collageReading about cheap film schools in usa for the very first time may seem overwhelming to those without prior experience or who don’t study the subject, but they may find it fascinating.
A Bachelor’s in Film Studies is an excellent option for students looking to turn their love of movies into a career. With digital streaming platforms overtaking legacy distribution models, the television and film industries have grown tremendously in recent years. Global demand for professionally produced entertainment is surging with no signs of slowing down.
A bachelor’s degree in film studies qualifies graduates for entry-level positions in areas like directing and producing. It is also an ideal starting point for students considering the technical or academic sides of the movie industry.
CHEAP FILM SCHOOLS IN THE USA
1. University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Ranked among the top film schools in the nation, the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts offers an affordable Bachelor of Fine Arts in which students can select a concentration in areas such as screenwriting, production design, producing, editing and sound design, directing, cinematography, or animation. In the first two years of the program, undergraduates direct and shoot digital projects, take hands-on courses in every area of modern film production, and work with peers on original short films that they then submit to worldwide festivals. Students also have the opportunity to attend the UNCSA-hosted RiverRun International Film Festival, held every spring, and during the senior year, students travel with faculty mentors from their concentration to Los Angeles to screen their films for influential UNCSA alumni and industry executives.
Degree Options:
BFA Animation
BFA Cinematography
BFA Directing
BFA Picture Editing & Sound Design
BFA Producing
BFA Production Design & Visual Effects
BFA Screenwriting
Average Program Cost: $17,210
In-State Tuition: $9,338
Out-of-State Tuition: $25,081
Graduation Rate: 70 percent
CUNY City College New York
CUNY City College is the only public institution to offer a low cost Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film/Video, and the program is one of the oldest in the country. Each year, approximately 25 undergraduates follow an intensive, rich, two-year curriculum that emphasizes documentary production and single-camera fiction. The affordable BFA is comprised of 120 credits, including 54 in the major, as well as a thesis project and an optional internship. Coursework is offered in areas such as screenwriting, documentaries, digital post-production, directing for film and video, and critical approaches to independent cinema. Although this is an undergraduate degree, the school does not accept recent high school graduates. Instead, this second-tier program requires a separate admissions process that happens once per year, and applicants must have a personal statement, a video portfolio, and three college-level prerequisites in media studies, media production, and film studies.
Degree Options:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film/Video
Average Program Cost: $10,635
In-State Tuition: $6,940
Out-of-State Tuition: $14,330
Graduation Rate: 50 per cent
3. CUNY Hunter College
The Department of Film and Media Studies at CUNY Hunter College offers affordable degree programs in the critical analysis and production of film, alternative media, and mass media. In addition to a media major, the school confers a low cost Bachelor of Arts in Film that consists of 120 credits of study, including 30 credits within the major. Coursework is broken down into analytical classes such as theories of film acting and practical film analysis, production classes such as screen directing and screenwriting, and electives chosen from either analytical or production courses. Film majors may choose to pursue a minor in media but cannot double-major in both film and media.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film
Average Program Cost: $10,677
In-State Tuition: $6,982
Out-of-State Tuition: $14,372
Graduation Rate: 52 percent
4. . University of Alaska Fairbanks
At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Department of Theatre and Film provides a 120-credit affordable BA in Film & Performing Arts degree with concentrations in theater or film. Majors take a shared core of classes in production design, film set production and the fundamentals in acting before choosing an area of specialization. Other areas of study include digital video editing, directing for film and video, and an introduction to the study of film. All students gain practical experience through participating in main-stage productions, working on professional film sets, and closely interacting with faculty mentors and advisors. Through production work and teaching, the department prepares students to succeed in the industry while educating them across disciplines in the fundamental skills of creativity, communication, and collaboration.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film & Performing Arts
Average Program Cost: $12,723
In-State Tuition: $6,262
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,183
Graduation Rate: 30 percent
5. Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College’s four-year low cost Bachelor of Applied Science in Film, Television, and Digital Production is designed to provide students with the practical, hands-on skills they need to succeed in the competitive and creative field of media production. The 120-credit affordable program consists of 41 credits within the major, and courses cover funding, editing, production, website design, scriptwriting, sound design, broadcast design, production management, and cinematography. In addition to completing the required curriculum of classes, students must also participate in a capstone experience that provides the opportunity to demonstrate the application of acquired competencies, skills, and knowledge.
