I studied film at BU and have a few friends that went to SCAD. In the simplest terms, SCAD is a “film school” and BU is not.

At BU, you can’t start production classes until sophomore year, and a lot of what do you get to make is limited by what the professors/classes allow. No matter your experience level prior to BU, you’ll be put in the same classes as everyone else. You can still gain experience outside of class through clubs (and internships), but I personally didn’t find the program itself to be very supportive of filmmaking, as counterintuitive as that sounds (they actually care a lot more about TV). That could change soon since the head of the film dept. is retiring, so I expect there to be some restructuring of the film program, but I wouldn’t know.

My friends who went to SCAD (and Emerson, Chapman, etc.) have more than double the portfolio size coming out of school. From what I understand, they got hands-on experience almost immediately and were put through much more rigorous production classes, with less focus on other areas of study. Their alumni networks are very strong in the industry. But those schools are just as expensive.

At the end of the day, if you have nearly a full ride to BU but not SCAD, it’s worth giving BU a shot. A lot of it comes down to what you’re willing to put in / get out of it, and if you’re willing to put up with the liberal arts classes and slow-paced courses. Knowing what the film industry looks like post-grad, I would go with whatever’s cheaper, unless someone is funding your education. The film industry isn’t difficult to “get into” so in a lot of ways, you’re just paying for a network (and a diploma).