Columbia University: How to Apply for 2025, Acceptance Rate, and What To Expect as a Columbia SOA Film Student

Before you apply to Columbia University School of the Arts for graduate film, take a look at the general application requirements:

1. Complete the application: Fill it out online, plus pay the non-refundable $110 application fee. To request a fee waiver, you must fall into one of the categories below. If so, please email proof participation/service/status to the Office of Admissions soaadmissions@columbia.edu:
   • Veteran of the U.S. armed forces
   • Foreign national who is externally or internally displaced with refugee status or who has received US asylum or submitted a US asylum application
   • Alumnus of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).
   • Undergraduate Pell Grant Recipient
2. Transcripts: Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate institution at the time they matriculate into Columbia University School of the Arts. Upload a scanned copy of your transcript from the institution from which you received your bachelor's degree. (Do not mail paper transcripts prior to an offer of admission.)
   • Official transcripts are only required after you are admitted and must be received by June 30, 2025. You must also provide an official transcript indicating you obtained your bachelor’s degree prior to entering the program. Request that each institution you attended sends an electronic copy of your transcripts to Columbia School of the Arts at soaadmissions@columbia.edu.
   • If the institution you attended does not have electronic transcript delivery or a vendor for electronic delivery, you must write to soaadmissions@columbia.edu and include a link to the institution’s website regarding transcript orders and delivery. Columbia School of the Arts will reach out with more information.
   • International student requirements:
     • Transcripts in any language other than English must be translated.
     • If you attended a Chinese institution, you must contact CHESICC to arrange submission of a “Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript” and a “Verification Report of China Higher Education Qualification Certificate” (for those earning a degree in China) to the School of the Arts at soaadmissions@columbia.edu.
     • All other students who have attended an international university must submit an electronic transcript, if the institution offers secure online delivery. If the institution cannot send transcripts electronically via a secure, password-protected system, contact World Education Services (WES) and order a Course-by-Course Evaluation and International Credential Advantage Package to be sent to soaadmissions@columbia.edu.
3. Letters of recommendation:Provide three letters of recommendation from academic or professional contacts who can speak to your creative ability and potential. (Personal references from friends or family are not allowed.) If you received a bachelor’s degree in the past 5 years, at least one recommendation must come from an instructor at that institution. After you input your recommenders’ contact information, they will receive an email with instructions on how to upload the letter.
   1. Letters of recommendation must be submitted online by one week after the application deadline. Letters submitted after this date may not be reviewed.
4. Creative materials: Each MFA program has unique portfolio requirements. All creative materials must clearly state your name, date of birth, name of program to which you are applying, and title of the material (dramatic writing sample, autobiographical essay, etc). (The School of the Arts does not provide portfolio or application material reviews.) Click below to learn more about each of the program’s portfolio requirements:
   • Screenwriting & Directing MFA
   • Writing for Film & Television MFA
   • Creative Producing MFA