Full Sail University
Locations: Winter Park, FL
Degrees: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's
Programs: Film, Recording Arts, Music Business, Computer Animation, Game Design, and more (35 total)
Tuition Range: 30,000 - 80,000
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Located in Winter Park, Florida, Full Sail has in recent years become well-known as one of the top ranked schools in the country for education in the media and entertainment arts. It offers a comprehensive array of 35 degree options (including associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s), in subjects that include film, recording arts, music business, entertainment business, computer animation, game design, website design and many other media-related fields. Boasting over 35,000 graduates and 13,000 current students, Full Sail offers degree programs both on-campus and online. Enrollment is open on a rolling basis, with new programs starting each month.
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Full Sail is its intensive educational approach; a complete bachelor’s program can be finished in about 20 months, about half the time as it takes at most universities. Expect to pay premium rates for this education; a typical bachelor’s program costs about $77,000 to complete, and no on-campus housing is available.
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Student Reviews
Located in Winter Park, Florida, Full Sail has in recent years become well-known as one of the top ranked schools in the country for education in the media and entertainment arts. It offers a comprehensive array of 35 degree options (including associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s), in subjects that include film, recording arts, music business, entertainment [...]
Review by Samantha Rae L.
February 10, 2012 5I attended Full Sail University in Orlando, FL. and graduated with a BS in Film.
Full Sail more than met my expectations. I chose this school because I knew I wasn’t a writer or director. The difference between Full Sail and other film programs is that you get hands on experience from the very beginning. We were lighting, rigging and shooting within the first few months whereas in other programs, you would have to wait 2 years, do basics and wait to be accepted into the film department (at some universities).
Since graduation I have been working at a film festival for the past 2 years that has opened up opportunities for me to produce and production manage in film and television.
Full sail is not the place.for writers and directors unless they feel that the technical aspect of filmmaking will effect their stories that much to justify that high of a tuition. Its a place for cinematographers, producers, art directors and other technical artists.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Christopher B.
January 21, 2012 1.8I attended Full Sail University, in Winter Park, FL. They have an accelerated program, where you receive your Bachelor Degree in 21 months. I figured… that’s two years sooner than most people who attend 4-year universities will graduate… That’s two years sooner I can start getting experience in the industry. What I didn’t take into account was the fact that, since Full Sail has such an accelerated program, it’s not really feasible to hold down a full time job to pay the bills while you’re going to school. So not only did I have to take out loans to cover my tuition/school, I had to get loans to cover living expenses (rent, bills, insurance, gas/food, etc.) Because I wasn’t able to maintain an income, hold down a steady job, with the sometimes 60-hour school week, and the constantly changing school schedule…
I initially enrolled in the school back in 2007, when I was 17, and was set to start classes that November. I had to cancel my enrollment, due to not being able to afford the school (cosigner issue). One thing led to another, I enlisted in the Navy, went to boot camp, was medically separated for a broken shoulder bone, and ended up coming back around to film school. Now, I’ve graduated, but am over $100,000 in student loan debt, with monthly payments reaching and exceeding $1,000. Just for student loan payments. Not my bills, rent, food, etc. I’m probably going to be paying this off (or trying to, at least) for the better part of my adult working life.
In the sense of, “Did it teach me how to do the jobs in the film industry? Did it give me a basic understanding of how all of these positions work, and how to do them?” Yes, it did meet my expectations. But, unlike most careers which require such a large amount of capital investment to receive the education, there’s no clear work force to apply to out there. It’s not like a doctor, or a lawyer, where you can get a full-time job at a law firm or a hospital, and where there’s a very clear need for those occupations. It’s much more risky, doing entirely freelance work. Jobs come and go, most are impossible to work on if you don’t live in the immediate area, and most crew jobs I can get at this level in my career pay a significant amount less than minimum wage. (My last job I did, I worked audio for a feature, worked 17 days, made $1,000. Granted, too, this was an out-of-state film. So I was making 5-ish dollars an hour for what I was working. And then my down time, I was just stuck in a motel in Arkansas, with nothing progressive to do. This has become the “standard” for me.
