Full Sail University Reviews

what i love about FullSail they got the best Music Recording School in the whole world I'm good at recording in production in making songbeats in songwriting in rapping

I attended Full Sail University online. It only took me one semester to realize that it was a complete scam. It took one semester too long and now I am paying the price for it, literally.

1) Full Sail promised me that I was eligible for scholarships that would kick in in my second semester. I made it clear to them that I could not attend without these scholarships because of how expensive it was. Upon reaching the second semester. the financial aid department informed me that there were no scholarships available and even denied ever even promising that there were.

2) I had a MacBook Pro before starting college (is a requirement) as well as at least 75% of everything else that I needed. The financial aid department told me that it was a requirement to get the equipment through them if I wanted to attend Full Sail. The equipment through them cost $5,000 which I had to take out a loan for. However, toward the end of my first semester I was having trouble with the MacBook that they had sent me. I was discussing with my instructor the issues with the computer that I was having and that it was the cause my assignment was late. I told her that my other MacBook worked fine and that I didn't understand why I had to use this one. She told me that it wasn't required and that I didn't have to get the equipment through them if I already had my own.

3) My instructors were mostly former students of Full Sail University themselves. This bothered me when I found out because the course work was not only extremely easy but it didn't teach me anything that I couldn't just watch on youtube. Full Sail majorily utilizes Linda.com . 90% of the coursework was just sitting down and watching these videos and answering simple questions about the videos afterwards. Basically, I was being taught by former students who had no expierence in their fields except for previously watching these videos themselves.

4) Each class was 4 weeks long. Two of my instructors (I think there were only two) had gone on vacation for a week during these courses (yes they were seperate instructors for seperate courses) leaving a sub to teach us. These subs did not know anything about the courses and were unable to answer any questions.

5) After withdrawing from Full Sail University I mediated with the University through the BBB in an attempt to negotiate refunding my tuition because of the lies that they had told and the poor education that I had recieved. Full Sail adamantly refused to refund anything. However, they offered to knock off the cost of the one week that I had attended in my second semester. I refused this offer. I refused it because accepting it would have been viewed as a "settlement" between Full Sail University and myself. One week of tuition would not fix the thousands of dollars that they had scammed me out of.

6) I had even offered to return all of the equipment that they had sent me (which was mostly unipened and still in the box) if they would refund my $5,000 but they refused. I was wondering why they would refuse to do that and so I did some research. It turns out that the equipment and books that they send you (which they say costs $5000 in itself) actually only costs approximately $3,500 which gives them a profit of $1,500 by scamming the students.

7) They tell you that their courses transfer. This is a lie. Not a single one of the courses that I took were able to be transfered anywhere.

8) My tuition lender was FedLoan Servicing. This means that I owe FedLoan the money for my tuition in loans that I have to repay. If I owe FedLoan then why was I recieving phone calls and mail from Full Sail reminding me that I need to pay my loans? I told them specifically to not make contact with me ever again. They did however make contact again. I spoke with the dean via phone and told him that I was being harassed by the financial aid department and he apologized on their behalf and told me that once a student tells them to not male contact that they are not allowed to. Since then I have not heard from Full Sail University.

I have not gone silent. I am gathering information and am putting together proof of what they have done to me. As it stands, without proof, it is their word against mine. I believe that If I were to initiate a lawsuit now that they would rather settle outside of court since their lawyers would cost more than the tuition that they should be reimbursing me. They know that they are in the wrong and what they have done. I fully intend on not paying a dime of these loans because they will pay it on my behalf once I sue them. This I have faith in because they are openly crooked.

I went to Full Sail a while back and I'll be the first to tell you that anyone on here saying they "graduated from Full Sail" and isn't telling you how horrible it is is absolutely being paid to combat the negative attention this "school" has gotten. One thing Full Sail is great with is sales through emotional triggers rather than logic. Don't speak to them unless you're experienced with things like this or are accompanied by someone who is. If for any reason you want to transfer, like when you realize that you're wasting your time and loads of money, credits will not transfer out. I and many of my friends realized the rip off of the Recording Arts degree about half way through. I can't speak for other degree programs but I will say that I could've gotten the same education from youtube and my internship and a local recording studio and been better off. Luckily I left full sail half way through my Recording Arts degree and unfortunately had to start over again on my Associate's. I've decided that I will eventually apply for law school but am concerned that my Full Sail transcripts WILL be recognized by LSAC. They were not recognized by my current schools or others so I assumed they wouldn't for law school either. Fingers crossed!

LISTEN TO THOSE ON HERE WHO WORKED AT FULL SAIL!!! THIS SCHOOL IS RIPPING YOU OFF!!!

