Where are you applying for film school?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
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Rising seniors applying for film are moving into a busy time. Ask parents here any questions you may have.

Deadlines hit early for film with mid October historically the first of many deadlines.

Film students should get their main college essay and creative portfolio done during the summer and should try to complete their October and November deadline applications before they head back to school if possible.

Remember to make sure your student is applying to the correct major (film programs may offer multiple majors and both BA or BFA degree options).

Note that film deadlines frequently differ from deadlines for other majors. Some schools require film students to apply by the early deadline but still consider them to be regular decision.

Remember to check creative portfolio requirements early as they differ school to school.

Note that some strong film programs are at schools which now once again require standardized testing.

Break a leg guys.

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@heatherroal

I see you found us here — ask any questions you have about applying for film. I think you were concerned about the lack of film-related activities?

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Thank you!!

Yes- D26 is off to a late start on this journey. She is taking all of the film/media classes that the school offers next year so she’ll have something to show- it just won’t be very much.

She’s not looking at BFA programs but she definitely wants production centered programs as opposed to critique and culture.

Unfortunately her academics aren’t incredibly strong- she has a solid B+ weighted GPA but a low SAT score (she’s taking it again).

So we’re really not sure how this is all going to play out.

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Ok. So, your student is quite new to film. It does happen that in the eleventh hour a student says I want to study film and this catches the parent by surprise and then they have to pivot.

What made your student decide on film? Did they participate in a program or take a class in or out of school? Or was their a school or community film contest or challenge? Or did their art making pivot from one medium like photography to film-making very recently?

There are a couple of different paths for film. A student could major in film either BA or BFA (some schools offer both, some offer one or the other) at a four year college where they will have a broad general education component and could change to a different major if film doesn’t turn out to be their path. There are also pure art schools where the student is focused on their art discipline and a change of path might involve a transfer to a four year college program. There are some schools like Emerson with top film programs that are a four year college but more of an arts focus. The student could still change to a non film path but the options are a bit more limited to arts writing journalism etc.

For a student coming to film suddenly, with little filmmaking experience, you may wish to guide the student away from a pure art school option to maximize options if they realize film isn’t for them.

For these colleges with film programs there are usually two options. The first option is that film is grouped with arts or with cinematic arts and a BFA or BA/BFA is offered. The other schools will often lump film with journalism and sometimes marketing and advertising and the degree will be a BA or even a BS.

And at least one school, Syracuse, offers two completely different film paths - Newhouse and VPN with the latter being the BFA.

If your student in unsure about her commitment to film and believes she will double major, I want to share that film majors either BFA or BA/BS have many requirements that limit their ability to double major. A double major with another arts discipline is basically impossible if one is film.

The other issue is grades. Many of the top film programs at colleges and universities will want to see excellent grades and in some cases very good standardized test scores.

NYU USC UCLA Boston University Northwestern and Wesleyan are probably not even reach options for your student.

However, schools like DePaul and Emerson may still be possible and there are many more good film options that will not require a 4.0 and top test scores.

Has your student built a tentative list and have you reviewed the application requirements for film? Some programs require or request a short film and screenplay or short story etc. Has your student made her application film? Does your student feel able to make an application film? If not, you may need to pair your list down to schools that do not require a film for the application.

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I don’t know if there are budget constraints, so do let us know if that’s the case…that’s a key component to building a college list.

Without knowing that info, I second DePaul and Emerson, and would add Ithaca, Drexel, U Arizona, Arizona State, Montclair State, some of the CSUs…CSUN, CSULB, SDSU, UNC Wilmington, U Tampa, Lynn U in Florida. Maybe Loyola Marymount, but that’s quite competitive now. That’s a bunch of different schools to research.

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Yes I agree. Loyola Marymount University (LMU) probably a stretch for film for this student now that it has become so competitive.

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Our budget is fairly fluid- we had some financial issues when the kids were small so we were not able to put anything away but we can help them with tuition and/or loan repayment. I have an older son that went through the process and I used to work in higher ed so I know how the private schools can operate on a fairly large discount that would make them comperable to public schools (especially since the publics here in PA are relatively expensive). One of the main constraints is distance- my husband does not want her going more that 5 hours away and even that is pushing it.

So we have been making our list and have eliminated any of the top programs as we realize there is no way she would be accepted- not just due to academics, but also her newness to film. She is not looking for a BFA program or a purely arts school (although Columbia College Chicago is intriguing). My spreadsheet includes a couple of columns related to the type of film program at the college as well as the admission requirements. One other note- she has also discovered a passion for acting, and while she won’t major in it, the school has to either have a theatre department or a strong theatre club.