I’ve found work, yes. Although most gigs that pay anything decent require you to either A) Have a certain amount of years of experience, or have a certain amount of credits. I may know how to do the job perfectly well, but the fact that I don’t have the “right” experience deters me from jobs. Also, many jobs either require you to be a local to that area, or the ones that don’t, they don’t have it in the budget to cover travel/lodging. So if you WERE to do the gig, you’d be paying most, if not all, of your salary to travel and stay there, not to mention any equipment you have to rent in order to get the gig, as most independent projects require crew members to have their own gear. Sure, big budget productions can afford to rent the top of the line gear, but in order to get on those projects, you have to have a certain amount of experience, or credits. So the jobs I can get, I have to pay additional money to acquire my own gear. It ends up making a lot of jobs unprofitable. To the point where they cost more money to work on than I’d make.
If you’re passionate about the field, if you know for sure that’s what you want to do, then sure. School’s a great start. But a part of me wonders… If I’d spent the time I went to school to work as a Production Assistant on a bunch of films, gotten credits/experience, learned my way through that path, would I have more of an edge than I do now? More capable, but less “experienced”… Less “years under my belt”… Not to mention a hundred grand in student loan bills that require a huge salary to pay off, which I’m not making. I just maxed out my third credit card, in fact. I’m telling you, if you’re willing to stick through it, I’m sure it will pay off. Just make sure you really know how stressful and frustrating it can be, knowing you have huge (in my case, $1,000 a month) student loan bills, and working freelance, never knowing when or where your next paycheck is coming from. Not to mention the fact that you never know how long it’s going to take to GET said paycheck. It’s not like a normal job, where you work two weeks, get a paycheck for two weeks…You work a gig, and then you sit, and you wait… And you wait… until the production decides to mail you a check. You could get paid cash the same day. You could have to wait a month and a half to get a check in the mail. So it’s very stressful, as far as money goes. Just know that, going into it. Make sure you’re okay with living like that, at least for awhile. You may have to get a job outside of your industry just to pay the bills.
Knowing what I know now, I could’ve obtained my knowledge much cheaper and easier, for the path I want to do. With what I know now, I know I could’ve learned the equipment, read books, got low-level set positions and learned the business through experience. Then I wouldn’t have the huge bills, and I might be more comfortable working these lower-paying positions, since I wouldn’t need to make as much…
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Wess A.
January 20, 2012 2I attended Boise State University for Directing and Performance, before attending Full Sail University for film and television production and finally Full Sail University for Masters Degree in Entertainment Business. I graduated with my Bachelors degree in 2009 and My masters degree in 2011.
I have student loan debt from 3 different degrees. My student loan debt from Boise State University is rather small, I worked full time, and then made payments for several years before starting Full Sail. My Full Sail debt is very high. The bachelors program i could not work, the hours were so demanding, and always changing, and class schedule was so sporadic, one week nights, one week days, sometimes half a week nights, and the next half days, sometimes class on Saturday and sometimes class on Sunday, I was unable to get a job that would work around my always changing such demanding schedule. I tried to do the school offered work, but because too much of my Income was based on Student loans, I wasn’t accepted to be part of that program. So I had to take enough in loans to pay for living expenses, and my schooling. Both the Bachelors and Masters degree was very expensive being that it is a private University, and the fact that its an accelerated program. I was able to work while attending the Masters program, but it was still expensive. So I still have over 100,000.00 in student loans.
I learned a lot in the Bachelors degree program, but most of what i got out of it was experience and networking, but I had already gone to school before this, so I knew what to do, and what I wanted. I put a lot into the school, and got out what I wanted. If you didn’t know what you wanted, and didnt have that experience before, I don’t think you could have got what I did out of it.
