When we set out to compile our latest list of the 30 Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada, we started with a simple question: What schools will help you break into the film and TV industry?
Many excellent schools teach film history and theory, but the ones on this list especially highlight hands-on filmmaking experience that can help you survive in a famously tough field.
Some are obvious choices, like USC, the alma mater of Sinners director Ryan Coogler, and NYU, whose alums include Sean Baker, a four-time Oscar winner for his latest, the Best Picture winning Anora. If you can get into a top-tier school like USC or NYU — and can afford it, perhaps with the benefit of big financial aid packages — of course you should attend.
But we also want to highlight excellent schools that are more affordable, like Danny McBride’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. And we’ve looked for affordable hidden gems like SUNY Stony Brook, where you can learn from one of the most prolific and successful producers in the business, Christine Vachon.
We’ve also sought out great, accessible programs at the community college level, where you can make films while working on a transfer to a major institution — and perhaps find work in the industry as you learn your craft.
We’ve tried to be as clear as possible about costs, and ways of offsetting those costs, but apples-to-apples comparisons are sometimes impossible due to the wide range of programs available.
Not every school on this list will be the right choice for everyone, but we believe that no matter who you are, where you’re coming from, or what type of work you want to pursue, at least one of the schools on this list will be the right choice for you.
Our 2025 List of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada
AFI Conservatory (Los Angeles)
Freddy MacDonald became the youngest Directing Fellow ever accepted to the AFI Conservatory thanks to his short film “Sew Torn,” which evolved into an impressive feature debut released earlier this year, when he was just 24. He calls AFI’s Directing program “absolutely pivotal to my development as a filmmaker.” One of the best-regarded film schools of all, AFI offers a two-year MFA curriculum with intensive training in six disciplines — cinematography, directing, editing, producing, production design and screenwriting. It promises that each student will make between three and 10 films by graduation, and get their money’s worth for the $75,508 in annual tuition. (Financial aid is available.) MacDonald wouldn’t change a thing about his AFI experience: “The hands-on curriculum gave me the tools and space to craft my voice on set, while also pushing me to write the feature that would become my debut,” he told MovieMaker. “With AFI’s incredible support, my thesis film ended up winning a Student Academy Award, which helped launch my feature into production right after graduation. But beyond the skills, it was the community that made AFI so special — collaborators and mentors who continue to shape my creative life.” The equipment, faculty and access to the industry are top-notch, and alums include directors Andrea Arnold, Todd Field, Ari Aster, Patty Jenkins, Terrence Malick and the late David Lynch.
Antioch University (Los Angeles)
Antioch has established itself as one of the best rising opportunities for screenwriters with its MFA in Creative Writing, which takes an apprenticeship approach: Each faculty member works one-on-one with just three to six students each semester. The school draws visits from some of the world’s best storytellers, including Winnie Holtzman (Wicked), Jennifer Lee (Frozen) and Stephen McFeely (The Avengers). During the two-year low-residency MFA program, students work off campus for five-month periods, then gather for 10-day residencies in December and June. The total cost is $48,016, and many students receive substantial grants. Faculty include playwright and actor John Cariani and The Wire veteran Joy Kecken.
Boston University (Boston)
The alumni network at Boston University is remarkable, with entertainment powerhouses ranging from Howard Stern and Andy Cohen to Hong Chau and Julianne Moore having graced the school’s halls. Both Safdie Brothers, including our cover star Benny Safdie, graduated from the College of Communication, where they took advantage of the school’s unique approach to filmmaking, which includes rigorous liberal arts requirements and small classrooms with personalized attention that aim to imbue students with a deep understanding of the essential questions facing us all. Annual undergraduate tuition is $69,870.
CalArts (Santa Clarita, California)
Tim Burton and the late Paul Reubens are among the many fiercely original artists who attended CalArts — so it’s no wonder it’s considered among the most creative schools in the world. CalArts particularly attracts bold, standout animators. Further opportunities to expand creative horizons include student exchange programs at schools like the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bengaluru, India, and Universität der Künste in Berlin. Tuition is roughly $60,000 annually for undergraduate and graduate students.
