Best Film Schools

Every year, The Wrap creates a list of what it deems to be the top film schools in the United States. This year, the list has a bit of a shakeup.

The benefits of film school are pretty easy to see: if you go to a good one, you can learn how to use equipment and refine your craft, and also network once you graduate.

The downside of film school is the cost and financial burden it can place on you. Also, there’s some wisdom in getting a degree that can help you support yourself as you’re trying to break into Hollywood.

We’ve even broken down a list of pros and cons on the topic. And I went deep on the cost of getting my MFA in screenwriting.

After all, this is No Film School, a website dedicated to helping you get the lessons you’d have in film school for free. And helping you continue to elevate your understanding.

Still, this list is valuable to anyone considering the option of higher education.

As I said earlier, visit The Wrap for details about each school, but here’s the list.

The Top Film Schools in 2023

1. American Film Institute
2. University of Southern California
3. New York University
4. Chapman University
5. Loyola Marymount University
6. Emerson
7. Cal Arts
8. Columbia
9. UCLA
10. University of Texas, Austin
11. UNC School of the Arts
12. Wesleyan
13. Savannah College of Art and Design
14. Art Center College of Design
15. Stanford
16. Florida State University
17. Columbia College Chicago
18. Cal State Northridge
19. Syracuse
20. Boston University
21. University of Miami
22. Northwestern University
23. Ringling College of Art and Design
24. University of Arizona
25. Ithaca
26. Rhode Island School of Design
27. Rutgers
28. Stony Brook University
29. DePaul
30. Pratt Institute
31. Hofstra
32. San Francisco State
33. Los Angeles Film School
34. Arizona State
35. School of Visual Arts
36. University of California, Santa Barbara
37. University of California, Berkeley
38. University of Michigan
39. American University
40. University of Pennsylvania
41. School of the Art Institute, Chicago
42. Biola University
43. Full Sail University
44. University of Colorado, Boulder
45. New York Film Academy
46. Colorado Film School
47. Mount St. Mary’s
48. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
49. John’s Hopkins/MICA
50. Morehouse University