The masters degree program I felt like I got scammed, I had been a manager of a movie theatre and a bar during and after I attended Boise state, and worked with many other companies in a manager business relationship, so I knew some about business, and felt like what we learned in School was the Masters in Business for Dummies course. I didn’t learn much, most of what was taught i felt was common sense, and the grade school version of business. was not satisfied at all, and tried to leave, but because the school was such a short accelerated course, by the time i figured out that it wasn’t what i thought it was, I was already so far in the program, I wouldn’t be able to withdraw and get any of what i paid back, so i had no choice but to finish the degree.
Since graduating, I have found lots of work in the film industry, I work as a union gaffer. I work lots, in FL, and quickly accelerated to the top of the FL film market. I recently moved to LA where I am trying to work this market now. I have not on the other hand been able to work any business jobs or masters level jobs. I produced 3 movies before taking my masters degree, and nothing since.
I would recommend film school to others, but i recommend, taking some community collage courses, trying to get some entry level jobs, and see what part of the industry you want to work in. Some parts of the industry school would just be a waste, and other parts school is really good for you, but picking the right school for what you want to do is very important.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Mike T.
November 23, 2011 2I graduated from Full Sail and am about $31,000 in student debt. I did their Recording Arts program right out of High School and I don’t think I was ready to absorb as much as I needed to at that time to make it worth the price. I went back a few years later for the Entertainment Business Degree and I was in a more focused place to take better advantage of it.
That being said, Full Sail promotes themselves as being, “Real World Education”, and has a schedule that doesn’t feature summer or winter breaks and a full semesters’ class is condensed into a month. The disadvantage is that there is a lot of information flying quickly that gets passed through without much time to process it and be fully capable of applying it. This is especially true in the Recording Arts Program.
When I first graduated, I landed a job as an audio tech for the Army. After I left that job, I went on to work for National Geographic on the TV show and running sound for their live events stage. I have orked numerous freelance jobs doing sound design for commercials, short films, and voice over engineering. In addition to all of that, I have been a successful performer in a number of bands.
I would recommend Full Sail with the addendum that it can be wasteful if it is viewed as a way to get out of going to a regular state university, which I felt a lot of kids at Full Sail were doing. Like any other field, if you have the proper talent and drive you can use any degree to find a job in your industry.
Review by Matt W.
November 13, 2011 1I graduated from Full Sail in 2003. I went for recording arts and was never able to find a job working in a recording studio. I do production work now (live sound) which is not what I went to school for….funny story they sent me a list of places in my city and one of them was a transvestite strip club =) Needless to say I never called there placement department again.
Review by Sarah H.
November 9, 2011 1A total waste of money!! Definitely not the education promised vs what the tuition cost is about. This is coming from someone that is already established, not someone who “can’t make it”.
Review by Chon Y. (source)
October 15, 2011 2I enrolled in Full Sail university in January but decided to go another route. I reconsidered in October because the music business was really what I wanted to do. I was not prepared for what happened next.
I was honest about prior offences that I had on my application. After all, I have gained three degrees and had never had any problems before with a background.
Well they told me that for reasons of them helping me with employment after I graduate- I needed to submit to national background check!!! I DONT NEED THEM TO HELP ME FIND A JOB AFTER SCHOOL!
I just can’t believe that our federal goverment would support a school and give them funds when they are discriminating against people for their past records.
Review by Erin J. (source)
September 9, 2011 2The facilities provided are above average in most regards. Constant care is taken with the appearance of the school.
That said, the material learned is subpar at best. You are taught for roughly 2 or 3 hours each day, with classes only spanning 4 weeks. Because of this, you are required to learn more from the books given to you than the classes you attend. Don’t expect to learn anything because of Full Sail, expect to learn something because of the books that you can get at any bookstore.
I would not do it again as Full Sail is an outright waste of money. The material covered is rushed, causing the classes to skip over entire sections which are vitally important to the subject. Taking a class at Full Sail is like reading half of the Cliff Notes for a book.
Review by Davis G.
August 13, 2011 1Full Sail University is a JOKE. The ONLY pleasant experience I had during my “one year” at Full Sail was getting to know Valerie, one of the Admissions Representatives, because she was actually really sweet — or just really good at her job, which is enrolling students!
