The List of All U.S Colleges With a Film Major

Do you have dreams of directing the next box office hit? Or perhaps you have always felt that your passion for cinema goes beyond that of the average consumer. If this sounds like you, you may be considering a major in film.

 

Studying film or media studies in college can be an incredible opportunity to learn more about both the production and culture of cinema. If this lines up with your aspirations, then it’s just a matter of finding the right program. Luckily, we’re here to get you started.

 

Why Should You Study Film in College?

 

The film industry can be ruthless, but it is also an industry where knowing the right people goes a very long way. Within a college’s film department, you will start to forge the connections that will come in handy time and time again down the line. In addition, most film majors will provide students with extensive hands-on experience, and there is simply no substitute for this level of exposure.

 

On the flip side, commiting to a career in film takes dedication and certainty. It is a very competitive industry and is associated with a trying lifestyle. As such, it is important for students considering a career in film to get as much experience as possible, to be sure this is truly the life for them. There is no better opportunity to explore this interest than in a college setting, where there is an extensive support system in place for students.

 

In short, if you are serious about a career in film, pursuing a major first is the great way to ensure you get started on the right foot.

 

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Acceptance?

 

When it comes to prospective film majors, students proclaiming an undying love of movies are a dime a dozen. In other words, loving movies is not enough to get you in to a film program. So, what is?

 

Extracurriculars are going to play a huge role in determining whether or not you are ultimately accepted. Many schools don’t accept their students to a specific program or major, but instead to the general body of students. That being said, a lot of schools ask for your majors of interest on the application, so what you put down should make sense in the context of your resumé. In particular, your extracurriculars should show that you have explored your interest in film and have a legitimate reason for believing it is the right path for you. Whether this is screenwriting in your free time, running a successful YouTube channel, attending a summer film program, or another option, it is important you demonstrate an enduring passion for film. Prove that it is not a passing whim.

 

Further, academics are one of the main components colleges will look at. It is therefore important to present an impressive GPA, as well as a course load that shows you have challenged yourself throughout high school. Ideally, this means having AP or honors classes on your transcript. Colleges will first be evaluating whether you have what it takes to be a student in their classes, regardless of major, so be sure to take your academics seriously as a whole.

 

How Do You Choose Your College List?

 

Of film programs alone, there are dozens offered across the country. While it’s great to have options, we know this can also be overwhelming. Designing the college list is one of the most important steps in successfully applying to college, so it’s important that it’s done right. We’ve broken down the process into three important steps below.

 

 

• Determine where your primary interest lies. Within film, there are many different tracks, including screenwriting, filming, directing, and more. Decide which of these tracks you prefer. You can then narrow your search to film programs that offer or emphasize this track.

 

• Determine your level of experience. Some students discover their passion for film early on, giving them ample opportunity to amass experience. Others realize later on, and as such, their extracurriculars may be limited. Assess your prior experience from the perspective of an admissions officer and be honest with yourself about the prestige of your portfolio. Use this as a means of matching your profile to programs of realistic selectivity.

 

• Determine your preferred program or college size. This is the simplest of the three steps, but can be a huge qualifier in the search. For example, if your interest in film is more uncertain, you may choose a bigger school with many majors, or a liberal arts college that allows you to explore many subjects. That way, if you end up switching out of the major, there is an abundance of other opportunities. Alternately, if you know film is right for you and feel you would do better in an intensive film program, then this is the college environment to look for in your search.

 

Which Colleges Have a Film Major?

 

Alvernia University

American University

Amherst College

Anderson University (Indiana)

Anderson University (South Carolina)

Andrews University

Angelo State University

Appalachian State University

Arcadia University

Arizona State University | ASU

ArtCenter College of Design | ArtCenter

Augsburg University

Azusa Pacific University | APU

Baldwin Wallace University | BW

Ball State University | BSU

Bard College

Barnard College

Baylor University

Belhaven University

Belmont University

Berklee College of Music | Berklee

Bethel University (Minnesota)

Biola University

Boise State University | BSU

Boston College | BC

Boston University | BU

Bowling Green State University | BGSU

Brandeis University

Brenau University

Brooklyn College

Broward College

Bucknell University

Caldwell University

California Baptist University | CBU

California College of the Arts | CCA

California Institute of the Arts | Cal Arts

California State University, Fullerton | CSU Fullerton

California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State

California State University, Los Angeles | Cal State LA

California State University, Northridge | CSUN

California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento State

Calvin College

Campbellsville University

Capital University

Carson–Newman University

Central Washington University | CWU

Champlain College

Chapman University

City College of New York | CCNY

Claremont McKenna College | CMC

Clayton State University

Clemson University

Cleveland State University | CSU

Coe College

Colgate University

College of Staten Island | CUNY CSI

College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross

College of William & Mary | William & Mary

Colorado College

Columbia College Chicago

Columbia International University | CIU

Columbia University

Connecticut College

Corban University

Cornerstone University

Crown College (Minnesota)

