From AFI to Beijing Film Academy, these are the top-ranked film schools in the world. In 2025, film school isn’t just about mastering the craft — it’s about finding your voice, your collaborators, and your future. Whether you’re chasing Sundance dreams or plotting out a VR short from your bedroom, the right education can make all the difference.
A few years ago, a student at NYU Tisch shot a short film on a borrowed DSLR, edited it in his dorm room, and submitted it—on a whim—to a small festival. It went on to play at Cannes. Not win, not place, but it played. And that was enough. That single screening launched a career.
This is the power of a good film school. Not the prestige. Not the gear. But the access. The frictionless chance to do the work, and maybe, if you’re lucky, be seen.
In 2025, film school isn’t just about learning how to light a scene or break down a script. It’s about finding your people. It’s about structured chaos, deadlines that feel too soon, mentors who care too much, and one idea—just one—that could change everything.
So how do you choose the right one? How do you know which campus, city, or continent will help you take that half-formed idea in your head and turn it into something someone else might actually feel?
We’ve got you. Let’s get into it.
Want to explore film education beyond traditional campuses? Our Ultimate Guide to Learning Filmmaking Online breaks down the best free and paid online courses, structured paths, and tools for self-taught filmmakers.
Here, we delve into the world’s most respected film schools from UCLA to Beijing Film Academy, shedding light on their programs, faculty, and the opportunities they offer.
Best Film Schools
1. AFI Conservatory
The American Film Institute (AFI) started in 1967 with a simple goal: to protect the legacy of American motion pictures and help shape its future. Today, its collection at the Library of Congress holds more than 60,000 feature films, newsreels and documentaries.
Two years later, AFI launched the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. Students specialise across six different disciplines: direction, production, cinematography, editing, production design, and screenwriting — and spend two years working on collaborative projects that mimic real-world film sets.
AFI also runs tuition-free workshops in directing and cinematography for women and underrepresented filmmakers. While leadership changes have come and gone, the conservatory has stayed consistent in one thing: turning out storytellers who go on to shape the industry.
Tuition: $72,954
Notable Alumni: Darren Aronofsky, Andrea Arnold, Janusz Kaminski, Patty Jenkins, Ari Aster
2. USC School of Cinematic Arts
The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (USC SCA) is one of the largest and most recognized film schools in the country. Each year, around 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students study filmmaking, animation, interactive media, and entertainment business on a campus just minutes from Hollywood.
Students work with industry-standard equipment, from virtual production stages and scoring stages to fully equipped editing bays. USC’s curriculum covers every major area of filmmaking, and also offers intensive programs in entertainment marketing and media entrepreneurship.
And if you’re wondering what is the hardest film school to get into, USC film school acceptance rate is only 3%.
Tuition: $69,904 (undergrad); $46,745 to $61,763 (graduate)
Notable Alumni: George Lucas, Stephen Chbosky, Judd Apatow, John Chu, Ryan Coogler.
3. UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) consistently ranks among the top film schools in the United States. Its School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) offers a wide range of programs, including BFA and MFA degrees in film production, acting, costume design, animation, and lighting.
More than 60% of UCLA’s students and faculty identify as people of color, and the school offers several grants and scholarships for students from underrepresented backgrounds. If you’re considering research or academic work, UCLA also accepts applications for Ph.D. programs in cinema and media studies.
Leadership changes over the past few years have raised some questions about stability, but the faculty roster still includes experienced industry professionals like Deborah Landis, Phyllis Nagy, and Barbara Boyle. UCLA also houses one of the largest university-based film and television archives in the world, a resource students often tap into for research and screenings.
Tuition: $42,059 resident (undergrad), $76,259 non-resident; $21,115 resident (grad), $36,297 non-resident.
Notable alumni: Ava DuVerney, Marielle Heller, Dustin Lance Black, Alex Gibney.
4. NYU Tisch School of the Arts
New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts is one of the top places to study film in the U.S., especially if you want to combine hands-on training with a strong foundation in theory. Through its Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, students can major in directing, cinematography, screenwriting, producing, or cinema studies.
Tisch places a big emphasis on mentorship, pairing students with working filmmakers and industry professionals. The school’s Cinema Studies division offers courses that dive deep into film history, criticism, and theory.
In the past few years, Tisch has expanded its programs to include a Virtual Production Center, giving students access to cutting-edge tools for immersive filmmaking. It also offers a study-away program in Los Angeles for upper-level undergraduate students (juniors and seniors) who want direct exposure to the film and television industries on the West Coast.
