UT Austin’s Radio-Television-Film degree combines production with the study of media inside a large public university. Austin’s film culture is an attraction, but a festival in the city is not a placement service. Begin with the work the BS requires and the difference between Texas-resident and nonresident costs.
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At a glance
Our assessment: A good candidate for someone seeking production skills alongside media study and general university education. Resident pricing strengthens the financial case. Transfers and experienced filmmakers should scrutinize the required early sequence; an account of delayed access to advanced work makes the remaining course plan especially important.
| Decision point | What to know |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | The 120-credit BS in Radio-Television-Film. The 2026–28 catalog requires 39–60 RTF hours, including at least 21 upper-division hours. [2] |
| Graduate routes | Film & Media Production and Screenwriting graduate programs are separate applications and educational commitments. |
| 2026–27 traditional tuition | $11,230 across two full-time semesters for a Texas resident in Communication; $43,776 for a nonresident. [3] |
| Rate warning | Longhorn Fixed Tuition has a different table. Neither a fixed-plan figure nor a summer figure should be substituted for the traditional annual rate. [3] |
| Student evidence | A historical undergraduate review, a second-major student’s criticism and two graduate career accounts. The graduate with two degrees cannot establish the effect of RTF alone. |
Choose the right program
BS: production inside a broader degree
The degree includes media study, college requirements and university general education. Its current four-year planner places introductory RTF work before much of the advanced production choice. Treat the planner as a sequence to adapt with an adviser, not evidence that earlier film experience automatically removes prerequisites. [2]
Use the correct catalog year
Moody’s 2026–28 list names RTF 301D Media Storytelling and Analysis, 302D History of Media Industries, 303D Media and Culture, and 304D Introduction to Film Production. Older discussions use different numbers. Its career requirement offers internship or career-exploration choices; it does not promise every student a paid placement. Check the planner attached to your entry year. [7]
Graduate production and screenwriting
Graduate applicants should assess the relevant MFA independently. The current Film & Media Production admission page asks for evidence of preparation for graduate filmmaking. Do not rely on the tuition, teaching-assistant benefits or production grants described by an applicant in a 2018 forum post; any current funding must appear in the actual offer. [5]
Projects, equipment and access
The published Moody checkout rules tie undergraduate equipment use to specific coursework. Non-preauthorized classes need faculty or teaching-staff authorization, independent study needs department approval, and internship courses are excluded. Do not assume that paying tuition supplies a camera package for any personal film or an outside internship. Confirm the current rules before reserving. [10]
For spring 2027, the registrar says certain upper-level classes require instructor or departmental consent and that upper-level RTF enrollment is usually restricted to majors. A catalog listing is therefore different from an approved place. Ask how the consent process and prerequisites affect your intended directing, camera or editing sequence. [11]
The undergraduate alumnus below recalls peak-period pressure on equipment and editing labs. That is a historical observation, not a current booking audit. The practical question is whether your assessed project is eligible for a package and whether its shoot and post dates fit the actual reservation calendar.
The catalog permits the department to retain and use copies of course assignments for noncommercial purposes. That provision does not by itself establish a transfer of copyright. Read the project agreement and clarify clearances, portfolio use and festival submissions before distribution. [2]
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 University of Texas at Austin. Include your program, campus and attendance dates. All submissions are checked before publication.
Values instructors, practical opportunities and collaboration with graduate crews. Also describes pressure on shared equipment and post facilities around major projects. Those resource observations are historical rather than a current inventory assessment.
Reports being unable to take prerequisite and advanced work concurrently on a short timeline, and considers much introductory material poor value. The thread’s original poster was a prospective transfer; this account is the enrolled respondent’s.
Describes an LA editing/VFX internship followed by a ten-month contract, later YouTube editing, then in-house marketing video work. Sees broader media work as more attainable than feature-film editing. One career path does not establish placement rates.
Describes nonprofit marketing work and a forthcoming content-creator role. The second degree and minor matter: the reported outcome cannot be attributed to RTF alone, and the future role is not counted as completed employment.
The accounts identify two practical decisions: how much introductory study remains after transfer or adding a major, and whether you welcome work beyond traditional film production. The 2025 course complaint predates the current 2026–28 list, so confirm present requirements. The 2018 MFA admitted-applicant endorsement remains excluded from student experience; these undergraduate accounts do not evaluate graduate teaching.
