Is Full Sail a Scam?

142 thoughts on “Is Full Sail a Scam?”

1. full overall is a scam and a way for their school to lure in parents, students into debt over exaggerated fufillments of making it big in the animation industry, I should know I have graduated from there and have not found any work since 2004…in addition to that I have decided to go to a traditional university for a career in culinary arts instead ,the problem with the school is that they are not accredited by the federal or state government and your credits are not transferred to another 4 year school, i should know because they told me unfortunately they do not recognize full sails credits or courses.
   do youre research wisely

2. Full Sail is great school i have been here for a couple months people complain mostly abou the schedule i say they should jus stop bitching, and tell me f im worng but its mainly the kids that had their life handed to them and mommy and daddy are paying for it outta their own pocket. i had 2 jobs while attending highschool and worked bout 40 or more hours a week and stuck with school so it isnt that bad yea the price is high but lets look at other 4 year programs…its gonna be just as bad so i do suggest it

3. Full Sail is pathetic. I was enrolled in the Graphic Design program (BS) and completed 4 classes with a 3.83. I had no financial aid, paid full price. The curriculum is childish and the instructors are losers. Full Sail pretends to be a University, but is more accurately, a trade school. I have seen many people complain about the schedule. Seriously? I finished each week’s assignment the day it was posted. Advice; go to a real university and get a degree worth what you paid for it. I have transferred to the AAU in SF, doubled my tuition cost, but I will receive a real education and a respected degree.

4. Full Sail is Nationally Accredited…basically means you can get approved government loans to pay for school. If you are going to college ENSURE it is REGIONALLY accredited by one of the 7 regional accreditation institutes. If it is not the chances of a REAL college “washing” your credits from Full Sail are slim to none. My company does not even recognize Full Sail degrees, might as well use them as toilet paper. Anyone can work at Domino’s especially if you have a FS degree. I know people will be loyal to the school and complain about my comment. I have no vested interest in FS or any other college, I am just tired of seeing kids waste their money going there and getting nothing but 120k in loans, you are better off spending the 120k on lottery tickets, better chance of getting your money back. FS is not the only school like this, there are several others out there waiting to take your money. Full Sail by definition is a “Trade/Career School” the state government has “Trade/Career Schools” too, you usually attend them in high school. I would hire a beautician from Valencia before a MS from Full Sail. At least Valencia is accredited…with the correct accreditation. Your credits DO NOT transfer either, you can’t even get credit at Valencia for your full sail degree. If it sooooooo good, why are they not regionally accredited? There are online colleges that are regionally accredited, if FS is so great, why aren’t they….I will tell you why, they do not meet the standard.

5. Ok so I am currently a student there and I can personally say they are overall NOT a scam. I am loving every minute of my schooling and the only problem I have had with it so far is the price of the school, it is a bit pricey. But just like any school and career, if you are willing to do your work to the best of your ability then you will have no problems. I noticed someone had said that they were having difficulty finding a job within their major, in a matter of opinion I do not think that they are trying hard enough to find a job in that field, you have to get out there and explore your different options, there is only so much that the school can do for you once you graduate, the rest is up to you and what you do with the education you have earned.
   And really the classes are not that bad, and the intsrtuctors are not “lame”, sure if you want to go to a college with a bunch of “stuffed shirts” then this would not be the college for you. Full Sail was and is designed for a more laid back personable environment, which prepares you for the environment you will be working with in your field. It was not named one of the top Game design schools in the world for nothing people…

6. How about this. Full Sail is NOT a scam.

   I’ve seen so many people here that have had silver spoons in their mouths since they were kids, then they come to Full Sail and expect them to be “baby-ed”… Well, it’s not going to happen. If you want to be baby-ed, go to another college. Those same people are usually also the same ones that always come up with excuses for being too busy to help on an outside project with other classmates, claiming that they’re either “tired” or some other excuse for them to go home and just sit back, watch television, play games, drink, smoke, etc. Don’t come to Full Sail if you don’t passionately love what you are majoring in, or you’re going to be very disappointed. Because they are going to show you how much you really love your passion by putting you to work on it at industry-timed schedules, from 8 to sometimes 12 hours a day.