Chapman University (Orange, California)
The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts’ reputation has steadily climbed thanks to a list of alums including Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, Smile creator Parker Finn, and Twinless writer-director-star James Sweeney. Close to Los Angeles, it offers excellent guests who have recently included recent Anora’s Best Actress Oscar winner Mikey Madison, as well as Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Craig, Selena Gomez, Amanda Seyfried, Colman Domingo, Ava DuVernay, Damien Chazelle, Rodrigo Prieto, Rob Legato and Julie Delpy. Other draws include the superb faculty and the fairly convenient access to Hollywood internships. Dodge is staying current by devoting more classes to innovations in AI, and plans to open a new Virtual Production Studio in February 2026. All students are required to take Film and Media Studies courses to ensure a well-rounded understanding of how Hollywood actually works, while at the same time gaining hands-on moviemaking experience. The annual undergraduate cost of attendance was $64,580 last year for undergraduates and $54,494 for graduate students. But student productions receive $20,000 for every grad thesis film and $15,000 for every undergraduate thesis film, as well as several thousand dollars for each intermediate project.
Columbia College Chicago (Chicago)
The benefits of attending Columbia College include hands-on experience from the beginning, a flexible range of degrees, and a real-world-focused blend of theory and practice. The admirable facilities include a Volume wall and 35,000-square-foot Media Production Center that has three sound stages and three television studios, and students have access to top cameras like the Arri Alexa, Red, and Sony Venice. Though Chicago boasts some of the most acclaimed stage, film and TV productions anywhere — it’s the No. 4 big city on our list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a MovieMaker — the school also offers a Semester in L.A. program based out of the famous Sunset Las Palmas Studio lot. CCC alums include Emmy-winning writer and producer Lena Waithe (Master of None, The Chi), and recent guests have included Andrew Davis, director of the Chicago-shot classic The Fugitive. The many notable faculty include Robert Edgecomb (cinematographer on Netflix’s Eastsiders) and Karla Rae Fuller (author of Do the Right Thing: Storytelling Secrets of Five Screenplays that Embrace Diversity.) The current annual cost for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition is $37,038 per year, and slightly higher for graduate students.
Columbia University (New York City)
Alums of this Ivy League, one of the world’s most prestigious schools, include James Mangold, Kathryn Bigelow and the aforementioned Frozen writer-director Jennifer Lee, former chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation. Notable faculty include former Focus Features CEO and Brokeback Mountain producer James Schamus. Annual undergraduate tuition is $71,170 and graduate tuition is $74,846, but aid opportunities abound: for example, students from families with annual incomes under $150,000 (with typical assets) are able to attend tuition-free, and Columbia awards more than $225 million annually in scholarships and grants.
Drexel University (Philadelphia)
Drexel’s emphasis is on production, and students are behind the camera from their first week to start the process of learning every aspect of filmmaking — from scripting to budgeting to lighting to art direction to editing to titling to music selection. They gain proficiency in all formats, including narrative, documentary, and experimental. Over four years, they complete at least six films, and annually produce an episode of Off Campus, Drexel’s own comedy series. Recent guests have included editors Frederick Thoraval (Promising Young Woman) and Nick Huoy (Barbie), as well as actor John C. Reilly. Faculty include writer-director Alison Bagnall, whose films include The Dish and the Spoon and Funny Bunny; documentarian Ben Kalina, whose films include NOVA’s Can We Cool the Planet?; and Tom Quinn, whose latest film, Colewell, earned two Independent Spirit Award nominations. Annual undergraduate tuition is $61,842, but Drexel offers financial support to 99% of its incoming first-year students: The average scholarship and grant aid offered to these students is $35,631.
Emerson College (Boston)
With more than 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students, the School of Film, Television, and Media Arts combines the benefits of a large department with the intimacy of small classes at a focused college. In addition to the downtown Boston campus, Emerson Los Angeles, the home base for the College’s well-known internship study program, hosts more than 200 students each semester. Graduates include Oscar winners Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, aka The Daniels, who met at Emerson before going on to make the Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. While Emerson takes filmmaking very seriously, the school also happens to have tended the talents of some of the funniest people in Hollywood, including Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Burr and Iliza Shlesinger. Undergraduate tuition last year was $56,032 and graduate tuition per credit was $1,444.