Tuition: $68,978 (undergraduate); $76,646 (graduate)
Notable Alumni: Elizabeth Olsen, Ryan Fleck, Damon Lindelof, Dee Rees.
5. London Film School
The London Film School (LFS) has been training filmmakers since 1956. Based near Soho — London’s historic entertainment district — the school offers postgraduate programs focused on directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, and production design.
Every term, students collaborate to make short films, rotating through different crew positions to build practical skills. Classes are small, and students come from more than 30 countries, making it one of the most international film programs in the world.
Instead of focusing only on technical skills, LFS also challenges students to think critically about cinema — blending craft with analysis. Many graduates move into independent filmmaking or work across the growing international TV and streaming landscape.
Tuition: £34,296 per year for UK/Home status students and £34,496 for international students (including EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals) (for graduates); £10,800 per year for UK nationals and EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals with settled status, and £20,750 per year for international students (for undergraduates)
Notable alumni: Michael Mann, Mike Leigh, Ann Hui, Duncan Jones, Anjali Menon.
6. Northwestern University
Northwestern University’s Department of Radio/Television/Film blends critical study with hands-on filmmaking. Based in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago, it gives students access to a thriving arts and media scene.
The undergraduate program combines film history, theory, and production courses. Students can also take short courses in comedy arts and sound cultures, and find internships with media companies in nearby Chicago.
If you’re interested in documentary work, Northwestern’s MFA in Documentary Media, launched in 2015, has built a strong reputation for combining storytelling with critical approaches to media. Students also work on projects through Open Television, the school’s in-house platform for independent creators.
Tuition: $67,158 (undergraduate)
Notable alumni: Zach Braff, Seth Meyers, Zooey Deschanel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kathryn Hahn
7. Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) often ranks among the top art schools in the United States. Its Department of Film/Animation/Video (FAV) offers a curriculum that blends media experimentation with storytelling practice. Students work across different forms — from traditional animation to experimental filmmaking — mixing techniques like hand-drawn imagery, live action, and digital media to develop their own visual language.
By junior year, students begin taking on projects outside their core curriculum. Hands-on learning stays central, with courses covering lighting, storyboarding, documentary production, CGI imagery, and sound design.
RISD’s facilities include 16mm film cameras, digital production equipment, animation labs, and green screen studios. Students interested in stop-motion can take specialized courses that walk through every stage of puppet animation, from character design and art direction to sound.
Tuition: $63,966 (undergraduates)
Notable alumni: Gus Van Sant, Seth McFarlane, Ellen Kuras, Angus MacLane
8. Ringling College of Art and Design
Based in Sarasota, Florida, it’s well known for its computer animation, illustration, graphic design, and motion design programs. The school’s Department of Film offers a BFA degree focused on the entire production pipeline — from script development to editing and post-production.
Students train in a 36,000-square-foot facility called the Studio Labs Soundstage and Post-Production Complex. The space includes five soundstages, editing suites, color correction theaters, and dubbing bays. Pre-production courses cover screenwriting and production planning, while hands-on training centers around camera work, lighting, and set construction.
Ringling is also known for its undergraduate program in computer animation, with many graduates going on to work at major studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky.
Tuition: $52,600 (undergraduates)
Notable alumni: Patrick Osborne, Andrew Halley, Aaron Blaise, Mark Bagley.
9. UNC School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem offers undergraduate and graduate programs in filmmaking. Students can specialize in areas like directing, screenwriting, cinematography, animation, sound design, and producing.
The school runs a hands-on program where students take charge of digital productions early on and complete a senior thesis film before graduating. Facilities include sound stages, motion capture labs, and digital design suites. UNCSA also covers the cost of senior thesis projects, which is rare compared to many film programs.
The school has partnerships with organizations like Sundance and the RiverRun International Film Festival, giving students opportunities to connect with working professionals before they graduate.
Tuition: $6,497 for in-state students and $24,231 for out-of-state student (undergraduates); $9,696 for in-state students and $24,399 for out-of-state students (graduates)
Notable alumni: Jada Pinkett Smith, Anthony Mackie, Jake Lacy, Craig Zobel.
10. National Film and Television School
Championed as one of the top European film schools, the National Film and Television School is situated on the outskirts of northwest London. The film school offers full-time courses in 19 masters programs. The wide range of film disciplines covers cinematography, direction, screenwriting, creative business, VFX, etc. Nine full-time diploma courses are offered at NFTS’ Beaconsfield location. There are also specialized short courses that are aimed at industry professionals looking forward to advancing themselves in their careers.
