Graduate Film Admissions
The Film MFA and Film Studies MA Programs are part of Columbia University School of the Arts—an innovative graduate professional school, grounded in a deeply intellectual Ivy League university and energized by our location in New York City, one of the great cultural capitals of the world. The study and practice of art-making at the School is an immersive, constantly evolving process. Aspiring, emerging or established, our filmmakers, writers, theatre practitioners and visual and sound artists grow individually through intensive engagement with their craft and lively, often profound exchanges of ideas and work.
The School welcomes applications for admission in the fall semester of each year (no students are admitted for the spring semester). Please note, applications will not be evaluated by each program's Faculty Admissions Committee until they are complete.
School of the Arts admissions policies and procedures can be found here.
International students should consult the International Students Admissions page.
Materials Required for Application to the School of the Arts
1. Completed Application
Must be submitted online.
2. Official Undergraduate Transcript
Official paper transcripts are not required for the admission application. If you receive an offer of admission, you will be required to send official paper documents for verification. Any offer of admission will be provisional until receipt of the official undergraduate transcript showing conferral of your undergraduate degree. Whether we receive your official undergraduate transcripts directly from you or your undergraduate institution, we must receive them in a sealed envelope bearing the registrar’s stamp along the rear flap.
If (a) you have submitted only the unofficial copy of your transcript online or (b) your transcript is received, but does not state that a degree is conferred, your status will be“Received (Not Official)” and you offer of admission will be provisional until we receive the final official transcript showing conferral of your undergraduate degree.
3. Three Letters of Recommendation
Online submission of the letters of recommendation is preferred. If you are not utilizing the online submission method, the form may be downloaded here. Fill out the applicant portion of the recommendation form, and provide it and a self-addressed stamped envelope to each recommender. Recommenders can be undergraduate, graduate, or professional contacts; they should be people who can attest to your creative ability and potential. Request that they: (1) enclose the recommendation; (2) seal the envelope; (3) sign their name or place their stamp across the seal; and (4) mail or give the envelope directly to you. All recommenders must meet the deadline. If they do not, the applicant will incur a late materials fee. If your recommender does not wish to send the envelope directly to you, they must send it directly to:
Columbia University School of the Arts
Admissions Office
305 Dodge Hall, MC 1808
2960 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
They must write your full name and date of birth on the letter. Again, all recommenders must meet the deadline.
4. Creative Materials Required for Application
Please click below for a list of creative materials that are required for each program. All submitted creative materials must clearly bear the applicant's name, date of birth, name of program to which he or she is applying, and title of the material (dramatic writing sample, autobiographical essay, etc).
5. $110 Online Application Fee
This may be paid by credit card (Visa and MasterCard only) when submitting an application online; or by check or money order, mailed with your materials, made out to Columbia University, drawn on a U.S. bank and denominated in U.S. dollars only. We cannot accept postal money orders. Applicants should be sure to write the program and, if applicable, the concentration to which they are applying on the check or money order; if the check is that of an individual other than the applicant, the applicant's full name must be included as well. Application fees are nonrefundable and cannot be waived; no application can be processed without the application fee.