I taught at this "University" for one year. I had taught at non-profit State University and non-profit Catholic University for over 20 years. Do not attend this profit ripoff center. All they care about is being paid. I was told to pass students who could not read or write, so they could collect the government loans. Your course work will not transfer to a legit school. Spend 80k for a paper degree? Buy a nice printer and computer and print a degree. Full Sail University degrees are not worth the paper they are printed on!

Im currently enrolled online at Full Sail for computer animation. I can't speak for the on campus part of this school. As far as online goes, this school is a joke and I regret coming here. You aren't being taught anything. You are basically given an assignment with links to YouTube giving a brief overview of whats expected from the assignment as far as handing it in & a link to Lynda.com to watch tutorials. Everybody learns differently and this approach may work for some But for me, I need to understand the "why" behind the "how". Computer Animation is very complex and easy to get lost in. The videos are broken into short segments that can't possibly be explained and thoroughly understood in 4-5 minutes. I have no problem with rereading something or watching something a hundred times if I have to to understand it, but with the pace that this school moves there is no time for that. I know online classes won't be the same as the actual class but if this is the only way of being taught, why am I paying you tens of thousands of dollars to send me to a site I can buy a subscription for for like $400 a year where I can teach myself? I would advise anyone considering online to go the self taught route buying books and subscribing to tutorials because that is essentially what Im doing here. At least that way you can truly understand something before being forced to move on. This is exactly why so many come out of here lost and in debt because there isn't any actual teaching be done.

Full Sail is a scam for-profit school. Forget about any of your "credits" transferring to any regional accredited college or university. But don't take my word ask them to give you the name of a "regional" accredited college or university that has taken their degree credits in their degree program. What Full Sail is a trade school at best, in other words it's like getting a certificate at a "barber" school for cutting hair. Will it transfer to your locate community college for an "regional accredited" associates degree? NO!! The fact of the matter is that some other trade schools won't even take their credits. The founder, Jon Phelps, who I met, intentions were to make it into a workshop that would train others how to do the job without worrying about all the "school crap" like your general education courses. Eventually TA Associates, a private equity firm became a part of the company and decide to make a bigger profit by making the "workshop" into a "nationally" accredited school to take advantage of making a better profit. Even though I strongly encouraged Jon to become a regional accredited "non-profit" college others fool him into believing the other option was just as better and in 1979 as one would say, the "rest is history". Save your time and money and go to University of Central Florida, they have similar "accredited" programs and they cheaper (non-profit)and their credits transfer to other 2-4 years colleges and university. But the big plus is that your employer who are always pressured by the government to recognize "regional" accredited degrees even though no one really talks about this, will recognize your degree from UCF before they will even consider Full Sail fake degree bachelors and masters. - Vic

Yes, FullSail is expensive, there's no doubt about that. But, even though this is my first year in the school, I have learned more in the last 8 months through the Creative Writing for Entertainment degree than I've learned in over a year sitting in a regular classroom. It's not an easy school to attend, but it's the challenge of the courses that makes the difference. I'm actually LEARNING something, which is way more than can be said for most of the classes I've experienced. No, my credits may not transfer. No, people may not recognize my degree or acknowledge that I have one. But that's not what I'm looking for. I'm here to LEARN how to create for the entertainment industry. It's not like a degree in English, or History. The degrees are meant to help you network into the entertainment field, to help you form lasting, working relationships with a network of people, and THAT is exactly how people succeed in the entertainment industry. What's the saying, "You have to know someone!" And I'm meeting people, forming working relationships, understanding what goes on behind the entertainment curtain, and how to break into that field that is still quite a bit exclusive... To me, well, it's worth it. I'm not looking for the piece of paper at the end of the road and thinking it's my key to the future. I'm building my future TODAY with the knowledge I'm learning and the people I meet. It's not just about a degree, it's about how to do something with that degree.

My oldest son wants to pursue a degree in Gaming Art. He can draw anything and like most teenagers/young adults he loves gaming. He found Full Sail online while researching colleges/universities that offer some kind of "gaming" degree. He is currently a freshman at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. OBU is private Baptist liberal arts university. It's tuition is the second highest in private universities in the state behind Harding. Roughly $15,000 a semester! He originally wanted to be a History Professor but his love of art, music and gaming would not sit silently in the background. They pushed their way to the front and demanded to be addressed. One can not ignore what one loves to do. So it makes perfect sense for him to go to a school that offers the resources for him to be trained, if you will, in what he loves to do. Once you become an adult and enter the work force it makes for a very long miserable life, even if you're getting paid a lot of money, if you aren't happy with your job. So you might as well get paid to do something you love to do.

