Despite the turmoil engulfing higher education, the universities on Variety’s Education Impact Report are guided by the North Star of providing eager students with the knowledge and experience to create stories and get jobs in the entertainment business. From universities that are as old (or older) than the moving picture itself, to budding programs, the schools on this list collectively offer an impressive array of educators, facilities and lessons to be learned. Countless alumni from these programs have become legendary names in the industry, creating award-winning films and television series, and often give back to the institutions that fostered their talent.
Belmont UniversityNashville
Located in the growing entertainment hub of Nashville, Belmont is expanding its scope with a new cinema and television studies program this fall. “Because we’re still the up-and-coming scrappy underdogs, we have a strong connection to our students,” Jay New, the school’s chair of film, television and media production, tells Variety. “We’re very accessible.” The school features a Dolby Atmos mixing theater and 2,500-square-foot soundstage. But the key to giving students practical experience, New explains, is how interconnected the campus is. “Our athletic events center is connected fiber-optically to our control room in our building. We have students actually running the cameras for the athletic events that stream on ESPN+,” he says.
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, Calif.
Biola puts cameras and equipment in the hands of students as soon as they hit campus as freshman. But besides the extensive facilities and equipment — the college will open a 45,000 square-foot facility next year housing soundstages, production offices, sound, editing, costume, post-production, a Foley mixing stage and more — Biola prioritizes character. “You know, we want to send the best of both into this industry, students that that are highly skilled but also are reliable, that follow through on assignments, that are team players,” says dean Tom Halleen, who adds that the school has placed 170 internships with such companies as DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox in the current school year.
California State University, NorthridgeNorthridge
CSUN has kicked up its reach-out to young talent with the development of a mentorship program designed for aspiring comedy writers, the brainchild of alumnus Dave Caplan, an award-winning TV writer and executive producer and co-showrunner of “The Conners.” “It really started with me trying to figure out how to get more diverse voices in the writing room,” says Caplan. “If everyone in the writers’ room all went to Harvard or another elite university, then what you see on screen will not represent who the audience truly is nor create experiences that they can relate to.” CSUN also boasts an extremely diverse student population — 54% female, 46% male; 48% Latino, 25% white, 10% Asian, 6% African American, 5% multi-race — and has been recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution.
Chapman UniversityOrange, Calif.
With the emergence of AI, Chapman is preparing film students with an Innovation Hub where they can study technology, along with an LED virtual production wall and three full-size sound stages. But the true ingredient for Chapman is that they are the “friendly film school,” according to Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. For example, the school teaches producing and directing classes together so students learn to collaborate from Day 1. The school has also built masterclasses into its brand, with recent speakers including Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Craig, Damien Chazelle and Selena Gomez. “This is just an average semester for us,” Galloway says.
Columbia College ChicagoChicago
Columbia offers a wide range of facilities and programs designed to provide students with practical experience that guides them through the many stages of filmmaking, from script to screen, including understanding and negotiating contracts, budgeting, branding and self-promotion. With a focus on individuality and collaboration, they help students build standout portfolios that reflect their authentic voices and prepare them for careers in everything from screenwriting, cinematography, productiondesign and virtual production, to sound design and multi-camera production. The school also features a 35,500-square-foot Media Production Center that houses film production soundstages and a motion-capture studio. Columbia proactively incorporates AI into its curriculum. The faculty guides students on collaborating with AI generative software, with emphasis on ethical and effective use of the technologies in their work, particularly in areas like previsualization, design and idea development.
Columbia UniversityNew York
The MFA program for aspiring filmmakers is world-renowned, with concentrations in screenwriting and directing, creative producing and writing for film and TV. Students can screen their films to a wider audience and biz pros in the annual Miloš Forman / Mike Hausman Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) and enter the fest’s screenplay competition. Winners in both the feature and pilot categories participate in two annual ScriptConnect days (in New York and Los Angeles), an event that introduces Columbia writers to agents, managers and producers, The film MFA also offers students opportunities to explore technology by collaborating with artists, engineers, designers and philosophers — one way is through the Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL), which has gained recognition for its innovative approach to reshaping how AI is taught in creative practice.