   Of course it is going to be expensive, duh! You know why? Because our teachers and instructors are “industry-professionals”, meaning that they have worked on previous projects that you view and listen to today! Some of them are still working in the industry simultaneously! So you’re getting the information directly from the real directors, producers, engineers of the movies, websites, and/or songs you could be listening to now!! The Entertainment/Media industry is a high-paying industry. You think that these guys are going to just lower their salary by teaching at a school that offers lower than what they were just getting paid in the industry?? I wouldn’t!! You’ll have an average of 70-110 classmates once you start. Multiply that by $75,000, which is the average Bachelor’s tuition. Nearly $75 Million a month per 100 students that get into the Bachelor’s Program every month are being split among the teachers and toward the development of the school. That’s a damn good salary if you ask me. And it’s worth every penny, trust me. I’m doing what I love, and I’ve had opportunities thrown at me ever since I’ve gotten here, and I’m only in my 7th month.

7. There’s an old saying that “cream rises to the top”. I have a feeling the people that do well at Full Sail are people that will do well anywhere. They are driven and focused. So far it seems that the people that attend Full Sail are satisfied with the classes and teachers.

8. I was enrolled in the game dev program and early throughout my full sail career I realized that full sail only cares only about your money. With that in mind, they will use heavy duty psychology brainwashing techniques to make you feel like you are number one and all the hard work you put in will land you a position wherever you want. They’ll also tell you that their degrees are recognized prestigously almost anywhere in the world. Quite frankly the only thing you get out of it is what you can manage to put in. If you even manage to have ANY time to work on a side project. If you are so completely deticated to your dream and nothing can stop you than you were probably meant to be a success story anyways and you could have gone to a generalized degree program for that field and college would have been the biggest joke. However if you have even the slightest doubt. This school will completely demoralize you, beyond the point of exhaustion, if you want to have some fun sometime, it’s not going to happen because you won’t even have time to sleep. If you think you’re a delusional unrealistic dreamer, this school is perfect for you. Although, if you have even one ounce of common sense in your body. You’ll probably see this school for the pyramid scheme that it is.

9. Hello, the following that I will post is completely true. I am an ex student of one of Full Sail’s online programs. I don’t know the quality of on campus education, but as far as the quality of the online education goes, I can sincerely say that it is way below the average. Don’t get me wrong for a second, I have been a very successful student my whole life, and I put much effort into each assignment, as I believe that being self taught besides your regular education is very, very important.

   At my online courses, the feedback that I received from instructors from full sail was close to nothing. Full sail boasts how their instructors are people in the industry, but what they don’t tell you is that the people that are actually grading your homework and giving you feedback are assistant instructors, not the instructor himself. I repeat, this is for the online programs. I dont know about the on campus ones.

   Also, there are this virtual classrooms that are called WIMBA sessions. They are designed for the purpose of the students receiving feedback from instructors, as well as having a one on one chat about the subject at hand. Well, I was in several wimba sessions that lasted less than 3 minutes because “students didn’t have questions.” You won’t receive any inside opinions, networking, or even advice from their instructors. Please don’t expect it.

   Also, the education is based on podcasts (videos) that amazingly, are not done by the instructor of the course, but rather by even sometimes a student on a later semester. Several times I was watching podcasts for an art class done in photoshop, while the actual assignment had to be done traditionally. This happened the other way around too.

   I could really go on and on, but coming to think of it, posting here won’t really make much of a difference. All I have left to say is, that if you plan on taking their online course, DO NOT TAKE IT, you will just be throwing away your money. If you want to go on campus, well do your research and make sure that their education is good. Take advice only from people that have actually gone through the complete program.

   As for me, I got out of there after a few months of coursing and got into another online school. This other school’s quality of instructor feedback and instruction videos are so much better than full sails. I am very glad I got out of the whole supposedly real world education from full sail.

   I would really wish I could talk one on one with anyone reading this and give them the necessary info that would prove my credibility, but I can’t put any contact info as maybe this would get back to me in some way.

   Good luck to anyone who is reading this out there, if you want GOOD education for this industry, try the following schools: Vancouver film school, Gnomon school of visual effects, Academy of Arts, amongst others. Please, avoid Full Sail’s online program.

