Top 25 Film Schools in the World

Do you aspire to be a part of the best film schools in the world? Do you want to experience student life as shown in the High School Musical? If yes, then you have come to the right place. Film Schools are dedicated academic institutions which are specially designed to incubate, identify, develop and translate talent within students pertaining to various aspects of film studies. All Film Schools follow their own academic and training curriculum, having their own niche as per the Film and TV industry of their country. If you also wish to be a part of the Best Film Schools in the world then this is the blog for you. 

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Also Read: How to Become a Filmmaker?

Best Film Schools in the World: Country-wise

Here are some of the top Film Schools in different countries of the world:

Institute	Country
University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts	USA
American Film Institute	USA
Tisch School of the Arts, New York University	USA
California Institute of the Arts	USA
Kanbar Institute of Film & Television	USA
University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication	USA
New York Film Academy	USA

Institute	Country
Australian Film, Television and Radio School	Australia
Sydney Film School	Australia

Institute	Country
Toronto Film School	Canada
Vancouver Film School	Canada
University of British Columbia’s Department of Theatre and Film	Canada

Institute	Country
National Film and Television School	UK
London Film School	UK
National Film and Television School	UK

Top 25 Film Schools in the World Ranking

From practical skill training to practising their knowledge to curate engaging films under the supervision of some of the best Directors in the world, film schools aim to impart learners with the technical intricacies of filmmaking as well as a practical understanding of visual storytelling.

Here are some of the Best Film Schools in the world:

• University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
• American Film Institute
• National Film and Television School
• La Femis
• Beijing Film Academy
• Lodz Film School
• Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
• Australian Film, Television and Radio School
• California Institute of the Arts
• London Film School
• Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
• University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication
• New York Film Academy
• Toronto Film School
• Vancouver Film School
• University of British Columbia’s Department of Theatre and Film
• National Film and Television School
• Academy of Performing Arts’ Film and TV School
• National Film School
• Screen Academy Scotland
• Film and Television Institute of India
• Australian Film, Television and Radio School
• Sydney Film School
• Korean Academy of Film Arts
• Whistling Woods International Film school

USC School of Cinematic Arts

Affiliated with the celebrated University of Southern California, USC School of Cinematic Arts is a premier film school located in the heart of Hollywood. It is the oldest and most prestigious film school in the United States and offers various degree filmmaking courses such as,

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen and Television
• BA in Cinema and Media
• PhD in Cinema and Media Studies
• BA in Animation
• MA in Animation and Digital Arts
• The John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program

Tuition Fees: $42,000

Their Alumni have been constantly nominated for Emmy and Academy awards over the years, winning a number of awards and accolades. Not just critically acclaimed, 17 top-grossing movies of all time have an SCA alumni among their creative or executive positions.

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American Film Institute

American Film Institute is known to be one of the most selective film schools in America. It aims to train young and budding filmmakers in various aspects of filmmaking as well as educate them about the rich past of Hollywood. AFI is specifically known for its Conservatory, which is a graduate-level film school headed by notable filmmakers who provide hands-on experience and training to students. It also features a notable Film School, specially designed to teach Filmmaking concepts exclusively to women. Major rival schools include UCLA and USC.

It is also one of the best film schools in the world and offers specialized Master of Fine Arts courses in six major specializations, i.e. Editing, Production, Cinematography, Direction, Screenwriting and Production Design.

Tuition Fees: $38,416 for first year

Notable Alumni: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), David Lynch (Blue Velvet), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and many others

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National Film and Television School

NFTS is a Film, TV and gaming school established in the UK in 1971. Affiliated with CILCET, this school offers several new academic programs to its students. These courses include Bachelors and Masters degrees, as well as Vocational programs and certificate courses. There are more than 20 full-time MA specialisations a student can choose between, like film direction, film editing courses, amongst others as per their career orientation. Here are some of the prominent courses offered by NFTS:

• MA in Cinematography
• MA in Directing Science and Natural History
• MA in Directing Documentary
• Diploma in Directing Commercials
• Diploma in Sports Production
• Diploma in Script Development
• Certificate in Screenwriting
• Certificate in Filmmaking
• Certificate in Character Animation

Tuition Fees: $14,300 for residents; $32,000 for overseas

Notable Alumni: David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2), Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit), Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason)

The student films made by members of NFTS have been nominated for Oscar awards thrice within the last few years. The school has also had technological upgrades in the past few years, adding a 4k theatre to its fold. Alumni from this Film School are especially known for their contributions in Directing, Editing and Production. 

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La Femis

La Femis was founded in 1943 as IDHEC, before being restructured and renamed to its present name. It is a celebrated film school in Paris, known for its professional approach in integrating professional growth, technical training and artistic expression, leading to all-round growth of students. All students are inducted into the courses with a common curriculum for the first year, teaching them the basics of filmmaking and fine arts. The second and third year are designed as per student’s choice of departments, teaching them the nuances of the subject while applying it in practical training at the same time The fourth year is where students indulge in independent projects, learning how to work with a team to create their own work. This unique curriculum makes it stand apart among the best Film Schools in the world. There are numerous celebrities in the French film and TV industry who are alumni of La Femis. Here are some of the popular filmmaking courses offered by La Femis:

• Initial Training courses like Distribution/Cinema Management course, TV Series Development course, SACRe PhD programme (PSL), etc.
• Workshops in Documentary Filmmaking, Production, Theatrical Film Exhibition, etc.

Tuition Fees: $517 for French citizens; $15,334 for foreigners

Notable Alumni: Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool), Noemie Lvovsky (Feelings), Celine Sciamma (Tomboy)

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Beijing Film Academy

Established in 1950, Beijing Film Academy is the most prominent Film School in China, and one of the best Film Schools in the World. Comprising 9 schools which provide courses divided into 8 departments, it is one of the most diverse academies in terms of education and training. It offers courses at high school, undergraduate and graduate level as well as vocational and associate certificates in some of these areas:

• Sound Art
• Animation
• Cinematography
• Script Writing
• Film Directing
• Film Actor

Tuition Fees: It ranges from $1,240 to $1,550 for local students; international students pay $6,665 to $7,905 per year

Notable Alumni: Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers), Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), Tian Zhuangzhuang (The Blue Kite)

It is a more academic-centric institution when compared to other mentions in this list, while still providing students with adequate training and real-world exposure.

Best Film Schools in the World: Hollywood Reporter

As we are familiar with the popular film schools across the globe, let us go through some of the renonwend film schools in America as per the Hollywood Reporter 2020 rankings-

Rankings 2020	Name of the Film School
1	American Film Institute
2	University of Southern California
3	New York University
4	Columbia University
5	University of California, Los Angeles
6	Chapman University
7	Loyola Marymount University
8	California Institute of the Arts
9	Emerson College
10	University of North Carolina School of the Arts
11	University of Texas
12	Wesleyan University
13	Stanford University
14	Columbia College
15	Boston University

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