Middlebury vs NYU for film studies: which is the better choice for an undergraduate film major?

NYU is the stronger undergraduate choice for film studies overall, especially if you want serious access to production, industry connections, and a larger film-focused peer community. Its film and television offerings are much more built out, the school is embedded in New York’s media ecosystem, and students benefit from a volume of filmmaking activity that Middlebury simply does not match. For an undergraduate film major, that difference is significant.

The biggest separator is program depth. NYU’s film training is anchored by Tisch, which has a long-established reputation in film and television and a much wider range of courses, equipment, collaborators, and faculty tied directly to the field. Middlebury has a respected Film and Media Culture program, but it is more academic and interdisciplinary in character, with less of the intensive production infrastructure that students usually want when they say they plan to major in film.

Location matters here in a very practical way. Being in New York gives NYU students easier access to internships, screenings, festivals, working professionals, and independent sets during the school year. Middlebury’s Vermont setting offers a very different college experience, but it does not provide the same day-to-day connection to the film industry.

Middlebury’s real advantage is the broader liberal arts environment. If you want film studies in conversation with literature, languages, theory, and close faculty interaction in a smaller academic setting, Middlebury can be very appealing. But for someone explicitly asking which school is stronger for film studies overall, especially with an interest in actually making films, NYU has the clearer edge.