10. I am sorry to hear these things about Full Sail. I’m almost tempted to enroll in a course so I can check it out for myself and tell you all what I think about it.

    I do take classes online with Berklee School of Music and I enjoy them very much. Each class runs about $1200 with books if you take it for credit. At this point in my work I’m interested in arranging and orchestration.

    And to “Myself” who says “I could really go on and on, but coming to think of it, posting here won’t really make much of a difference.” – I don’t think that’s true. It does make a difference. My website gets a lot of traffic from music directors, conductors and music students because I have a lot of production info for different shows and genres posted here. So people do read, and I think they do take people’s opinions into consideration.

    For anyone interested I also have a forum at http://forum.conradaskland.com where I’m happy to answer any questions, especially from students and people starting out.

    I will say this: My first college class was in 1983 and I’m STILL taking college classes. And when I wasn’t taking traditional classes I was reading books and taking lessons from other peers in the industry. In music you are never finished learning and I recommend getting into a habit of always learning new skills. I REALLY wish I had the internet 20 years ago so I could do this stuff online – I used to have to order scores and checkout records (ever held one? hehe) so I could study scores.

    My other big recommendation is to find people in the industry you admire and try to find out where THEY went to school. Hope that helps…

11. let’s call a wahmbulance for all those babies out there who ‘can’t find a job’ … it’s not the school’s fault. it’s your own. even if you had a shitty degree or no degree, your work will sell itself, even if you have to help sell yourself a little bit. Get over it you bunch of babies! i’m graduating from columbia college chicago in a few weeks, and i’m sure there are plenty of columbia grads who can’t find a job, and to them i say ‘it’s your fault too!’! get a grip that’s how life works.

12. I was Lied to Decieved, Insulted, REFUNDED MY Money, Told I belong in a think tank and overall mistreated
    FULLSAIL IS A DIPLOMA MILL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE PHRASE

    Note This 2 got fired in me leaving

13. Lol. A lot of art-related schools are scams. No demo-reels or portfolios required–you get in as long as you can pay. People who apply think that just because they are at a school the is focused on their concentration will mean they are guaranteed a job afterwards and a degree they can be proud of. Hahahahahaha! Too bad, because the school won’t hand you a job–you need to get the job yourselves.

14. I think that obviously this school will accept you right away, but duh not everyone is gonna know everything, that’s you enroll, to learn! And if you are very passionate about something, honestly just go for it, and do ur best!

15. Im in the last month of the online Entertainment Business Masters program and I’ve never worked so hard or learned so much in my life. You definitely get what you put into it. Whiners will never make it. It adds easily 25-30 hours a week to my schedule with a full time job The instructors are completely engaged and overwhelm us with information and assignments that are designed to further our knowledge of business and the industry, and connect us to the real world through interviews, community experience and research. I’ve only had 1 out of 12 professors that I can say were sub-par. The grading is done by the professors themselves ( not students or aides as one had posted) – the comments have been very substantive. Wimba (online video) sessions for my classes pretty much have lasted 45 minutes to 2 hours and instructors are available by phone and email. Online requires A LOT of motivation and someone who is committed to reading all the material and putting 100% into the assignments, Its a lot. But it’s very rewarding if you can make it through. The professors have all worked in the entertainment industry at some point and have all offered recommendation letters, connections and anything they to help you when you get out. I already had one professor set me up with a contact in the music industry for an interview project – this guy discovered Moby. Im sending him my business plan and resume. Leaving this program I will have a complete business plan (which I knew nothing about how to write or what it entailed before spending the last year working on it). I will have industry connections, I will have a leadership portfolio of assignments and community experience I can show prospective employers. People need to get off this full sail scam crap. You want an degree on a piece of paper that means nothing, you should go somewhere else. Yes 29K is it’s expensive – but it also includes all of your materials and your macbook pro and all the software that comes with it. I didnt even know how to use a mac before this course. Since the assignments are submitted in various formats (not just APA papers), I’ve learned how to build web sites, do podcasts, create iMovies, and mastered Keynote presentations. I have no complaints.

16. YOUR CREDITS FROM FULL SAIL “UNIVERSITY” WILL NOT TRANSFER TO A REAL ACCREDITED UNIVERSITY!!! SO THINK ABOUT THAT, THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A TRADE SCHOOL USING THE “UNIVERSITY” NAME!!!

