by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Film Studies Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Film/Cinema/Media Studies is the 142nd most popular major in the country with 5,191 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Film Studies Major” ranking, we looked at 226 colleges that offer a degree in film / cinema / media studies. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in film / cinema / media studies.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The film studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Film Studies Major”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Film Studies Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Full Sail University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Winter Park, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 414 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Full Sail University
Out of the 226 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 242 degrees to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 226 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 235 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Georgia State University
Out of the 226 schools in the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 184 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 178 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report
University of California - Irvine ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 167 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 127 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
University of Utah ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school awarded 126 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 108 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school handed out 101 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Colorado Boulder
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking, coming in at #11. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of California - Davis ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 93 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of California - Davis
University at Buffalo ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. University at Buffalo is a large public school situated in Buffalo, New York. It awarded 92 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University at Buffalo
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 89 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 79 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at UC Berkeley
University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 74 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
American Film Institute Conservatory did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 82 degrees to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full American Film Institute Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #19, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s film studies degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Kansas
University of Oregon did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking, coming in at #20. UO is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified ’s film studies students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Film/Cinema/Media Studies at University of Iowa
With a ranking of #22, Portland State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major list. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 56 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Portland State University Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking, coming in at #22. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s film studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
American University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 53 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full The American University Film/Cinema/Media Studies Report
Pace University - New York landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Film Studies Major ranking. Pace University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 53 ’s film studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Film/Cinema/Media Studies at Pace University - New York
Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies