Full Sail University

All of the negative reviews seem to bash Full-​Sail for being a For Profit school. Heres a little tidbit for you.
According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015 – 2016 school year was $ 32,405 at private colleges, $ 9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $ 23,893 for out-​of-​state residents attending public universities.
My Bachelors degree in Media Communications will cost me before interest $ 55,000. That is $ 75,000 less than a private school, $ 17,400 more than an in state public college, and $ 40,000 less than out of state public college. I don’t understand how it is outrageously priced.
Full Sail’s unofficial motto is «You get out of it what you put into it.» I am going to graduate with a high GPA, amazing portfolio, and 32 months worth of knowledge I didn’t previously have. Some people need to reevaluate what they think a college education is actually worth!
Spoiler alert! Nothing in life is free. You have to earn it. You have to sell yourself to an employer. I also think that if you get a degree in a saturated career field, you need to be realistic about how likely you are to gain employment.
This school is perfect for enrichment. I am highly confident that when I graduate, I will have the skills to be hired in the exact career field I want to be.

I can not begin to blare the warning sirens loud enough. I went here back in 1994, when it was considerably cheaper. I can not fathom how people are now dishing out the dollars they are to attend a FOR PROFIT school.
Being older and wiser now, I can see the egregious errors I made, and unfortunately, my parents did not help navigate the waters at that time. I was in the film program (after a huge mix up where I was actually suppose to be in the recording arts), and after graduating, I entered the entertainment industry at a post-​production house making next-​to-​nothing working in the shipping department. After a year of that, I realized what a complete joke the whole thing was so I decided to go back to school at a state university and received my degree in computer engineering — a MUCH better career decision. However, none of my credits transferred (shocker, I know), something they promised I would be able to do.
It saddens to see that this for-​profit school targets lower income people that truly have dreams of making it big. It’s easy to be enamored by all the fancy marketing and cool toys and gadgets they have, but like Vegas casinos, this school didn’t just rise up from the Florida swamps. Unfortunately, students acquire huge amounts of debt and very few of them actually go on to do anything substantial, and the school just becomes bigger, fatter, and lines the pockets of a few very wealthy people. Full Sail students have a 21% default rate on their loans compared to 7% on average for other universities. Think about that! Nearly 1 in 4 of Full Sail students will end up defaulting on their loans. You can say goodbye to living the American dream.
Here’s my honest advice. Do some research, look at the employment rate for the industry as a whole before you commit to this kind of money. Look at the average salary (via Glassdoor) and read reviews from people who actually work in the industry. This will provide a jolt of reality. Though the entertainment industry is a «sexy» job, it’s an often underpaid, overworked, under appreciated job working with a bunch of ego-​maniacs. One of my former recording arts classmates went on to work with N’Sync and Brittany Spears, among others, but ended up quitting the business and now works on a boat dock on a lake. True story.
If you want good money, then seriously consider an engineering field. However, understanding that not everyone has the mind for engineering, going into a trade industry that is actually in-​demand is another good idea; like electrical, plumbing, nursing, etc. Just do your homework and you’ll find out. Again, I understand that these aren’t the «cool» jobs, but you won’t be worrying about that when you live a nice lifestyle and traveling the world. Just a suggestion.
Looking at the previous reviews, I noticed most of the reviews are of students who are still there. I want to hear from these same students in a year or two. Trust me, their opinions will change when they realize they owe lots of money and barely make above the poverty level.
Believe it or not, the only thing I actually learned and carry with me to this day is how to properly roll up a coax cable. And sadly, that’s the truth. Please don’t make the same mistake and heed my advice.

Its true schools like NYFA, AI, FSU and LAFS will expedite you’re hands on experience, but thier overly expensive, privately owned, and are for profit.
The same curriculum is available all over the Web for free. You can gain the same info from books and YouTube videos.
And theres nothing they can teach you that you won’t learn when you’re working as a PA on set out in the real world.
Working in the entertainment industry doesn’t require a degree. Industry employers hire people who can do the work.

Full Sail takes your dream seriously… as long as you take your dream seriously as well.
You cannot walk into Full Sail expecting to be the next Steven Spielberg. You will not graduate with an American Music Award. This school gives you the potential to be great, but they make sure you work for it.
You can either take an accelerated or extended campus degree in many different aspects of the entertainment world — Recording Arts, Digital Arts and Design, Film, Game Development, and many other degrees. Online offers extended degree programs done completely online.
Yes, Full Sail is pricey, but you do pay for what you get. You get a very expensive Apple MacBook Pro, you get MANY expensive programs like Adobe Creative Suite, ProTools, etc. You are subscribed to expensive subscriptions like
. You are taught by teachers who have been in the fields you are trying to get in. You are taught in state-​of-​the-​art recording studios, gaming labs, and sound-​stages. It all adds up — but it is so worth the price.
Full Sail gives you plenty of opportunities to network with big companies, celebrities, and others in the entertainment and media industries. WWE’s NXT is filmed at Full Sail monthly, which is free for students to attend. Full Sail holds the Hall of Fame once a year where students get to listen to alumni who are currently working in the industry as well as other industry professionals. And Full Sail has TONS of workshops and seminars from industry professionals who are very easy to network with. The opportunity to do big things is presented to you almost daily.
Full Sail has, by far, been the best decision I have ever made. I love this school and will stand by it. I have met people I will forever be in contact with, I have learned things that no traditional school could ever teach you, and I have experienced things that I will never forget. I am just a little over two months from graduating and I know the future is bright for me and other Full Sail grads. Put in the work and Full Sail will work for you.

Took a tour of Full Sail today and it was great. The school has an awesome campus. Everyone we met during the tour was very informative and nice. Every question was answered to the best of their ability and no question was left unanswered. Had a great time and after the tour I’m really considering attending the University.

This is a for-​profit school, and you should really think about before making your decision to come here.
I attended Full Sail from 2003 – 2005 and graduated with a Recording Arts A. S, and Entertainment Business B.S.
The campus itself is incredible. There is no other school providing such a high-​end facility to students. However, you get very limited access to these facilities (in my experience, it was less than 2 months of the entire 24month program that I even accessed the studios).
Also — this is not a regionally accredited school. So if you have any plans to further your education anywhere other than Full Sail once you’re finished, your credits will not transfer. So in my case I would like to get a Master’s Degree, however my only option would be to get it from Full Sail. Otherwise I would need to make up a LOT of credits before I would even be eligible for a Master’s program at another school.
Last, the school is VERY expensive. If your parents are willing to pay for it, that is one thing. I did not have that luxury and took out student loans (nearly $ 100k) to pay for my school and living expenses for 2 years. These were privatized loans, some with interest as high as 13%. At 18 years old I was too young, naïve, and excited to realize what that meant as far as payments after graduation, and I soon found myself with an expected $ 1,000/month student loan bill. As a new graduate looking for my first job, this was very steep, and I soon found myself resorting to deferment and other options to delay these payments (only further compounding the total cost).
While there are some degree programs from Full Sail with lots of job potential, there are many with very limited jobs. For example, Full Sail has been pumping out 200+ students each month from their audio program for the past 15+ years. There are not nearly that many studio or audio industry jobs. As you will find, most Full Sail graduates have resorted to finding work in alternate industries (myself included).
That all said, I learned a lot at Full Sail, and aside from mainly the cost, it was a positive experience. For those that take the classes seriously (only about 50%) there is much to learn and gain from your time there. However, overall it was very unprofessional (felt more like a highschool than a college), and you don’t earn a real accredited degree for the time and money that you spend.
I would very strongly consider other options before recommending Full Sail to anyone else.

Don’t be fooled, this is a business not a school. I graduated in 2009 from a Film Bachelors program and I will say it was one of the worst decisions I ever made to attend. I’d warn anyone considering going or going now to quit as soon as possible and spend all that money on equipment or another establishment with less financial drain. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than you do getting a job anytime soon that will even cover your loans.
They show you a lot of flashy stuff to get you in the door, tell you a lot of lies and false promises, but all of your tuition will be going to dupe other people into wasting their money going there. You will not profit from their beautiful equipment — most of the good stuff is used to get people in the door. They will tell you that no matter what you are interested in they have a program that covers it even if that program only includes 2 basic classes in that field. The actual education you will receive is questionable. The job search assistance you will get after you graduate is a joke. They mostly offer you unpaid internship opportunities since they flood the market with people that will be struggling to pay back loans a few months after they graduate. Most people I know that graduated from there have barely worked in their chosen fields or work for really low wages. Most of them had to go to another school and do something else. There are a few from my class that have done some work in their field but it’s nothing like the few examples Fullsail bases their achievement on. A large portion of the staff attended Fullsail themselves so that should tell you something.
You will never be able to transfer credits to another college with the class you take there. It may be a «university» now but they still write their own books & curriculum so no other college accepts it as legitimate. The most honest part about the whole thing was when I finally got a copy of my diploma (over a year after I graduated because they have issues with getting things out to you in a timely manner) it said BS on it. I completely agreed.
Run, run far away.