Degree Options:
Bachelor of Applied Science in Film, Television, and Digital Production
Average Program Cost: $6,250
In-State Tuition: $2,838
Out-of-State Tuition: $9,661
Graduation Rate: 31 percent
6. Eastern New Mexico University
The affordable BS in Digital Filmmaking at Eastern New Mexico University includes courses in film production as well as relevant studies in theater, music, and art. Through the curriculum, digital filmmaking majors will acquire core skills in editing, sound, cinematography, producing, directing, and screenwriting, and students may choose to specialize in a concentration area or pursue broader interests such as business or broadcast production. All undergraduates are required to complete a senior portfolio class to get feedback from faculty mentors, and students have the opportunity to participate in two student-run film festivals: the Sci-Fi Festival and Fear Fest.
Degree Options:
Bachelor of Science in Digital Filmmaking
Average Program Cost: $8,901
In-State Tuition: $6,013
Out-of-State Tuition: $11,788
Graduation Rate: 33 percent
7. CUNY Brooklyn College
Within the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts at CUNY Brooklyn College, the Film Department prepares students to become professionals in the motion picture industry. Students may pursue a 120-credit affordable BA in Film and choose from concentration areas such as industry studies, documentary, screenwriting, film production, and film studies. The diverse, rich, low cost programs offer peer collaboration and hands-on learning opportunities, and students are trained in all aspects of the discipline of the moving image, from the technical to the aesthetic. In addition to completing coursework, students have the opportunity to intern throughout New York City and enjoy the vibrant cultural and film life of the area.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film
Average Program Cost: $10,735
In-State Tuition: $7,040
Out-of-State Tuition: $14,430
Graduation Rate: 58 percent
8. California State University-Long Beach
For more than five decades, California State University-Long Beach has prepared students for careers in the study and production of moving images. The Department of Film & Electronic Arts offers a 120-unit affordable BA in Film and Electronic Arts taught by a diverse faculty comprised of accomplished media historians and industry professionals. This low cost degree program is comprised of comprehensive education in the theory and history of moving images with specialized training available in concentration areas such as production design, digital arts, production management, screenwriting, and sound design. Students may also choose to specialize in editing, cinematography, broadcast production, creative nonfiction production, or narrative production. Networking and internship opportunities are also available.
Degree Options:
Bachelor of Arts in Film and Electronic Arts
Average Program Cost: $12,670
In-State Tuition: $6,730
Out-of-State Tuition: $18,610
Graduation Rate: 69 percent
9. Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Students interested in any aspect of production, television and radio broadcasting, or film may pursue Western Michigan University’s low cost undergraduate program in film, video, and media studies. The curriculum emphasizes the practical assumptions and theoretical framework that drive today’s mass media, and students gain practical experience in production, radio and television broadcasting, technical direction, news writing. Although not required for the degree, student participation in freelance work, volunteer work, and internships is encouraged. Students are required to 36 hours in major coursework as well as general education courses, and approximately 25 percent of WMU’s film, video, and media studies go on to pursue graduate studies after completing the program.
Degree Options:
Film, Video, and Media Studies
Average Program Cost: $13,321
In-State Tuition: $11,943
Out-of-State Tuition: $14,699
Graduation Rate: 51 percent
10. Rhode Island College
Providence, Rhode Island
The affordable BA in Film Studies at Rhode Island College engages students in the study of moving images as a discursive practice that incorporates film theory, cultural contexts, aesthetics and style, genre studies, and film history. Students may also choose to immerse themselves in filmmaking through a sequence of courses from pre-production through post-production, creating in multiple forms of film such as animation, experimental cinema, documentary, and narrative filmmaking. Courses cover topics such as stop-motion animation, African-American cinema, Hollywood film scores, and television screenwriting. Students must complete 44 credit hours in the major in addition to general education requirements in order to earn their degree.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film Studies
Average Program Cost: $15,033
In-State Tuition: $8,776
Out-of-State Tuition: $21,289
Graduation Rate: 46 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 14:1
11. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences confers an affordable BA in Film, Television, and Interactive Media to students seeking entry-level positions in this field. This low cost 120-hour program includes 45 hours of courses within the major, including classes in communication, film, television production, media and technology, and mass media and society. Other requirements include courses in media criticism and screenwriting as well as broadcast and interactive media writing. Students focus their degree through electives, and the program culminates in either a film production or interactive media capstone course.
