UCLA is FAR less costly if your family lives in California. About $18K a year, but if you are out of state it’s more like $30 K a year. NYU is more like $40-45K a year.

UCLA, however, has incidental costs that NYU might cover.

For example, raw stock and processing is not incuded in Tuition at UCLA. That’s out of the pocket, however you own all rights to what you shoot.

UCLA also has access to the Union Talent pool who may lecture and give seminars there. Not as readily avaialble in NYC.

UCLA is also in a nice (and expensive) area.

The head of my film school when to both UCLA and USC

Understand a degree does not qualify you for a job, but it does qualify you to apply for the Proucer’s Guild Second AD Internship program (a 2 year program in which you get paid like $7.50 an hour and come out with a 2nd AD Union card, which you must pay for and then find your own job).

I say go for the cheapest option because going to a top school doesn’t guarantee you anything, it’ll only give you a great education and great connections, but if you don’t make anything of it, it’s the same as choosing to go to any regular old local college.

USC is a better option than NYU if you’re financially needy, because NYU is notorious for not giving any scholarships and grants, and USC is.

I would personally make a choice between USC or NYU. I think USC is way better than UCLA.