The 86th Academy Awards are here and various film professors at top institutions can help you fill out your ballot as well as use the Oscar-nominated films to teach.

Inside Higher Ed released six expert predictions for the three major categories Best Picture, Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress. The website also asked the professors which film was deserving of being taught in an undergraduate course.

CLICK HERE for the full list of nominees at the 86th Academy Awards, hosted by Ellen DeGenneres and aired Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC.

Miranda Banks, Emerson College

Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Lead Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, "Wolf of Wall Street"

Best Lead Actress: Amy Adams, "American Hustle"

Film Worth Teaching: "'12 Years a Slave' and 'Stories We Tell' are examples of exquisite storytelling"

Lisa Dombrowski, Wesleyan University

Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Lead Actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"

Film Worth Teaching: "'12 Years a Slave,' 'Before Midnight' and 'The Act of Killing' [for being] particularly well-executed and lend themselves to lively discussion"

Trey Ellis, Columbia University

Best Picture: Gravity

Best Lead Actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Lead Actress: Judi Dench, "Philomena"

Film Worth Teaching: "'Her' [because] structure of the film is exquisitely simple and so well laid out"

Denise Hart, Howard University

Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Lead Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"

Best Lead Actress: Amy Adams, "American Hustle"

Film Worth Teaching: "'12 Years a Slave' [for the] depth of portrayal of the history and truth of the African American slave experience"

Jonathan Kuntz, UCLA

Best Picture: "American Hustle"

Best Lead Actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"

Film Worth Teaching: "'Gravity' to discuss modern filmmaking"

John Warren, NYU Tisch School of Arts

Best Picture: "Nebraska"

Best Lead Actor: Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"

Best Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"

Film Worth Teaching: "'American Hustle' for pacing," "'Her' for character," "'12 Years a Slave' for everything."