17. Wow! I am so amazed at the variance of responses here. I think a mouse could be unhappy in a cheese factory. I know that a person who is not motivated would be very unhappy at this school. There is way too much work, too much time to be spent and way more reading. Its an online school. You have to be SELF motivated.

    The school has been in business for more than 25 years AND has been recognized within the industry as a leader for preparing students to start DAY ONE in there craft. With anything, especially creative degrees, you have to CONSTANTLY be on your game learning, getting new skills and exposing yourself to people in your industry. It requires research, tenacity and being prepared. They are known in the industry for having the BEST equipment, instructors and students especially with regard to the recording arts program.

    They had to put in a grading system for professionalism because students had crappy attitudes because they had “skills. I see this as them wanting to produce a balanced professional for the industry.

    They are accredited military GI bill can be used to go to this school with no hiccups.
    I had a friend went to UNC system and they wouldn’t transfer some of her credits to another school from the same system. The schools decide in their contracts when you enroll if they will take your credits. They stopped transferring because students would go to less expensive schools and then finish up at the “prestigious” schools so they make it more difficult for you to transfer for your program because of $$ not the accreditation issue that you think.
    SACS and other accrediting agencies determine what programs and schools will be accepted BUT schools have to pay an annual FEE to be accepted.

    The wimba session I have attended have never been less than 45 min. The networking and career opportunities are available but you have to be willing to meet people who are very different from yourself. Online classes will have more diverse group of adults and most of them will be older than the traditional student going to college.

    I am taking one of the newer degrees and even with my tech love its been difficult. Its lots of work and lots of balancing and scheduling.

    Lots of people leave Full Sail with jobs in their pocket long before they graduate. Lots of people don’t have jobs long after they graduate. I don’t think its the schools responsibility to get you a job when you graduate from college its only to prepare you for the industry.

    People not getting jobs? Please pure poppycock!
    there are 100’s of people working in the industry who graduated either for themselves or for companies. Here are just a few

    http://www.fullsail.edu/news/grads-on-the-move

    Gary Rizzo- Recording arts- Inception

    The 2010 inductees into the Full Sail University Hall of Fame are:

    Leslie Brathwaite: GRAMMY®-award winning Mix Engineer
    Steve Cainas: motion picture and television Production Coordinator for feature films and prime time series
    Troy DeVolld: Emmy-nominated Story Producer/Writer
    Marc Fishman: Emmy-winning Sound Re-Recording Mixer on the HBO series John Adams, as well as numerous feature films
    Kristifir Klein: Set Modeling Lead at Pixar Animation Studios
    Martin “Tike” Santos: live sound audio engineer/technician for Clair Bros. who has toured with Peter Frampton, Faith Hill, and Paul McCartney

    just thought I would jot a few things here. It makes sense to do what is best for you. My experience may not be yours so check things out for yourself. I never knew a diploma mill to spend millions of dollars upgrading equipment, building studios. I also have not seen schools have people from Apple, Disney, etc sitting on their schools board.

    There is good and corruption in every system find the good learn it see the bad and learn from it.

18. so i will be starting in October for my bachelors in music biz….after reading everything here, I’m pretty upset and confused as to what i should do. I’m extremely committed and hard working, but most importantly i am passionate. I do not and will not give up, but now, after reading such negative things, i don’t know what to do…. I am asking for genuine and sincere help….not from a person who is lazy or complained that the work will take over your life, but from a current student or graduate who is willing to tell me the TRUTH. Thanks so much!

19. Every single one of the people that posted good and bad things about Full Sail University have extreme grammar errors. I’m 8 beers in and can spell better than these guys. Full Sail has turned my life around. For the first time in my life I am actually happy with what I am doing, regardless of the price and schedule. The instructors are incredibly informative and are willing to meet with you at all hours, which is something I can say is not possible at any other regular college. However, when they say “You get what you put into it”, they mean it. If your passion is there, then you will be very happy with what Full Sail has to offer; not to mention the equipment you get to work with, you’ll know where your money goes when you first get to play with a $300,000 live sound mixer. You put in the work, you leave feeling gracious. End of story.