So far we have:

Point Park (BA not BFA)- I realize this one is a reach but we have an appointment with the film department on 8/1
Ithaca (also a reach- she may choose a different major)
Quinnipiac
Rider
Montclair
Stevenson
York College of PA
Marywood (this is local to us and D26 does NOT want to go there, but she is humoring her father and at least taking a look)
Marist (the actual degree is Media Studies and Production with a Film and TV concentration but if she was accepted there, she would also consider the English BA with a Theatre concentration)
West Virginia University- no film program, but D26 really likes the school so she would look at a different major, perhaps Multidisciplinary Media Studies

There are a couple others on her list where the programs are more media focused, like West Chester, but she isn’t really as interested in those- they are just less expensive.

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IMO, I hesitate to recommend columbia college chicago because it is experiencing financial difficulties, with a large deficit. It is also not a traditional 4-year college experience (which can be ok for some of course.)

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Oh yikes. Well- it was never really a contender anyway since it’s so far, but their marketing materials are very effective. I worked for a college that had severe financial difficulties so I know how tenuous that can make everything- financial stability would be a big factor for us.

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Columbia College Chicago like DePaul is a great film option. I visited both DePaul campuses and they were gorgeous but I have never set foot on Columbia Vollege Chicago’s campus. I hope someone else here can comment on film at some of the other schools. I know you said no to more art schools but one school many kids consider is UNCSA. That school also has an interesting option to add a business degree at another college. The film program is a serious program with serious kids but neither of my students applied so my information is limited.

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I forgot about that!

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Thanks for that recommendation. I took a quick look and I did appreciate that they said they are open to students with no previous film experience. I like that the portfolio requirement is a holistic view of the students’ artistic work- not just film. The North Carolina location would be a hard sell.

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Just wanted to pop in quickly to say that D26 had her first conservatory visit at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She loved it! They offer two programs related to film- a Cinema Arts BA and a Film Production BFA. The recruiter we spoke with was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She was honest that they have completely revamped their program and that they are still fine-tuning. D26 went in thinking she would apply for the BA, but after the meeting she is going to try for the BFA.

Next visit will be Quinnipiac.

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Thank you, please keep reporting back on your visits! S27 is interested in BFA film production, and we are just starting to put together a list of schools to visit in the next year.

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It is also good to try to find out where recent graduates in the department are working now.

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So yours is a rising junior interested in film production?

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Yes, rising junior.

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If your student has never submitted to Scholastic Srt and Writing Awards - this would be the year to submit all writing and art to try to scoop up any keys and medals. Usually due in December but find your area for the exact dates.

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D26 did this in 2023 and received an honorable mention- it was great!

So we have visited two schools so far where D26 would major in film- Point Park and Quinnipiac. She is not sure whether she will apply for BFA or BA.

Point Park (Pittsburgh, PA)

  • BFA Program is a part of the conservatory and seems more “artisticly” positioned; more emphasis seems to be on film as an art form as opposed to a business
  • Requires an artistic portfolio of 1-5 items. Website says film examples are not necessary but in the interview, the conservatory recruiter said that they encourage at least one film
  • In the interview, she also steered beginning filmmakers more toward the BA.
  • I think I mentioned previously that if they start as BA, they can apply for the BFA program within the first 2 years and even if admitted initially into the BFA program, there will be a review after 2 years for adequate progress.
  • If they are denied entry into the BFA program, they will automatically be considered for the BA.
  • BFA students can also work toward a Masters in Entertainment and Sports Marketing that requires an additional 2 summers of online classes

Quinnipiac (Hamden, CT)

  • Part of the School of Communications
  • Offers a BFA or BA in Film, Television, and Media Arts
  • Definitely seems to focus more on the business aspect of film; a lot of emphasis on media studies with it
  • BA requires that students also choose a minor, which can be in any academic field
  • BFA requires an addition 6 courses in the film curriculum, no minor
  • BFA application does NOT require a portfolio, only an essay about why you want to be a filmmaker. The person speaking at the open house said they discontinued requiring an artistic portfolio because they do not expect students to know how to make films yet- that is why they are coming to college. However, students can submit any artistic work to strengthen their application.
  • There is also a Masters in Film Production that will take an additional year to complete.
  • QU in LA Program- Quinnipiac has a campus in LA; students can spend a semester in LA and intern for various companies such as film studios

Right now, D26 is leaning toward Quinnipiac. They have some really cool minors so she is considering applying for the BA program, as opposed to the BFA program. She still has a few other schools to visit (Hofstra, Ithaca, Stevenson, and Towson) but they are going to have to be pretty great to top PP or QU.

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I have heard good things about Ithaca. I know someone who went to Towson and is now a very successful color editor for television.

My children didn’t apply to any of these programs you have listed although we were from Maryland and Towson was very close!