As usual, the legendary University of Southern California film school ranked number 1 among the best film school in the United States in an annual list ranking of “The Top 25 American Film Schools,” by The Hollywood Reporter, culture and film trade magazine.
University of Southern California’s tuition was reported as $349,464, and among the USC’s alumni highlighted in the ranking are Judd Apatow, Doug Liman, George Lucas, Neal Moritz, Jason Reitman, Bryan Singer, and John Wells.
The New York University was ranked No. 2 on the top U.S. film schools list, among the NYU’s alumni highlighted in the ranking are Joel Coen, Chris Columbus, Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, M. Night Shyamalan, and Oliver Stone. California and New York still remain the best places to receive a film education. American Film Institute was ranked No. 3, followed by UCLA at #4 and California Institute of the Arts at #5.
The Top 10 Film Schools In America For 2015:
1 University of Southern California (USC) Tuition: $49,464 a year (undergrad) Notable Alumni: Judd Apatow, Doug Liman, George Lucas, Neal Moritz, Jason Reitman, Bryan Singer, John Wells
2. New York University Tuition: $49,962 (undergrad); $52,194 (grad) Notable Alumni: Joel Coen, Chris Columbus, Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, M. Night Shyamalan, Oliver Stone
3. American Film Institute Tuition: $47,030 (first year); $58,216 (second year) Notable Alumni: Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Terrence Malick
4. UCLA Tuition: $15,131 (in-state undergrad); $15,662 (MA); $25,196 (MFA); $15,308 (Ph.D.) Notable Alumni: Jack Black, David Koepp, Mike Medavoy, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Darren Star
5. California Institute of the Arts Tuition: $43,400 Notable Alumni: Frozen co-director Chris Buck, Tim Burton, Big Hero 6 director Don Hall, Inside Out director Pete Docter
6. Columbia University Tuition: $49,300 (MA); $55,356 (MFA) Notable Alumni: Lisa Cholodenko, Jennifer Lee, Kimberly Peirce
7. Chapman University Tuition: $47,040 (undergrad); $1,175 per credit (grad) Notable Alumni: The Amazing Race producer Darren Bunkley, Masters of Sex editor Rebekah Parmer, Dear White People director Justin Simien
8. Loyola Marymount University Tuition: $41,876 (undergrad); $1,118 per unit (grad) Notable Alumni: James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, The Simpsons producer David Mirkin, American Horror Story writer-producer James Wong
9. Wesleyan University Tuition: $48,704 Notable Alumni: Michael Bay, Toby Emmerich, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Zak Penn, Benh Zeitlin
10. Emerson College Tuition: $40,320 (undergrad); $1,197 per credit (grad) Notable Alumni: New Regency’s Pam Abdy, DreamWorks’ Holly Bario, Sony’s Andrea Giannetti, Viacom’s Doug Herzog
*To create its list, magazine’s staff toured campuses, met with deans and faculty, and interviewed alumni and industry experts. Multiple factors—including “prestige, practical experience, inspirational teachers, potential career connections and access to cutting-edge equipment”— were integral to the ranking.
Below is the complete list of the “Top 25 Film Schools in the United States”
1. University of Southern California 2. New York University 3. American Film Institute 4. University of California, Los Angeles 5. California Institute of the Arts 6. Columbia University 7. Chapman University 8. Loyola Marymount University 9. Wesleyan University 10. Emerson College
11. University of Texas, Austin Tuition: $17,108 (out-of-state undergrad); $12,074 (out-of-state grad) Notable Alumni: Robert Rodriguez
12. Boston University Tuition: $47,422 (undergrad); $47,422 (grad) Notable Alumni: Joe Roth, Howard Stern, Nina Tassler
13. Stanford University Tuition: $44,169 Notable Alumni: Documentarians Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk
14. University of North Carolina School of the Arts Tuition: $23,401 (out-of-state undergrad) Notable Alumni: David Gordon Green, Danny McBride
15. Savannah College of Art and Design Tuition: $34,470 (undergrad); $35,325 (grad) Notable Alumni: In a World producer Jett Steiger
16. Columbia College Chicago Tuition: $23,640 (undergrad); $1,113 per credit hour (grad) Notable Alumni: Selma exec producer Paul Garnes, Janusz Kaminski
17. Ringling College of Art and Design Tuition: $38,170 Notable Alumni: YouTube makeup superstar Michelle Phan
18. Rhode Island School of Design Tuition: $45,530 Notable Alumni: Martha Coolidge, Seth MacFarlane, Gus Van Sant
19. San Francisco State University Tuition: $18,372 (out-of-state undergrad); $19,368 (out-of-state grad) Notable Alumni: Inside Out producer Jonas Rivera
20. Syracuse University Tuition: $41,794 (undergrad); $33,312 (grad) Notable Alumni: Writer Rob Edwards, Pixar president Jim Morris
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21. Art Center College of Design, Pasadena Tuition: $19,365 (undergrad); $20,266 (grad) Notable Alumni: Cinematographer Larry Fong, director Tarsem Singh
22. Florida State University Tuition: $22,354 (first year, out-of-state undergrad); $34,432 to $49,982 (first year, out-of-state grad) Notable Alumni: Maze Runner director Wes Ball, Marvel Studios exec Stephen Broussard
23. Northwestern University Tuition: $48,624 Notable Alumni: Anna Gunn, Hobbit producer Ken Kamins
24. Colorado Film School Tuition: $15,000 (out-of-state, undergrad) Notable Alumni: Director Bradley King (his first feature, Time Lapse, just got picked up by Lionsgate)
25. Ithaca College Tuition: $40,656 Notable Alumni: Terminator Genisys producer Bill Carraro, Robert Iger
Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj is the CEO and editorial director at CEOWORLD magazine, the leading global business magazine written strictly for CEOs, CFOs, top managers, company directors, investors, senior executives, business leaders, high net worth individuals, and the most globally powerful men and women.