First of all, it’s INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE for the “education” (and I use that word very lightly) that you get. Sure, you get the MacBook Pro and the software (which you pay for with student loans!), but each class is only a month long, with assignments due each week and a final at the end of the class. How much can you really learn in one whole month? Especially online?
I took the Video Game Design – Online Bachelor’s program and I’m now almost 20K in debt after trying to get out of the school after only four months! They don’t charge per class or per semester, but PER YEAR. That means if you don’t like the school or the classes after only a month or two months in, you’re stuck paying for an an ENTIRE YEAR of tuition!
You teach yourself in every class you have, either by reading PowerPoints the teachers have lazily put together, or reading the material yourself. You can’t contest grades and NO ONE ever gets back to you. It took me two months to have a supervisor talk to me because my Game History teacher had incorrectly deducted points off of three separate assignments, even though I followed her instructions to a T. Only after a battle which took weeks and proving I was right did I finally receive my credit for the class and appropriate grade.
Full Sail University is a sham and only cares about how much money it makes — not its students. I guarantee you by going to Full Sail, you’ll be in debt for the rest of your life for an education that will not get you anywhere (especially the industry of your choosing!) and it will be one long three year headache, followed by a lifetime of regret.
Review by Jeff S.
July 30, 2011 3.8I have been going to Full Sail since January of 2011. The classes are very intense, and as mentioned by others; very invasive. You will eat, breathe, and sleep Full Sail until you graduate or drop out. The reason that about 20% of the kids drop out is that they just aren’t sure enough about their future careers as to invest their full time and effort into their corresponding degree program. I will owe around 50,000$ dollars for my Bach. of Science in Recording Arts after my education is done. However, if you compare this to other recording arts 4 year degree programs, the cost is actually less. The real world experience is incredible. In just a few short months, I have been a part of 2 ESPN all day video shoots with 3 different huge performers (I mean multi platinum recording artists). I don’t have to toot the horn of Full Sail, however we have been blessed enough to have Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Tim Teebow, Curt Schilling, and many other well known performers and athletes integrate with Full Sail both giving speeches, and actually hiring students.
Overall, I love the school- hate the weather. My biggest complaint is the hot Florida summers, but I knew it would be hot coming in. The teachers are very educated and tailored to work with students who do not live within the “box”. The assignments we have are very creative, and allow us to integrate our own personal hobbies and activities into our schooling. The facilities are incredible, with updates and remodeling being done on a monthly basis. It is truly state of the art. I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for their degree program, but if you don’t know what you want to do- this isn’t the place to find out. Once you have decided what you want to do, and it fits within the Full Sail curriculum, this is the place to be. You will meet friends and connections through networking that you never would have normally.
Review by Britney A.
December 21, 2010 1.3I attended Full Sail for seven months in 2009. I had previously attended a big ten university and received a bachelors degree. With that said, the education Full Sail gives their students has no business being called a college level education. I left and am still trying to resolve my complaints with the school to no avail. I feel sorry for the parent that’s stuck paying the full $80K+ education to get their kid a worthless diploma. Do not be fooled by the “Behind the Scenes” tour. Save your money and spend it on your own equipment and get a good solid education at a community college. There is no student government in place to resolve issues and there is no customer service department… something that you would find at a traditional business. The school is quick to get you to sign a contract and collect their money but is pretty unwilling to listen to complaints and try to resolve them. There’s many an angry, frustrated graduate out there… and many of them for good reason
Review by SchoolReview
October 28, 2010 1Full Sail University is a greedy gimmick of a Film School. Because of the “accelerated” program, the classes are a month long, and you’re taught NOTHING, practically. The General Ed. classes are so lacking it’s horrendous. I don’t understand how they can legally hand you a diploma, you’re basically given cliff notes and tests. I’ve spoken to many teachers about the quality of their classes, and they admit that it’s a joke. Because at the end of every class, you’re given a sheet to rate your teacher. If the teacher gets poor rating, they’re sacked, which is a decent policy, however the teachers are terrified of losing their jobs, so they make the classes a breeze to pass, and in the end, the student suffers.
