5 Best Film schools in Los Angeles, CA [2025 Rankings]

Below is a list of best universities in Los Angeles ranked based on their research performance in Cinematography. A graph of 3.17K citations received by 325 academic papers made by 5 universities in Los Angeles was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Southern California

For Cinematography

#2 in California

#3 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1495
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $41,496

2. University of California - Los Angeles

For Cinematography

#4 in California

#10 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $22,441
Enrollment: 46,678

3. Occidental College

For Cinematography

#17 in California

#155 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Average SAT: 1430
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $47,113

4. California State University - Northridge

For Cinematography

#18 in California

#161 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Receiving Aid: 87%
Average Aid: $12,000
Enrollment: 37,760

5. Loyola Marymount University

For Cinematography

#24 in California

#253 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Net Price: $54,471
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $21,575

Universities for Cinematography near Los Angeles

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
14	California Institute of Technology	72	Pasadena, California
38	California State University - Fullerton	65	Fullerton, California
46	Chapman University	166	Orange, California
58	University of California - Irvine	20	Irvine, California
85	University of California - Riverside	61	Riverside, California
141	University of California - Santa Barbara	2	Santa Barbara, California
161	University of California-San Diego	21	San Diego, California
179	San Diego State University	90	San Diego, California
476	University of California - Santa Cruz	43	Santa Cruz, California
491	San Jose State University	116	San Jose, California

Art & Design subfields in Los Angeles