# Two Year MFA?



## Siddharth Menon (Mar 7, 2020)

Hey guys, 

Which are the universities you would suggest that has a Two year MFA as opposed to the Three year one? I know the one at Florida State University is a 2 year MFA. Being an international student, the extra one year does add onto the cumulative costs and thus it is a bit worrisome.

Could you guys suggest some of the options? They need not be only restricted to the US. 

Thanks a bunch guys!
- Sid


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## mjweerts (Mar 7, 2020)

Hello Sid,

Which discipline are you most interested in? Production, screenwriting, producing, etc... That will help guide some recommendations.

Matt


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## Siddharth Menon (Mar 7, 2020)

mjweerts said:


> Hello Sid,
> 
> Which discipline are you most interested in? Production, screenwriting, producing, etc... That will help guide some recommendations.
> 
> Matt



Hey Matt, 

Thanks for the response. I'm actually planning to focus on Direction. But of Directiis unavailable, Production is also a good second option. 

Thanks a ton for your time Matt. 

Sid.


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## mjweerts (Mar 7, 2020)

Siddharth Menon said:


> Hey Matt,
> 
> Thanks for the response. I'm actually planning to focus on Direction. But of Directiis unavailable, Production is also a good second option.
> 
> ...


Oh that's cool!  in that case you have many many options for two year programs. I just applied for screenwriting, and so I was pretty deep in the process. I believe USC's directing/production program is two years, AFIs Conservatory is 2 years for all disciplines, and it is my understanding that the UCLA directing program is 2 years long as well.

If you look at the application interview acceptance threads on this website, you'll see many programs listed along those lines. 

If you arent planning to stay in the United States, the benefit of studying in Los Angeles may be minimal for you, as it wouldn't be as necessary for you as it would be a US-based filmmaker. So that opens things up as well. The Hollywood Reporter does a good film school ranking every year, and that'd be a good starting point. Not all those programs will have MFA degrees but many will.

Feel free to message me at any time as you work through the process. I was just admitted to UCLA and will be going there this fall, so if you come to Los Angeles next year be sure alert me!


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## Chris W (Mar 7, 2020)

mjweerts said:


> I believe USC's directing/production program is two years,


I think that is three years based on the info in our database and the interview we did.

FYI we are developing the capability to search and sort film schools in our database by concentration and degree tuition etc so that will be helpful to you.






						Film School Reviews & Acceptance Statistics
					

Reviews and acceptance rates for top Film Schools by film students at USC, Chapman, AFI, NYU, Columbia, and more.... Acceptance rates and minimum GPAs for the best film schools are calculated from the applications in our film school application database.



					www.filmschool.org


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## Siddharth Menon (Mar 7, 2020)

mjweerts said:


> Oh that's cool!  in that case you have many many options for two year programs. I just applied for screenwriting, and so I was pretty deep in the process. I believe USC's directing/production program is two years, AFIs Conservatory is 2 years for all disciplines, and it is my understanding that the UCLA directing program is 2 years long as well.
> 
> If you look at the application interview acceptance threads on this website, you'll see many programs listed along those lines.
> 
> ...


Hey Matt! 

First off, congrats on getting into UCLA. That's no small achievement! 

And thanks a bunch for your response . I did go through the Hollywood Reporter film school options when I started my research , and whilst I did come across UCLA, AFI and USC, all of them were priced wayy too high for international students, so those institutions would be doubtful (coupled with the fact that post graduation work opportunities in the US are slim for international students). However, FSU seemed to have a pretty reasonable (still high though) tuition fees comparatively. 

Will be looking at that as well. 

All the very best Matt and if at all I happen to be in UCLA (fingers crossed) then I'll definitely inform you. 

-Sid.


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## Siddharth Menon (Mar 7, 2020)

Chris W said:


> I think that is three years based on the info in our database and the interview we did.
> 
> FYI we are developing the capability to search and sort film schools in our database by concentration and degree tuition etc so that will be helpful to you.
> 
> ...



Woah! That'd be super great.. 

Also, would you know anyone who has attended Prague Film School (Not FAMU), the smaller one. I've heard about the boutique type of learning it provides and how it is infact has a heavily praxis oriented environment (close to 20 films per year per student ).. So wanted to know the credibility of it. Unfortunately though, it's not an MFA and just a certification course. 

Also, Chris, I wanna take this medium to actually thank you for your persistent and diligent efforts in making this beautiful space for budding filmmakers. It really is a huge relief and a companion in assisting with all your A-Z needs for Film Schools and for that, I (and I'm sure I can speak on behalf of all past, present and future film school students) are ever so greatful to you. 

Thank you so very much and kudos to your stupendous efforts in building this brilliant forum. 

Cheers! 
-Sid


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## mjweerts (Mar 7, 2020)

Siddharth Menon said:


> Hey Matt!
> 
> First off, congrats on getting into UCLA. That's no small achievement!
> 
> ...


Yes I understand that completely and I apologize for not considering that originally. I currently live in Florida and Tallahassee is quite reasonable in terms of rent and living costs and the school has an excellent reputation. That would be an excellent option for you.  thank you so much for your kind words and please reach out for anything as you go, Sid!


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## Siddharth Menon (Mar 7, 2020)

mjweerts said:


> Yes I understand that completely and I apologize for not considering that originally. I currently live in Florida and Tallahassee is quite reasonable in terms of rent and living costs and the school has an excellent reputation. That would be an excellent option for you.  thank you so much for your kind words and please reach out for anything as you go, Sid!




Oh! That's a wonderful coincidence. Thanks a ton Matt. I'll definitely reach out to you incase I need more info about FSU (assuming I get through🙂).


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## Chris W (Mar 7, 2020)

Siddharth Menon said:


> Also, Chris, I wanna take this medium to actually thank you for your persistent and diligent efforts in making this beautiful space for budding filmmakers. It really is a huge relief and a companion in assisting with all your A-Z needs for Film Schools and for that, I (and I'm sure I can speak on behalf of all past, present and future film school students) are ever so greatful to you.
> 
> Thank you so very much and kudos to your stupendous efforts in building this brilliant forum.


So happy that you like it!


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## green-scarf (Mar 7, 2020)

Hi! Just wanted to chime in as another international student who applied to both FSU and USC. After calculating tuition costs, both schools are actually quite similar in terms of just tuition fees. While FSU is only 2 years, there are no summer breaks so they actually have 3 semesters per year. In the end, you pay for 6 semesters tuition in total (which is the same number of semesters at 3 year programs like USC and NYU/UCLA). 

FSU comes out to be about $50K in tuition per year while USC comes out to be about $35K - $39K in tuition per year. So at the end of the day, you're paying $100K for FSU and $114K for USC. There are obviously differences in living costs; Tallahassee is way cheaper than LA and you'd only pay for two years of living costs at FSU. As well, FSU funds their students' films while USC doesn't. However, at USC you get two summer breaks in the program to get a job and help pay towards tuition which you wouldn't get at FSU. 

Lastly, I wanted to add that there could be many things that could change the cost of the program you attend! You could get a scholarship to a more expensive program that would make it cheaper than the less expensive one. I would take time to look into schools/programs you are interested in (vs. only the cost effective ones) because you never know if you'll get a scholarship or if the cost effective program might disappoint you. I was told that USC loses applicants to NYU because they give out better (and more) scholarships. As well, you could get offered a Teaching Assistantship or Student Assistantship position at one of the schools which might offset your costs.


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