2025 Recognition of Institutional Excellence in Media

The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is pleased to announce the 2025 rankings of schools based on the creative achievement of their students.  The rankings, which began in 2022, are founded on the results from the BEA Festival of Media Arts.  The BEA Festival is the preeminent international media competition focused on student and faculty creative endeavors.  In the last five years alone, nearly 7,250 student creative works were submitted from BEA’s more than 300 member institutions around the globe for BEA’s extensive juried process.   

The BEA rankings take a unique approach to the evaluation of academic media programs from across the globe.  Instead of being an overall evaluation of an academic unit’s curriculum and structure, comparison of institutions is done by looking at outcomes.  Those outcomes are the quality and consistency of student’s creative works from one participating institution as compared to others.  While BEA has been systematically evaluating student work for over 30 years, the annual rankings are based on the past five-year period of student success.   

Schools and students can submit their creative content in multiple media categories including Audio, Documentary, Film & Video, Interactive Multimedia & Emerging Technologies, News, Scriptwriting, and Sports.  Student creative work goes through a rigorous blind-juried process that includes multiple evaluations by both academic and professional experts from across the country.  Standards for Festival winners are quite high.  On average, only the top 20% of entries are even considered for awards. These finalists are then judged for five levels of awards: First Place, Second Place, Third Place, Award of Excellence and the special honor of being Best of Festival.  The rankings take into account both the quantity and quality of student works.  For instance, Best of Festival winners are given a higher weight than Awards of Excellence.    

Each school’s student achievements are then calculated and ranked for each of the seven competition categories. Additionally, there is an Overall Ranking based on a combined achievement across the multiple media creative disciplines, and specifically in this case, combined across all Festival competitions. Newer categories without five years of results were not considered for this year’s rankings.  While the BEA honors outstanding achievements of both faculty and students, the rankings focus solely on student accomplishments.  In the “2025 BEA Festival School Rankings,” 159 schools are represented with student winners. The statistics are compiled and confirmed by the BEA Festival Advisory Committee, which is made up of past Festival Chairs and Creative Directors. 

2025 Top Winning Overall Programs

Rank	School
1	University of Oklahoma
2	Arizona State University
3	Syracuse University
4	University of Florida
5	Huntington University
6	Ball State University
7	Taylor University
8	Missouri State University
9	Elon University
10	University of Miami
11	Rowan University
12	Goshen College
13	Michigan State University
13	Pennsylvania State University
15	West Virginia University
16	Huntington University Arizona
17	Brigham Young University
18	University of Georgia
19	The American University in Cairo
20	Bethany Lutheran College
21	James Madison University
22	University of Southern Indiana
23	Hofstra University
24	St. Cloud State University
24	University of North Texas
26	University of Nebraska Lincoln
27	University of Southern California
28	Appalachian State University
29	Middle Tennessee State University
30	Palm Beach Atlantic University
31	University of Maryland
32	Ithaca College
33	Marshall University
34	York College of Pennsylvania
35	Liberty University
35	University of South Carolina
37	Purdue University Northwest
38	University of North Carolina Wilmington
38	Xavier University
40	Harding University
41	Ohio University
41	University of Connecticut
43	University of Arkansas
44	Colorado State University
45	Southern Illinois University Carbondale
46	Northern Arizona University
47	Northwest Missouri State University
48	Fort Hays State University
48	SUNY Oswego
50	California State University Fullerton
50	Weber State University
52	Oklahoma State University
53	Texas Christian University
54	Drake University
54	University of Alabama
56	Kentucky Wesleyan College
57	Midwestern State University
58	Ferris State University
58	Loyola University Chicago
60	John Carroll University
61	Kansas State University
61	University of Indianapolis
63	Linfield University
64	St. Bonaventure University
65	San Jose State University
66	University of Nebraska-Omaha
67	Furman University
67	Westminster College
69	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
70	Temple University
70	University of Central Oklahoma
72	San Francisco State University
73	SUNY New Paltz
73	University of Montevallo
75	University of Kentucky
75	University of West Georgia
77	University of Denver
78	Regent University
78	University of Texas at Arlington
80	Central Michigan University
81	Loyola Marymount University
82	Bethel University
82	Georgia College & State University
84	Gordon College
84	Mississippi State University
84	North Carolina Central University
84	SUNY Brockport
84	Western Kentucky University
89	University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
90	Illinois State University
91	Lee University
92	Nottingham Trent University
92	University of Tennessee
94	Baylor University
94	Champlain College
94	College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
94	San Diego State University
94	University of Central Florida
94	University of Toledo
100	University of Cincinnati
100	Buffalo State University
100	Purdue University
100	University of Nevada, Reno

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Audio Programs

Rank	School
1	Taylor University
2	Rowan University
3	Missouri State University
4	Goshen College
5	Arizona State University
6	University of Southern Indiana
7	Elon University
8	Liberty University
9	Huntington University
10	York College of Pennsylvania
11	Kentucky Wesleyan College
12	The American University in Cairo
13	Marshall University
14	University of Nebraska-Omaha
15	Harding University
16	Linfield University
16	SUNY Oswego
18	Southern Illinois University Carbondale
19	West Virginia University
20	John Carroll University
20	Syracuse University
22	North Carolina Central University
22	University of Nebraska-Lincoln
24	Nottingham Trent University
24	Texas Christian University
24	University of Indianapolis
27	University of Texas at Arlington
28	Northwest Missouri State University
28	University of West Georgia
30	Michigan State University
31	Kansas State University
32	Berry College
32	Furman University
32	SUNY Brockport

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Documentary Programs

Rank	School
1	Taylor University
2	University of Florida
3	Arizona State University
4	Midwestern State University
4	Syracuse University
6	University of Oklahoma
7	The American University in Cairo
8	Colorado State University
9	Rowan University
10	Ball State University
11	SUNY New Paltz
12	Ferris State University
13	Fort Hays State University
14	Michigan State University
14	San Diego State University
14	University of Connecticut
17	University of Alabama
18	Brigham Young University
19	Harding University
20	Loyola University Chicago
20	University of Guam
22	Elon University
22	Goshen College
22	Loyola Marymount University
22	University of Central Florida
22	University of Miami

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Film & Video Programs

Rank	School
1	University of Oklahoma
2	Huntington University
3	Huntington University Arizona
4	Elon University
5	Taylor University
5	University of Florida
7	Syracuse University
8	Missouri State University
9	Goshen College
10	Rowan University
11	Bethany Lutheran College
12	University of North Carolina Wilmington
13	James Madison University
13	Palm Beach Atlantic University
15	University of Connecticut
16	Middle Tennessee State University
17	Hofstra University
18	Michigan State University
19	Regent University
20	University of Montevallo
21	Drake University
22	Xavier University
23	Northwest Missouri State University
24	Ball State University
25	University of Maryland
26	Ferris State University
26	Loyola University Chicago
28	Buffalo State University
29	Lee University
30	University of North Texas
31	College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
31	Pennsylvania State University
33	Texas Christian University
33	Weber State University
35	Gordon College
36	Appalachian State University
36	Colorado State University
36	Piedmont University
39	Baylor University
39	Ithaca college
39	Liberty University
39	University of Alabama
39	University of Central Oklahoma
39	University of Georgia
39	Westminster College
39	West Virginia University

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Interactive Multimedia & Emerging Technology Programs

Rank	School
1	Syracuse University
2	West Virginia University
3	San Jose State University
3	Arizona State University
5	University of Southern California
6	Elon University
7	University of North Texas
8	Michigan State University
8	Ohio University
8	University of Seville
11	James Madison University

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning News Programs

Rank	School
1	Arizona State University
2	University of Florida
3	University of Oklahoma
4	Syracuse University
5	University of Miami
6	Pennsylvania State University
7	Brigham Young University
8	Michigan State University
9	West Virginia University
10	University of Southern California
11	University of South Carolina
12	University of Maryland
13	Ball State University
13	Elon University
15	University of Nebraska-Lincoln
16	Rowan University
17	Goshen College
18	Ohio University
18	The American University in Cairo
20	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
21	Appalachian State University
22	California State University Fullerton
22	Northern Arizona University
24	University of North Texas
25	St. Bonaventure University
25	University of Kentucky
27	University of Arkansas
28	SUNY Oswego
28	University of Toledo
30	University of Denver
31	Fort Hays State University
31	Mississippi State University
31	Oklahoma State University
31	University of Memphis
35	Huntington University Arizona
36	Hofstra University
37	Middle Tennessee State University
38	Ithaca College

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Scriptwriting Programs

Rank	School
1	Missouri State University
2	University of Georgia
3	University of Oklahoma
4	Huntington University
5	Purdue University Northwest
6	James Madison University
7	Palm Beach Atlantic University
8	San Francisco State University
9	Xavier University
10	University of North Texas
10	Weber State University
12	University of Alabama
13	Central Michigan University
14	Southern Illinois University Carbondale
14	Westminster College
16	York College of PA
17	Illinois State University
17	New York University
19	Appalachian State University
19	Syracuse University

Back to competitions

2025 Top Winning Sports Programs

Rank	School
1	Ball State University
2	Arizona State University
3	Syracuse University
4	University of Oklahoma
5	University of Miami
6	St. Cloud State University
7	University of Florida
8	Pennsylvania State University
9	Bethany Lutheran College
10	Michigan State University
11	Brigham Young University
12	Elon University
13	Hofstra University
14	Ithaca College
15	Marshall University
16	Northern Arizona University
17	Oklahoma State University
18	Kansas State University
18	Temple University
20	Middle Tennessee State University
20	University of Nebraska-Lincoln
22	Bethel University
23	Taylor University
24	Appalachian State University
24	University of Indianapolis
26	Goshen College
27	University of Southern Indiana
28	West Virginia University
29	University of Cincinnati
29	Purdue University
31	Fort Hays State University
31	Furman University
31	Southeastern Louisiana University
31	St. Bonaventure University
35	Huntington University
35	Ohio University
35	Western Kentucky University

Back to competitions