New York Film Academy

Key Highlights

• WSCUC lists NYFA as accredited after a June 27, 2025 commission action.
• Founded in 1992 as a hands-on filmmaking school.
• The Burbank main campus and New York City and Florence branches are listed as active by WSCUC.
• Offers both degree programs and separate non-degree conservatories and workshops.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is closely connected to creative production. NYFA encourages students to join or establish clubs, attend campus events and mixers, serve as student ambassadors, and present work through showcases or festivals. At the Los Angeles campus, listed organizations include groups centered on documentary filmmaking, gaming, international film, cultural identities, LGBTQ community, and student veterans. Club availability and activity can change, so students should confirm the current roster with the campus student-life office. The community includes domestic and international students working across filmmaking, performance, writing, photography, animation, and related fields. Collaboration is not only extracurricular: students frequently participate in one another’s creative work, making reliability, communication, and comfort with group production important parts of the experience. Career and Alumni Services supports degree and one-year students and graduates through individual guidance, internship searches, networking events, résumé and portfolio or reel development, interview or audition preparation, and an alumni portal with jobs and events. NYFA is not a conventional residential university. The Los Angeles campus has no on-campus dormitories, although its housing department helps students explore apartments, rooms, and roommate arrangements. New York students can seek housing assistance through NYFA’s partnership with an external student-housing provider. Students should budget and plan independently for meals, commuting, and day-to-day living.

Location & Surroundings

The record’s Universal City location is outdated. WSCUC identifies NYFA’s main campus at 3300 West Riverside Drive in Burbank, California. The Burbank campus sits in the greater Los Angeles production region near major film, television, and media companies. NYFA describes professional-grade equipment resources and opportunities for some students to participate in production workshops on the Universal Studios backlot; this should not be interpreted as an affiliation with Universal Studios. NYFA also operates an active New York City branch at 26 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. That campus is near Battery Park and the Financial District and contains purpose-built spaces for filmmaking, photography, editing, production, performance, dance, and voice, along with a theatre and equipment library. Florence is listed by WSCUC as an active branch, while online degrees provide another study mode. Location affects far more than scenery. Degree and discipline availability differ among Burbank, New York, Florence, and online study. Housing arrangements, transportation needs, production access, and living expenses also vary sharply. Applicants should therefore select the program first and then verify exactly where and how it is delivered.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Costs vary by program, campus, start date, and credential. As one current benchmark, NYFA lists the BFA in Filmmaking in New York City and Los Angeles at $19,500 per semester for Fall 2026 through Summer 2027, plus a $2,000 departmental program fee per semester. The listed program spans nine semesters. Additional charges include technology, wellness, activity, orientation, graduation, and—where applicable—international-student fees. NYFA warns that tuition and fees are guaranteed for only one semester at a time and that annual increases are expected. Those figures are not a universal NYFA price. Other degrees, certificates, and workshops have different rates and durations. Published tuition excludes housing, food, transport, books, health insurance, and some supplies. Students can also incur personal production expenses, which vary with the scale and amount of work created. Los Angeles students must arrange off-campus accommodation; the institution’s housing office offers guidance but does not operate dormitories. Before committing, applicants should request a program-specific cost-of-attendance estimate and distinguish billed charges from living and production costs. Federal financial aid is distributed to eligible students, according to WSCUC, and NYFA lists scholarships, grants, private loans, veterans’ benefits, and financial-aid information. Career and Alumni Services assists with internships, networking, résumés, reels, portfolios, auditions, interviews, and employment searches. These services support preparation but do not establish guaranteed employment, earnings, or a particular entertainment-industry outcome.