Best Film Schools Near West Bend, WI (2026)

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

West Bend, Wisconsin has 5 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $51,170 to $69,849 per year for indexed programs. West Bend has a population of about 31,722. Median household income is $75,043 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Wisconsin, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $64,890 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to West Bend

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

Milwaukee, WI 28.1 miles from West Bend
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,990
Avg net price $15,014/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 152

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI 29.2 miles from West Bend
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 81%
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,257
Avg net price $31,487/yr
Tuition
In‑state$51,170
Out‑of‑state$51,170
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 120

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Whitewater, WI 49.2 miles from West Bend
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,356
Avg net price $14,158/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lawrence University

Appleton, WI 59.2 miles from West Bend
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
59.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 64%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,789
Avg net price $23,401/yr
Tuition
In‑state$56,982
Out‑of‑state$56,982
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI 65.9 miles from West Bend
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,792
Avg net price $17,354/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 246

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

Green Bay, WI 76.7 miles from West Bend
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,553
Avg net price $9,918/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 86

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Northcentral Technical College

Wausau, WI 130.4 miles from West Bend
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,925
Avg net price $10,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 104

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near West Bend

West Bend is part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area (BLS area code 33340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Wisconsin statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $64,640 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $66,708
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $52,920 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $54,613
Producers and Directors $63,320 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $65,346
Special Effects Artists and Animators $64,890 WI statewide $66,966
Audio and Video Technicians $52,020 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $53,684
Sound Engineering Technicians $55,090 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $56,852
Writers and Authors $63,910 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $65,955
Graphic Designers $61,780 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $63,756

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.

West Bend at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 31,722 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $75,043 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other West Bend-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near West Bend, WI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near West Bend. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI (28.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Madison (65.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near West Bend?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near West Bend are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($64,890), Film and Video Editors ($64,640), Writers and Authors ($63,910). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Wisconsin statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Germantown instead of West Bend?

Germantown, WI is 13.1 miles from West Bend 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 West Bend an affordable place to study film?

West Bend’s median household income of $75,043 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in West Bend while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin 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 West Bend

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

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 Wisconsin: Online Programs (2026)