2026 Best Film & Video Production Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Film & Video Production degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their film & video production programs.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 42 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for film & video production students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Film & Video Production in the Great Lakes Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the film & video production degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Film & Video Production
University Of Wisconsin Madison tops our 2026 ranking of the best film & video production schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Madison. Roughly 90% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 53 film & video production degrees were awarded at University Of Wisconsin Madison in the most recent year. Film & Video Production graduates of University Of Wisconsin Madison earn a median of $59,877 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $21,813 to complete this degree.
See the full film & video production program report for University Of Wisconsin Madison
Marquette University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best film & video production schools. Set in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 83%. About 24 film & video production degrees were awarded at Marquette University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, film & video production degree recipients from Marquette University generally make around $60,443. Students borrow a median of $24,122 to complete this degree.
See the full film & video production program report for Marquette University
A rank of #3 makes Xavier University one of the top schools for film & video production. Set in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 68% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 12 film & video production degrees were awarded at Xavier University in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Xavier University earn around $55,045 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,614.
More information about a degree in film & video production from Xavier University
Students looking for a strong film & video production program will find one at Depaul University, which ranked #4. Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Roughly 68% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 304 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Depaul University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, film & video production degree recipients from Depaul University generally make around $25,028. Students borrow a median of $24,717 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in film & video production from Depaul University
A rank of #5 makes Ohio University Main Campus one of the top schools for film & video production. Ohio University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the town of Athens. Roughly 65% of students complete a degree within six years here. Ohio University Main Campus awarded about 17 film & video production degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the film & video production program make about $49,736 in their early career. Ohio University Main Campus graduates carry a median of $24,546 in student loans.
Read more about the film & video production program at Ohio University Main Campus
Taylor University landed the #6 spot for film & video production this year. Located in the rural area of Upland, Taylor University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 74%. About 16 film & video production degrees were awarded at Taylor University in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Taylor University earn around $45,090 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $21,832.
Read more about the film & video production program at Taylor University
Huntington University landed the #7 spot for film & video production this year. Located in the town of Huntington, Huntington University is a small private not-for-profit university. Huntington University graduates 64% of students within six years. About 29 film & video production degrees were awarded at Huntington University in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Huntington University earn around $27,455 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,996 to complete this degree.
Read more about the film & video production program at Huntington University
Columbia College Chicago landed the #8 spot for film & video production this year. Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Columbia College Chicago graduates 52% of students within six years. About 236 film & video production degrees were awarded at Columbia College Chicago in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Columbia College Chicago earn around $29,694 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
Get the full film & video production details for Columbia College Chicago
Northcentral Technical College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best film & video production schools. Located in the city of Wausau, Northcentral Technical College is a moderately-sized public university. There were roughly 13 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Northcentral Technical College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Northcentral Technical College earn around $41,696 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $11,709.
Get the full film & video production details for Northcentral Technical College
Wayne State University earned the #10 position for film & video production this year. This very large public university is located in the city of Detroit. Roughly 58% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 25 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Wayne State University in the most recent data year. Film & Video Production graduates of Wayne State University earn a median of $55,469 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $29,500.
See the full film & video production program report for Wayne State University
College For Creative Studies placed #11 among the best film & video production schools. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Detroit. The six-year graduation rate is 71%. College For Creative Studies awarded about 13 film & video production degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, film & video production degree recipients from College For Creative Studies generally make around $24,350. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
See the full film & video production program report for College For Creative Studies
Sinclair Community College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best film & video production schools. Set in the city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a very large public institution. About 22 film & video production degrees were awarded at Sinclair Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the film & video production program make about $35,348 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $12,525.
Get the full film & video production details for Sinclair Community College
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College came in at #13 for film & video production this year. Set in the city of Green Bay, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is a large public institution. About 10 film & video production degrees were awarded at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College earn around $42,016 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $14,997 to complete this degree.
Read more about the film & video production program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Cleveland State University came in at #14 for film & video production this year. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University is a large public university. About 51% of students finish within six years. About 71 film & video production degrees were awarded at Cleveland State University in the most recent year. Graduates of the film & video production program make about $22,263 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,774.
More information about a degree in film & video production from Cleveland State University
Oakland University came in at #15 for film & video production this year. Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland University is a large public university. About 58% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 14 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Oakland University in the most recent data year. Film & Video Production graduates of Oakland University earn a median of $22,011 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in film & video production from Oakland University
Cuyahoga Community College District placed #16 among the best film & video production schools. Cuyahoga Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Cleveland. There were roughly 23 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Cuyahoga Community College District in the most recent data year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Cuyahoga Community College District earn around $39,394 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $14,636 to complete this degree.
Read more about the film & video production program at Cuyahoga Community College District
Mott Community College landed the #17 spot for film & video production this year. Mott Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Flint. About 10 film & video production degrees were awarded at Mott Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their film & video production degree from Mott Community College earn around $37,989 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,645.
More information about a degree in film & video production from Mott Community College
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 42 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
