Best Colleges for Film and Cinema
Film school matters less for talent (you can self-teach) and more for the alumni network. The schools below have built decades-deep pipelines into the industry. USC and NYU dominate; AFI and CalArts run a close second. Geographic location matters too — being in LA or NYC means you can intern on real productions during school.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
- 1
University of Southern California
California · Private nonprofit
10%acceptance rate - 2
New York University
New York · Private nonprofit
9%acceptance rate - 3
University of California-Los Angeles
California · Public
9%acceptance rate - 4
American Film Institute Conservatory
California · Private nonprofit
—acceptance rate - 5C
Chapman University
California · Private nonprofit
65%acceptance rate - 6
Emerson College
Massachusetts · Private nonprofit
51%acceptance rate - 7
Loyola Marymount University
California · Private nonprofit
45%acceptance rate - 8
California Institute of the Arts
California · Private nonprofit
32%acceptance rate
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