20. sacs.org sez plenty

21. this doesn’t read like an open blog….. seems to me to be more like a controlled advertisement for this fullsail place. why does this site have ads for this place on its blog page? weird. how balanced can that be? who’s motivated here to let all truths be published? sounds like “media games” in practice!! lol

22. Ads are served by Google based on content – which is pretty common place. You will notice a wide variety of viewpoints expressed here – not all are positive or negative. Which seems fairly evident that this is an “open” blog as you refer to it.

    I have not personally taken classes from Full Sail so I myself do not comment much.

23. Troy DeVolld here, 1996 Full Sail grad and one of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees mentioned in Bmc’s post above.

    I’d just like to echo the sentiments of the folks who’ve posted here that you get as much out of the Full Sail experience as you put into it. I can count a number of times where knowledge gained during my time there gave me a direct opportunity to “show what ya know” in a clutch, measurably accelerating my career. I can also attest to the fact that whenever I hear of an entry-level gig somewhere, the first folks I send those leads to are recent FS alums.

    Do the alums always deliver? I haven’t had any negative feedback yet, so I must interpret that as a “yes.”

    I’ve seen people succeed with “hard knocks” educations, community college educations, state school educations and private college educations, and the components that don’t differ in ANY of those scenarios are natural drive, work ethic and ability. No, you don’t need Full Sail to get a job in the entertainment industry or even to master your chosen field… but it’s a great place to consider if all you’re lacking is the knowledge of how to execute your vision. As to how making the choice to enroll will affect you financially, whether or not you can handle the schedule and course materials, and how you will ultimately deal with the small starts we all make upon graduation (often in low/no pay internships and entry level positions), that’s on you — and think hard. It’s a tough, competitive world out there.

    The school controls neither the industry nor your personal finances, so I find those to be invalid soft-spots for criticism… akin to purchasing a subcompact car and then attacking the maker because you can’t use it to fly in or to move furniture. There do exist starry-eyed glamour-chasers that are poor matches for the programs offered at Full Sail who may be better served by other learning institutions or careers, and they most often tend to be the most vociferous about feeling let down.

    As a precaution, and as Full Sail enrolls year-round, I often suggest to prospective but concerned students that they take some basic courses in film or tv production at a local or state college just to see if the subject matter really resonates with them before investing tens of thousands of dollars in Full Sail. Better to cut your losses at several hundred dollars rather than investing so much in something you may ultimately decide is not for you.

24. Never consider anything a scam, when in it there is something you can learn. I am interested in Full Sails music production program. I have been needing help in learning the things that this program offers. For me, thats what its about. Not who recognizes the source of where I learned my skill, or who is more accredited, less or more expensive but is there a possibility for me to learn what I need to know. My answer is yes. Online works for me, for my situation, so I’m determined to make it happen.

    I say this beacause, anyone who has not the willingness to learn, the go getter attitude, and talent anyway, won’t succeed even if u went to UCLA. In this business, who really cares about the paper trail anyway, it’s WHAT CAN YOU BRING TO LIFE FROM WHAT YOU LEARN! thats what matters…..stop knockin the school. EVER THINK IT COULD BE THE STUDENT with the problem, and a scam to themselves. How many of us start projects we don’t finish, or have lack of motivation and determination, when you point that finger as to your failures, make sure you stand in the mirror when you do it.

25. Full Sail is a scam! I earned a real BFA from a real Youngstown State University. Having been laid off I thought it would be a good idea to make my self more marketable in this high unemployment economy by earning a MFA. I tried to drop out of the Full Sail MFMDA program the first day of the second week when the irresponsible instructor did not bother to show up for the first Wimba session nor did she find a substitute or even cancel. It took several days and attempts to get withdraw papers from the student adviser was on vacation according to the head of the department whom it took several days to contact as well. The program, books and staff is poor quality. I did not learn anything by beating the subject of deadlines in a chat nor by providing a spreadsheet of my schedule for the month to an irresponsible instructor. I have been attempting to return the unread books and unopened headset. I received after withdraw ever since. I have received a bill for items I do not want and 25% of the tuition for a week of nothing! I should have an itemized bill from Direct Loan Origination Center for the computer and software that are open and used only and a way to return the unused books and headset to be fair. I entered this program to improve my unemployed situation not to make my situation worse.
    This Full Sail MFMDA program and school should not be associated with Government student loans at all and should be investigated! The complaint phone number provide before College complaint line at 18775578515 is NOT helping, I can not speak to anyone.