Fairleigh Dickinson University (Madison, New Jersey)
Fairleigh Dickinson prides itself on setting its students up for successful, long-term careers in the film industry, with extensive training across multiple disciplines, a cohort approach to learning, and abundant internship opportunities in the bustling New York/New Jersey production hub. Professors also stress the business of filmmaking, with opportunities to take courses in the Silberman College of Business, and earn a minor in Entertainment Business and Management. “Though hard work is certainly half the battle, I would not be in the position I am today without the hands-on training and dedicated professors at FDU film!” says Conor Stalvy, a 2012 alum. The annual cost of tuition is $35,944.
Full Sail University (Winter Park, Florida)
The potency of Full Sail University’s film program was on full display at this year’s Academy Awards, where 14 alums contributed to five Oscar-winning projects across 11 categories, and 47 graduates were credited on 18 nominated projects including Wicked, The Substance and Alien: Romulus across 21 categories. Additionally, at last year’s Emmy Awards, graduates were credited on prestige projects including The Bear and Shogun. The school’s educational philosophy is project-based, and the learning-by-doing approach results in a rich selection of films that showcase students’ abilities. The cost per credit hour is $567, for a total annual tuition ranging between $20,000 and $28,000. As part of that tuition, students receive hardware and software applicable to their specific degree program’s focus area through a program called Project LaunchBox.
Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles)
The LMU School of Film and Television combines classic Hollywood tradition with an embrace of the new: It recently held an Innovators Film Festival that offered screenings of student short films, discussions, and experiential installations from Sony, Adobe and Google about the ethical use of AI. It even featured LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman’s digital AI twin delivering the keynote address. If that all sounds like something out of a Bond movie, what would you expect from a school that counts 007 producer Barbara Broccoli among its notable alums? Others include L.A. Confidential Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland and Super Mario Bros. director Michael Jelenic, who recently returned as a guest speaker. Other recent guests have included Wicked director Jon M. Chu, American Fiction Oscar winner Cord Jefferson, and masters of the unconventional biopic Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander. The faculty includes Janet Yang, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Undergraduate tuition is $61,867 per year and graduate tuition $1,626 per unit. Many scholarships, grants and contributions from private donors are available.
New York University (New York City)
An elite among elites, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts boasts a faculty that includes Spike Lee, and alums who include the aforementioned Sean Baker, whose four Oscar wins this year came after years of hard work in the DIY trenches, using skills and connections he accumulated at NYU. You may well meet the next Sean Baker in your classes — or better yet, become the next Sean Baker — while standing on the shoulders of giants like Lee and Martin Scorsese, the most famous NYU alum. The Institute of Global Cinematic Arts bears Scorsese’s name and includes the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies and Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, thanks to a massive gift from George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Annual undergraduate tuition is $68,978, and graduate is $79,712, but there’s a generous internship fund named for — you guessed it — Martin Scorsese. (It’s specifically for students who take on internships related to moving image archiving and preservation.) And under the new NYU Promise Program, students from families with income less than $100,000, who hold typical assets, will not have to pay tuition.
Northwestern (Evanston, Illinois)
Northwestern boasts strong connections with Hollywood — through a tight alumni network — and London — thanks to annual spring trips to learn more about the UK film and television industry. It is constantly iterating and improving its offerings, and its latest updates include a new minor in game design, media arts and animation. Undergraduate tuition is roughly $67,000 annually. The many notable Northwestern alums in the entertainment industry include Seth Meyers, Mara Brock Akil, and Greg Berlanti. Berlanti and his husband, Robbie Rogers, recently made a $2 million gift to the university to increase opportunities for students who want to write for the screen and stage.
Oklahoma City Community College (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Oklahoma City Community College credits the success of its film program to its champion, the iconic producer Gray Frederickson, whose three films in the AFI Top 100 include The Godfather. He created the program at OCCC, which was the first in Oklahoma dedicated to developing filmmakers with a command of movie equipment and technology. But the program also benefits from Oklahoma’s flourishing film and TV industry, boosted by productions like Tulsa King, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Twisters. OCCC has some of the lowest tuition costs you’ll find anywhere, and draws students from all over the world, including Kenya, Switzerland, China, Nepal, Italy and more. New initiatives include a partnership with the DeadCenter Film Festival. The Oklahoma resident tuition is just $135.29 per credit hour, and $326.99 per credit hour for non-residents.
Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts Filmmaking Program estimates that 85% of its curriculum is dedicated to hands-on experience, and 15% to film theory. It focuses on three pillars— Narrative, Documentary, and Experiential — to give students a comprehensive understanding of storytelling and filmmaking. Its advantages include an in-house production unit, the Documentary Film Lab, where students can make full-length documentary films to submit to festivals and seek work. It has made more than three dozen films across the globe, sending students as far away as Antarctica, Thailand, Brazil and Zambia. Rutgers offers enviable facilities and industry-standard cameras and other equipment. Faculty include Oscar winner Thomas Lennon and Shawn Snyder, who received the Sloan Commissioning Grant for The Futurist. Mason Gross also offers new forward-thinking courses each year: Recent additions include Horror Film Production, AI and New Technologies In Filmmaking, and Community Engaged Filmmaking. With just over 100 students, the program promises ample one-on-one attention. Annual tuition for the BFA in filmmaking is $14,222 for in-state students, and $33,734 for out of state.
Santa Monica College (Santa Monica, California)
Salvador Carrasco, head of SMC’s film production program, extols the mantra that no student should be denied an opportunity because of socioeconomic background. SMC is one of the most affordable options on this list of best film schools — especially considering its location near the heart of the industry. It offers two-year film studies and film production programs. Students can focus on scholarly theory or filmmaking, and the latter focus provides hands-on production instruction for concentrations in directing, editing, cinematography, and audio. The work is so professional that three SMC films recently played the Oscar-qualifying L.A. Shorts International Film Festival. SMC also boasts an impressive record of transfers to nearby UCLA. Tuition is $46 per unit for California residents, and $398 per unit for non-residents.
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia)
SCAD’s students-first focus is immediately evident when you visit its main campus in Savannah and its locations in bustling Atlanta and the lovely historic village of Lacoste, France. Attend one of its several festivals throughout the year and you’ll be immediately struck not only by the many A-listers who visit the school, but how accessible they are to students looking to soak up as much advice as they can as they launch their careers. SCAD supports them with bountiful resources, like XR Stages for virtual production and the vast backlot at Savannah Film Studios, which offers its services to professional productions that in turn enlist and teach SCAD students. SCAD is known for faculty who are active in the industry, and SCAD graduates may not need to leave Savannah or Atlanta after graduation, given Georgia’s strong film industry. Recent guests have included Toby Jones, who received the Virtuoso Award at June’s SCAD Lacoste Film Festival, and Amy Adams, who received the Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award at the latest SCAD Savannah Film Festival last October. Annual undergraduate tuition is $42,165, and graduate tuition is $43,155, but SCAD offers significant financial aid.
Photo by Christopher Lucas, courtesy of Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University (Ashland, Oregon)
Southern Oregon University’s Digital Cinema Program benefits from strong connections to the local production scene: Students can work on commercial shoots, independent feature films, and short films, as well as fill important staff roles at the Ashland Independent Film Festival. Following a campus reorganization, Digital Cinema is now in the same school as Theater, Design, Fine Arts, Creative Writing, and Emerging Media/Digital Arts, which has created more opportunities for students to collaborate across disciplines. Other opportunities include the unique 12-credit course, The Crew Experience, a term-length production immersion boot camp in which 30 to 40 students participate in the making of a short film from beginning to end. SOU is part of the Green Film School Alliance, and its commitment to the environment includes investing in a state-of-the-art LED lighting grid that will decrease energy use by 75% while adding production capabilities. SOU’s leadership has pledged to generate 100% of its own electricity by 2033 with extensive investments in solar arrays and battery storage. In-state annual tuition is $13,329, while Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition is $18,644 and non-WUE out-of-state tuition is $33,314.
SUNY Stony Brook (Stony Brook, New York)
Producer Christine Vachon has spoken at programs all over the world, and often found students unprepared for the constant surprises of indie moviemaking: “I thought, if I could ever design my own program, I would try to bring the professional world into the classroom constantly.” So when she became the artistic director of SUNY Stony Brook’s MFA in film program, she did exactly that. “We’re trying to mirror the constant change that is happening from one day to the next as our world shifts — strikes, tariffs, whatever it is.” Stony Brook’s faculty also includes Magdalene Brandeis, executive director of the MFA programs in film and television, and Pamela Koffler, who co-founded Killer Films with Vachon. The MFA programs in film and television writing are based at the school’s Manhattan location, and Stony Brook is one of the more affordable schools on this list: It notes that the full cost of its MFA degree in film is about $40,000 for New Yorkers.
Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
Syracuse offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees through two prestigious schools on campus: the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. VPA focuses more on independent filmmaking from development to production, while the Newhouse program is grounded in the realities of a rapidly evolving media industry and teaches students not only how to make compelling content, but how to shape work that resonates on national and international stages. Both programs provide the opportunity to participate in semesters at the Syracuse University Dick Clark Los Angeles Program location in North Hollywood. Last year, annual tuition was $63,710 for undergraduates and $35,010 for graduates.
Temple University (Philadelphia)
Temple’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts is known for educating self-starters with a well-rounded knowledge of theory, history and production. It starts with an emphasis on the theoretical and becomes more hands-on, and students are able to take advantage of top-of-the-line equipment. Based in walkable, story-filled Philadelphia, the university offers an L.A. Study Away internship program to help students learn the ins and outs of the industry. Temple alums include Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randoplh, Jesse Williams, and director Dan Trachtenberg, whose credits include Prey and The Boys. Tuition varies, but is typically around $20,616 annually for in-state undergraduates and $35,712 for out-of-state.
Toronto Film School (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Toronto Film School holds itself to the highest standard: How well its students succeed in the real world. It’s a “boots-on-the-ground type of school,” says its president, Andrew Barnsley. “All of our programs have been designed to prepare students for the realities of working in the creative field. No sugarcoating.” TFS is also straightforward about what it offers for your time and money: The Film Production Diploma takes 18 months to earn, and the program costs $40,908 CAD (roughly $30,000 USD). It’s based in one of the world’s major film hubs, and is led by top industry professionals including Barnsley, an executive producer of the awards-magnet hit Schitt’s Creek. Highlights of the TFS experience include an annual film festival and awards event where student films are screened at the TIFF Lightbox theatre. Other draws include industry-grade equipment, a downtown studio campus, and the promise of a complete demo reel. Students also receive lots of strategic advice for job interviews, assembling a resume, and networking.
University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
One of the best-regarded and most affordable of all universities, UCLA offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and Professional Programs. It accepts only a few dozen students each year to its prestigious Department of Film, Television & Digital Media undergraduate program, and they enjoy a one-to-three faculty-to-student ratio. Students spend two years building a solid foundation of historical, critical, and theoretical studies as they collaborate, then become immersed in production training in their junior year before choosing a concentration senior year. It all culminates in a professional internship and creative project. UCLA also offers MFAs in animation, documentary and narrative production/directing, cinematography, and screenwriting, as well as an MFA in its Producers Program. Meanwhile, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television’s Professional Programs offer graduate-level, competitive-admission certificate programs in disciplines including Acting for the Camera, Producing, Screenwriting, Writing for Television, Directing and Writing for Late Night Comedy. It’s directed by Brian Fagan, and notable alums include Ian Stokell (All Quiet on the Western Front). Undergraduate tuition is $15,700 annually for California residents, with an additional $37,602 for out-of-state students. MFA annual fees are typically $21,115 for in-state and $36,217 for out-of-state. The costs of Professional Programs vary.