Curry College

Dartmouth College

Denison University

DePaul University

DePauw University

DeSales University

Dillard University

Dixie State University | DSU

Drexel University

Eastern Michigan University | EMU

Eastern New Mexico University | ENMU

Eastern Washington University | EWU

Eckerd College

Edinboro University

Emerson College

Empire State College

Evangel University

Fashion Institute of Technology | FIT

Fitchburg State University

Florida State University | FSU

Fordham University

Franklin and Marshall College | F&M

Frostburg State University

George Fox University | GFU

George Mason University

Georgia Gwinnett College | GGC

Georgia Southern University

Georgia State University

Gettysburg College

Goshen College

Grand Canyon University | GCU

Grand Valley State University | GVSU

Hamilton College

Harvard University

Hawaii Pacific University | HPU

Hendrix College

Hollins University

Houston Baptist University | HBU

Howard University

Humboldt State University | HSU

Hunter College | CUNY Hunter

Huntington University

Husson University

Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana

Jacksonville University

John Brown University | JBU

John Paul the Great Catholic University | JPCatholic

Johns Hopkins University | JHU

Keene State College

Keiser University

Kenyon College

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | KU

La Roche College

La Sierra University | LSU

Lafayette College

Lander University

Lawrence University

Lehman College | CUNY Lehman

Lesley University

Liberty University

Lindenwood University

Lipscomb University

Louisiana State University | LSU

Loyola Marymount University | LMU

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University New Orleans

Lynn University

Maryland Institute College of Art | MICA

Marymount Manhattan College

Marywood University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT

Mercy College

Merrimack College

Messiah College

Metropolitan State University

Miami Dade College | MDC

Miami University

Michigan State University

Middle Tennessee State University | MTSU

Middlebury College

Millersville University of Pennsylvania | MU

Milligan College

Mills College

Minnesota State University Moorhead | MSUM

Minnesota State University, Mankato | MNSU

Missouri State University | MSU

Missouri Western State University

Montana State University | MSU

Montclair State University | MSU

Morehouse College

Mount Holyoke College

Muhlenberg College

National Louis University | NLU

Nebraska Wesleyan University | NWU

Nevada State College | NSC

New College of Florida

New England Institute of Technology | NEIT

New York City College of Technology | CUNY City Tech

North Carolina Central University | NCCU

North Carolina State University | NC State

Northern Arizona University | NAU

Northwestern University

Oberlin College

Ohio Wesleyan University

Oklahoma Baptist University | OBU

Oklahoma City University | OCU

Oklahoma Wesleyan University | OKWU

Old Dominion University | ODU

Olivet College

Olivet Nazarene University | ONU

Otis College of Art and Design

Our Lady of the Lake University | OLLU

Pacific University

Palm Beach Atlantic University | PBA

Peninsula College

Pennsylvania State University | PSU

Pepperdine University

Point Park University

Portland State University | PSU

Pratt Institute

Queens College, City University of New York | CUNY QC

Quinnipiac University

Ramapo College of New Jersey | RCNJ

Regent University

Rhode Island College | RIC

Rhode Island School of Design | RISD

Rider University

Robert Morris University | RMU (Pennsylvania)

Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT

Rollins College

Rowan University

Rutgers University–New Brunswick | Rutgers

Rutgers University–Newark

Saint Joseph’s University | SJU

Sam Houston State University | SHSU

San Diego State University | SDSU

San Jose State University | SJSU

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College of Art and Design | SCAD

School of the Art Institute of Chicago | SAIC

Seattle Pacific University | SPU

Seattle University

Seminole State College of Florida

Seton Hall University

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | SRU

Smith College

Southeastern University

Southern Adventist University

Southern Methodist University | SMU

Spelman College

Spring Arbor University | SAU

St. Ambrose University

St. Augustine’s University

St. Cloud State University | SCSU

St. John’s University

St. Joseph’s University | SJU

St. Olaf College

Stanford University

State College of Florida

State University of New York at Fredonia | SUNY Fredonia

State University of New York at Oswego | SUNY Oswego

State University of New York at Purchase | SUNY Purchase

Stephens College

Sterling College

Stevenson University

Suffolk University

Swarthmore College

Syracuse University

Taylor University

The Ohio State University | OSU

The State University of New York at Albany | SUNY Albany

The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton

The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo

Thomas University

Trinity College

Tufts University

Tulane University

Union University

University of Alaska Fairbanks | UAF

University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley

University of California, Davis | UC Davis

University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine

University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA

University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside

University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB

University of California, Santa Cruz | UCSC

University of Central Arkansas | UCA

University of Central Florida | UCF

University of Chicago

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado Boulder | CU Boulder

University of Colorado Denver | CU Denver

University of Denver

University of Georgia

University of Houston–Downtown | UHD

University of Idaho

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | UIUC

University of Kansas

University of Mary Hardin–Baylor | UMHB

University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland

University of Memphis

University of Michigan

University of Missouri | Mizzou

University of Missouri–Kansas City | UMKC

University of Montana

University of Nebraska–Lincoln | UNL

University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

University of New Hampshire | UNH

University of New Mexico | UNM

University of New Orleans | UNO

University of North Alabama | UNA

University of North Carolina at Wilmington | UNC Wilmington

University of North Carolina School of the Arts | UNCSA

University of North Georgia | UNG

University of Notre Dame

University of Pennsylvania | UPenn

University of Pittsburgh | Pitt

University of Rhode Island | URI

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

University of San Diego | USD

University of South Carolina | USC

University of South Carolina Upstate | USC Upstate

University of South Florida | USF

University of Southern California | USC

University of Southern Indiana | USI

University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss

University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)

University of the Arts | UArts

University of Toledo

University of Tulsa

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | UWM

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh | UW Oshkosh

University of Wisconsin–Stout | UW–Stout

Vanderbilt University

Vassar College

Villa Maria College

Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU

Virginia Tech

Wagner College

Walla Walla University

Washburn University

Washington University in St. Louis | WashU

Wayne State University | WSU

Webster University

Wellesley College

Wesleyan University

Western Carolina University | WCU

Western Kentucky University | WKU

Westfield State University

Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

Whitman College

Whitworth University

Wichita State University | WSU

Willamette University

Winona State University | WSU

Woodbury University

Yale University

 

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!