PARTICIPATING COLLEGES
If you are serious about pursuing a career in film, you'll need to know what higher education opportunities are available. Our College Corner is here to help! Film and Media have become immensely popular areas of study and there are literally hundreds of schools offering a diverse range of programming. This page offers an organized and expansive list of schools that focus on creative arts education so that you can make informed decisions about your future as a creative. Take some time to check out each school and their unique approach to film and media education. Invite your parents and guidance counselors to review the material with you. This will help you feel confident that you're finding a fit that will recognize your talents and help you fulfill your dreams. The schools featured here support our festival because they value your passion and talent.
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Florida State University — College of Motion Picture Arts
Built on story, the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts immerses students in the art of filmmaking. Whether specializing in live-action, animation, or visual effects, students learn how to write and direct films that utilize the various tools they need to tell their stories from script to screen. The College, ranked #13 by The Hollywood Reporter, teaches the craft of filmmaking, but more importantly, the scalable skills to tell stories effectively, artfully, and authentically – regardless of background, capital, or circumstances.
The Film School puts additional emphasis on collaboration by training students to be renaissance filmmakers and unselfish collaborators. Instead of renting or competing for resources, every student is guaranteed equal access to a full range of industry-standard equipment and facilities. Additionally, the College provides funding for each student production.
Website: film.fsu.edu
Contact: Paige Roberts, Head of Admissions proberts@fsu.edu 850-644-8524
SCAD — School of Film and Acting
SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs in more than 40 majors across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. The School of Film and Acting offers degrees in acting, film and television, production design, and sound design.
With resources that rival Hollywood studios, award-winning professors, stunning locations, a professionally run casting office, and stellar film and television festivals, the SCAD School of Film and Acting is the ideal place to launch into the film and television industry. Students are prepared to command roles onstage and on screen through live performances, sitcoms, dramatic series, music videos, commercials, and more.
SCAD's undergraduate and graduate degrees in film and television are available in both Atlanta and Savannah, and beginning Fall 2024, SCAD is offering M.A. degrees in editing and cinematography in Atlanta and Savannah.
Website: scad.edu/academics/programs/film-and-television
Program video: Watch here
Contact: Savannah College of Art and Design Admission admission@scad.edu
Chapman University — Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Dodge College offers a complete array of undergraduate and graduate degrees for students interested in all facets of film and media arts. The Sodaro-Pankey Undergraduate School of Media Arts offers bachelor degrees in Animation and Visual Effects, Broadcast Journalism and Documentary, Creative Producing, Film and Media Studies, Film and Television Production, Public Relations, Advertising and Entertainment Marketing, Screen Acting, and Writing for Film and Television.
Website: chapman.edu/dodge
Program reel: Watch here
Contact: Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts dodgeadmit@chapman.edu (714) 997-6996
Temple University — Klein College of Media and Communication
Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication is an innovative hub for aspiring media professionals, offering hands-on experience in media production, television, and digital media. With state-of-the-art facilities and a strong focus on real-world skills, students get the opportunity to create impactful content and build a dynamic portfolio. Whether you are interested in storytelling, production, or media management, Klein College prepares you for a successful career in the ever-evolving media landscape.
Temple is building a state-of-the-art, transformative facility on the west side of North Broad Street. The Caroline Kimmel Pavilion of Arts and Communication will house Klein College, Temple Student Media, the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts, and Temple University Opera Theater. More than a building, it will be a dynamic space that fosters creativity, collaboration and connection—with one another and our North Philadelphia neighbors. Expected opening – Fall 2027. Learn more
Website: klein.temple.edu
Highlight reel: Temple Klein 2026 Highlight Reel
Contact: Frank Bowman, Director for Enrollment Management frank.bowman@temple.edu 215-204-5712
SMU — Meadows Division of Film and Media Arts
SMU Meadows Division of Film and Media Arts is devoted to training and mentoring students to become artists in film and media. Students can gain hands-on access to equipment the very first semester and have numerous opportunities to hone their craft in scriptwriting, directing, producing, lighting, audio recording and more, whether it be for class projects, film festivals or for the Division's biennial full-length feature film project, produced entirely by students with the mentorship of industry-respected faculty. Alumni enjoy careers as directors, screenwriters, producers, cinematographers, media executives and artistic directors, with work ranging from documentaries and shorts and feature-length films to television series and online digital videos. Alumni awards are many, including the 2012 Oscar for Best Animated Short (William Joyce, '81); a 2013 Oscar nomination for Best Sound Mixing on the film Lincoln (Ron Judkins, '75); and numerous Emmy, Telly and Peabody awards.