DePaul UniversityChicago
The school boasts six dedicated soundstages (over some 60,000 square feet) at Cinespace Chicago, allowing students to work alongside productions from Netflix, Amazon and other majors. It also has a virtual production stage. DePaul also has permanent space at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood, used by students participating in their “L.A. Quarter” of internships and study. It’s also embracing the future of production. “Because DePaul’s School of Cinematic Arts is housed within the College of Computing, Design, and Media, our filmmakers, game designers and computer scientists collaborate in a state-of-the-art environment. With our upgraded LED stage at Cinespace and a new M.S. in virtual production, students gain hands-on experience in the interdisciplinary workflows shaping the future of the industry,” says Brian Andrews, associate professor of visual effects, animation, cinema production.
Emerson CollegeBoston
This academic year, Emerson launched its state-of-the-art LED virtual production studio. And in 2025, VMA students have already begun learning virtual set design using Unreal Engine. “We are also expanding AI into our curriculum,” Sean Clark, chair of the visual media arts department at Emerson College, tells Variety. “Every year we invest significantly in new technology — last year was reinvesting in Arri Alexa cameras for our capstone and upper-level projects.” In addition to the main Boston campus, the school also hosts a semester in Los Angeles program, allowing students to experience the industry from both coasts.
Students at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Feirstein Graduate School of CinemaBrooklyn
Feirstein distinguishes itself by being the only program of its kind that’s located on a film lot — Steiner Studios. The 68,000-square-foot campus provides students with access to four sound stages, a mixing facility exclusive to Feirstein, a recording studio and ADR suites. The school’s offerings include Master of Fine Arts degrees in media scoring and sonic arts, which means student films can benefit from collaboration with student composers and sound technicians. Students typically make at least four films before they graduate. A thesis film class provides students with mentor support and funds. “The hands-on, practical experience of making films and music is integral and a vital part of the program. It’s not the gravy, it’s part of the meal,” Feirstein’s executive director Richard N. Gladstein tells Variety.
Full Sail UniversityWinter Park, Fla.
Students have access to a virtual production studio, a dubbing stage, production offices and facilities, recording studios and other professional amenities. It’s also the home of the Dan Patrick School of Sports Broadcasting and offers degrees in communications, journalism and new media. Says Anne Russell, program director, film production MFA, “The program’s strong focus on collaboration mirrors the dynamic, team-oriented nature of the film industry, ensuring that students work together on projects to simulate the production process in a professional environment. Equally important is our faculty. Our instructors are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the film industry, bringing a wealth of knowledge and real-world insights into the classroom.” Adds education director of visual arts and communication, Rick Ramsey, “We strive to provide our students with real-world industry experience by partnering with notable companies like Universal Studios, WWE, Orlando City Soccer and the Florida Film Festival, to name a few.”
Hofstra UniversityHempstead, N.Y.
Hofstra offers production experience in a small and focused program. “We do not have what some schools do, which is a a hefty graduate program that tends to get all the resources and all the faculty attention and all the equipment,” says Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of the Herbert School of Communication. “We structure our program so that they are doing real work from the minute they get here. Their hands are on cameras. They are creating stories. You know, typically in their time here in the film program, they do a dozen films.” Students also intern in major media companies, and have access to the school’s three top-notch production facilities, including a post-production color correction suite, Foley/ADR audio studio and a large screening room. “We really give the students all the tools they need to make high-quality productions,” he says, noting the new sports media major that uses “a big new facility, a new sports control room that handles all of our collegiate sports.”
Ithaca CollegeIthaca, N.Y.