I am a 2005 Film Associates grad and now I’m back with Full Sail to obtain my Computer Animation bachelors degree. The faculty and curriculum are great! It’s a ton of hands on experience while you’re attending. The biggest thing about Full Sail is this is an entertainment school and the entertainment industry can be very challenging depending on what degree you chose. Understanding that, that’s the reason they want the most passionate students to attend. You gotta love this stuff to do good in it. They’re career development is awesome. These guys ultimate goal is to help grads find work and the key is to stay on top of them by contacting them every other week to let them know you’re still looking for work. Finding work can be immediate or it can take time. Again your degree choice and willingness to relocate for employment opportunities plays a huge part. Yes the price is high but research your field of interest to see how much you would be making starting out in your industry to see if it’s financially what you’re willing to do. Anyone that complains about the tuition AFTER the fact has no reason to complain because the school tells you how much your paying before you even start. Then it’s time for you to hustle and get yourself out there and working once it’s time. If you go you will have the time of your life, but again you gotta love what you’re going for because it’s a lot of «hands on» work there. I work here right now so I got the «inside scoop» if you will, so I know the school is amazing from an employee, graduate and current student point of view! Visit, you will see for yourself.

The only issue that I have with the school at this point is the price. It is quite costly to attend. However, I strongly believe that my career will more than pay for all the debt I’ve incurred because of student loans. I definitely learned a lot and I do not regret my decision for attending one bit. I graduated a few days ago and I was the salutatorian of my class. I may go back for my masters. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m very proud to be an alumna of Full Sail University.

Graphic Design B.S. (Online) Graduate on ⁰⁹⁄₁₃. Currently enrolled in Internet Marketing M.S. expected to graduate ⁰⁴⁄₁₅.
This school is a lightning rod topic. It draws both extreme criticism as well as extreme praise. I’ll give you a brief review from my perspective and yes I am a real person who went there and no you may not pinch me to see if I’m real.
The Good: I found that their online degree program fit my working full-​time schedule very well. I did lose all my weekends and most of my evening for almost 3 years but hey it’s what I signed up for. I learned a ton about branding and developed a deeper understanding of graphic design as a whole. I can say for sure that I would not be the designer I am without going to school. I probably could have gone anywhere but I chose Full Sail Online because I could work full time while getting my degree. I’m not even going to go into the terrible time I had at a local community college where all the classes I needed where only offered at times I’d be working. For a guy working in the industry who wants to get an education to further his or her knowledge and career this school is an option worth considering.
The Bad:
Credits — Your credits probably won’t transfer. Yup. While you got a much better chance of transfer with a regionally accredited university. Still no guarantees. I stress this because I went to a regionally accredited community college for graphic design and they change the design program’s classes while I was in the middle of the program (very common) and I lost one class and had to take a new/​different one. I am just saying this because the goal should be degree completion not transferring credits. If you don’t plan on completing this degree program at all cost please do your self a favor and cross Full Sail off your school list now. It’s built for degree completion and skill building not dabbling.
Debt — Look… This is the point I would strongly suggest you take a long hard look at. It’s an expensive school. Their is nothing at this school that will magically make you awesome. And if you got other ways to get a degree for cheaper. Do it! I was a 31 year old guy who was already established in my career and just wanted to get an education to further my career. So their online model worked for me.
In closing don’t believe anyone who tells you that this or any school made or ruined their life. School is just like anything else in life… It is what you make of it.

