DePaul offers a practical reason to look beyond the coastal private schools: filmmaking in Chicago, with a choice between a broader BA and a specialist BFA. Its production facilities are an attraction, but the useful comparison is which classes and projects can use them, under what rules and at what net cost.
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At a glance
Our assessment: A credible option for an applicant who wants craft specialization and a Chicago filmmaking community. Investigate access and project funding rather than assuming that being near professional productions means joining them. The graduate directing evidence and undergraduate animation criticism below are different kinds of account.
| Decision point | What to know |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate choice | Film & Television BA and BFA. The BA is broader; the BFA offers named concentrations. |
| Craft routes | The 2026–27 catalog lists 12 BFA concentrations, including camera, editing, sound, production design, directing, writing and producing. [1] |
| 2026 entrant tuition, 2026–27 | $48,180 for the academic year at the full-time Jarvis package rate, before fees and living costs. |
| Academic calendar | The annual package covers fall, winter and spring terms. A quarter price should not be compared with another school’s semester price without conversion. |
| Practical location | DePaul advertises student production facilities at Cinespace. Bookable student resources and professional productions are not the same entitlement. |
Choose the right program
BA versus BFA
Compare programs at DePaul University — School of Cinematic Arts alongside other schools using qualifications, duration, published costs and entry requirements.
The BA offers a broader liberal arts balance. The BFA adds specialization through a concentration, so compare degree requirements before choosing a label. A cinematographer needs a different sequence from a producer or editor. The catalog is more precise than the overview page, whose introductory count of concentrations does not match its own list. [1] [2]
What craft specialization can mean
The official BFA page describes camera and lighting for cinematography, post-production for editing, production recording and post sound for sound design, and art-department practice for production design. Ask to see the advanced required courses and the number of substantial projects in your intended role. A broad Production concentration may suit someone still exploring, while a narrowly defined craft goal calls for a closer syllabus comparison. [2]
Graduate and animation accounts
DePaul’s graduate routes and animation degrees have their own requirements and costs. An animation alumnus involved with production crews can raise useful access questions, but cannot stand in for a Film & Television BFA graduate. Similarly, an MFA director’s experience of a small cohort is not evidence of undergraduate class size.
Projects, equipment and access
Cinespace, Project Bluelight and an LA quarter are advertised opportunities. Ask which are part of required coursework, which are selective and what prerequisites apply. Sharing a studio location with a television series is not a promise that its production will hire you. [2] [3]
Request the current booking process for camera, stages, lighting and post facilities. Ask whether an approved reservation can be changed, what priority assessed projects receive and how replacement equipment is handled. These questions follow the public accounts without assuming that an older complaint proves current policy.
Find out who pays for required films and how small a compliant project can be. A graduate director’s account praises collaboration while noting the need to raise production money. Ask for a written distinction between tuition-covered resources, competitive grants and discretionary spending.
Student and graduate experiences
Accounts are attributed to their original sources. Student identity and enrollment are not independently verified. Selected profiles and project reports are labeled separately from personal course reviews.
Studied here? Review your course at DePaul University — School of Cinematic Arts. Include your program, campus and attendance dates. All submissions are checked before publication.
Praises committed faculty, a collaborative cohort and undergraduate crews. Criticizes uneven course rigor, restrictive production rules and fundraising beyond tuition. A positive overall assessment still includes material limitations.
Reports useful faculty alongside disputed stage and equipment access. Their partner’s directing-MFA experience is secondhand; this is not a completed Film & Television BFA review.
Values facilities and helpful instructors. The account does not establish that a particular career introduction or equipment allocation is available to every student.
Describes a positive transfer experience after community-college general education and scholarship support. Useful context, but the financing and teaching experience are reported by a parent.
The evidence favors asking precise access questions rather than accepting or rejecting the facilities story wholesale. The two FilmSchool.org accounts concern different degrees, and the Reddit discussion contains a parent report as well as a student report. They cannot be counted as four independently verified Film & Television graduates.
