USC SCA Film & Television Production 2024

[Chris W]

USC's deadline is November 15th!​

USC Cinematic Arts | Application Deadlines

Who's applying this year?

USC Cinematic Arts | Graduate Application Procedures

Here are our current admission statistics to the program and past year's applications:

USC School of Cinematic Arts Acceptance Rate (USC - Directing/Film Production MFA/All Years)

27%

Admitted

110 out of 407

25.1%

Waitlisted

102 out of 407

47.9%

Not Admitted

195 out of 407

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...

Here's our interview with USC Admissions:

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

Good luck!

Please create threads for the other programs if you are applying to one of those.

Here's last year's thread which has tons of great info:

USC SCA Film Production MFA 2023

Hey guys, I got accepted for fall 22 but couldn't attend due to personal reasons so I'm reapplying for fall 23. Do all of my creative submissions have to be brand new? Example: the personal statement, visual sample, writing sample? what parts of my application can be the same and which parts...

www.filmschool.org

Our guide to the program will be updated soon.

Who's applying?

 

[Chris W]

Our how to apply guide for USC has been updated for 2024.

USC SCA: How to Apply for 2025, Acceptance Rate, and What To Expect as a Film Student

For more than 90 years, the University of Southern California has trained the next generation of prolific filmmakers.The School of Cinematic Arts remains at the forefront of emerging filmmaking trends, welcoming filmmakers with years of industry experience alongside beginners with raw talent and...

• Alexa P.
• Nov 2, 2022
• Category: Applying to Film School

 

[pilot3600]

I will be applying to the USC Film Production MFA this year!

 

[trent979]

Hi peeps. I wanted to know how everyone's preparing the five minute media sample.

I feel like compared to other film schools, USC's emphasis on the media sample[video option] seems a little simple compared to other schools, where their directions for their short requirements are much more specific.

I've seen multiple people saying they edited long 15, 20 min shorts into 5 min for this part, and I was going to do the same(much like a reel I suppose), but I was wondering if I should actually film something within 5 minutes that had a strong narrative. How's everyone else doing on this?

 

[Tammy]

Hi peeps. I wanted to know how everyone's preparing the five minute media sample.

I feel like compared to other film schools, USC's emphasis on the media sample[video option] seems a little simple compared to other schools, where their directions for their short requirements are much more specific.

I've seen multiple people saying they edited long 15, 20 min shorts into 5 min for this part, and I was going to do the same(much like a reel I suppose), but I was wondering if I should actually film something within 5 minutes that had a strong narrative. How's everyone else doing on this?

Definitely film something with a strong narrative and can be finished in 5 minutes. USC really cares about storytelling.

 

[pilot3600]

Definitely film something with a strong narrative and can be finished in 5 minutes. USC really cares about storytelling.

A lot of film schools are looking for storytelling skills, not just technical ability. I would definitely try and do a strong narrative short.

 

[Arthrax]

Hi everyone!
Thought I'd post on here, I'm applying from the UK - first-time applicant to USC.

Quick question, when doing the creative portfolio list, have y'all included projects where you weren't the writer/director and are in other roles, and have you included projects that are creative but not film/tv related? I've been looking everywhere online and have looked at the example on the website, but still can't find a straight answer. Thanks!

 

[prodigalsun]

Hi everyone!
Thought I'd post on here, I'm applying from the UK - first-time applicant to USC.

Quick question, when doing the creative portfolio list, have y'all included projects where you weren't the writer/director and are in other roles, and have you included projects that are creative but not film/tv related? I've been looking everywhere online and have looked at the example on the website, but still can't find a straight answer. Thanks!

Yes, I have included any creative projects that I had involvement with, regardless of whether they're related to film/TV.

 

[Arthrax]

Thank you so much, that's really helpful! Out of interest, how many projects have you listed? I'm trying to gauge how far back to go

Yes, I have included any creative projects that I had involvement with, regardless of whether they're related to film/TV.

