The USC School of Cinematic Arts is the best US film school, ranked No. 1 on The Hollywood Reporter’s July 2026 list. NYU Tisch and the AFI Conservatory follow, and UT Austin has the lowest published tuition, from $10,858 for Texas residents.
Students who want a film degree in Boston with an LA semester
Pick by what you want
Best overall
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Best in New York
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Best graduate MFA
AFI Conservatory
Best public value
UT Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film
Best for animation
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
The ranking
1
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Answrs VerdictThe No. 1 school on the trade list.
Tuition (2026-27): $50,499 (first-year MFA in Film & Television Production, 2026-27)The Hollywood Reporter: No. 1 on its 2026 list of the 25 best U.S. film schools (July 2026)Divisions: Seven divisions covering film, television and interactive mediaStages: Television, film, stop motion, VFX, performance capture and green screen stages, plus the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts
USC’s School of Cinematic Arts has seven divisions and stages for television, film, stop motion, VFX, performance capture and green screen. It was No. 1 on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 list. First-year MFA tuition in Film & Television Production is $50,499.
Go ifStudents who want the school The Hollywood Reporter ranked No. 1 in 2026
Skip ifYou want an undergraduate price (this figure is for the MFA)
Why #1 over #2: It holds the No. 1 spot on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 list.
2
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Photo: atp_tyreseus / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA production-heavy program with a long alumni list.
Tuition (2026-27): $75,326 (undergraduate Tisch tuition, two semesters, 2026-27)Output: Kanbar faculty, staff and students create more than 7,000 films per yearHistory: Film and television program since 1965Alumni: The program lists Chris Columbus, Joel Coen, Vince Gilligan and Damon Lindelof among notable graduates
NYU Tisch’s Kanbar program has run since 1965, and its faculty, staff and students create more than 7,000 films per year. Undergraduate Tisch tuition is $75,326 for 2026-27.
Go ifUndergraduates who want a BFA in Film and Television
Skip ifCost is your main concern
Why #2 over #3: It is a BFA-level production program with a long published alumni list, while AFI offers an MFA only.
3
AFI Conservatory
Photo: AmericanFilm / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe MFA-only conservatory.
Tuition (2026-27): $75,508 (MFA tuition, 2026-2027)Degree: MFA in six disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and ScreenwritingLength: AFI Directors spend two years on the programCampus: 2021 North Western Avenue, Los Angeles, with the Louis B. Mayer Library on campus
The AFI Conservatory offers an MFA in six disciplines at 2021 North Western Avenue in Los Angeles. Tuition is $75,508 for 2026-2027.
Go ifGraduate filmmakers who want a discipline-based MFA in Los Angeles
Skip ifYou want a bachelor’s degree
Why #3 over #4: Its discipline-based MFA is built around two years of hands-on work, unlike a broad undergraduate degree.
4
Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Photo: Tracie Hall from Orange County, us / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe school with its own studio complex.
Tuition (2026-27): $69,990 (undergraduate, 2026-27)The Hollywood Reporter: No. 4 for the fifth year in a row (announced August 2025)Studios: The 76,000-square-foot Marion Knott Studios has two sound stages of 2,500 and 5,000 square feet and 36 editing suitesDegree: BFA in Film and Television Production
Chapman’s Dodge College works out of the 76,000-square-foot Marion Knott Studios, with sound stages of 2,500 and 5,000 square feet and 36 editing suites. It held No. 4 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list for five years in a row through 2025.
Go ifUndergraduates who want a purpose-built film building
Skip ifYou want the lowest tuition
Why #4 over #5: It has a purpose-built studio building of this size on its own campus.
5
Emerson College School of Film, Television, and Media Arts
Answrs VerdictUp to the top five in 2026.
Tuition (2026-27): $60,160 (undergraduate full-time, 2026-27)The Hollywood Reporter: No. 5 on its 2026 list (July 2026)Stage: The Paramount Sound Stage at the Paramount Center is a full-service production facilityDegrees: BFA in Film, Television, and Media Arts and BA in Media Arts Production
Emerson’s film school runs the Paramount Sound Stage at the Paramount Center and rose to No. 5 on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 list. Undergraduate tuition is $60,160.
Go ifUndergraduates who want a sound stage in a city center
Skip ifYou want a graduate-only conservatory
Why #5 over #6: It climbed into the 2026 top five, ahead of UT Austin’s No. 6.
6
UT Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film
Answrs VerdictThe public-school value pick.
Tuition (2026-27): $10,858 to $13,576 (Texas-resident undergraduate, 2026-27; varies by program)The Hollywood Reporter: No. 6 overall and the No. 1 public film school, per UT’s July 2026 announcementDegrees: B.S. in RTF, M.F.A. in Film/Media Production, M.F.A. in Screenwriting, M.A. and Ph.D. in Media StudiesFacilities: Six production studios, a 70 x 20 green screen, a motion capture studio, a Foley stage and Dolby Atmos mix suitesNon-resident tuition: $42,554 to $51,106 (undergraduate, 2026-27)
UT Austin’s RTF department has six production studios, a green screen, a motion capture studio and Dolby Atmos mix suites. It says it is the No. 1 public film school and No. 6 overall. Texas-resident tuition is $10,858 to $13,576.