Tuition and the complete budget
All amounts below are in US dollars. The year and pricing unit matter: annual, semester and full-program figures are not interchangeable.
| Cost item | Published figure or question |
|---|---|
| 2026 entrant undergraduate package, 2026–27 | $16,060 per term or $48,180 across fall, winter and spring for 12–18 credits per term in Jarvis. Other entry cohorts have different listed rates. [4] |
| Required comprehensive fee | $900 annually for a full-time undergraduate without summer enrollment. Other charges may apply. [4] |
| Graduate Jarvis rate | The 2026–27 published rate is $1,003 per credit. Required enrollment depends on the graduate degree. [5] |
| Non-tuition expenses | The university’s dependent-away-from-home allowance is $28,035, additional to tuition and fees. It is a living-expense model, not a film-production fund. [8] |
Compare an annual net offer across three teaching terms. Community-college credit may reduce the bill, but ask for a degree audit showing which production prerequisites remain and how frequently they run. Do not assume that transferring two years of general credits guarantees two remaining years of film study. Budget any LA quarter and personal production spending separately.
Admissions and study commitments
Start with the BA or your intended BFA concentration, then request a current planner. Transfers should get a written credit evaluation and a remaining-term estimate before committing. Graduate applicants need the particular degree’s portfolio and entry rules; neither the undergraduate application nor an animation offer defines admission to directing or writing. Use the official program links below to reach the current application requirements. [1] [2]
Career support and graduate outcomes
Ask how the school helps a student move into the first ordinary paid role in their craft: an assistant editor, camera trainee, production assistant or development assistant needs different evidence and introductions. Request degree-level outcomes with the graduating year and response rate. Studio proximity, guest speakers and selected alumni stories are opportunities; they are not a placement percentage.
Explore the local industry in our Chicago film city guide. If you are considering an entry route into production, read what a production assistant does before comparing course promises with the work.
What to watch out for
- Do not compare quarter tuition directly with a semester figure. Use the full expected enrollment after confirmed aid.
- Facilities may have prerequisites and project priorities. Ask what your particular year and concentration can book.
- The critical animation account and positive directing-MFA account cover different courses; neither establishes the current experience of every BFA concentration.
How to get more from the course
- Learn the booking, certification and production approval process early so your project does not depend on a last-minute exception.
- Choose a concentration using the actual work you want to finish, then seek collaborators in complementary crafts.
- Keep a practical budget and a small-scale version of each film. Strong learning does not require a financially oversized thesis.
Compare alternatives
Columbia College Chicago is the closest comparison in this group. Emerson, SCAD and Chapman provide different locations, calendars and specialization structures. Compare the actual required courses and net offers rather than ranking labels or a camera inventory.
- Columbia College Chicago review
- Emerson College review
- Savannah College of Art and Design review
- Chapman University — Dodge College review
DePaul vs Columbia College Chicago: compare undergraduate routes and costs.
Compare United States school reviews or browse the complete film-school review directory.
Is it worth applying?
DePaul deserves a closer look if the Chicago setting and a specific craft concentration fit your goals. Before accepting, resolve the practical details: access in your year, production funding, remaining terms after transfer and the kind of feedback the advanced classes provide.
Before accepting, compare the actual offer, required course plan and realistic living budget. Speak separately with a current student and a recent graduate in your intended route.
Common questions
Is DePaul’s Film & Television BA identical to the BFA?
No. The BA is broader, while the BFA has concentration-specific requirements. Compare the degree planners for your entry year. [1]
Does Cinespace access mean a job on a professional series?
No such entitlement is established here. Ask which student facilities and projects your course can use and how career introductions work.
Is $16,060 the annual tuition?
No. It is the 2026–27 per-term package for a 2026 entrant in the listed colleges. The annual tuition figure is $48,180, before other costs. [4]
Sources and review method
Reviewed 31 October 2026. Official program pages establish the advertised structure and published fees; independent accounts are used for attributed student experience. Older accounts and other programs are labeled where included. These sources do not constitute an inspection of teaching or a representative student survey.
We do not publish a numerical student-satisfaction score from this uneven sample. Public reviews may be selective, anonymous or duplicated across platforms. Google school ratings, when available, also mix programs and visitor experiences; they are not a production-course rating. No direct Google review collection is claimed here.
- 2026–27 BFA catalog and concentrations
- Official undergraduate Film & Television BFA
- School resources and LA quarter
- 2026–27 undergraduate tuition and mandatory fee
- 2026–27 graduate rate table
- Original degree-labeled alumni accounts
- Student and parent discussion: prospective 2026 study
- University living-expense estimates
If you studied here, include your program, campus, attendance dates and whether you completed it when adding a comment. Do not post private personal information. Corrections are most useful with a link to the relevant current policy.