### SUMMARY

 Studying Film is a valuable choice and commonly a necessary first step for students aspiring to begin a career as a film director, a film screenwriter, or a camera operator. In fact, film is fairly common being the 95th most popular area of study. Last year, there were 4,120 film diplomas received. In-state tuition for film at private schools is, on average, 4.3 times more spendy than their public counterparts.

 There are 187 colleges which offer film. This number of schools is on par with other majors offered in the United States. If you're looking to immerse yourself with other film majors, look at schools in California which have the most students admitted to film annually. More generally, the best region to major in film is in the Far West region with [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach), [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara), and [San Francisco State University](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick for the best conference to major in film is the Big West Conference with [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach), [University of California-Irvine](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine), and [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara) representing the conference. Based on our comprehensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our selection for the best college for film is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university).

 The overall 'best' school is not necessarily the best school for you. There might be a bunch of facets to think about when selecting school. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food would definitely modify your thoughts on where to go to school. Here at Authority, we have evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which film university boasts the top college campus, the winner is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). If you are very interested in which college boasts the finest campus, then we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more in order to compare every U.S. major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our well researched list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and, from that list, our selection of the university with the best student life for film is [Barnard College](/colleges/barnard-college). Curious why? Keep scrolling to learn more about our top choices. Many of our decisions might shock you.

 If cost is a major factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [University of Chicago](/colleges/university-of-chicago). [University of Chicago](/colleges/university-of-chicago)&nbspappears to be our most expensive college for film, at least for out of state attendance. We have a list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that might put the price tag of [University of Chicago](/colleges/university-of-chicago)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you might be interested to know that film is the 17th most expensive program in the nation, with an average associated cost of $54,100. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for film in the nation is Illinois demonstrated by a tuition of $57,642 at the main university in the state University of Chicago. Even more broadly, the most expensive region of the U.S. for film is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with a cost of $56,780, [Amherst College](/colleges/amherst-college) with a cost of $57,640, and [Tufts University](/colleges/tufts-university) with a cost of $57,324.

 Our cheapest region for film is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [University of Colorado Boulder](/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder) with a cost of $34,930, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah) with a cost of $26,017. More optimistically, the most affordable college for film is [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach). Our entire list of the most affordable colleges can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can anticipate paying in the neighborhood of $11,500 for a degree in film. That price balloons substantially to an average of $29,300 for the out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our choice for the university constituting the best value for film: [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). Through this link you can see our comprehensive list on the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. That being said, this section is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition is considered, but we do not know in which states any one student has residency.

 Earnings for film students can cover a wide range, but two years after leaving college graduates will often earn around $48,900. While there is much variation in pay; top earners can experience pay up to $89,700. Right out of college, the minimum earning jobs within the film field make $26,900, which could be worse. The highest earning grads for film graduated from [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspand if you are looking for schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The all-around diversity of film stands quite high, ranking in the 89th percentile of all majors. The university with the most composite diversity for film is [Yale University](/colleges/yale-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the colleges which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of Film ranks only in the 57th percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, ranking in the 79th percentile. White undergraduates compose the largest proportion at 53% of students studying film. Additionally, 52% of scholars seeking a film degree are men.

 The median ranking for film's professors is 3.9 stars, a ranking that is 2% below the median score across every major; which is a subpar score. If you want the most popular film professor in the country, consider looking up Greg Smersh at [University of South Florida-Main Campus](/colleges/university-of-south-florida-main-campus). It may be surprising, but the highest rated film instructors according to students come from [American University](/colleges/american-university). If we consider data other than basic rankings it becomes clear that the school possessing comprehensively the best instructors for film is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). One will find an explanation of our ever evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as many of the finest examples of professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the hardest college to get into for film is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we have an extensive page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we do hope you understand that approaching university with context mainly informed by superlatives can cause issues. We at Authority hope you look at some of our more nuanced pages on different schools and explore some of Authority's helpful background pages on beneficial things to think about as your school search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Film is the 95th most popular degree in America, with 4,120 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #96 [Architecture](/rankings/best-colleges-for-architecture), and narrowly lost to #94 [Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences](/rankings/best-colleges-for-cellular-biology-and-anatomical-sciences).