Go ifTexas residents who want the lowest published tuition on this list
Skip ifYou are not a Texas resident and want a lower price
Why #6 over #7: Its tuition for Texas residents is the lowest published figure on this list, below UCLA’s $16,430.
7
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Answrs VerdictA public school inside Los Angeles.
Tuition (2026-27): $16,430 (university fees, California-resident undergraduate, 2026 estimate)Non-resident add-on: $39,270 nonresident supplemental tuition (2026 estimate)Venue: The James Bridges Theater is the main screening venue, with 278 seatsStages: Sound Stage 3 is in Melnitz HallDegrees: BA in Film, Television and Digital Media, plus MFA programs in directing, cinematography, screenwriting, animation and producing
UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television has the 278-seat James Bridges Theater and sound stages in Melnitz Hall. University fees are $16,430 for California residents, plus $39,270 nonresident supplemental tuition.
Go ifCalifornia residents who want a public film school
Skip ifYou are not a California resident and want a low price
Why #7 over #8: It offers a BA and several MFAs inside one Los Angeles school, unlike Columbia’s MFA-only film program.
8
Columbia University School of the Arts
Photo: Bitterteayen / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe story school.
Tuition (2026-27): $80,760 (MFA Film full-time coursework, two semesters, 2026-27)Concentrations: Screenwriting & Directing, Creative Producing, and Writing for Film & TelevisionAddress: Dodge Hall, 2960 Broadway, New YorkAlumni: The school lists Kathryn Bigelow ’79, James Mangold ’99 and Jennifer Lee ’05 among its filmmakers
Columbia’s MFA in Film has concentrations in Screenwriting & Directing, Creative Producing, and Writing for Film & Television, and it is based in Dodge Hall. Full-time tuition is $80,760.
Go ifGraduate writers and directors who want a story-first MFA
Skip ifYou want a program with big sound stages
Why #8 over #9: It focuses on story and writing, where CalArts focuses on animation.
9
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe animation specialist.
Tuition (2026-27): $62,954 (full-time BFA and MFA, 2026-27)Programs: BFA in Character Animation, Experimental Animation and Film and Video; MFA in Experimental Animation, Film and Video and Film DirectingAnimation lab: The Character Animation lab holds 31 Apple Mac Studio workstations with Wacom Cintiq Pro pen displaysLocation: Valencia, California
CalArts’ School of Film/Video offers BFAs in Character Animation, Experimental Animation and Film and Video, plus three MFAs. Its Character Animation lab has 31 Mac Studio workstations. Tuition is $62,954.
Go ifAnimators and experimental filmmakers
Skip ifYou want a large conventional film school
Why #9 over #10: It is the specialist for animation, where Boston University’s film program is a general Film & TV degree.
10
Boston University College of Communication
Photo: Fletcher6 / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe newest studio on the list.
Tuition (2026-27): $73,024 (undergraduate, 2026/27)The Hollywood Reporter: No. 16 on its 2026 list, the same spot as 2025Studio: A $3.5 million, 9,400-square-foot production studio at 808 Commonwealth Ave., opened in August 2025Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Film & TV, with a summer or semester in Los Angeles
BU’s College of Communication opened a $3.5 million, 9,400-square-foot production studio in August 2025 and ranks No. 16 on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 list. Undergraduate tuition is $73,024.
Go ifStudents who want a film degree in Boston with an LA semester
Skip ifYou want the highest-ranked program
How we ranked these
This is an editorial ranking based on reputation, outcomes and facilities. No school pays for placement. Where a school’s placement on The Hollywood Reporter’s list is published, we show it, and every tuition figure is the school’s own 2026-27 number as published, with the basis noted. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best film school in the US?
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, which was No. 1 on The Hollywood Reporter’s July 2026 list of the 25 best U.S. film schools.
What is the best public film school?
UT Austin’s Department of Radio-Television-Film says The Hollywood Reporter named it the No. 1 public film school and No. 6 overall in July 2026.
Which film school has the lowest published tuition on this list?
UT Austin, at $10,858 to $13,576 for Texas-resident undergraduates in 2026-27, followed by UCLA at $16,430 in university fees for California residents.
Is AFI Conservatory a degree program?
Yes. AFI offers an MFA in Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting, with 2026-2027 tuition of $75,508.
Published tuition, 2026-27 (USD; basis in each school’s facts) at a glance
UT Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film10,858 USD
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television16,430 USD
USC School of Cinematic Arts50,499 USD
Emerson College School of Film, Television, and Media Arts60,160 USD
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)62,954 USD
Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts69,990 USD
Boston University College of Communication73,024 USD
NYU Tisch School of the Arts75,326 USD
AFI Conservatory75,508 USD
Columbia University School of the Arts80,760 USD
Published tuition, 2026-27 (USD; basis in each school’s facts), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
