The beginning of the school year is the best time to start looking into which film schools you might want to apply to, especially if you’re in your senior year of high school. To help you with your decision, the Hollywood Reporter publishes an annual ranking of the top 25 film schools in the U.S., based on a variety of industry considerations.

Below is the ranking for 2023, featuring some familiar universities in the top 5 which our teachers have graduated from, and that our students are headed to! Students interested in creating a project for their film school applications can apply for our Mentorship program here.

1. American Film Institute (Los Angeles, California - Graduate school)

2. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)

3. New York University (New York City, New York)

4. Chapman University (Orange, California)

5. California Institute of the Arts (Santa Clarita, California)

6. Emerson College (Boston, Massachusetts)

7. Columbia University (New York City, New York)

8. Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California)

9. University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

10. University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)

11. University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)

12. Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

13. Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut)

14. DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois)

15. Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida)

16. Ithaca College (Ithaca, New York)

17. Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia)

18. Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)

19. Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)

20. Ringling College (Sarasota, Florida)

21. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College (Brooklyn, New York - Graduate school)

22. ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, California)

23. Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, Rhode Island)

24. California State University, Northridge (Los Angeles, California)

25. Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York)

Prepare for your Application

The process for applying to film school is different from that of other universities. If you would like to work with a mentor to build a portfolio of work that qualifies for your application, you can apply for our Mentorship program or contact us today.