The university’s BFA opens screen doors for students, giving them a full-range of experience in the school’s three production studios as well as access to professional equipment and facilities. The Roy H. Park School of Communications also offers majors in documentary studies and production, television, photography and digital media, writing for film, television and emerging media as well a suite of minors. The school sports a Volume stage and virtual production studios utilizing camera tracking, LED walls and green screen technology, as well as broadcast television studios with industry grade equipment such as VIZrt graphics systems, Grass Valley switchers and Sony broadcast cameras. There’s also soundstages stocked with Red, Arri, Sony, Canon, Sound Devices, Blackmagic Design production gear and its post-production media labs include Pro Tools HD systems and DaVinci Resolve color suites. Students can also spend a semester at Ithaca’s James B. Pendleton Center in Los Angeles, an internship-based program offering professional experience and industry-related courses taught by L.A.-based faculty and showbiz pros.
Los Angeles Film SchoolLos Angeles
Taught by industry-experienced faculty whose credits include major films, video games and music recordings, the L.A. Film School’s approach fosters real-world skills which have earned its alumni Grammys and Oscars, numerous awards at international film festivals and contributions to multi-platinum albums. Campus studios and stages are equipped with professional-grade gear and software, cameras, audio kits and lighting that is housed in its backlot, equipment room, post-production facilities, editing bays, sound booths and screening rooms. Networking is a cornerstone of LAFS’ educational model, offering students opportunities through industry partnerships, hands-on production workshops, mentorship programs and internships with top production companies. Additionally partnering with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for the Gold Rising Intern Track, the school offers an eight-week summer educational and networking experience.
LMU undergraduates in action
Devin Feil
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles
Through facilities, programs, training and mentorship, LMU offers access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment along with a Distinguished Artist in Residence program and multiple opportunities to interact with A-list guest artists and attend industry events such as the Academy Awards. Established by Dean Joanne Moore, the program offers exceptional students hands-on mentorship from industry luminaries like award-winning cinematographer Amy Vincent, as well as the school’s ongoing event series, which has broughta panorama of creatives to campus that includes Jon M. Chu, Todd Phillips, Damon Lindelof and Vince Gilligan. Under Moore, the school has launched several significant programs providing students with access to the entertainment industry through various platforms to showcase their work and network with industry professionals. Among its initiatives is the 2025 Innovators Film Festival, celebrating the future of filmmaking through the ethical integration of AI and new technologyin storytelling.
New York Film AcademyNew York, Burbank
While its flagship schools are based on both coasts, the NYFA has campuses and locations all over the world, including Florence, Italy, and Miami. It offers degrees and study in all production disciplines as well as certificate programs and workshops. Of course, students work with top-of-the-line equipment in professional facilities. “NYFA holds a Talent Meet & Greet, in which NYFA alumni looking for representation meet with talent agents and managers. Programs such as producing and screenwriting hold pitch fests several times per year, in which industry executives hear professional project pitches from our graduating students,” says Sonny Calderon, VP of academic affairs. “NYFA is also constantly ensuring its programs reflect the current and emerging trends of the industries it serves. Filmmaking students are taught virtual production, and a cross-discipline working group of faculty is developing pragmatic policies and approaches to AI-powered tools of filmmaking.”
New York UniversityNew York
With a storied list of alumni, NYU continues to attract, nurture and graduate filmmakers ready to take on the entertainment business. Students can use the state of the art facilities at 370 Jay Street, the school’s Brooklyn center for media, art and technology that houses interactive telecommunication program, its interactive media arts program, the NYU Game Center and the Clive Davis Institute. The Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts was opened last fall and sports the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center and the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies. NYU alumni include Spike Lee (who also teaches there), Chloé Zhao, Ang Lee, Dee Rees, and Cary Fukunaga.
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Ill.
