Anyone know if this is a scam?
Thanks!
It’s not a scam, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good deal either. It’s a for-profit school that will accept pretty much anyone who can afford to pay for it. They have legitimate accreditation and therefore qualify for federal financial aid programs. However, it is specialized art school accreditation, not the regional accreditation that traditional colleges and universities normally have.
The school has a niche market among students who dream of careers in Hollywood, but can’t get into the (very competitive) film schools at traditional universities like UCLA or USC. My impression is that NYFA does provide meaningful education about the movie business, and that some of their graduates actually do make it. On the other hand, a successful Hollywood career is probably a long shot for everyone, regardless of where you go to school, and many of their graduates probably do not make it.
So you would have to weigh the cost of attendance (which will probably be high) versus the odds of actually making it in Hollywood (which may be low) and the potential value of an NYFA degree under alternative career scenarios (which may not be as high as a traditional university degree). You would also have to consider the value of pursuing a dream (which may or may not be priceless, depending on your situation).
I agree with the comment above. I actually know someone from NYFA who now works as an MTV producer, but remember the saying “it’s all who you know”.