Higher Learning

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Higher Learning

R

1995

2h 7m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In John Singleton's powerful portrait of college life in the 1990s, a group of incoming freshmen at Columbus University -- including varsity athlete Malik Williams (Omar Epps), awkward outcast Remy (Michael Rapaport) and wide-eyed Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson) -- struggle to find themselves and adjust to newfound independence. When Remy finds acceptance among a group of neo-Nazis, tensions rise even higher on a campus already divided along racial, socio-economic and gender lines.

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Critics Consensus

It's hard to fault Higher Learning's goals; unfortunately, writer-director John Singleton too often struggles to fit his themes within a consistently engaging story.

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Emma Cochrane

Empire Magazine

Apr 26, 2019

2/5

Good intentions, but dull and predictable.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Feb 16, 2018

Higher Learning sells its soul (and its brain) for overwrought melodrama.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Jul 6, 2010

C

Despite some likable performances (Epps is especially winning), the drama in Higher Learning is constricted, hemmed in by Singleton's compulsion to view his characters as walking paradigms of racial and sexual politics.

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Andrea Beach

Common Sense Media

Jul 27, 2023

4/5

Director John Singleton turns his focus to prestigious universities, asking pointed questions about how these institutions perpetuate, or at least turn a blind eye to, important social issues.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Sep 19, 2019

2/5

I felt like it was lengthy, and they could have chopped down some of this stuff while trying to appeal to everyone...Malik and Remy could have been the movie right there.

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

Sep 19, 2019

1/5

What is high...what is learning...yes it's a pretty decent cast, but it's all over the place, and I really wanted it to end.

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talieeya d

Jul 1, 2025

Still holds up as an absolute classic to this day! Wow everyone so young and so talented. So amazing to see their maturation and talent at that time. I definitely enjoyed and loved the nostalgia. Higher Learning is a deep gem of a movie that still is relevant today.

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Ma'ark T

@RT57514104 Sep 27, 2026

I kinda enjoyed this snapshot back to the 90s, but it isn't really a good movie. A lot of the messages felt on the nose, and it was overacted in parts. I just enjoyed watching some legends on screen and the music and clothes.

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Darrell S

@RT37459315 Sep 16, 2026

My favorite John Singleton film. A must see.

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Kent P

@kpeters1027 Aug 19, 2026

I know this is an old movie but I ran out of anything intriguing on Netflix. Every white male character was bad and a rapist or a Nazi, every black character no matter the gender was good. Singleton should have tried a little harder. Such stereotypical garbage. On a positive note, I enjoyed the acting.

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Piya S

@piyasqm Nov 22, 2025

A stylish, intelligent film-maker, Singleton interweaves the threads of his demographic tapestry with assurance, passion and a welcome awareness of the complexities of the college community's contradictory impulses towards integration and separatism.

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Rich F

@Richerich99 Oct 27, 2025

Higher Learning has a great many things on its mind, which immediately places it in a rather exclusive category of American films these days.

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John Singleton

Director

Omar Epps

Malik Williams

Kristy Swanson

Kristen Connor

Michael Rapaport

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Synopsis

In John Singleton's powerful portrait of college life in the 1990s, a group of incoming freshmen at Columbus University -- including varsity athlete Malik Williams (Omar Epps), awkward outcast Remy (Michael Rapaport) and wide-eyed Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson) -- struggle to find themselves and adjust to newfound independence. When Remy finds acceptance among a group of neo-Nazis, tensions rise even higher on a campus already divided along racial, socio-economic and gender lines.

Director: John Singleton
Producer: Paul Hall, John Singleton
Screenwriter: John Singleton
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: New Deal Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $36.8M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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