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Pre-College Film Resources

Top 10 Student Film Festivals | Top 10 Film Schools | Applying to Film School - Q&As
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The Top 10 American Film Schools

1. University of Southern California (USC)
2. New York University (NYU)
3. American Film Institute (AFI)
4. UCLA
5. Chapman University
6. Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
7. Florida State University (FSU)
8. Emerson College
9. University of Texas, Austin (UT)
10. Boston University (BU)

University of Southern California

University of Southern California (USC)

Annual Tuition: $57,256

19,170 students
Los Angeles

USC's School of Cinematic Arts has been around since 1929, and is one of the most reputable programs in the country.
Notable Alumni:  George Lucas, Jon Chu, Walter Murch, Tracy Oliver, Ron Howard, Judd Apatow.


USC Film Website
NYU student walk down the street

New York University (NYU)

Annual Tuition: $29,276

26,417 students
New York City

NYU's Tisch School of the Arts is the most prestigious US film school on the east coast. Classes are offered in disciplines including animation, cinematography, directing, post production, and more.
Notable Alumni:  Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Joel Coen, Rachel Morrison, Kristen Bell, Alec Baldwin.


NYU Film Website
American Film Institute students

American Film Institute (AFI)

Annual Tuition: $57,924

341 students
Los Angeles

At the 2015 Student Academy Awards, AFI swept gold, silver, and bronze in the narrative category.
Notable Alumni:  Darren Aronofsky, Terrence Malick, Julie Dash, Rick Rosenthal.


AFI Website
Francis Ford Coppola directs

UCLA

Annual Tuition: $41,196
($11,442 for California Residents)

31,002 students
Los Angeles

UCLA's Film and Television B.A. provides a liberal arts education as well as coursework in film and television history, theory, and production.
Notable Alumni:  Mariska Hargitay, Tim Robbins, Rob Reiner, Francis Ford Coppola, Dustin Lance Black, Ray Manzarek


UCLA Film Website
Chapman college student filmmakers

Chapman University

Tuition: $27,270 per Semester

7,020 students
Orange, California

Chapman offers separate undergraduate degrees in Film Production, Screenwriting, and Animation & Visual effects.
Notable Alumni:  Craig D. Forrest, Joe Sill, Larry Caughlan Jr., Darryl Wharton-Rigby


Chapman Website
Loyola Marymount University campus

Loyola Marymount University (LMU)

Annual Tuition: $49,550

6,391 students
Los Angeles

Undergraduate degrees are offered in Film & Television Production, Animation, and Screenwriting. LMU emphasizes collaboration and hands-on experience with small class sizes of 12:1.
Notable Alumni:  Melissa Blake, Kimberly Costello, Steve Duncan, John Bailey, Lauren Carara, Raul Geurra


LMU Website
FSU campus

Florida State University (FSU)

Annual Tuition: $21,684
($6,516 for Florida residents)

33,008 students
Tallahassee, Florida

FSU's College of Motion Picture Arts guarantees funding for every student's films and equal access to industry production equipment.
Notable Alumni:  Barry Jenkins, T.S. Nowlin, Sam Beam, Wes Ball, David Robert Mitchell, Ron J. Friedman, Matt Chapman


FSU Film Dept
Emerson campus building

Emerson College

Annual Tuition: $48,560

3,813 students
Boston, Massachusetts

With its very aggressive internship program, Emerson has an impressive reputation of helping students land positions with Holllywood producers, networks and studios.
Notable Alumni:   Jay Leno, Bill Burr, Max Mutchnick, Joe Mande, Kate Boutilier, Doug Herzog


Emerson Film
UT students working on a green screen

University of Texas, Austin (UT)

Tuition: $18,883 per Semester
($5,334 for Texas Residents)

40,492 students
Austin, Texas

Undergraduates in the Radio-Television-Film department study media production alongside media history and theory.
Notable Alumni:  Diana Alvarez, Kent Alterman, Todd Berger, Amy Bench, Maggie Carey, Heather Courney, Bryan Bertino


Film at UT
students at Boston University

Boston University (BU)

Annual Tuition: $54,720

18,080 students
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University offers a B.S. in Film & Television, and a lot of flexibility to allow students to tailor the degree to their interests.
Notable Alumni:  Alex Karpovsky, David E. Kelley, Scott Rosenberg, Michael Williams


Film at BU