Northwestern doesn’t offer a degree in film, but its RTVF majors and graduate students are informed by studies in the humanities, arts and sciences with a 10-week quarter system. The faculty represents scholarship in every avenue of film and media, with a notable emphasis on writing that is supported by the liberal arts model. Dean E. Patrick Johnson has integrated the School of Communication’s five departments — RTVF, theater and dance, communication studies, performance studies and communication sciences and disorders. In particular, RTVF students learn not only what is pertinent to their major but also explore collaborations with theater students. Thanks to courses in communication studies, students are schooled in the evolving business models of the creative industries, and dive into allyship and advocacy through sound studies and the school’s eminence in audiology.
RIT’s Los Angeles campus
Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester, N.Y.
RIT L.A. debuted in 2024, which combined study with hands-on experience in film, animation and transmedia storytelling, including internships and collaborations with companies like Synapse Virtual Production and Atlas Lens that gave students the opportunity to work with virtual production methods. “This coming fall, we’re adding games and game design; the entertainment industry doesn’t look at entertainment as just films and television anymore, right? It’s games, it’s movies, it’s books, it’s theme parks, it’s interactive experiences,” says assistant provost Tom Connor, who runs the program. RIT’s deep bench of facilities — like its Magic Spell Studios — and instructors is a huge asset for students. “Flip Phillips is one of our professors in the school of film and animation. He’s one of the original architects of Renderman,” says Todd Jokl, dean, College of Art and Design. “Some cool stuff happening up here in Rochester, New York.”
Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, N.J.
With its proximity to the booming New York and New Jersey production centers, Rutgers is well-placed for students looking for internships and experience. Students begin production on day one, with access to the school’s extensive facilities and equipment. A unique aspect of Rutgers is its Documentary Film Lab, run by Oscar-winner Thomas Lennon. “And because Rutgers is such a big research university, we’re partnering with all these other research scientists” to make films, says Patrick Stettner, chair, associate professor, filmmaking. “We sent a student and an experimental filmmaker for three weeks on the glaciers of Greenland on snowmobiles to make research films.” He adds: “We’re clear about our vision, about developing filmmakers, and so we’re constantly inviting risk-taking experimentation.”
Savannah College of Art and DesignSavannah
SCAD’s range of programs include animation, filmmaking and television, sound design, visual effects, writing and even more in the creative arts. The school’s facilities include a new backlot and 17,000 square feet of production space, plus Volume stages and a deep partnership with the Georgia production community and several festivals. “It’s very strategic to have a university-run film festival and TV festival and animation festival, so that we’re bringing all of these leaders in industry to the classroom,” says Andra Reeve Raab, school of film and acting dean. Reeve Raab is also enthusiastic about SCAD’s casting program and its professional casting office, which is run by students. “They are professionally mentored. The students get to work there every single day but have professionals that are mentoring them,” she says.
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, N.Y.
The university has a well-established reputation for its various media-related programs, including animation, film and TV production as well as its robust facilities including a new post-production suite and a stop-motion animation studio. “One of the cornerstones of the school’s strategic plan is that they want all of their students to have some kind of study abroad experience,” says College of Visual and Performing Arts film and media arts professor and chair David Tarleton, who adds that it has a strong relationship with venerable film school FAMU in Prague. Students also can study while working as industry interns at Newhouse L.A. Michael Schoonmaker, professor and chair, Television, Radio and Film at Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications says, “If you’re really serious about wanting to succeed in this field, we’ve got a great track record — when you come here, we’re really going to go to the mat with you.”
UCLALos Angeles
UCLA emphasizes collaboration for student film projects. “We largely work in a team framework, so it’s not a bunch of individuals coming into a class to be able to take away something individually. They work together,” says Chon Noriega, interim dean of TFT. Students also share newsletters with information about film productions, while masterclasses and internship programs allow students to learn from working professionals. Additionally, the school is working on incorporating AI into its curriculum and potentially adding new hires to provide more precise insights about the rapidly-evolving technology. “We are actually providing AI support for our students that really need to be able to work with this new technology,” Noriega adds. “They’re contributing to it, but also, they’re learning how to understand what it can do within the media environment that we’re training them for.”