University of Colorado Denver (Denver)
CU Denver’s Department of Film & Television ensures students build the right filmmaking foundation by requiring students to take classes in a specific sequence — for example, they learn basic lighting and screenwriting before they begin working on their first films. The intent is also to build strong bonds between students as they learn and work together. Prominent faculty include Eric Jewett, whose credits include Basic Instinct and True Detective, and Rian Johnson, Joe Dante and Lilly Wachowski were among recent guests. Each year culminates in a four-day May event called Cinefest, in which every student film is screened. CU Denver also has a strong Hollywood internship program in which students shadow and learn from working professionals in in the summer. In-state annual tuition is approximately $11,000 per year, and out-of-state is around $28,000. Most students qualify for academic scholarships.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
The alma mater of Danny McBride, David Gordon Green and many other notables offers a top-notch film education at an affordable price. Students can focus on several disciplines — including writing, directing, producing, editing, production design and cinematography — with an approach that blends history and theory with an experiential approach using top-of-the-line equipment. The curriculum blends art and commerce, ensuring that graduates have both industry-standard skills and knowledge of how to put them to use. Recent guests have included Oscar winner Troy Kotsur and UNCSA alum Jeff Nichols, and notable electives include Queer Cinema, Podcast to Film Production, Acting for Non-Actors and History of Black Cinema. UNCSA also has strong connections with international film schools including RISEBA in Riga, Konrad Wolf in Berlin, and IFS Cologne. Undergraduate in-state tuition is $6,497 annually, and out-of-state is $24,231. Graduate in-state tuition is $9,696, and out-of-state is $24,399. The School of Filmmaking also supports students with merit and need-based scholarships, and UNCSA is an inaugural partner in the Posse Arts program, supported by the Miranda Family Fund, which provides full scholarships for talented students from underrepresented backgrounds.
The University of Texas at Austin (Austin)
The Radio-Television-Film program balances film history and theory with hands-on production experience to help students understand every aspect of creating film, TV and games. Students learn about producing, directing, screenwriting, audio, lighting, editing and immersive experiences, while also learning about the contexts in which past classics were created. The school also recently refreshed all of its film equipment. In-state tuition for a Bachelor of Science is $44,920 for four years, while out-of-state tuition is $159,024, and costs vary for advanced programs. Notable alums include actors Matthew McConaughey and Glen Powell, as well as Abbott Elementary coshowrunner Patrick Schumacker and Shogun co-creator Rachel Kondo. New initiatives include Sports Production and Broadcasting classes.
University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
There’s little we can say about USC that hasn’t been said. It’s the world’s first film school, and one of the best — if not the best. Alums include George Lucas, Ron Howard, Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Coogler. The networking opportunities and access to internships and jobs are second to none, and the top-tier technology available to students includes a new LED wall at the Robert Zemeckis Center, named for another famous alum. Though the film school does an excellent job teaching every aspect of moviemaking — and is especially well known for producing great directors — it has also drawn attention lately for launching successful producers like Sev Ohanian, who co-produced Coogler’s debut feature, 2013’s Fruitvale Station, and produced Sinners alongside Ryan and Zinzi Coogler. (The three are the founders of Proximity Media). Notably, the Peter Stark Producing Program offers an innovative, two-year, full-time graduate course that guides top students through the process of bringing projects to the screen. USC tuition averages $73,260 annually for undergraduates, and the graduate tuition cost for the School of Cinematic Arts is $2,624 per unit, but a wide range of financial aid packages are available.
Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
The Vancouver Film School offers a wide range of choices and opportunities, with programs focused on Film Production, Animation, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, Writing for Film, Television & Games, and Acting for Film & Television. Costs of the programs vary, but all offer speed, efficiency and rigor: VFS programs are 12-month intensives, taught by faculty who are active industry professionals. Classes are small, and the cutting-edge facilities include a 64,000-cubic foot performance and motion capture Volume, as well as a 260-degree green screen room. Recent guests have included writer-producer Evan Goldberg, whose latest success is Apple TV+’s The Studio. Every student leaves with a multi-piece creative portfolio to serve as an industry calling card. Costs vary depending on programs.
William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
The second-oldest college in America, established in 1693, prides itself on offering an exceptional film education atop a highly-ranked liberal arts environment, and on merging innovation and tradition. One of Film & Media Studies Program’s latest innovations is a new course entitled A Practical Guide to a Career in Entertainment, taught by producer and alum Milan Chakraborty (The Lifeguard, My Friend Dahmer). The school also has a robust speaker series, and has recently welcomed guests including the aforementioned Oscar winner Cord Jefferson, Patton Oswalt, and Glenn Close, all of whom are William & Mary alums. The school’s many networking opportunities include the annual Ampersand International Arts Festival, which brings together students, alumni, and industry guests through film screenings, panels, and workshops. It includes a juried W&M Student Film Competition and an Alumni Short Film Competition. The school also offers the One Network, which connects alums across industries. Annual undergraduate tuition is roughly $19,178 for in-state students and $44,876 for out-of-state, and financial aid and scholarships are available.
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