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 |
|---|---|
| Resident traditional tuition, 2026–27 | $5,615 per semester at 12 or more hours in Communication; $11,230 across fall and spring. [3] |
| Nonresident traditional tuition | $21,888 per semester at the same full-time level; $43,776 across two semesters. [3] |
| Different tuition plans | The published fixed-tuition plan has different charges. Compare the plan attached to your own offer rather than mixing tables. [3] |
| Additional budget | Housing, food, travel, supplies and film spending. A tuition figure is not a complete annual attendance cost. |
A Texas-resident offer and a nonresident offer are different financial decisions. Compare confirmed grants, renewal conditions and the number of semesters remaining after transfer. Ask how fees and extra enrollment work for your course plan. For graduate study, obtain a separate written breakdown of tuition, appointment duties, benefits, grant eligibility and production costs.
Admissions and study commitments
Transfers and students adding RTF should request an evaluated, term-by-term plan before assuming advanced classes can run alongside unfinished prerequisites. The current degree has a required introductory sequence, and some advanced classes also require consent. Obtain written confirmation of substitutions and the earliest realistic completion date. Graduate applicants need the separate MFA portfolio and admission rules. [2] [5] [11]
Career support and graduate outcomes
The two career accounts show work in post, online video, nonprofit marketing and in-house production. Their relevance depends on your goals: someone seeking steady video work may evaluate that path differently from someone seeking fiction directing. Ask career services about actual first roles in the department you want. The public accounts do not establish employment rates, earnings or which part of a graduate’s education caused an outcome.
Explore the local industry in our Austin 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
- Prerequisites and course consent can affect the time left after transfer or adding a second major. A short intended timeline is not an approved course plan.
- Internship-course enrollment does not establish eligibility to borrow the university’s equipment. Read the checkout rules before accepting an outside project. [10]
- A graduate’s success in marketing or content production is relevant evidence, but it is not proof of placement into feature films.
- Historical MFA funding described by an admitted applicant is not a current award policy. Rely on your own written offer.
How to get more from the course
- Map the required introductory sequence, consent applications and advanced electives early. Keep an alternative timetable and verify the graduation effect of every substitution.
- Use a practical crew or post skill to contribute reliably while developing personal projects.
- Show revisions and a clear role description in your portfolio; do not rely on the university name to explain what you did.
Compare alternatives
Compare programs at University of Texas at Austin alongside other schools using qualifications, duration, published costs and entry requirements.
Compare RTF with FSU and UNCSA for different production structures, CSUN for another public-university route and DePaul for a private craft-concentration model. Convert all prices to the same annual or complete-degree unit, then compare the net offer and required work.
- Florida State University — College of Motion Picture Arts review
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts review
- California State University, Northridge review
- DePaul University — School of Cinematic Arts review
Compare United States school reviews or browse the complete film-school review directory.
Is it worth applying?
Apply if the BS’s mix of practical and critical education matches your aims. Before accepting, resolve current course access and the full cost under your residency and tuition plan. For graduate study, make the written program and funding offer the center of the decision.
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 RTF an undergraduate BFA?
No. The undergraduate degree discussed here is the BS in Radio-Television-Film. [2]
Are the published resident and nonresident figures the same?
No. The 2026–27 traditional Communication table has substantially different rates. Check the table and tuition plan applying to you. [3]
Can an experienced transfer skip introductory RTF work?
Do not assume so. Obtain a current credit evaluation and written approval for any substitution or concurrent enrollment. The 2025 second-major account describes unsuccessful requests, not a universal current decision.
Can I use checkout equipment for an internship?
The published Moody checkout rules exclude internship courses from equipment eligibility. Confirm what equipment an employer supplies before agreeing to a shoot. [10]
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.
- Official undergraduate RTF overview
- BS degree requirements
- 2026–27 traditional and fixed tuition tables
- Current undergraduate courses
- Film & Media Production MFA admissions
- Original undergraduate review and separately labeled applicant endorsement
- Moody undergraduate degree requirements by catalog year
- April 2025 discussion: second-major student’s prerequisite experience
- Graduate career accounts posted December 2024 and October 2025
- Moody equipment checkout eligibility rules
- Spring 2027 RTF registration and course-consent rules
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.