Best Film Schools Near Las Cruces, NM (2026)

Las Cruces, New Mexico has 1 accredited school offering film programs. Las Cruces has a population of about 112,612. Median household income is $55,176 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In New Mexico, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $54,000 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Film Schools to Las Cruces

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

New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Las Cruces, NM 3.8 miles from Las Cruces
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,067
Avg net price $8,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 121

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Film Wages Near Las Cruces

Las Cruces is part of the Las Cruces, NM metro area (BLS area code 29740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Mexico statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $49,400 NM statewide $54,767
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $49,050 NM statewide $54,379
Producers and Directors N/A NM statewide
Special Effects Artists and Animators $54,000 NM statewide $59,867
Audio and Video Technicians $47,070 NM statewide $52,184
Sound Engineering Technicians $45,690 NM statewide $50,654
Writers and Authors N/A NM statewide
Graphic Designers $43,940 Las Cruces, NM $48,714

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.


Las Cruces at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 112,612 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,176 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 90.2 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Las Cruces-Area Cities With Film Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Las Cruces, NM?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering film programs near Las Cruces. The closest is New Mexico State University-Main Campus in Las Cruces, NM (3.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New Mexico State University-Main Campus (3.8 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Las Cruces?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Las Cruces are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($54,000), Film and Video Editors ($49,400), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($49,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Mexico statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in El Paso instead of Las Cruces?

El Paso, TX is 39.2 miles from Las Cruces 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 Las Cruces an affordable place to study film?

Las Cruces’s median household income of $55,176 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Las Cruces while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Mexico 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 Las Cruces

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

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.