I've read several reviews concerning this school. Both good and bad. I may be wrong, and if so I apologize up front, but from what I've read from those that are so disappointed in this school it seems like they may not have realized exactly what kind of school this probably is. For a lack of better terms this school appears to be nothing more than a vo-tech school. It is not a "traditional" college/university so it will not be like those. It offers classes geared specifically for a particular skill set. It seems no different that someone going to a mechanics school to learn how to be a mechanic or like myself, going to school to be a Paramedic. I do not HAVE to have a Bachelor's Degree to save your life but I DO, however, need the SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE to be able to do so.

As far as finding a job after graduation, in these types of specific fields, ones that require a lot of "hands on experience" the piece of paper that you're handed when you graduate is useless regardless of where you graduate from. I would imagine that students from this school probably come in contact with people in their field of study and work with them at some point. Much like I had to do in Paramedic school when I did my internship and the local emergency rooms and ambulance services. Even though I was a student, I was already being evaluated by prospective employers. So after I graduated and applied at the busiest ambulance service in the central Arkansas area, they were already familiar with me, how I conducted myself, knew how much I had improved with my knowledge and skills and whether I was going to be an asset to the company. This school sounds like that's what it's suppose to do. But in the end, it's all on the student, their knowledge and their skill to get the job.

So with all that being said, my question is this, is Full Sail University a good choice for my son to attend if he has the passion, desire and dedication to draw and design video games? I haven't, as of yet, come across a "traditional" college/university that offers this kind of "hands on" education that I honestly think he will need to be successful in this line of work. If there is a "traditional" college/university out there that offers this, please tell me the

name(s) so I can research them.

Lastly, one thing I've learned during my 20 years of being a Paramedic is that you can't put a price tag on doing whatever it takes to do a job you love and are meant to do. Life should be lived being happy. Work shouldn't interrupt that. You spend the majority of your life at work. If you aren't happy doing what you're doing, then you won't be truly happy in any other part of your life either. Good luck to all those starting out. May you always be happy and successful!

It is beyond me why in 2015, anyone would consider a for profit school? Do you guys not keep up with the news?! The class action suits, what Obama is trying to do with these for profit schools which are nothing but diploma mills, adding debt to this country. The Department of Education is actively working to BAN all federal loans to these for profit schools. Why? Because of the astronmical rate of complaints around the country. Graduates from these schools in debt, can't find jobs, degrees not recognized, credits not transferable. The government just allievated millions in debt because of these scams schools. Please, do your research. Go to a regionally accredited college/university. Better off going to a state or local school than these scams

Okay, so, I checked Full sail out first. Asked a few friends who went there, and oh, yes, even contacted them, multiple times and asked all the same questions, just to make sure I got great answers on costs, degrees, and even Scholarship opportunities! The people I talked to were very nice and super helpful. The guy that I spoke to was so polite and even took the time to stay on the phone with me while I filled out my application to enroll. Even today, he still calls to make sure all the proper documents are being filled out and that I'm getting everything I need. I will start on January fourth to get my Bachelors in Audio Production. I can tell you right now, that I am committed to what I love to do. I am willing to put in the 25-30 hours a week for exactly 32 months. So, to all those who are complaining on here saying that you leave with debt, and that it's a horrible school, all of that is on you. If you weren't committed enough, you can't expect them to hand you a job just like that. Let me just add that yes, they provide the equipment, and they even help you build your resume. Like I said, they won't just hand ou a job when you receive your diploma. You look for it and work toward what you want. You have to ask questions, seek out the answers, and work hard to get where you want to go. And to that person who said that there was probably staff on here telling you all this stuff just so people could bye into it, please keep that comment to yourself. Just because you may have had a horrible experience, doesn't mean everyone else who is dedicated and willing to do all that work will feel the same way. And see, the people with debt wouldn't have debt, if they would have just applied for Scholarships. Scholarships play a pretty big role in college education these days. I searched for days to find a university that would meet my needs, and I am so happy to have found Full Sail. So, if you sign up, just remember, a lot of commitment and lots of time involved. I have respect for those who juggle other jobs and school all at once. I am so proud of you, and I hope you get where you want to go. I'm 19 years old, and I am proud to say I'll be a Full Sail student! :)

Full Sail seems like a good school, I spoke to a representative and he informed me about the Media and Communications degree.

I would really appreciate some ones opinion about that Media and Communications Program. Is it worth $56,000, for just a Bachelors Degree?

THANK YOU!

