UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Overview

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) is a public university film program in Los Angeles, consistently ranked among the top film schools in the United States. TheWrap ranked UCLA #6 in its 2025 list of top 50 US film schools, and The Hollywood Reporter ranked UCLA #11 in its 2025 list of top 25 US film schools. TFT produces approximately 250 student films and 12 theater productions per year.

Undergraduate tuition for California residents is approximately $45,500 per year (including housing, fees, and health insurance), while non-residents pay approximately $84,770 per year. Graduate MFA tuition for California residents is approximately $26,917 per year (new students, including Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition), while non-resident MFA students pay approximately $39,162 per year. With on-campus housing at University Apartments North, the total graduate cost of attendance rises to approximately $60,986 for residents and $73,231 for non-residents.

Students who want a top-tier film education at public university tuition rates, with direct access to the Los Angeles entertainment industry, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and a faculty of working professionals, should consider UCLA TFT. The undergraduate Film and Television BA had a 1.3% admission rate for Fall 2025 (1,884 applicants, approximately 24 admitted), making it one of the most selective undergraduate programs in the United States.

Programs Offered

UCLA TFT offers 14 graduate degree programs, 4 professional programs, and undergraduate degrees across film, television, theater, and digital media:

Undergraduate:

• BA in Film and Television - a four-year program consisting of two years of general college studies and two years of major coursework. Covers production, screenwriting, and critical studies. Admits new students only once per year for the Fall Quarter. Fall 2025 admission rate: 1.3%.
• BA in Theater - four-year program in acting, design, production, and theater studies. Fall 2025 admission rate: 8.2% (1,409 applicants).
• Minor in Film, Television and Digital Media

Graduate MFA Programs:

• MFA in Production/Directing - a highly selective program admitting fewer than 20 students per year. Applications due November 1, 2026 for 2027 entry.
• MFA in Screenwriting - widely regarded as one of the strongest screenwriting programs in the country. Applications due November 1, 2026.
• MFA in Cinematography - visual storytelling, camera operation, and lighting design
• MFA in Producing - development, financing, production management, and distribution
• MFA in Animation - both 2D and 3D animation, with ties to Los Angeles studios. Applications due February 1, 2026.

Graduate MA/PhD Programs:

• MA in Cinema and Media Studies - scholarly program in cinema history, theory, and criticism. Applications due December 1, 2026.
• PhD in Cinema and Media Studies - doctoral research in film, television, and digital media

Tuition and Financial Aid

Undergraduate (2026-27 academic year):

Graduate MFA (2025-26 academic year, including PDST):

With on-campus studio housing at University Apartments North (12-month lease at $21,808), total graduate cost of attendance is approximately $60,986 for residents and $73,231 for non-residents.

The UCLA Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan guarantees that California residents from families with incomes below $80,000 pay no tuition or fees through grants and scholarships. Prospective students can access the UCLA financial aid cost of attendance calculator for graduate estimates and the UCLA undergraduate tuition page for undergraduate details. Detailed fee breakdowns are available from the UCLA Registrar's Office.

Facilities and Resources

UCLA TFT houses the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the second-largest moving image archive in the United States after the Library of Congress, with over 450,000 film and television titles. The archive operates the largest nitrate-safe storage facility on the West Coast, located in Santa Clarita, with environmentally controlled vaults made possible by the Packard Humanities Institute. The archive celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025.

In 2025, AMD donated advanced computing systems to UCLA TFT to support virtual production, motion capture, scenic and lighting design, and AI-driven storytelling. The donated systems are powered by AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO, Ryzen AI, and EPYC processors with Radeon Pro graphics. Students use the equipment for real-time visualization, virtual production, and AI-supported media creation, with demonstrations at UCLA TFT hackathons.

Current capital projects include the renovation of the Experimental Design Classroom and the New Media Lab (estimated cost: $200,000), and updates to the sound stages for AI, VR, and emerging technology exploration (total renovations and signage project: $2,000,000).

The school produces 250 student films per year that screen at major festivals around the world, plus 12 theater productions annually.

Standout Faculty

UCLA TFT's faculty combines tenured professors who chair the production and screenwriting programs with working producers and directors on adjunct and emeritus appointments.

• Fabian Wagmister - Chair of the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. Founding director of the Center for Research in Engineering, Media and Performance (REMAP), a joint venture between TFT and UCLA Engineering. MFA in film directing from UCLA TFT.
• Juan Pablo González - Vice Chair of Production. 2024 Guggenheim Fellow and MacDowell Fellow. His feature debut Dos Estaciones (2022) won the Special Jury Award for Acting at Sundance and screened at New Directors/New Films, San Sebastián, and Morelia.
• Barbara Boyle - Professor Emerita. Co-founded Sovereign Pictures, which financed My Left Foot, Cinema Paradiso, Reversal of Fortune, and The Commitments. Former chief operating officer of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, where she acquired US distribution rights to The Tin Drum and Cries and Whispers. Produced Bottle Rocket (which launched Wes Anderson's career) and Phenomenon.
• Lianne Halfon - Associate Dean of External Engagement. Co-founded Mr. Mudd with John Malkovich and Russell Smith. Produced Juno (Academy Award Best Picture nominee), Ghost World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Young Adult, and Demolition.
• Liza Johnson - Adjunct Professor teaching directing. Writer-director of Elvis and Nixon (2016), Hateship Loveship (2013), and Return (2011). Television directing credits include HBO's Barry, Silicon Valley, and Ryan Murphy's Feud.
• George Huang - TFT Professional Programs Advisor. Writer-director of Swimming with Sharks (1994). Recently co-wrote and directed the international co-production Weekend in Taipei for Luc Besson's EuropaCorp.
• A.P. Gonzalez - Recipient of UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2003. Member of the Directors Guild of America and co-chair of the DGA's Latino Committee. Taught writing and directing at TFT for years.

Notable Alumni

UCLA TFT alumni have earned more than 100 Academy Award nominations, 81 Golden Globe nominations, and 388 Emmy nominations. Notable alumni include:

• Francis Ford Coppola - Director of The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula

• Alexander Payne - Director of Sideways, The Descendants, Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay
• Justin Lin - Director of multiple Fast and Furious films
• Ava DuVernay - Director of Selma, 13th, When They See Us

• David Koepp - Screenwriter of Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man
• Gina Prince-Bythewood - Director of Love and Basketball, The Woman King
• Tim Robbins - Actor and director of The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking
• Dustin Lance Black - Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk
• Carol Burnett - Comedian and actress, The Carol Burnett Show
• Charles Burnett - Director of Killer of Sheep, recognized by the Library of Congress
• Julie Dash - Director of Daughters of the Dust, first African American woman to have a feature film theatrically released in the US
• Billy Ray - Screenwriter of Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games
• Steven Canals - Creator and writer of Pose (FX)
• Grace Lee - Director of BTS Army documentary
• Emily Yoshida - Writer on Shogun (FX)

Student Film Examples

UCLA TFT produces approximately 250 student films per year. The TFT Film Festival, held at the James Bridges Theater in Melnitz Hall, is the school's annual showcase, structured around three events: Directors Spotlight (selected short films from the MFA program, judged by peers, alumni, and an industry Blue Ribbon Panel), the Animation Extravaganza, and the Thesis Showcase (the final films of the MFA Production program).

The UCLA Animation Workshop has a strong Student Academy Award record. Sebastian's Voodoo, created at the UCLA Animation Workshop by Joaquin Baldwin, won the Student Academy Award Silver Medal for Animation in 2009. Defective Detective by Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis won the Student Academy Award Bronze Medal for Animation in 2011. Both are representative of the production value the Animation Workshop expects from student work.

A notable thesis-to-feature pipeline: Gil Kenan's 2002 MFA thesis film The Lark won UCLA's Spotlight Award and screened at the Directors Guild Awards, which led to representation and his feature debut Monster House (2006), executive produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg. More recently, Reem Jubran's MFA thesis Don't Be Long, Little Bird won the Gotham Awards Student Showcase sponsored by Focus Features.

What Students Should Know

The undergraduate Film and Television BA is one of the most selective programs in American higher education, with a 1.3% admission rate for Fall 2025. The program requires two years of general college studies before students begin major coursework, meaning students do not focus exclusively on film production until their junior year. This produces graduates with broad academic foundations but means fewer total production hours compared to conservatory programs like AFI or UNCSA.

The MFA in Production/Directing admits fewer than 20 students per year, making it one of the most competitive graduate arts programs in the country. The screenwriting MFA is similarly selective. Both programs emphasize mentorship, with small cohorts working closely with faculty who are active in the industry.

As a public university, UCLA offers significantly lower tuition for California residents than private institutions like USC or AFI. The Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan guarantees no tuition or fees for California residents from families earning under $80,000. Non-resident students pay an additional $39,270 per year in nonresident supplemental tuition, bringing total costs closer to private university rates.

UCLA's location in Westwood places students in the heart of Los Angeles, with direct access to studios, production companies, and guilds. The school's alumni network, while smaller than USC's, is active and includes some of the most recognized names in American cinema. The UCLA Film and Television Archive gives students access to a vast collection of historical and contemporary work that few other film schools can match.

Application deadlines for 2027 entry: UC Application due December 1, 2026; First-Year Supplemental Application due December 7, 2026; MFA applications (Producing, Production/Directing, Screenwriting) due November 1, 2026; MA and PhD applications due December 1, 2026; Animation MFA due February 1, 2026. The supplemental application requires a $50 fee and must be completed through Acceptd, a separate platform from the UC Application.

See Also

For comparing the financial structure of public vs. private film programs, see Film School Costs Explained. To plan your student production budget, use the Production Budget Calculator. For comparing university film programs with conservatory-style schools, see Choosing a Film School.