What are my chances of getting into USC Film School MFA?

[LilyMunster]

Hi everyone,
I am going to apply to USC(cinematic arts/writing for screen.tv) graduate school for fall 2017. I applied to ucla and lmu for fall 2016, but was rejected. I don't know why I was, but it might have had something to do with my average GPA(3.0) and it was my first time applying to such programs. Anyway, my gpa has since improved somewhat to a 3.48 upon graduation with my BA this past may. I also want to point out that I am not a California resident. What are my chances with USC? I really don't want to apply and wait a whole year(again) just to be rejected. Is it worth applying with my stats?

 

[Chris W]

According to the FilmSchool.org application tracker the usc film school acceptance rate is 30% (48 out of 161 applications) and the lowest reported accepted GPA to the USC Directing/Film Production MFA is 3.0.

USC - Directing/Film Production

• FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 30% (48 out of 161 applications)
• Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 3.0
• Earliest Interview Notification Date: January 3
• Earliest Interview Date: January 18
• Earliest Decision Date: January 25

USC - Peter Stark Producing Program

• FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 26% (22 out of 86 applications)
• Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 3.39
• Earliest Interview Notification Date: January 11
• Earliest Interview Date: January 19
• Earliest Decision Date: February 16

USC - Writing for Screen and TV

• FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 23% (30 out of 128 applications)
• Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 2.9
• Earliest Interview Notification Date: February 23
• Earliest Interview Date: February 25
• Earliest Decision Date: February 20

This article has more statistics as well:

Film School MFA Acceptance Rates, Minimum GPAs, Decision Dates, and more... (UPDATED with 2020 stats)

Film School MFA Acceptance Rates, Minimum GPAs, Decision Dates, and more...

www.filmschool.org

Here are some threads about USC GPA:

Admission to Competitive Producing Programs w/ GPA under 3.0?

Application Help - Will a cumulative GPA of 3.0 be good enough for USC/UCLA/NYU/Columbia film schools?

The last thread post has someone who was accepted to USC with a 3.24 cumulative 4.0 final semester.

Also, you can use the search tool to search for "USC GPA" for more help. The site's been around since 2002 or longer so there's tons of info.

Here's the search results URL for searching threads for "usc gpa" sorted by date:

Search Results for Query: usc gpa | FilmSchool.org - The Best Film School Reviews & Forums

Hope this helps! Hopefully someone will chime in as well.

 

[Kira]

Hey LilyMunster! I am also applying to USC's MFA in Screenwriting program for the Fall of 2017. I think that the GPA boost will help, but the most important thing is your writing samples and recommendations. USC is a private university; I don't really think they'll take your state of residence into account (at least for US citizens).

A few weeks ago (I am a nerd) I also figured that USC accepts between 20~30% of FilmSchool applicants. The actually average is probably lower, since we are the... passionate ones (interested enough to find websites such as FilmSchool). I think it's safe to say that the members here take it seriously.

I can't say whether you (or I, for that matter) will be admitted. Sometimes it really is a toss up. I'd suggest applying to UCLA and LMU again (I'm applying to LMU too!). Make sure that your samples and letters of recommendations sing. If you're worried about "wasting" a year, look at UCLA's Professional programs. They have online courses for both Feature writing and TV writing. Hopefully I'll see you at USC

 

[Chris W]

See this article for full acceptance stats for site members:

Film School MFA Acceptance Rates, Minimum GPAs, Decision Dates, and more... (UPDATED with 2020 stats)

Film School MFA Acceptance Rates, Minimum GPAs, Decision Dates, and more...

www.filmschool.org