This is dumb stuff to argue about. Everyone is entitled to their own decisions and theres no need to argue like some are on this page. I have a Bachelor Degree from Full Sail and I have been completely satisfied with my experience since I had started taking classes there and now even after I have graduated. They told me up front what it would cost and yes it was more than other schools but they offer a very unique education that, for me, was very effective. I most certainly did not major in any type of english, history, math, or anything like that but I did major in something that I love to do. You can sit and grammatically correct this whole review I am sure there is plenty of error but I didn't go to school for english and nor did I want anything to do with it thats one reason why Full Sail was the right school for me. It focused strictly on my career of choice and gave a great education to support it. Wether they are regionally accredited or not doesn't bother me if it bothers you then don't go. If it bothers you that it cost a lot more money then don't go it is as simple as that. You can attend the best university in the world and it may not be for you but you don't have to call it a scam it's education no matter which way you look at it or they wouldn't be a school. Fortunately wether you agree with them or not we do have laws regarding education. Aside from the negative things on this page.... I absolutely loved my experience at Full Sail UNIVERSITY and I have a great job because of my diploma FROM Full Sail University. It is not a typical university but it strictly focuses on your course of study and you get real world experience from your instructors (at least I know you do in the music programs) that can help guide you because they have done great things in the industry. If you are looking for a program that will focus strictly on anything media, entertainment or apparently creative writing as well this would be the right place for you. Just don't spend the money or not do your research and then drop out and call it too expensive or a scam. If you didn't or don't go here because you disagree you have nothing to complain about because you never attended. Worry about yourself a little more and a little less about things that don't affect you.

Im going to attempt to address this issue in a gray area to blend the 2 concerns over Full Sail. Overlook the typos if we have any grammar experts out there.

Full Sail is a decent school. No they are regionally accredited but they do have useful tools all dependent on what your wanting to do. However you must be willing to accept that "opportunity" may not be next door, you may have to move in order to get the job you want.

I have attended both a public college and a private college and really both have different attributes. The local community college is cheaper a private is more expensive; it is a capatalist system in the US. Regarding the quality of education; Full Sail has given me a quality education and yes it is expensive but its what worked for me at that time. Ironically I have been to the regional school and they place a book infant and say do whats inside, there's really no instruction just a grading system. So again it depends on what you're looking for.

You will incur a large bill at Full Sail but you also get the convenience of having a lot of tools at your disposal as well. You are also welcome to "refresh" your skill set by returning at no cost; try that at a regional college.

Addressing the laughingstock issue; I have never had anyone laugh at someone trying to better themselves through any school, even places like strayer, devry, ITT etc. People are doing something to make themselves more appealing. Even some of the so-called regional schools that have the ability to transfer credit far exceed Full Sail tuition costs. Try searching Academy of Art in San Francisco, or the Art Institutes both are regional schools. But a question for me to ask you is why would you want to transfer if you are getting the training you need? Secondly Full Sail accepts credit from jr. colleges as well so in short I guess you should pick the one you want and go to it. I can say Full Sail has been good to me and I think it is a good choice.

Accreditation is a joke and unaccepted by legitimate schools if you want to continue your education. Price is high. Many instructors are Full Sail grad with little experience actually doing the types of things they teach. I attended one semester and realized the fallacy of a Full Sail education. I enrolled in a legitimate university and obtained my degree. BTW, my Full Sail credits were unrecognized. The courses there were vastly superior to what I found at Full Sail. I have my own business and do well creating animations for corporations, trade associations, medical facilities, charities, and churches.

I am currently a online Full Sail student and I have had pretty good experiences with my advisors and teachers. I can say that some teachers take longer to respond to you than others. But honestly everyone is not cut out for such an advanced and fast paced institute like Full Sail. I live in Atlanta, have a full time job in public health, a single parent and I own a dance company. Not to mention all the activities my daughter is involved in. Yet I am still able to complete my work and get pretty good grades.

Prior to Full Sail I attended AIU and studied in media productions. I eventually had to drop out because I couldn't afford the extra cost of books, supplies and parking. Can you believe that parking was over 80.00 a month? The support there can not compare to the support that Full Sail offers. Full Sail is pretty costly but there aren't any hidden expenses and they provide you with all the equipment that you need. Also after graduation you are able to take class for free to stay current with changes in your field. At the end if the day everyone will have their opinion. My advice is to do your own research, weigh your options and decide if you are cut out for this. Remember that everyone is different and everyones experience will be different as well. Only the strong will survive!

Follow me on instagram @lstenny

Rachel...let's face it," almost every major blockbuster that's come out in the past 2 years" has sucked. Which explains exactly why Fullsail is a lame school, dedicated to pumping out no talent as clowns such as yourself and ripping people off.