The NFTS site has been a film studio since the 1920s. Now the production house is equipped with all the state-of-the-art technologies, including music recording studios, dubbing theaters, prop stores, and screening rooms. In March 2022, NFTS introduced a flag-ship three-year collaboration with Amazon Studios for a directing and post-production supervision workshop.
Tuition: US$22,750-41,230
Notable alumni: Roger Deakins, Nick Park, Terrence Davies, Lynne Ramsay, Michael Radford.
11. Beijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy was established by the Chinese government in 1950 and is still one of the topmost film schools in Asia. The Academy offers a 4-year BFA program taught in English. The course is divided into four categories, namely theoretical, historical, technical, and production. In the freshman and sophomore years, the students take a generalized approach to film. In the junior and senior years, students are asked to choose a major in direction, cinematography, screenwriting, and so on.
More than 50 percent of the course focuses on the production aspect, encouraging students to develop a hands-on approach to filmmaking. The Academy also offers a wide range of post-graduate Chinese language programs, alongside a Chinese-language learning program for international students. The film school maintains deep ties with the rich domestic film industry.
Tuition: $12,720 per year
Notable alumni: Ai Weiwei, Zhang Yimou, Jia Zhangke, Chen Kaige.
12. ArtCenter College of Design
ArtCenter College of Design, situated in Pasadena, California, trains students in film as well as graphic design and advertising. In fact, it comes as no surprise that ArtCenter’s film department churns out storytellers with a strong visual sense who’ve made some of the most cinematic movies. Its undergraduate program offers a three-track curriculum focusing on direction, cinematography, and editing. MFA programs are tailored to students wanting to engage with screenwriting, production, and art direction.
The latest lenses, lighting techniques, RED cameras, and green-screen studios are available in ArtCenter’s workshops for cinematography. On completing the program, students are given an opportunity to direct an individual film. They also have access to Ahmanson Auditorium, where they can color-correct their college movie and make use of the Dolby Atmos sound system.
Tuition: $48,942 (undergrad); $51,726 (graduate)
Notable alumni: Michael Bay, Zack Snyder, Tarsem Singh, Doug Aitken
13. Boston University
BU’s Department of Film & Television (FTV), often ranked among the top 25 colleges for film programs, offers well-crafted cross-disciplinary undergraduate courses. The well-rounded degree courses in film production are primarily aimed at inculcating visual literacy. The film programs explore the history of films and their evolution before delving into the art of storytelling. Another added benefit at BU is that film students can declare their major in the spring of their Sophomore year. Until then, students can test out their interest in the different disciplines of filmmaking.
One of FTV’s programs facilitates collaboration between TV and film students and BU’s School of Theatre students. They come together to create and produce a sitcom. The idea behind it is to bring together spirited storytellers from multiple platforms.
Tuition: $61,050
Notable alumni: Josh and Benny Safdie, Geena Davis, Uzo Aduba, Scott Rosenberg.
14. CalArts
Founded by Walt Disney in Santa Clarita, California, CalArts is one of the best film schools in the US for animation. California Institute of the Arts offers its programs through six schools: film/video, music, theater, dance, art, and critical studies. The BFA and MFA programs focus both on critical thinking and technical training. Each year, CalArts creates a number of animators with studio aspirations. The institute also supports the growth of experimental animators.
In both the animation and live-action movie courses, students are given the opportunity to utilize a wide array of old and new technologies. If students feel like making a work in 16mm film, they can go for it. In the Experimental Animation MFA program, students not only develop abstract animated works, but they contribute to the advancement of the animation medium. CalArts also boasts a fair share of graduates in creative documentary filmmaking.
Tuition: $54,400
Notable Alumni: Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Eliza Hittman, Andrew Ahn.
15. The Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, one of the best art colleges in the US, offers film and television studies at two different beautiful locations in the college’s namesake city Savannah, and in Atlanta. It is one of the most sought after film schools in Atlanta and in the state of Georgia. Over the last two decades, the state has become the Hollywood of the Southern United States. And so, SCAD students have insider access to the multi-billion dollar film industry of Georgia. Their 11-acre campus includes an integrated film studio complex.
In the Atlanta campus, a 60,000 square-foot digital media center trains students on different forms of storytelling. Theprograms also cover a broad curriculum ranging from animation, and dramatic writing to visual effects, sound editing, and motion media design. SCAD’s annual film festival is one of the largest university-run film festivals in the world.
