Best Film Schools Near Nashville, TN (2026)

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

Nashville, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $42,540 to $62,570 per year for indexed programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In Tennessee, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $83,080 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Nashville

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

SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville

Nashville, TN 1.5 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,544
Avg net price $24,700/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN 2.0 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
91.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $91,565
Avg net price $15,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 157

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Belmont University

Nashville, TN 2.5 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,930
Avg net price $33,147/yr
Tuition
In‑state$42,540
Out‑of‑state$42,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

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#5

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 4.6 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,541
Avg net price $24,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Nossi College of Art and Design

Nashville, TN 5.6 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
34.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,113
Avg net price $24,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $59,280 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $61,558
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $60,800 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $63,136
Producers and Directors $79,590 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $82,648
Special Effects Artists and Animators $83,080 TN statewide $86,272
Audio and Video Technicians $51,370 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $53,344
Sound Engineering Technicians $71,180 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $73,915
Writers and Authors $63,270 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $65,701
Graphic Designers $60,370 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $62,690

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.

Nashville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Nashville. The closest is SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville in Nashville, TN (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lipscomb University (4.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Nashville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Nashville are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($83,080), Producers and Directors ($79,590), Sound Engineering Technicians ($71,180). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville 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 Nashville

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

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 Tennessee: Online Programs (2026)