I may be jumping the gun on this review, but I love where I go to school and I need to write some run on sentences to describe to you just exactly why this school is awesome, in rant form, and…
Ok, so maybe it’s just the whole «one man’s trash is another’s treasure» thing going on (and I have seen this school absolutely garbaged on some reviews) but let me be very clear when I say that going to college is a gamble… any time I relinquish my money I go into the exchange assuring myself that I can’t be assured of what I will get on the receiving end… I am not saying that you aren’t entitled to get quality goods in exchange for your «hard-​earned» dollar, but I think the real problem with the entire «school system», and just society in general, is the overbearing sense of entitlement that often comes with you. ANYTHING can be given to you/​earned by you (and so on) and just as easily it can be taken away. To quote one of my favorite movies (the Count of Monte Cristo), in a conversation between the main character and his priest friend/​mentor as they are sitting in jail:
Abbé Faria: In return for your help, I offer you something priceless.
Edmond: My freedom?
Abbé Faria: No, freedom can be taken away, as you well know. I offer you my knowledge.
I’ll be done ranting shortly and discuss my actual experience with this school, but the point here is that you take away from your experiences only what you must. I had gone to Community College and the Art Institutes and neither was for me. At the time I may have lamented them for being «bad» and «expletivy» but it was my attitude projected on the place, not the place itself… Different people have different paths to take, different destinies, and I wouldn’t want to see someone turned off to Full Sail due to a few sour reviews, because at one point I almost was.
So, to take it from the top and actually start our review, I don’t attend Full Sail on campus, never even stood on the grounds. I started doing partial online education when I went to Community, did it when I went to AI, and though I am looking at a decent amount of loan repayment, it all helped me in figuring out where I am comfortable. (I put this paragraph in here to say I have no idea what on campus life is like, how classes differ… it’s probably different in some ways, similar in others, but I can obviously only speak to my experiences).
The teachers have all been anywhere from good to amazing, knock on wood I haven’t had a problematic one yet (maybe just because I really enjoy what I am learning). No, what I am learning doesn’t all HAVE to be learned in a classroom setting (I have learned a lot on my own) but there are a lot of things I wouldn’t have even been aware I needed to learn without Full Sail. Though I have progressed IMMENSELY in these past 14 months or so with the technical side of music making (a lot of which I was having a hard time trying to pull together on my own) they have really helped me develop my love for music because they really teach you what goes into music (I guess I should have made it clear I am going for Music Production earlier on). Full Sail teaches you about ALL of the people who affect music, on stage and off… they teach you the history, the culture, the networking, the marketing, and the skill.
Yes, you pay quite a bit to go to Full Sail, but again, what is money in comparison to all of the tools and knowledge you gain. When you enroll in Full Sail’s online Music Production program you get a Mac laptop, a decent midi keyboard, a decent quality microphone, Pro Tools, Sibelius… the list goes on… and then you realize it doesn’t stop… Month after month you get new reading material (which, let me pause here and say that course reading material is VASTLY secondary to on hands experience) and other goodies… I just got Komplete (a HUGE sound library) and I will only say that these things add quite some value, and that’s all aside from that «priceless knowledge» our Abbé was speaking of in the quote earlier on.
Sorry to have bent your ear (eyes) for such a long time, just rambling, but I really do love this place. We just got a new format, today, for the way we access our courses and it has been simple and a joy already. I could go on and on about the technical support team and the other helpful faculty, but I feel like I’m getting to a point where I don’t know where to end this review (and I’d like to keep going on and on).
Look into it yourself, if you plan on going. Determine what you will be able to take away from it (whether it be as simple as the awesome networking opportunities) and then determine if it’s for you or not. It’s probably not for everybody, but, as foreshadowed by my earlier comment, (drum roll for me wrapping this up here, please) don’t let the reviews sway you, not even mine, but PLEASE don’t brush it off just because the «credits won’t transfer». You’re not going to college just to get into another one ;). DONE!