Tuition: $39,105 (undergrad); $40,050 (graduate)
Notable alumni: Austin Bonang, Ken Rosen, Clayton Haskell
16. Chapman University
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts offers a wide array of graduate and undergraduate programs to help students adapt to the rapidly-evolving film industry. Situated in Orange, California, Dodge College trains its students in the marketing, distribution, and financing aspects of the movie business. The film school provides specialized courses in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).
The current Dean of Dodge College is Emmy Award-winning producer Stephen Galloway, who was also Hollywood Reporter’s former executive editor. He introduced the Chapman Mentorship Program in order to allow first-generation students from underrepresented communities to connect with their professors. The University’s paid and unpaid internship programs transform students’ classroom knowledge into tangible skills on the film set. There’s also a career center for post-graduate students seeking a chance in the industry.
Tuition fee: $60,290 (undergrad); $46,900-$47,700 (graduate)
Notable alumni: Matt and Ross Duffer, Justin Simien, Carlos Lopez Estrada, Harshvardhan Kapoor.
17. Columbia College
Columbia College’s Cinema and Television Arts Department clearly qualifies as one of the best film schools in Chicago. The college’s well-rounded BFA and MFA programs combine lectures on filmmaking and film history studies with filmmaking projects that align with current industry practices. The curriculum focuses on acting, comedy writing, creative writing, direction, cinematography, etc. The Semester in LA Program (SiLA) offers courses and internships for students looking to enter the film industry. The Chicago film school campus has a 35,000 square-foot media production center with two sound stages, a production design workshop, and a motion capture studio.
There’s also a post-production center with audio and animation suites. At both L.A. and Chicago, students gain access to a connected alumni network and are mentored by industry professionals.
Tuition: $31,026 (undergrad); $35,000 (graduate)
18. Columbia University
One of the top-ranked colleges in the US for film programs, Columbia University School of the Arts predominantly focuses on screenwriting. Graduates of this New-York based, Ivy League college have received much recognition at the Oscars, Emmys, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto Film Festivals. School of the Arts is invested in exploring new forms of technical storytelling. The University’s Digital Storytelling Lab introduces creative tools and a fresh approach to craft stories for the future landscape of digital media. Their faculty comprises revered professionals from both the indie film scene and Hollywood.
The School of Arts’ MFA program offers courses on ‘Writing for Film & Television,’ ‘Creative Producing’ and ‘Screenwriting & Directing’. Students belonging to each of these programs can collaborate in their respective projects.The thesis work of the MFA film students gets highlighted during the annual Columbia University Film Festival.
Tuition: $69,150 (undergrad); $65,520 (graduate)
Notable alumni: Kathryn Bigelow, James Ponsoldt, James Franco, Lisa Cholodenko.
19. Academy of Performing Arts’ Film and TV School/FAMU
Established in the Czech Republic capital city, Prague, this is one of the most revered and oldest film schools in the world. Founded in 1946, the academy is now divided into 11 departments, offering studies from directing, cinematography to documentary filmmaking and animation. FAMU international department teaches various film discipline courses in English. A maximum of 100 international students are accepted each year.
Apart from working in the integrated FAMU studio, students can choose from a number of ad-hoc modules. The curriculum begins with theoretical preparation and later emphasizes on on-set training. In fact, each student is encouraged to develop good working relationships with young filmmakers and teachers. They work in at least 30 productions a year.
Tuition: $20,570-$21,200
Notable alumni: Jay Oza, Ross Giardina, Milos Forman, Vera Chytilova, Agnieszka Holland.
20. Emerson College
Boston-based Emerson College’s Department of Visual & Media Arts offers undergraduate and graduate programs to almost 1,700 students. The Emerging Media Lab at Boston home campus allows students to explore exciting areas of new media, including 360 Cinema & 3D modeling. New programs such as Art of Anti-Racist Media Making strive to support and enhance diverse voices. Fifty percent of Emerson’s students and faculties are said to be women. There are also four-year scholarship programs for talented students from marginalized communities.
Emerson has built a beautiful and expansive 107,000-square-foot campus in Los Angeles. The film school provides global opportunities in the Netherlands and Paris. The BFA program at Paris College of Art and the summer film program at Prague’s FAMU inspire global engagement and open new avenues for aspiring filmmakers. It’s also the only film school in the US to provide a comedy arts degree.
