“Private non-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills founded by the American Film Institute.”
The AFI Conservatory is a private non-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, a program of the American Film Institute founded in 1969. Students, called Fellows, learn in a collaborative, hands-on production environment emphasizing storytelling.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Best Film Schools in America
The Hollywood Reporter (multiple years)
Test Free — No test scores needed — they won't be reviewed even if submitted.
Official SourceMFA Application Deadline (Production Design & Editing, Fall 2026)
Online application + portfolio due 8:59 p.m. PT. The other four disciplines closed earlier in the cycle.
Decision Notification
Decisions for the earlier-closing disciplines (Directing, Cinematography, Producing, Screenwriting).
This university does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$68,000 – $73,000
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Two-year MFA training Fellows in narrative directing — directors-of-actors, visual storytelling, and on-set leadership. Each Directing Fellow makes a Cycle Project in year one and a Thesis Film in year two.
MFA in cinematography from pre-visualization to advanced image capture. Fellows shoot in 16mm, 35mm, and digital cinema cameras and collaborate with Directing and Production Design Fellows on every cycle film.
MFA in screenwriting for film and television. Fellows write features, pilots, short films, and serialized drama, and collaborate with Directing and Producing Fellows on cycle and thesis projects.
MFA training in creative and entrepreneurial producing. Fellows develop and produce a minimum of three short films in year one and a thesis in year two, with mentorship from working studio and indie producers.
MFA in picture editing covering technical, aesthetic, and collaborative aspects of post-production. Strong focus on long-form narrative storytelling.
MFA training in narrative production design — sets, environments, color, and visual world-building for film and TV.
2 years
Two-year, five-term MFA program in Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Producing, Production Design, or Screenwriting. Cohort-based with cross-discipline collaboration on Cycle Films (year one) and Thesis Films (year two). Roughly 140 Fellows enrolled per cohort across all six disciplines.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
