Top Film Schools in the World (2025)

Thinking of applying to film school? The start of the year is a great time to think about which schools you might want to apply to, especially if you’re in your final year of high school.

To help you explore your options, The Hollywood Reporter publishes an annual list of the top film schools both within the U.S. and internationally, where our teachers have graduated from and that many of our students are headed to!

Build a creative portfolio for your film school application with our Mentorship program.

15 Best International Film Schools

• Australian Film, Television and Radio School (Australia)

• Beijing Film Academy (China)

• École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ECAM) (Spain)

• Escuela Superior de Cine y Audiovisuales de Cataluña (ESCAC) (Spain)

• Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) (Czech Republic)

• Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (Hong Kong)

• Korean Academy of Film Arts (South Korea)

• London Film School (United Kingdom)

• National Film and Television School (United Kingdom)

• Sam Spiegel Film and Television School (Israel)

• Tokyo University of the Arts (Japan)

• Toronto Film School (Canada)

• Universidad del Cine (FUC) (Argentina)

• Vancouver Film School (Canada)

• Victoria University of Wellington (Te Herenga Waka) (New Zealand)

Ranked: 25 Best Film Schools in the U.S.

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

2. New York University (NYU) (New York, New York)

3. American Film Institute (Los Angeles, California)

4. Chapman University (Orange, California)

5. Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California)

6. Emerson College (Boston, Massachusetts)

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

8. Columbia University (New York, New York)

9. DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois)

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

11. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (Los Angeles, California)

12. Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (Savannah, Georgia)

13. Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

14. Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida)

15. Ithaca College (Ithaca, New York)

16. Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)

17. Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, Florida)

18. Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut)

19. Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)

20. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College (Brooklyn, New York)

21. California State University, Northridge (CSUN) (Northridge, California)

22. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (Rochester, New York)

23. Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)

24. Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York)

25. ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, California)

More film schools from each region can be found here (listed in alphabetical order by region). Please refer to the schools’ websites for information on application and portfolio requirements, program/degree details, tuition, and available scholarships.

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.