Degree Options:
Film, Television, and Interactive Media, B.A.
Average Program Cost: $11,804
In-State Tuition: $9,778
Out-of-State Tuition: $13,829
Graduation Rate: 43 percent
12. St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud State University provides a low cost BA in Film Studies that immerses students in a rigorous study of the art of cinema, emphasizing creative and critical thinking. Offered by the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, the curriculum consists of 10 to 12 film courses per semester, and the school regularly adds new topics courses to keep the program fresh. Most classes draw upon films from around the world, offering a global perspective that is not limited to one particular focus on the field. Undergraduates pursuing this affordable degree program may also choose to gain additional experience through a minor in film production.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film Studies
Average Program Cost: $12,345
In-State Tuition: $8,228
Out-of-State Tuition: $16,462
Graduation Rate: 44 percent
13. California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, California
California State University-Sacramento offers an affordable BA in Film degree that consists of 120 units of study. Students may choose from a concentration in either film studies or digital film/video production. Both concentrations are comprised of the same 21-unit core, including courses in film theory and criticism, survey of world cinema, and Hollywood and America. The film studies option requires an additional 18 units in courses such as the theory of film/video editing, staging and lighting, and video art as well as a senior seminar in film capstone. The DF/VP option requires an additional 24 units of courses in areas such as writing short scripts, video production management, staging and lighting, and audio production as well as a senior practicum in video production.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Film
Average Program Cost: $13,144
In-State Tuition: $7,204
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,084
Graduation Rate: 48 percent
14. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
The School of Cinema at San Francisco State University confers a low cost BA in Cinema that is comprised of 45 upper-division courses for the major, 12 of which may be in related disciplines outside of cinema. Core courses are offered in areas such as film history, filmmaking, and cinema studies, and students take a foundation course in critical studies. Students may also choose one of five areas of emphasis, including screenwriting, media and culture, fiction filmmaking, documentary filmmaking, and animation. Graduates receive a broad liberal arts education focused on the three core values of social engagement, critical thinking, and creative expression.
Degree Options:
B.A. in Cinema
Average Program Cost: $13,194
In-State Tuition: $7,254
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,134
Graduation Rate: 54 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 23:1
15. New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute (CMI) offers an affordable bachelor’s degree in creative media, a cross-disciplinary program that prepares students for careers in animation and visual effects as well as digital filmmaking. The 120-credit-hour curriculum low cost degree program focuses on the business, craft, and art of storytelling, and while students can choose an emphasis area, all students take coursework in digital arts and filmmaking. Practice and theory are integrated at every step, and students manipulate cinema, images, sound, and text using industry-standard technology. CMI houses a post-production lab, a state-of-the-art digital project system screening room, production space, and an animation lab.
Degree Options:
Bachelor of Creative Media
Average Program Cost: $13,742
In-State Tuition: $6,461
Out-of-State Tuition: $21,022
Graduation Rate: 46 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16:1
Requirements of film schools in the USA for international students
Begin the preparation early, at least a year in advance, as deadlines approach quickly. Here are the requirements for international students to apply for film schools in the united states:
- If you are an international student interested in pursuing film studies in the U.S, you should start the process by researching the good film schools in the USA.
- After researching the film school in the U.S, take a look at their admission process. The admission process is a bit lengthy. There are many important requirements you have to meet.
- Transcripts have to be submitted.
- College essays are required
- letters of recommendation as demanded by the institutions
- English proficiency test score(test like TOEFL/IELTS)
Film making courses in USA for international students
There are plenty of options for international students in the field of filmmaking to study in the USA.
Graduate Programs
- Master in digital film
- Master in fine arts in film production
- Master in television, radio, film
- MFA in film and media art
- Master of fine arts in film
- Master of fine arts in film and animation
- Master of arts in fashion film and photography
- Master of Arts in film and media
- Master of science in fiction and entertainment
- M.F.A in cinema arts
- Master in production design
- Master of film editing
Undergraduate programs
- Bachelor in film studies
- Bachelor of Arts in film production
- Bachelor of Science in film
- Bachelor in film and television
- Bachelor of fine arts in film art
- BSc in creative media and film
- Bachelor in Media studies – film and culture
- Bachelor of fine arts in film
- BFA in film production
- Bachelor of Science in digital filmmaking
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