BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Film Schools Near Athens, OH (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Athens, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering film programs. Athens has a population of about 23,211. Median household income is $37,059 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 67.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Ohio, the top-earning film-related role is Producers and Directors at a median $69,350 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:
BOCSCORE
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.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Ohio schools on the Ohio film page.
Film Wages Near Athens
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Ohio, statewide)
Film and Video Editors
$56,410
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
$64,860
Producers and Directors
$69,350
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$67,000
Audio and Video Technicians
$49,890
Sound Engineering Technicians
$64,030
Writers and Authors
$65,930
Graphic Designers
$60,080
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.
How many accredited film schools are near Athens, OH?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Athens. The closest is Ohio University-Main Campus in Athens, OH (0.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ohio State University-Main Campus (67.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying film roles in Ohio?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying film-related roles in Ohio are: Producers and Directors ($69,350), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($67,000), Writers and Authors ($65,930). Wages for Athens workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Parkersburg instead of Athens?
Parkersburg, WV is 30.1 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.
Is Athens an affordable place to study film?
Athens’s median household income of $37,059 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Athens while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio 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.
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.
