Sometimes, all we want is to sit back, relax, and enjoy our evening watching the best college movies. Whether you are preparing to head to college yourself soon, already in there and looking for a distraction, or have long since graduated, there's something about a good college movie that automatically grips the viewer and transports us right to campus.
Now, that's not to say all college movies are made equally. They actually come in various shapes and forms and cover almost the entire spectrum of film genres. There are coming-of-age stories filled with teenage angst, gripping thrillers that'll have you on the edge of your seat, comedies that'll have you laughing non-stop, and everything in between.
In education settings, high school movies might steal the spotlight, but their college counterparts also live up to the hype. Ready to hit play on some standouts? Below, we've rounded up 35 of the best college movies to take you right into campus life.
Legally Blonde (2001)
In our books, this early-aughts rom-com is the quintessential college movie, and it needs little introduction. But as a refresher, after being dumped, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) trades in her sorority sister title for Ivy League-er status, determined to win her boyfriend back by studying at Harvard Law School. Woods brings couture to the courtroom, and her pink wardrobe inspires endless Halloween costumes and celebrity looks to this day. (Not to mention her own sequel series 25 years later!)
Monsters University (2013)
We can unequivocally say that Monsters University is one of the best college movies of all time. Yes, the Pixar prequel giving us a glimpse into the enemies-to-friends beginnings of Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sully" Sullivan is warm, heartfelt, and fun, while also shedding light on topics such as nepotism and pigeonholing. If you want college atmosphere and fraternity antics, Monsters University has it all, even if they are literally out of this world. (And yes, this might be one of the rare cases where the sequel is better than the original!)
Sweethearts (2024)
College is a lot different than high school, especially if you are coupled up. Starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga, and featuring Caleb Hearon, this movie follows two best friends as they tackle freshman year together and try to break up with their respective high school sweethearts to get the full college experience.
Whiplash (2014)
Welcome to the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band: what any incoming college student's nightmares are made of. Whiplash takes its turn with the trope of the obsessed artist, in the form of freshman and jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller). The deeply ambitious musician is admitted into the band and is subject to conductor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), whose teaching style relies more on verbal abuse than on constructive critique. As a sense of perpetual anticipation traps viewers for the moment Neiman breaks, the film's tight editing and pacing leave them with the very feeling captured in its title.
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
This spirited film embraces '80s nostalgia as the unofficial sequel to Dazed and Confused. The beginning of the semester looms ahead, and members of a college baseball team move into an off-campus house together and disregard their coach's rules from the start. From hosting parties to costumed bar-hopping, the gang of college boys relishes their last few carefree moments of summer.
The Social Network (2010)
From documenting the college acceptance process via TikTok to discreetly curating Instagram stories to entice a crush, social media plays a pivotal role in the lives of college-age people more than ever, and this biographical drama illustrates the messy beginnings of the platform that changed the game: Facebook. It depicts Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) during his undergrad studies at Harvard, and his probation from working on the various social websites that birthed the iconic app and the legal troubles they spurred.
Maurice (1987)
Based on E.M. Forster's novel, this British romantic drama follows Maurice Hall (James Wilby) as he navigates his sexual identity in Edwardian England. While attending the University of Cambridge in 1909, Hall befriends classmate Clive Durham (Hugh Grant). As their relationship deepens, they face the choice of whether to risk their class standing for the sake of their sexuality. The period piece was released amid the AIDS crisis in the '80s and is a queer movie staple.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
What would a roundup of college movies be without mentioning this critically acclaimed drama? It follows the story of 20-year-old Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon, who also penned the film with Ben Affleck), a janitor at MIT, who lacks drive but possesses great potential and intellect. Encouraged by four friends who try to get him on track, he begins studying mathematics with Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård). But it isn't until Hunting at last acknowledges and begins to unpack his deeply rooted pain in therapy sessions with Dr. Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams, that he can move on and pursue his life.
School Daze (1988)
Spike Lee's School Daze is a musical comedy inspired by the director's experiences studying at Atlanta's Morehouse College. The movie follows the story of a student trying to join a popular fraternity at the fictional HBCU. Like much of Lee's work, the movie is laced with social commentary, touching topics such as colorism, elitism, hazing, and more. Plus, you'll see more than one familiar face.
