273
Graphic Designers $75,790 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $72,526

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.


Annapolis at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,744 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $104,257 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 53.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 104.5 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Annapolis-Area Cities With Film Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Annapolis, MD?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Annapolis. The closest is Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD (5.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Howard University (27.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Annapolis?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Annapolis are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($90,050), Writers and Authors ($87,020), Producers and Directors ($80,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Maryland statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Bowie instead of Annapolis?

Bowie, MD is 12.8 miles from Annapolis 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 Annapolis an affordable place to study film?

Annapolis’s median household income of $104,257 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Annapolis while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Maryland 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 Annapolis

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.