We Don’t Just Teach Film,
We Are Film!
Your student wants to become a filmmaker and digital content creator? That’s great! We’ve been helping students just like them for over 20 years.
In The Heart of Grand Rapids, MI
The home of great coffee, eclectic food, fantastic art, and Compass College.
EMPOWERing VISUAL STORYTELLERS
For over 20 years Compass College has been empowering students of all backgrounds with the skills and character to be great visual storytellers.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Cinematic and Media Arts
Our BFA program is designed for students who want a career where they have more of an influence on the creative outcome of a film project. Ideal for future Directors, executive producers, Producers, line producer, director of photography, casting director, location manager, production manager, art director, Cinematographers, or Screenwriters.
- 120 Credit Hours
- 7 Major Film Projects
- Internship Required
Associate of Applied Science
Film and Media Production
Our AAS program is perfect for students who want to be involved in the operations of creating a film without the weight of the creative responsibility for the film project. Ideal for FILM EDITORs, EDITORIAL TEAM, 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ART TEAM, STUNT TEAM, COMPOSER, HAIR, STYLIST, VFX TEAM, MAKE-UP, CAMERA TEAM, SOUND TEAM, or PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS.
- 60 Credit Hours
- 4 Major Film Projects
- Optional Internship
We think you’ll agree…
Students Deserve to graduate without a mountain of debt.
Compass College of Cinematic Arts is committed to providing our students with the most affordable education from any private, accredited film college in the US. Plus, we accept all forms of federal, state, and private financial aid.
$17,480
2021/2022 listed price includes 30 credits + fees
#1
Affordable Private, Accredited Film College.
1,000
Hours of Film Set Experience
85%
Graduation Rate
10:1
Our Industry-Leading Student to Faculty Ratio
84%
Initial Employment Rate
5x
Projected Industry Growth
Our Alumni Have Had Great
Success Stories
John Terpstra - 2008
Lighting Technician
John has made a name for himself in Atlanta by working on major projects like Black Panther, Avengers: End Game, The Walking Dead, etc. He is currently working on 2 releases slated for 2021.
Tamarra Thomas - 2019
Creative Producer
Tamarra is a freelance Creative Producer, Producers Assistant, Social Media Manager, Photographer, and Videographer. She has worked on 12+ commercials, 4 feature films and 25+ short films.
Zach Righetti - 2019
Digital Content Specialist
Zach is the Digital Content Specialist for Studio C, the parent company of Celebration Cinema. He manages and produces all of the internal and external digital content for the brand.
compass
Our Values
Christ-Centered
Community
Creativity
Entrepreneurism
Hands-on Experience
Mentorship
Storytelling
Technical Excellence
Our college aligns with the ancient Christian state- ments of the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.
LIFEGROUP
Lifegroup is a weekly gathering where we talk about real-life topics, learn from the Bible, build friendships, and encourage each other to live boldly for Christ in school, filmmaking, and life.
2 BIBLICAL CLASSES
We offer classes that discuss biblical story arcs and principles that are immensely valuable in your personal and professional life.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word
of God. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Testimonials
What People Are Saying
“How to make a film with integrity and how to do it with excellence, I think these qualities are not often taught, except at places like Compass College. They are doing it the right way.”
“I’ll miss all of the people who really went out of their way to help me, but I’m excited to move out to L.A. and intern at 2 really great companies doing commercial production and TV development.”
“It’s definitely a fun experience to walk through these doors and just be challenged every day. [It was great to] work with the Grand Rapids Drive basketball team too.”
connections to major industry pros
Compass College has an ever-expanding set of relationships with the men and women who are shaping the visual stories we all know and love. That means oue students are learning cutting-edge skills, shaped by real professionals in the industry.
Admission at Compass College
Apply
Students must Fill out our online application. It is free, mobile-friendly, and only takes 3 minutes to complete.
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Send Docs
To get accepted into the program, each applicant must submit all transcripts from high school and colleges attended. They must also record a selfie-style video and make simple edits to it before submission.
*Applicants with a 2.3-2.99 will be asked to supply a writing sample.
**Applicants with a 2.29 or below will also have to submit an admissions essay and academic reference.
Sign
Upon acceptance into the program, prospective students are provided our enrollment agreement which outlines the costs of the program and our most important policies. After review, the student signs it and returns a copy.
Deposit
The final step for a student to secure their spot in the upcoming entrance term is to submit their $150 enrollment deposit.
What’ is included
Complete this form and we will give you instant access to the following:
- Our virtual tour
- The current compass viewbook
- A closer look at costs
- Helpful links for you
- Opprtunity to schedule a time to speak with our recruiting team