Kill Your Darlings (2013)
A somewhat mythologized retelling of the Beat Generation's beginnings in New York, Kill Your Darlings is as restless as its characters' artistic output. It follows a young Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), after he arrives at Columbia University as a freshman and is quickly drawn into the creative circle of Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). From here, they descend into nitrous oxide-induced debauchery and feverish poetry sessions. The film offers complex queer overtones and a look at a group of young people dissatisfied with tradition and seeking new modes of expression.
Dear White People (2014)
Through a radio show, media arts major Samantha White (Tessa Thompson) directly confronts the racial tensions at her predominantly white Ivy League school. Throughout the film, such strains are explored through the perspectives of various Black students, including queer journalist Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams) and White's ex, Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell), offering a multifaceted look at the very real issue of diversity on campus.
Spring Breakers (2012)
Directed by Harmony Korine, the fever-dream film follows a quartet of college freshman girls who go to Florida after they rob a restaurant to fund their spring break. Set against a near-exclusive soundtrack of Skrillex, Disney veterans Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez star as Candy and Faith, alongside Ashley Benson as Brit and Rachel Korine as Cotty. The comedy crime film is not all pink ski masks and neon bikinis in the Sunshine State, however, as the consequences of their actions catch up with them.
Scream 2 (1997)
When college assignments pile up and deadlines quickly approach, just be thankful you do not have a killer on the loose to add to your list of things to deal with. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Ghostface return in this sequel, as college students begin showing up dead. A sorority house party that Prescott attends turns into a crime scene.
Mistress America (2015)
When Tracy (Lola Kirke), a lonesome freshman at Barnard, meets her polar-opposite step-sister-to-be, Brooke (Greta Gerwig), the former is instantly fascinated by the latter's carefree, drifter lifestyle. Tracy aspires to be a writer, Brooke schemes up a restaurant-hair-salon concept, and although their relationship begins to unravel, the pair can learn from one another's shortcomings in this openly candid dramedy.
Shiva Baby (2020)
As college students near graduation, the onslaught of unwarranted questions about career paths, academic performance, and long-term goals only increases. Senior Danielle, portrayed by Rachel Sennott, finds herself amidst such conversations at a chaotic post-funeral service. Here, she has accidental run-ins with her ex-girlfriend, her sugar daddy, and his family. Absurdly discomforting and humorous, Shiva Baby paints a picture of a woman in between college, real life, and adulthood.
Raw (2016)
Despite drawing in criticism and investigations, college hazing continues to play a substantial role in college and Greek life, and Raw depicts the effects of such initiations at a nightmarish extreme. While lifelong vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier) takes on vet school, the rituals she and other freshmen undergo during their first week at college leave her thirsting for raw meat. Hallucinatory and full of tension, the woman-directed horror film uses this overwhelming craving to drive the plot and explore the anxieties faced when trying to fit in.
Sh*thouse (2020)
Despite its title, Cooper Raiff's directorial debut is anything but. Alex, played by Raiff himself, grapples with homesickness and solitude as he enters college, even lying to his family back home about his social and romantic life. His outlook eventually begins to change after he leaves his shell, falls in and out of love, and this tender movie can resonate with any college student who's felt misplaced after moving far away from familiarity.
Pitch Perfect (2012)
Love it or hate it, Pitch Perfect passes the Bechdel Test and offers a musical spin on the underdog tale. When Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) arrives at college, she aspires to become a DJ and reluctantly winds up in her university's women's a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, helping it rise to success and redeem itself in an annual musical competition. Whether you're an a cappella enthusiast or not, you can't deny that "Cups" was a mid-2010s cultural reset.ç
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
In this Gen Z take on the whodunit genre, a group of wealthy college-age (for the most part) people seek refuge in a mansion party amidst a hurricane. Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), David (Pete Davidson), and others fill the estate with drinking, dancing, and a party game gone deeply foul. This ironic dark comedy examines privilege in an age of social media buzzwords, performativity, and woke-washing.
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
National Lampoon's Animal House (not to be confused with 2002's National Lampoon's Van Wilder) is a seminal college movie featuring frat hijinks galore. It follows the story of two college freshmen in the '60s who join the Delta Tau Chi fraternity house, notoriously the messiest frat on campus, who cross off the dean. (Bear in mind this is an old-school college movie, so take that into account for the humor you can expect!)
