This is the fourth in my carefully-planned trilogy of articles about film schools. I have collected some statistics and links to help wannabe film students work out “Should I go to film school?”. I’m also proud to launch an entirely free database of the film schools and courses I found while carrying out this research.
What current students think
Unistats
is a government-backed organisation which provides a standardised scoring system for Higher Education courses in the UK. They survey students to measure factors such as student satisfaction and employment after graduation. Unistats only publishes information for courses when they feel they have enough student responses, and they only cover courses on the UCAS admissions system. Therefore, out of the 537 courses across 145 educational institutions I found, Unistats provides data on 219 courses and 96 institutions (i.e. 41% of courses and 66% of institutions). Below are the averages for educational institutions offering full time film courses starting in 2015 which feature some element of practical filmmaking.
Highest average student satisfaction
The chart below shows the percentage of surveyed students who agreed with the statement”Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course“.
| Top institutions | Satisfied with quality of course |
|---|---|
| University Of Chichester | 100% |
| Blackpool and the Fylde College | 100% |
| University of Essex | 94% |
| University of Southampton | 94% |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 94% |
| University of Reading | 94% |
| University of Derby | 94% |
| Oxford Brookes | 93% |
| University of Kent | 92% |
| Birkbeck University of London | 91% |
Quality of teaching
The chart below shows the percentage of surveyed students who felt that “the staff are good at explaining things“.
| Top institutions | Good at explaining things |
|---|---|
| Oxford Brookes | 100% |
| University of Essex | 100% |
| University Of Chichester | 100% |
| Blackpool and the Fylde College | 100% |
| University of Lincoln | 98% |
| University of Kent | 98% |
| Liverpool Screen School (Liverpool John Moores University) | 97% |
| University for the Creative Arts (Farnham Film School)1 | 96% |
| University of Salford (School of Arts and Media) | 96% |
| University of East Anglia | 96% |
Highest levels of employment, six months after graduation
The chart below shows the percentage of surveyed students who were in paid employment six months after they graduated.
| Top institutions | Now working |
|---|---|
| University of West London (Ealing School of Art Design and Media) | 90% |
| Leeds College of Art | 90% |
| Arts University Bournemouth (formerly University College) | 88% |
| Leeds Beckett University | 88% |
| University of Derby | 88% |
| University of Lincoln | 86% |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 85% |
| Farnborough College of Technology | 85% |
| University of Roehampton | 85% |
| De Montford University. Leicester | 85% |
What the inspectors think
If you are after more qualitative data on schools then I would suggest you look for at QAA reports. They send inspectors to the schools to write independent reports on the quality of teaching and make recommendations for improvements. They then return to assess where improvements are being made… You can search their website to locate reports for each institution but to make it easier for you, here are a few of the more recent investigations for film schools…
- Met Film School – Report in Sept 2014
- Central Film School – Report in March 2013 and updates in Dec 2013 and Nov 2014
- National Film and Television School (NFTS) – Report in Sept 2012 with updates in June 2013 and June 2014
- London Film School – Report in Dec 2012 with updates in Oct 20143 and Oct 2014
- London Film Academy – Feb 2013 with updates in Nov 2013 and Nov 2014
What’s after film school?
Using 2012/13 data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, we are able to look at what arts students do after they graduate. (Sadly there is no breakdown of just film courses). The vast majority of arts students go into work in the UK after graduating. 
And that work is mostly in “associate professional and technical operations”. This is broad category which covers almost all professions in media but also therapists, fire fighters and air traffic controllers. 
So, should I go to film school?
During my investigation and reporting I have taken care to avoid passing judgment on the courses and schools. I don’t feel it’s my place to judge from afar and, most crucially, there is no simple answer to the question “Should I go to film school?” It works for some and not for others. If you’re reading this and pondering that very question then I suggestion you perform your own mini research project….
- Consider where you want to be in five / ten years and then seek out people doing that right now. Most people in the industry are approachable and were in your situation once.
- Talk to current and ex-students at the schools. This should give you a good picture of what they are doing day-to-day and whether or not they think it is effective.
- Consider how you enjoy learning – with others or at your own pace?
- Map out a personal alternative plan to film school, which uses the same time and resources. i.e. if you had ~£20,000 a year plus 40 hours a week, how else could you turn them into a head-start in film? This could be as simple as an apprenticeship or a more complex combination of many short courses, working on short films and studying from free resources. This plan will give you something to compare film school against.
- Go with your gut. No-one knows what’s best for you. Even with all the data in the world, it is still a gamble so don’t stress about it too much.
Here is a reading list of a few of my past articles which may be of use…
- How to get hired in film and TV
- How many film students are there in the UK?
- How many films do people make in an average career?
- The most employed people in the British film industry
- How many jobs are in the Shooting People filmmaker bulletin?
Access to my data on film schools
I have been asked by a large number of people for a copy of the database I created during this research, so I have prepared two things… Firstly, I have set up FindAFilmSchool.com. It is a searchable database of films schools and courses. It’s free to use and my hope is that people will submit suggestions and corrections to the data. 