 

[prodigalsun]

Thank you so much, that's really helpful! Out of interest, how many projects have you listed? I'm trying to gauge how far back to go

I have nine projects listed. The last two I listed are from 2014. That might be a bit far back but I wanted to list them because they're two projects I'm proud of and feel represent me.

 

[Lin0802]

Hey everyone, I hope you guys are doing well on your applications! Just a quick question for anyone who is sending their official transcript electronically—is it fine if they receive that after the Nov.15 deadline? I just submitted my application, but I wonder what if they receive the official transcript after Nov.15? They want us to attach a USC ID to the transcript, an ID that you will receive only after submitting the application. I'm still waiting on that ID. Thanks!

 

[prodigalsun]

Hey everyone, I hope you guys are doing well on your applications! Just a quick question for anyone who is sending their official transcript electronically—is it fine if they receive that after the Nov.15 deadline? I just submitted my application, but I wonder what if they receive the official transcript after Nov.15? They want us to attach a USC ID to the transcript, an ID that you will receive only after submitting the application. I'm still waiting on that ID. Thanks!

I actually spoke to the office yesterday and asked this exact question. They said that it's fine if the transcripts come a little later, they just want the app. in by the deadline!

 

[iheartmfa]

Hey guys! For the Creative Portfolio List...do you just list the projects, or are you also including them in the PDF? Maybe I'm reading the description wrong, but it seems like it's simply a list / resume of all the creative work that you've done. Appreciate any clarification or what y'all are doing! Much gratitude and thanks!

 

[iheartmfa]

Hey guys! For the Creative Portfolio List...do you just list the projects, or are you also including them in the PDF? Maybe I'm reading the description wrong, but it seems like it's simply a list / resume of all the creative work that you've done. Appreciate any clarification or what y'all are doing! Much gratitude and thanks!

Ignore, I figured it out! Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Lin0802]

I actually spoke to the office yesterday and asked this exact question. They said that it's fine if the transcripts come a little later, they just want the app. in by the deadline!

Thank you so much!!

 

[Chris W]

FYI I reorganized the application categories in the database to remove the unnecessary Graduate and Undergraduate cateogries... BUT the most useful change is that you can now sort applications in our acceptance statistics by Application Year. This makes it much easier to see the USC Spring notification dates.

• Not enough Applications have been added to our Database to calculate Acceptance Data. Log your own application to help improve our statistics.
• Log Your Application
• 
  Become a Supporting Member to see the lowest reported GPA, SAT, GRE, and other test data.
  
  

 

[Chris W]

Everyone be sure to log their application in our database if you haven't yet.

Application Database

A database of thousands of film school applications to calculate acceptance rates to film programs and the minimum GPAs, minimum SAT and GRE scores, experience of accepted applicants, and much more....

www.filmschool.org

It's very useful to everyone and helps improve our acceptance data!

• Not enough Applications have been added to our Database to calculate Acceptance Data. Log your own application to help improve our statistics.
• Log Your Application
• 
  Become a Supporting Member to see the lowest reported GPA, SAT, GRE, and other test data.
  
  

 

[Yoon]

Hi everyone, I just finished my interview a few hours ago. The professor was very nice. Being an international student, I didn't speak completely smoothly for some questions, but it went well I guess. Has anyone else had an interview?

 

[Arthrax]

All I've had so far is an email just before Christmas saying that they can't proceed with my application without receiving an official transcript (I had uploaded one during the application but they needed the official one). I emailed back to say that my undergraduate university in the UK doesn't email or mail out transcripts anymore (it's extremely frustrating!) and only operates an online portal where I have to add an email address for an invitation, and I asked if that would be ok and if so, which email should I add but I haven't heard back. I'm following up with them today so will hopefully update soon!

 

[Arthrax]

Hi everyone, I just finished my interview a few hours ago. The professor was very nice. Being an international student, I didn't speak completely smoothly for some questions, but it went well I guess. Has anyone else had an interview?

That's amazing, congratulations!! Did they ask the kind of questions you'd expected or was it more like a chat?