USC Film MFA Spring 2025, anyone?

[vidhaini20]

Waitlisted last year and waiting for this year's announcement—hoping this is finally my lucky break! (P.S. This is my fourth time applying to USC!)

 

[Chris W]

Good luck! 4th time's the charm?

I'm sure you've read them but here are our interviews with a USC admissions professor.

How to get Into USC SCA: Advice from an Admissions Committee Member

Considered by many to be the best film school in the world, it’s no wonder why the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) is so sought after by prospective undergraduate and graduate students alike. However, the film school’s prestige can often make the application process particularly stressful and...

• Svaja Paka
• Mar 5, 2020
• 5.00 star(s) 7 ratings
• Comments: 6
• Reviews: 5
• Category: Admissions Interviews

How to Get Into USC SCA in 2024: More Tips for Applying from a Committee Member

As the oldest film school in the U.S., University of Southern California School of the Arts has helped usher exceptional talent to the forefront of the film industry. In 2023, TheWrap ranked USC SCA the #2 best film school in the country, praising its advanced filmmaking facilities, generous...

• Alexa P.
• Mar 14, 2024
• Category: Supporting Member Exclusives

And here's our current admissions data for USC:

USC School of Cinematic Arts Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

28.2%

Admitted

250 out of 885

16.8%

Waitlisted

149 out of 885

54.9%

Not Admitted

486 out of 885

Click here for our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

 

[Allison]

How did you change your app this time around? I poorly researched what I should prioritize and I’m realizing my personal statement was probably my weakest point with my portfolio and letters of rec being my strongest. According to the analytics, they didn’t even look at my website with my portfolio which had a lot of short films I’m really proud of shot on digital, super 8, and 16mm. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it to retool and try again or try more schools.

 

[vidhaini20]

I submitted a brand-new application because they updated the requirements, including the media sample, creative collaboration question, and writing sample. I also enhanced my creative portfolio list and personal statement.

My advisor mentioned that my media sample was the weakest part of my previous application. Initially, I was waitlisted, but after reapplying with a different media sample, I was rejected. In hindsight, I feel that the new media sample was a downgrade, haha. That’s why I’m focusing much more on the media sample for my current application.

 

[Allison]

I submitted a brand-new application because they updated the requirements, including the media sample, creative collaboration question, and writing sample. I also enhanced my creative portfolio list and personal statement.

My advisor mentioned that my media sample was the weakest part of my previous application. Initially, I was waitlisted, but after reapplying with a different media sample, I was rejected. In hindsight, I feel that the new media sample was a downgrade, haha. That’s why I’m focusing much more on the media sample for my current application.

Did you receive feedback because you were waitlisted or did you already have an advisor helping you?

 

[vidhaini20]

Nope, it’s just my friend who’s a film alumni at USC

Did you receive feedback because you were waitlisted or did you already have an advisor helping you?

 

[Allison]

Nope, it’s just my friend who’s a film alumni at USC

Haha nice! Well good luck this year!

 

[Allison]

Haha nice! Well good luck this year!

Oh and do you know if I’ll be able to use the same letters of recommendation if I apply for the fall?

 

[vidhaini20]

Good luck to you too!!

Yes! I used the same letter of recommendation for my Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 applications. Just send an email to admissions requesting to transfer your letter of recommendation to your current application after you’ve submitted it.

 

[Allison]

Good luck to you too!!

Yes! I used the same letter of recommendation for my Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 applications. Just send an email to admissions requesting to transfer your letter of recommendation to your current application after you’ve submitted it.

Oh cool! Thank you!

 

[vidhaini20]

Oh cool! Thank you!

You're very welcome!

 

[LIFCNG]

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for a sublessee for my studio starting from late January to early February. The studio is very close to USC campus (less than 10 min to SCA)

If you’re interested, please send me a DM. Thank you!

 

[demianais]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Demi and I'm a filmmaker from New Orleans. I've been trolling these threads for a few weeks now and finally joined up today. Nice to connect with you all.

I will be applying to USC's School of Cinematic Arts Film & Television Production MFA for the Spring Semester.

I will continue to comb through all of the old threads since I would like to have my application materials ready before the portal opens in June.

It's been some time since I was in college (I graduated in 2017) so I wondered if anyone (especially those of you who have previously applied to USC's Production MFA) could answer a few questions for me?

1. Will I have just as high of a chance of securing a merit scholarship for the spring semester or are the offers more limited due to it not being the typical Fall semester?

2. In order to save as much as possible I am also looking applying to the Graduate Residential College/Community Coordinator (GRCC) position. Would these positions only be available to apply to during the fall semesters?

3. Does the media sample prompt change from year to year? I know that right now it's "A Secret" and I'd hate to put something together ahead of time and realized that the prompt changed.

I am sure I will have many more questions as this process begins but I am so grateful to have found this website and look forward to any guidance you guys are willing to provide me.

Thank you and best of luck to you all!

Demi

 

[villainesfilles]

Considering applying for this program's Spring cohort if I don't get the results I'd been hoping for for Fall. Does anyone know when the application opens and when it's due?