 The degree is offered at a total of 187 colleges across the nation, and is the 108th most widely offered degree. Given that film is offered at 47% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that more or less 3 out of 7 colleges offering film are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The far west produces the most film graduates, largely led by [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach), while it’s the Big West Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach) and [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more film graduates than [American Film Institute Conservatory](/colleges/american-film-institute-conservatory), which graduated 283 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study film). More students studied film as a percentage of total students at [Columbia College Hollywood](/colleges/columbia-college-hollywood) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Film is the 17th most expensive degree in the nation, with a median cost of $54,095 among the top 50 programs (just ahead of #18, [Religious Studies](rankings/best-colleges-for-religious-studies), with a median cost of $53,995).

 New England has the most expensive schools with top of the line film programs led by [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with an annual cost of $56,780. Illinois is the most expensive state for film led by [University of Chicago](/colleges/university-of-chicago).

 Public schools with solid programs by and large charge 76.75% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 40.81% less than the median private school. So, if you're looking into studying at a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [University of Chicago](/colleges/university-of-chicago), which is the 10th most expensive college in the United States. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo). It costs just $5,790 per year, but it's its film program is ranked #57. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [California State University-Long Beach](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach)  could be a good fit for you, ranked #21 with an in-state cost of just $5,742. Another more affordable choice would be #23, [San Francisco State University](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university) in San Francisco County, CA with a cost of $5,742 for in-state students and $17,622 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Begining college is a serious investment for most undergraduates. It's important to lack doubt you expand your future earning power. It is our goal that the following earnings and job placement facts help you in deciding your focus at college.

 Right out of college, Film majors earn $25,270 per annum on average (bottom 4%). Further into their professional lives, they predominantly earn anywhere between $26,949 and $89,708, but average approximately $48,864. For context, that is 26% more than the United States average.

 The most popular job title for a Film graduate is Account Executive, which usually make more or less $36,000; next are Sales Consultant and Consultant, which commonly earn close to $36,000 and $56,000 respectively.

 The Southwest has the highest earning Film graduates. The highest grossing state for Film alumni is TN. The best paid conference for Film graduates is Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Film: Median Professor Rating: 3.9 / 5, which is below average.

 Instructors oftentimes play a mighty role in shaping your college experience, regardless of your primary focus. A good teacher might provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Alternatively, an unpleasant professor can mess up your development or even worse... fail you!

 Professors of Film have a median student rating of 3.9 out of 5, putting them in the bottom 23% in the nation based on overall professor quality. For context a 3.9 rating is 2.5% south of the national median professor rating for all subjects. Film professors slightly surpassed those from ["Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-computer-systems-networking-and-telecommunications), whereas ["Music Pedagogy"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-music-pedagogy)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Film.

 Now for some statistics about Film professors. Colleges located in distant towns tend to have the best Film professors. The Sun Belt Conference has the highest rated Film professors. The Far West region has the highest rated Film professors. Private schools tend to have higher rated Film professors than public colleges. Finally, Georgia has the highest rated Film professors in the US.

 Greg Smersh, instructor at [University of South Florida-Main Campus](/colleges/university-of-south-florida-main-campus)&nbspin Tampa, FL is the most popular Film professor in the US. Sylvia Bennett, professor at [University of Houston-Downtown](/colleges/university-of-houston-downtown)&nbspin Houston, TX is the highest rated Film professor in the US, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Find out which colleges have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College often is one of the more impactful times of one's life; it's an opportunity for personal progress and development. Undergraduates continue to find out their values and build many of the rudimentary skills to be a prosperous adult. But growth is more than sitting in a classroom - the discussions which one has with her peers, the life lesson received from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different position. Therefore, a diverse student population tremendously enriches what one gains from the time spent at college.

 Film is a more ethnically diverse major than average\*. 53% of the US' Film majors are white students, followed by latino students (16%), students of other races\*\*(14%), and asian students (10%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) located in Berkeley, CA.

 Furthermore, Film is pretty highly diverse when it comes to sex, with 48% of students majoring in Film identifying as women. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [Eckerd College](/colleges/eckerd-college) in Saint Petersburg, FL.

 Another significant type of diversity is class diversity. Film ranks somewhere around average for economic diversity (43rd percentile). 30% of its students come from homes bringing in above $110,000 per year, 16% are from homes who bring in between $48,000 and $75,000 a year, and 24% grew up in families bringing in under $30,000 a year. [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee) has the most economically diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall IL is the most diverse state for Film. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Big West Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 10%
* Black: 7%
* Latino: 16%
* White: 53%
* Other: 14%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 52%
* Female: 48%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 24%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 30%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 61%
* Out of State: 32%
* International: 7%


2023 Film Professors

There are about 12,700 students enrolled in Film in the USA.

PROFESSORS