Are you creative and imaginative? Do you want to better understand our increasingly media-led modern world and perhaps be a leader in shaping or changing it? A degree in film and television can offer you the chance to do just that. 

If you’re passionate about the industry, then it’s only natural that you’ll want to attend the best universities to help further your film and TV career. Here we explore some of the best film and television schools in some top study destinations. 

Top 10 Film and tv schools in the world

Here are some of the best film and television schools in countries across the globe:

• American Film Institute, USA
• University of Southern California – School of Cinematic Arts, US (Ranking 63)
• UCLA - the University of California, USA (Ranking 20)
• New York University Tisch School of the Arts, USA (Ranking 26)
• Toronto Film School, Canada
• Vancouver Film School, Canada
• The London Film School, England
• National Film and Television School (NFTS), England
• Sydney Film School, Australia
• The Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Australia

Spotlight on three film and television schools 

New York University Tisch School of the Arts

Located in Greenwich Village and with studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Tisch School of the Arts is a desirable institute set in great locations in New York City. This multicultural city with endless career opportunities is a popular destination.  

New York University has students from 138 different countries in the first-year class and has the highest number of international students in America. It is fully committed to ensuring diversity, inclusion and equity and has a wide range of training and resources such as anti-racism and disability resources available to both faculty staff and students. 

As an international student, you will need to show you have the correct level of English to apply. NYU Tisch accepts test scores from a wide range of English language tests, including IELTS. The minimum score requirements are different for each department. Applications go through a two-part process. This includes an admissions form and an artistic review where you must showcase who you are, what you have done and what you hope to do in the future. 

The university is well-known worldwide for its excellent teaching and wide range of subjects in which you can earn a BA, BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts), MA, MFA (Masters of Fine Arts), MPS or PhD. Courses include dance, dramatic writing, cinema studies, game design and photography and imaging at the undergraduate level. 

Postgraduate programmes include design for stage and film, acting, and musical theatre writing. 

The Tisch Office of Career Development has counselling, training, and resources to help support students and alumni and connects them to the industry.

Famous Alumni include Lady Gaga, Spike Lee, Chloe Zhao, and Martin Scorsese.

Toronto Film School, Canada

Toronto is Canada’s capital for film, fashion and design with international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Toronto Fringe Festival. Canada is well-known for its cultural diversity and inclusive culture, with Toronto as its largest city and cultural centre. It is home to some of the best museums, galleries and theatres in the country, and there’s no shortage of cultural activities, from live music events to poetry readings, and comedy shows to name a few. 

It's little surprise then that the Toronto Film School is well placed to offer an excellent education in the arts. The top-ranking Toronto Film School provides students with the theory and practice needed to succeed in the industry. International student graduate Reeth Mazumder put it beautifully when she said, ‘You have everything under the same roof’. You can direct, write, and produce. All of these creative options are available. 

As with all institutions, international students will need to provide proof of their English language level with the IELTS test (minimum band score of 5.5). If you don’t have an English test score, you may need to complete a full-time pathway programme with them. 

Their courses are a minimum of twelve-month diploma courses in a range of disciplines such as film production, acting, writing for film and tv and video game design and animation. The film production course also has a work placement element to it. 

Its careers services provide students with one-to-one and small group coaching on a variety of career topics such as interview preparation and feedback, portfolio reviews and career decision making support. 

National Film and TV School (NFTS)

The NFTS is located around England and Wales, has won a BAFTA for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. It is known as being one of the world’s best schools for film and the moving image. Its teachers are well-known professionals in the industry, and classes are taught in state-of-the-art facilities and its film studio. 

The NFTS is actively trying to make the film and tv industry in the UK more diverse and inclusive and has various partnership initiatives to help redress industry imbalances. As an international student, you will need to provide proof of your English language level with a minimum band score of 6.5 in each of the IELTS test papers – Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. 

The courses on offer are too many to list here, but range from a one-year diploma in Cameras for Television Production and Script Development to a master’s degree in Games Design and Development, Directing Animation and Creative Business. 

Once you graduate, finding work in the industry should not be too difficult. The school has a high graduate success rate, with over 90 per cent of graduates finding work on top film, TV, and games directly after graduation. Famous alumni include Oscar-winning animator Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit), director Lynne Ramsay and documentary maker Kim Longinotto. 

As you can see, students who want to pursue a career in film and television have no shortage of world-class schools and destinations to choose from. We have over six-hundred institutions offering film and TV courses abroad on our site. Why not take a look and see what they have to offer?