Another thing Full Sail keeps quiet, is that if you attend for over 2 months, then drop out, you will still owe them tuition in FULL. And that’s anywhere from $50K-100. You’re basically promising your life to them.
I got out before the deadline, and they’re still trying to squeeze every penny from me. They harass with bills, and robbed me of over $30K for less than 8 weeks of classes, and as I said before, the classes are of such poor quality, it’s a RAPING. I urge you, DO NOT attend this school, I hope it burns. It’s the biggest scam I’ve seen.Do yourself a favor and attend UCLA if you insist on getting a diploma for the entertainment industry. I’ve gone there too. They have a strong name in the industry, (where Full Sail is something Los Angeles has never heard of) and the classes actually have substance!
Review by Timothy M.
September 7, 2010 2.3I recently graduated with Education Media Design Master of Science degree. I learned a lot, curriculum was okay. Classes moved at a fast pace. One problem that I have is that Full Sail is offering degrees to teachers that are worthless in most states because they are NOT “regionally accredited or SACs accredited”. Check with your state before you enroll. I think the fact that they call themselves a “university” is misleading. I learned that they are only accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. Their admissions department was not forthcoming with that information. I am disappointed to learn that my Masters degree is worthless in the district and state where I work. I will not be given a post-collegiate teaching license or a Master’s degree pay increase. I don’t understand why Full Sail does not become regionally accredited. If they feel that their program is so cutting edge and innovative how come they have not sought additional accreditation? I have asked this question to their administrators and the head of their Education department and did not get a straight answer. I guess they have no intention on becoming so or making sure that their programs measures up to the required standards for regional accreditation. The EMDT program has the potential to be a great program if Full Sail would become properly accredited and if they would lose some of their self absorbed, egotistical course directors (instructors). Don’t waste your money! Their credits also do not transfer to traditional regionally accredited colleges.
Review by G.K. (source)
June 11, 2010 2The best thing about this school is the hands on time you get with the gear. The school provides access to alot of expensive equipment, and the experience is a great networking experience for the entertainment industry. I would not go again due to the fact that classes are only a month long, leaving you with a feeling of academic bulimia and a sense of rushed time. I would most likely hire a student from here as long as they provided sufficient proof of knowledge of their specific career field.
The worst thing about this school is the lack of interest in the students. Most everyone is treated like a wanna-be and never taken seriously. The time alloted for taking class is strenuous and I would say good-bye to part time work. This school is expensive and not nationally accredited.
Review by Roger M.
January 5, 2010 1I graduated from Full Sail in 2004 in Recording Arts near the top of my class. I am NOT one of the disgruntled students who couldn’t pull his own weight and wanted everything handed to him. I ran my own successful recording studio for 4yrs, 2 of that being after graduating from this joke of an institution.
So there’s one thing full sail does well, and that’s marketing. They sell themselves extremely well to a vulnerable demographic: people with a dream of making it in the entertainment business. But once you’re in, and have dropped an astonishingly high dollar amount for your tuition, it’s all downhill from there. You will most likely have fun. I won’t deny I enjoyed myself. But I didn’t learn hardly anything useful. This place is a diploma milll; they pump through thousands of students every month, and you’re just another number to them. You go through the motions and get your paper that says you went through the motions. You get very little time recording. In fact, we got a whole 8 hrs of recording time in our one year at the school. That’s it. That’s all the real hands on experience we got. The rest of our time was spent wasted in classes that tell us over and over again we’re going to be making coffee when we get a job at a studio. Well no shit! Why am I here then?
You do NOT need a degree to get in this business. In fact, I would say don’t get one at all. If you get a job at one of the (ever decreasing) studios that are hiring, they want someone who they can teach their own way. So just go out there and start networking and get your own internship and save your $70k+ or whatever they charge now for Full Sail. This is one of the most flooded job markets out there, and with the current state of the music business, there are less jobs every day. Between technology and the shift in the way things are done, there just isn’t a need for many engineers any more.