Film school programs offer a gateway into an exciting and glamorous profession, but not all film schools provide the training you will need. No degree can guarantee you a career as a filmmaker. To protect yourself from scams, learn as much as possible about a film school before you decide to enroll.
Instructions
1. Check that the film school is accredited. Make sure the credits you receive in a film program can be transferred to other colleges or universities.
2. Watch out for schools that pressure you to take out a student loan. Such schools focus more on collecting your cash and less on teaching film. Check with the U.S. Department of Education's toll-free hot line at (800) 433-3243. If the school has a high student loan default rate, it's usually a sign of problems.
3. Get information in writing guaranteeing the school's tuition refund policy.
4. Beware of film schools that offer to take your credit card information along with your application. Consider it a red flag alert when a film school charges you for the course at the same time you apply, or allows anyone with a credit card to enroll.
5. Suspect a scam when film school ads compare their low rates to those of well-known, legitimate schools. They fail to mention that the low-budget courses they want you to sign up for provide very little real training.
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