Rudy (1993)
You might know Sean Astin from Stranger Things, The Goonies, or The Lord of the Rings, but you truly won't know know him until you've seen Rudy. This 1993 college movie follows Astin in the titular role of Rudy, a working-class student on his quest to become a football star, joining the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, Indiana, his lifelong dream that has only gotten him laughs throughout high school. If you want a reason to believe after chasing your dreams, this movie will give you one.
Adventureland (2009)
Adventureland is not exactly a college movie, since it takes place right after college, but it's still a fun ride about the challenges we face post-college—i.e., landing your first job. Set in the late '80s, the movie stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, and more. It is a no-frills, fun summer movie from the creators of Superbad that often flies under the radar.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Mona Lisa Smile stars Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as a teacher and her students at Wellesley College in the '50s, tackling gender norms, non-conformity, and more, all in a college setting. (If you are intrigued and want to know more, you can watch the first 10 minutes of the movie on YouTube.)
Drumline (2002)
If you want a college movie that's all about music, then Drumline, starring Nick Cannon as Devon Miles, is just what you are after. The movie follows Miles as he joins the marching band at Atlanta's A&T University, not without some adjustments. (And yes, that's Zoe Saldaña as the main romantic interest.)
Higher Learning (1995)
Higher Learning is a coming-of-age crime drama set on campus at the fictional Columbus University, which also deals with heavy topics, as you can see in the trailer. The film mainly focuses on three incoming freshmen, who all face life-changing experiences at college.
The Graduate (1967)
Mike Nichols's The Graduate is perhaps one of the most seminal and critically acclaimed movies about a college graduate, though it's also not set in college. The 1967 movie, starring Dustin Hoffman as a fresh college grad, Benjamin Braddock, centers on a love triangle between our main character, his older lover, and her daughter.
Neighbors (2014)
If you are looking for a college-adjacent comedy—quite literally—then Neighbors should be top of the list. The movie, starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, and Dave Franco, follows the story of two neighboring houses: one with a married couple and a newborn, and one with a full-on frat. Peaceful coexistence is not an option.
Accepted (2006)
One of the quintessential college comedies of the '00s is without a doubt Accepted, starring Justin Long, Jonah Hill, and Blake Lively. The movie follows the story of Bartleby Gaines, who sets up his own college after being rejected from every college he applied to.
Real Genius (1985)
Real Genius is a Sci-Fi comedy starring a young Val Kilmer as teenage prodigy turned top engineering college student Chris Knight, who discovers life-changing technology coveted by anyone from his classmates to his professors and even the CIA. His goal? Keeping it safe from everyone's hands.
Damsels in Distress (2011)
Whit Stillman's comedy Damsels in Distress follows a trio of friends (led by Barbie's Greta Gerwig) who are adamant to change (and end) the male-dominated social environment of their college while fighting depression on campus.
22 Jump Street (2014)
22 Jump Street is the follow-up and college sequel to 2012's buddy cop action comedy 21 Jump Street, once again starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Ice Cube. This time, while trying to track down a new popular drug, the cop duo goes undercover at college, experiencing all the quintessential college experiences, including frat parties and spring break.
The Sure Thing (1985)
Directed by the late Rob Reiner and starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga, 1985's The Sure Thing follows a college freshman and a classmate on a hitchhiking road trip to California— one chasing love and the other one after sex. But the ride is not as smooth as it initially seems.
The Paper Chase (1973)
Based on John Jay Osborn Jr.'s 1971 novel of the same name, The Paper Chase follows the story of James Hart (Timothy Bottoms), a first-year student at Harvard Law School, trying to ace his coursework when love unexpectedly knocks on his door. The catch? He couldn't have predicted all the baggage the woman he meets comes with.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Starring Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind is a biographical drama based on the story of real-life math genius John Nash. The film follows Nash as he arrives at Princeton University on a prestigious scholarship and makes a remarkable discovery, both about maths and himself.
Pizza Movie (2026)
If you are looking for a movie set in college that you absolutely can't predict, then Pizza Movie is just what you are after. The movie is a high adventure full of twists and turns that will have you laughing and crying. Plus, it features a star-studded cast with Gaten Matarazzo, Jack Martin, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Caleb Hearon, Daniel Radcliffe, and many more.
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