I signed up with this school's online course because I want to become a writer, I want to write fiction novels. Instead they are trying to turn my focus onto script writing instead saying thats what 'I Really want to do'. And on top of that I have mentioned I am uncomfortable making phone calls YET THEY CALL ME EVERY WEEK. Its driving me crazy and they don't even have anything to say, they are only calling to ask if I have any questions. Now if I did have questions..wouldnt I call them? Oh and once i figured if I come up with one for them then Maybe they would leave me alone? Nope! The guy i was talking to starts saying he's going to personally email me resources and gave me some long information that had NOTHING to do with I asked about! I am exhausted, I just want to write.

And now im finding out my credits dont transfer anywhere so either I'm stuck in this expesive school paying or I can leave and lose all my credits leaving me to start over compleatly.

Based on Computer Animation, graduate review-

I heard about Full Sail while in Iraq for 1 year. After coming home, I fell into the trap everyone else did that went to this school. The promise of job placement in a field I was quite interested in. Being one of the oldest students in my class (26) I put everything into it, watched 80% of my class mates fall behind due to failing out or plain out walking away, they do "weed out". About half way through the program my eyes were opened and I could see exactly what was going on, but the money was already invested so I refused to walk out without the degree. The place crams all its rooms with as many students as possible and classes/labs run 24/7. You could have class at 8am and labs at 1am. They will throw you in anywhere to fit as many kids as possible in. Feels like a sweat shop. Having a job during this was impossible because every week this schedule would change, if you want to pass a job is out of the question anyways. So extra funding had to be pulled via salliemae loan just to pay for the high costs out there.

Programs like this, pumping out 30 grads a month, also causes a bottle neck in the job field. There are more grads in a month at full sail than there are new jobs opening... So someone has to lose. This isn't the only school that does it either. These schools just saturate the field. And by reading afew other reviews I see that they offer online courses now... Outstanding... They ran out of room so pushed it digital to get even more saturation.

Another thing I was rather upset about is the instructors do have a slight amount of experience in their field, tho none are certified teachers, just knowledgable in that subject, your time with them is almost nil for help. Instead for labs you get stuck with a full sail grad that just couldn't find a job (that line is pretty long). They ask you to open your book and do chapter 3. That's it. All the hands on is taught through a book. If you have questions, good chance the lab monitor doesn't know or they are busy working on a new demo reel to try to find a job. It was rediculous. I seriously taught myself every bit of the knowledge I came out with because no one there knew how to do environment art. I could have gotten the same education by buying my own books and watching some online training videos for about 1/50th the cost.

In the end I only failed 1 class, but it was the final demo reel class so I could have 2 more months to work on my demo reel. No one that did it in the 2 months provided had anything good to show... Working 20 hours a day on it, 2 months is just way too short a time period for anything that will get you a job with. So plan on adding atleast 2 more months to how long you will be there flat out with no failures.

So I graduated pretty high in my class. They handed me my diploma then my bill and closed the door as I walked off the stage. To this day I have only received ONE job opportunity email from them. ONE! It was for an unpaid internship at Nickelodeon... Not even my field of expertise. I have no idea where they got that 4 out of 5 students get a job remark at the open house. Maybe they meant a job at Walmart?

So the bill... $70,000 after interest, after all was said and done. I had to move back in with my mother and even then I was still eating Raman, school loans costing me almost $800 a month. I did have afew art tests with major companies but didn't make the final cut. Talking to the friends I had that did make it, they were in it just as bad. The job field only pays about >30k/yr so even with a job you are loosing 50% of your income to sallie Mae (Navient now). I actually turned the training around and used it to get into a technical field (IT) where I currently still stand, making 3x what computer animation would have paid. 9 years later I have only paid off about 1/3rd the amount of my original bill without missing a payment (credit score is through the roof at least).

There used to be a site called fullsailsucks.com. I began saying what seems to be the lingo at the school towards bad feedback, you hear it a bunch, even see it in these reviews..., "he must just be mad because he sucked and didn't put enough into it". The word Denial comes to mind. After graduating I understood what the guy that made that site was talking about.

Please don't fall for their BS, this field is a dead end, with a market this saturated, and only guarantees a life of pain and suffering. The only thing I am proud of is being able to accomplish what I did without ever giving up and holding my ground, but the disappointment far outweighs that... I will be in my late 40's with my kids in high school before I even have that time wasted in my life paid off.

Jeremy Galyon

Class of August 2006

This is a for-profit school. Spend your hard earned money at a college that won't get you laughed at. :p

Full Sail is not a good choice for schooling if you want accreditation or value. You leave with a lot of debt.