University of NebraskaLincoln, Neb.
Hank Stratton, director of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, says that the legacy of Nebraska’s program goes back to 1900 with Alice Howell, a pioneer in drama training who was a close friend of Walt Disney. “And obviously the ways that he was innovating and imagining a new form of entertainment — we’re standing on the on those shoulders, because our entertainment design degree features immersive games, digital and live performance. We’re training those thought leaders, designers, game designers, animators,” he says. Nebraska sports top production facilities with an eye to emerging media arts. “We have a sequence of three on-camera acting classes within our BFA in acting, and one of the sequences on top of that is motion capture. So they learn to be in the motion capture studio, they’re on stage with a green screen and they’re in a virtual environment right away,” Stratton says.
UNCSA mo-cap studio
University of North Carolina School of the ArtsWinston-Salem, N.C.
Celebrating its 32nd year, the university continues to adapt to a rapidly changing cultural and economic landscape with curriculum that spans a virtually unlimited spectrum of media. “We’re able to say, ‘here are the fundamentals of storytelling’,” says Dean Deborah LaVine. “Whether that’s digital, hand-drawn, Claymation, motion capture, live action, mixed, hybridity is a catchword for us.” Among its offerings, the school recently expanded its nonfiction storytelling classes and announced plans for an MFA program in media archiving and curatorial practice. Yet LaVine says each specific path is conceived with a bigger career (and even life) journey in mind. “What we’re teaching are evergreen, transferable skills — communication, critical thinking, the ability to coalesce your ideas — that can be used in a lot of ways.”
USCLos Angeles
While USC’s School of Cinematic Arts is world-renowned, dean Elizabeth Daley keeps innovation and student need on the front burner. “It’s really staying close to the industry, realizing that we are training students for five years out, although that sounds like a long time at the rate things are moving. But you know, they need to be able to leave here ready to go to work, right, but also very prepared to accept and move with change quickly,” she says. USC sports TV, film, stop motion, VFX-oriented, performance capture and green screen stages, plus the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts offers production areas such as the Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre and Immersive Media Lab and the World Building Media Lab. She’s excited about the school’s Volume wall, donated by Sony, and “we’re just laying out plans for a larger Volume that we expect to start on this coming year.”
University of Texas at Austin features sports production.
University of Texas, AustinAustin
At UT Austin, students “get a taste of so many different things,” says Cindy McCreery,chair of the radio-television-film department. Students can take classes in writing, production, video game, audio and cinematography as well as a Script to Screen class co-taught by Matthew McConaughey. Student have access to soundstages, an audio foley studio, a mixing room, editing suites and a motion capture studio for virtual production classes. There’s also collaboration between classes. A writing class might come up with a season of television, and a production class would bring those episodes to life. For those concerned about financial accessibility, graduate thesis films receive funds, and although there isn’t guaranteed funding for undergraduate work, those students often get scholarships for their projects due to school donors. There are also scholarships for internships (all undergraduate students are required to do one for credit) to help students offset the costs of taking unpaid positions. Students can fulfill their internship credit anywhere: in Austin, the UTLA and UTNY programs or even while studying abroad.
Vancouver Film SchoolVancouver, B.C., Canada
Located in a film and TV production strong-hold, VFS boasts strong industry connections and a 20,000-plus strong alumni network. “Our goal is to be the school to which the industry comes first. We look to find intersection points with industry to provide that experience for students while they’re here at school, so that they can start interacting with industry while in class, as opposed to waiting until post graduation,” says CEO Jon Bell. In the school’s state-of-the-art greenscreen studio, students can work alongside pros, build sets and perform other jobs needed for productions. “We don’t even refer to our main school as a school or campus. We refer to it as a production center… we have students in production environments, and we have industry partners. We call it ‘embedded industry’ that is working in these spaces.”
Vancouver Film School animation students
