Best Film Schools Near Bellingham, WA (2026)

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

Bellingham, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $33,000 to $55,496 per year for indexed programs. Bellingham has a population of about 92,367. Median household income is $65,821 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Washington, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $133,480 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Bellingham

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

Seattle, WA 76.2 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,466
Avg net price $14,091/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 234

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, WA 76.4 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,506
Avg net price $24,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Seattle Film Institute

Seattle, WA 76.4 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
42.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Avg net price $41,595/yr
Tuition
In‑state$33,000
Out‑of‑state$33,000
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Cornish College of the Arts

Seattle, WA 78.7 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Seattle University

Seattle, WA 79.4 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,272
Avg net price $34,662/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

The Evergreen State College

Olympia, WA 118.4 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
39.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,320
Avg net price $24,319/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,264
Out‑of‑state$31,905
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA 150.4 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,580
Avg net price $18,476/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 99

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA 241.5 miles from Bellingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
59.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,897
Avg net price $13,886/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,586
Out‑of‑state$25,959
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 113

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near Bellingham

Bellingham is part of the Bellingham, WA metro area (BLS area code 13380). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $66,870 WA statewide $64,734
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $60,250 WA statewide $58,325
Producers and Directors $92,220 Bellingham, WA $89,274
Special Effects Artists and Animators $133,480 WA statewide $129,216
Audio and Video Technicians $69,270 WA statewide $67,057
Sound Engineering Technicians N/A WA statewide –
Writers and Authors $85,700 WA statewide $82,962
Graphic Designers $59,850 Bellingham, WA $57,938

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.

Bellingham at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 92,367 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $65,821 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 46.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.3 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Bellingham-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Bellingham, WA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Bellingham. The closest is University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle, WA (76.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Seattle University (79.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Bellingham?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Bellingham are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($133,480), Producers and Directors ($92,220), Writers and Authors ($85,700). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Mount Vernon instead of Bellingham?

Mount Vernon, WA is 24.1 miles from Bellingham 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 Bellingham an affordable place to study film?

Bellingham’s median household income of $65,821 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bellingham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Bellingham

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

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 Washington: Online Programs (2026)