Tuition: $51,264
Notable alumni: Bill Burr, Denis Leary, Gina Gershon, Spalding Gray
21. Florida State University
Situated in Tallahassee, Florida, FSU is one of the best schools in the US for film studies, with a great student/faculty ratio (5 to 1) and a minimal tuition fee. The curriculum is an eclectic mix that teaches basic filmmaking skills as well as introduces students to the latest storytelling techniques. Students are also guaranteed complete funding for their college movie projects. The University boasts a track record of 97% graduates finding work in the industry within a year of graduation.
FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts recently launched a specialized visual production stage. The engineering and computer science students collaborated with film students to build software for creating pre-visualizations in live-action films. The University’s Torchlight Program conducts unique cinema-related events.
Tuition: $6,517 resident (undergrad), $21,683; $14,379 resident (graduate), $33,300 non-resident.
Notable alumni: Barry Jenkins, Aaron Moorhead, David Robert Mitchell, Alan Ball.
22. Loyola Marymount University
The Los Angeles film school is one of the fastest-growing schools in the US. Its Film, Television, and Media Studies program was established in 2003. In the last five years, LMU has consistently ranked among the top 20 colleges in the US for film programs. In the Fall of 2021, the university opened its vast, cutting-edge campus Playa Vista. The 35,000 square-foot structure includes a foley stage, Avid editing rooms, and greenscreen studios. There’s also the 25,000 square-foot Howard Fitzpatrick Pavillion, which is equipped with a motion-capture workspace, screening theater, and animation lab.
In 2011, the university launched the Independent Story Development Incubator Lab. It is a one-year program that provides alumni with resources and tools to make their transition into the industry.
Tuition fee: $54,630 (undergrad); $26,226-$34,968 (graduate)
Notable alumni: James Wong, Mila Kunis, Scott Eastwood, Barbara Broccoli, and John Bailey.
23. Syracuse University
New York-based Syracuse University’s Visual and Performing Arts program trains students in diverse fields within the entertainment industry. From VFX, and production design to animation, podcasting, and smartphone filmmaking, the university tries to embrace multiple approaches of technical storytelling. The university’s Department of Transmedia has trained industry leaders and entrepreneurs at top positions in Sony Pictures, Pixar, DreamWorks, and so on. University students receive a work-study program in Los Angeles. In L.A, the students can work at a high-tech production space at Dick Clark Studios.
Apart from the six-week summer internship programs, they can also study a semester abroad in Prague at the prestigiousFAMU. Repeatedly ranked among the top undergraduate schools for film studies, the university students can now work for a semester at Lionsgate Studios, located just outside New York in Yonkers.
Tuition: $58,440 (undergrad); $32,436 (graduate)
Notable alumni: Vera Farmiga, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Falk, Aaron Sorkin.
24. UT Austin
The University Of Texas Moody College Of Communication’s Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF) consistently ranks among the top 20 film schools in the US. One of the best film schools in Texas, UT is also one of the low-cost schools after UNC School of the Arts and Florida State University. In fact, Austin is one of the most affordable places to live in the US. The RTF department is the biggest in the University of Texas and boasts a motion capture studio and TV writer’s room. The undergraduate internships offer a fine mix of the practical and the theoretical.
The college has introduced Latino Media Arts and Studies, a program aimed to promote the growth of Latino filmmakers and media professionals. UT’s Emergent Cinematic Arts program offers multiple courses on digital video production, CGI, post-production techniques, etc.
Tuition: $11,230 resident (undergrad), $39,756 non-resident; $9,996 resident (graduate), $18,816 non-resident
Notable alumni: Matthew McConaughey, Wes Anderson, Mark Duplass, Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez.
25. Wesleyan University
A respected liberal-arts college, its film school College of Film and the Moving Image was founded by film historian Jeanine Basinger. She first came to Wesleyan University in 1960 as a marketing director. Film studies became a standalone program at the university in 1990, and later morphed into a formal department in 2000. Under Basinger’s leadership, Wesleyan University emerged as one of the most sought-out auteur-making factories in the US.
Basinger introduced several innovative film studies programs which didn’t always strictly revolve around learning technology. The college does contain state-of-the-art facilities, including a 16,000 square-foot Basinger Center for Film Studies featuring a production studio, theater, archival research space, and sound stage, among others. The university is also known for teaching and supporting documentary film projects.
Tuition: $63,722
Notable alumni: Lin-Manuel Miranda, D.B. Weiss, Kenneth Lonergan, Sebastian Junger.