Secondly, see below for a list of UK institutions offering film courses which are at least one year long, involve some element of practical filmmaking and start in 2015. Disclaimer: These are the schools and courses that I could find when looking in December 2014 and January 2015. Some schools will change their courses and it is possible I have missed information. I will not be updating this list, just for logistical reasons. Therefore, if you would like to view the most up to date information, or submit updates, then please head over to FindAFilmSchool.com.
| Institution | BA level | MA level | Other | Total Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Film and Television School | 0 | 13 | 7 | 20 |
| Staffordshire University | 11 | 2 | 4 | 17 |
| Bournemouth University | 4 | 10 | 1 | 15 |
| University of Hertfordshire | 8 | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| University of Bradford (School of Media, Design and Technology) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Birmingham City University | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Met Film School | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| University of the Arts (London) | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| University of Central Lancashire | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Southampton Solent University | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| University of Sussex | 2 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Edge Hill University | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| University of Portsmouth (School of Media and Performing Arts) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| University of Wolverhampton (School of Media) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| University of South Wales | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Brunel University | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Goldsmiths College | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| University of Kent | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| University of Derby | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| London South Bank University | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| London Metropolitan University | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| University of Bedfordshire | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Royal Holloway University of London (Department of Media Arts) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Kingston University | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Central Film School London | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| London Film Academy | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Futureworks School of Media | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| University of Salford (School of Arts and Media) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| University of Surrey | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| University for the Creative Arts (Farnham Film School) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| University of East Anglia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| University of Greenwich | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| University of West London (Ealing School of Art Design and Media) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Farnborough College of Technology | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| De Montford University. Leicester | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Arts University Bournemouth (formerly University College) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Birkbeck University of London | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Anglia Ruskin University | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Buckinghamshire New University | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Liverpool Screen School (Liverpool John Moores University) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Manchester School of Art (Manchester Metropolitan) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Nottingham Trent University | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Plymouth University | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Sheffield Hallam University | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Cornwall College | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Glyndwr University | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Northern Film School | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| University of Cumbria | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| University of Essex | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| University of Bolton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| University of Brighton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| University of Winchester | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| University of Worcester | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| University of Sunderland (Faculty of Arts, Media and Design) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| University Of Chichester | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| National University of Ireland, Galway | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Regent's University London (College of Film, Media and Performance) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Bath Spa University | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Falmouth University | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Middlesex University | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Newcastle University | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Northumbria University | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Plymouth College Of Art | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| St. Mary's University, Twickenham | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bradford College (Bradford WWI Film School) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| University of Bristol | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| University of Glasgow | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| University of Leeds | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| University of Northampton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| University of Reading | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| University Campus Suffolk | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| University of the West of England | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| University of York | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| York St John | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| University of Edinburgh | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| University Centre Grimsby | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cleveland College of Art & Design | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Bournemouth & Poole College of Further Education | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Leeds College of Art | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lancaster University | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Leeds Beckett University | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Norwich University College of the Arts | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Oxford Brookes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Queen Mary University London | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Queen's University, Belfast | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Ravensbourne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Teesside University(School of Media) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Northbrook College Sussex | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Blackpool and the Fylde College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| The Manchester College | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Screen Academy Scotland (at Edinburgh Napier University) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Brooksby Melton College | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Barnsley College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Craven College | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| New College Nottingham | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Queen Margaret University | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hull College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| London Film School | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brighton Film School | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| SAE Institute (Oxford) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| SAE Institute (London) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| SAE Institute (Liverpool) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| SAE Institute (Glasgow) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Dundee | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Gloucestershire (Faculty of Media, Arts and Technology) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Lincoln | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Roehampton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Southampton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Westminster (Faculty of Media, Arts and Design) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Wales at Aberystwyth (Department of Theatre, Film and TV Studies) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| University of Leicester | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Edinburgh College of Art (University of Edinburgh) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Salisbury College (Wiltshire College) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hereford College of Arts | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Richmond, American University in London | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Royal College of Art | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Croydon College | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gloucestershire College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| South Devon College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| City & Islington College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Exeter College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Accrington and Rossendale College | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chesterfield College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| City University London | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bangor University | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swansea University | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Chichester College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bournville College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Liverpool University | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| University of East London | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| University of Chester | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| University of Hull | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| University of Nottingham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| University of St. Mark and St. John | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Weston College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Warwickshire College (Group) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| University of Stirling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| University of Birmingham | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| University of the West of Scotland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| University of Ulster | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Epilogue
This represents my final article on film schools for a while. It’s a topic which I am hugely interested in as it mirrors the best and worst of the film industry. Some institutions are cynically exploiting eager young people for profit while others are investing in the next generation of artists and industry leaders. Thank you to everyone who helped and gave advice, specially Alexis Kreager and Zac Klein.
Comments
This article is really informative. A comprehensive & helpful guide for aspiring filmmaking students amongst other aspects of filmmaking, even better for those who are still thinking or confused about what to do. Thank you for this blog.
You should write a article on how many directors actually go to film school?
I find it very interesting, most successful directors never go to film school, some people like Quentin Tarantino even said people shouldn’t go to film school.