Website: smu.edu/meadows/areasofstudy/filmmediaarts
Program video: Watch here
Contact: film@smu.edu (214) 768-2129
Columbia College Chicago
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago's Cultural Mile, Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonprofit college offering a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business for nearly 6,700 students in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Dedicated to academic excellence and long-term career success, Columbia College Chicago creates a dynamic, challenging, and collaborative space for students who see the world through a creative lens.
Website:colum.edu
Contact:Admissions@colum.edu
Indiana University — The Media School
The Media School combines decades-long traditions of journalism and communications with a commitment to preparing students for 21st-century media careers. Our graduates are journalists and marketing professionals, advertising executives and public relations experts, filmmakers and directors, scholars, game designers, researchers and more. Together, we're creating the media landscape of the future.
Website:go.iu.edu/film
Contact:mschinfo@indiana.edu
Rutgers — Mason Gross School of the Arts
The Rutgers Filmmaking Center provides students with a rigorous technical and theoretical foundation for the BFA degree program, which Variety named "one of the top programs in the United States." With resources and training such as the Documentary Film Lab, intensive production classes, advanced technical workshops, and groundbreaking curriculum, students discover their personal aesthetics and express themselves intellectually and creatively.
Website:masongross.rutgers.edu/degrees-programs/filmmaking
Program video:Watch here
Contact: Peg Barbarite, Associate Director of Recruitment Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University 848-932-9190
Syracuse University — Newhouse School of Public Communications
The Newhouse School is the most comprehensive standalone school of communication in the country, offering programs that span the communications industry. At the Newhouse School, we're training the next generation of communications leaders—professionals who are prepared not only to enter a rapidly-changing media industry, but also to shape its future.
Website:newhouse.syr.edu
Temple University — Klein College of Media and Communication
Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication is an innovative hub for aspiring media professionals, offering hands-on experience in media production, television, and digital media. With state-of-the-art facilities and a strong focus on real-world skills, students get the opportunity to create impactful content and build a dynamic portfolio. Whether you are interested in storytelling, production, or media management, Klein College prepares you for a successful career in the ever-evolving media landscape.
Temple is building a state-of-the-art, transformative facility on the west side of North Broad Street. The Caroline Kimmel Pavilion of Arts and Communication will house Klein College, Temple Student Media, the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts, and Temple University Opera Theater. More than a building, it will be a dynamic space that fosters creativity, collaboration and connection—with one another and our North Philadelphia neighbors. Expected opening – Fall 2027. Learn more
Website: klein.temple.edu
Highlight reel: Temple Klein 2026 Highlight Reel
Contact: Frank Bowman, Director for Enrollment Management frank.bowman@temple.edu 215-204-5712
New York Film Academy (NYFA)
The New York Film Academy (NYFA) is one of the world's leading hands-on film, media, and performing arts schools. With campuses in New York City and Los Angeles, NYFA empowers the next generation of storytellers through immersive, project-based training led by industry professionals. In fact, BFA Filmmaking students work on at least 36 film productions during their first year alone, collaborating on live sets and building professional experience from day one.
Website:nyfa.edu
Highlight reel:Watch here
Contact:undergraduateadmissions@nyfa.edu