I’m just two months away from graduating with a Bachelors in the Film program and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go to Full Sail.
Before choosing Full Sail I was a bit worried with everyone saying it’s not accredited and my credits won’t transfer but After being here a while I’ve realized that I don’t need my credits to transfer anywhere! And no employer in the film industry cares what college you’ve graduated from as long as you can prove yourself in the area you’re looking for work in. I’ve never been asked for a resume, but instead a demo reel. This school isn’t like other schools because it’s like the REAL FILM INDUSTRY. 12 – 16 hour day shoots, classes that will sometimes start at 1am and let out at 9am.
This is not a school for the average kid that thinks film would be a fun thing to learn. Throughout the 18 months that I’ve attended more than 20 students just in my month have either dropped out or failed back a month or more.
MISSING ONE STAR:
We have had a couple instructors that were less than worthless. I don’t understand how whoever hired these people thought these teachers were qualified to teach at this school! Maybe at some crappy week-​long class you sign up for at the rec center sure, but surely not Full Sail. Other than the two that slipped through the crack, all of the instructors are beyond helpful and more knowledgable than I could even ask for. Most of them have worked for many years in the industry and many are still working professional jobs!
If you can’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of your life than working on Short Films, Feature Films, Music Videos or anything of the like this is the school for you. Don’t bother with the Art Institute (It’s just a big building of computers and a couple of old crappy broadcast cameras)

Can’t speak to the classes, but I come here to audition for parts in films all the time. Everyday Saturday (or most Saturdays for that matter) they host cold reading auditions for productions from various companies all over, including their own student’s projects.
Attention all those is the field of entertainment, or would like to be: This is a great way for the budding actor to get some material for film reels and to practice their cold reading chops. I have met some pretty cool people at this location.
The missing one star is for how hard it is to park during weekdays. Other than that, seems like a pretty neat place overall, and any student I’ve bumped into has had nothi g but good things to say about their program and the classes they are taking.

Research before you decide to attend this school. The campus is very impressive, the curriculum is very impressive but what happens after graduation is not impressive at all. There are other schools right in Florida where you will get a much better return on your investment, the ROI will be extensive with this school.
We found little to no effort from guidance or placement. Took weeks for the President’s assistant to return our call.

I graduated in 2012 with a BA in Web Design & Development, I can tell you it was not easy but what do you expect from a fast paced course? You have to pull your own weight. People that complain about the school either A. Dropped out or B. expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. A few months after graduating I was able to get into the Web Development field professionally. Yes many companies look for experience over a degree but when you have both you are unstoppable. I’m currently going for my Master in Fine Arts once again at Full Sail. My word of advice don’t always listen to the negative feedback that others have to say. Also if you can’t handle being under pressure this school is not for you.

Challenging curriculum, great facilities, creative student body and relevant entertainment career-​foicused (or as their ads say, «real world») education.

Excellent university!
I am studying Bachelor Degree in WWD and I would recommend to anyone.

Full Sail is not accredited by a regional accrediting body, and so credits taken there will not transfer to a real college or university. Your money will be better spent almost anywhere else.
Furthermore, do not trust the preponderance of positive reviews here without looking at the filtered reviews. Something odd is going on.

I am a month away from an Entertainment Masters Degree from Full Sail. First, I will say the school does an excellent job at providing you coursebooks, online help, the platform is easy to use (though they constantly change it) and for the most part the courses fit the intended degree plan. For a working person, it’s a good school. Yes, it is expensive, but most out-​of-​state Masters Degree programs are. The professors I had were extremely helpful and willing to go the extra mile to explain course work (of course minus 1 who I think was a new instructor).
I chose the school and course because I was interested in the starting a an entertainment publicity boutique and wanted the guidance, complete business plan that comes at the end.
My only complaints are two — the school definitely spends more time catering to the campus students. So if you are a person who wants to be involved, perhaps production, design, music, use their studios or have them help you find a job, I suggest moving to Orlando. Second, I have no idea why I have a student advisor. They’ve never called me, never checked on me, but perhaps this is because I never let me grades fall below an A.
All in all, I did my work, followed the instructions to the tee which made for a good experience. For all the negative posts online, it’s like anything, find out for yourself. From online reading it appears there are Full Sail alumni who are doing great things in the entertainment industry. My speech is over :) Make it work for you.

I was here for the Apple Distinguished Educators camp. Man are the facilities nice. Love the custom apple parking spots and the catering. They also had an amazing stage with concert lighting that really brought in a TED-​conference like atmosphere.
Minus 1 star for the unforgiving AC turning some of the rooms into a meat locker.