26. @Charlene;
    You are telling me that you quit a master’s program after only 2 weeks and are claiming it is a scam? That is absolutely ridiculous. How could you possibly experience a master’s course in 2 weeks? The likely scenario is that an instructor had a perfectly valid reason, possibly emergency, for missing this one tiny 45 minute span. You overreacted because of some latent entitlement complex, and when the response to your overreaction wasn’t the hand holding you wanted, you withdrew.
    Of course no one wants to speak with you. You don’t care about anything but winning an argument or making yourself appear ‘in the right’. Speaking of poor quality your grammar is atrocious for your supposed level of education, you made ludicrous decisions based on fantasy, and continue to deface an organization due to your own idiocy. You don’t belong at Full Sail at all. I’m glad I don’t have to attend school with you. More for me. Less for you. How does a brain such as your even function? How is it even remotely possible that you are accepting of your insane overreactions? How do you validate your entitlement without putting more than 2 weeks of effort into something? Are you simply trying to use the first excuse that comes up to vacate a financial obligation? No sense at all. You deserve everything you get.

27. All I can say is wow,smh.I really dont know what to say about these comments.I enroll in the film program and I look forward to starting classes.I dont expect hand down jobs or anything like that but I love that they work with your schedule and the 24hr classes are great especially for those who dont like having a fixed schedule and i dont.I just want to make sure I get the proper hands on experience I need to be in the industry,I already know I will be left to meet the ‘links’ I need in the industry but I just want to make sure that when I do meet them that I will actually know what to do.I havent started classes yet but I am self motivated.I have a book I wrote and looking to get it published and I am working on a shooting script for a short film I want to shoot soon,so going to fs would be like icing on the cake because I am already being proactive and doing my share of the work.I dont know why people would be saying all that stuff about the school and I am really wondering if its true,I dont want to spend so much money then find out I wasted it all on a program that is nt worth anything.=(

28. I am now a senior in high school but I have been talking to someone at Full Sail almost all summer and receiving updates and everything. I grew very interested in their Recording Arts and Digital Imaging program but after reading all the negative feedback, I’m just confused. I know what I want to pursue in life and what I want to do but it sounds to me like all the people who didn’t like FSU for whatever reason, weren’t fully committed. I am a hard worker when it comes to things I sincerly want and I hope I am making the right choice.
    I agree with Shandi when she said, “I dont know why people would be saying all that stuff about the school and I am really wondering if its true,I dont want to spend so much money then find out I wasted it all on a program that is nt worth anything” because, even though I am doing financial aid, I am also looking at the student housing with a friend of mine, who is heart-set on attending FSU, and we don’t want to waste our money on bills, rent, what have you, for attending a school that could possibly taint our futures.
    But I think I will attend a regular community college in my city and then try to go to FSU aside from moving to Orlando straight from high school.
    All I’d really like to know is are we making the right decision in considering FSU? if we do attend, would we have time to work to pay for bills, etc? as you can probably tell, I am highly confused and in need of help.
    Please & Thanks,
    Tatyana

29. Just wanted to say that I’m a little bummed my blog has become a battering ram for Full Sail. That was never my intention. As stated in my original blog post – I personally have not had any experience with Full Sail apart from seeing it on people’s resumes that used to apply to work at my recording studio. People are free to express their opinions – just wanted to make it clear that they are not mine.

30. Ok, here’s the deal…

    Full Sail is a business. Let’s not get that twisted. They have excellent gear and the overall environment is wonderful while you’re going. Notice how most of the comments here that are pro-FS are made by current students of whatever program. Curiously, and I too was a victim of this, FS students have a certain egotistical and cocky air about them. Like we are superior because we work hard and go to class at 2am. You will be humbled shortly. Once you graduate and are thrust into the real world and the entertainment industry, you too may find yourself a bit jaded.

    I graduated in 2006 for Rec. Arts and worked at Sam Ash for the following 3 years. It was the only paying industry related job that I could find.

    The experience is a great one. You’re with like minded individuals. It’s motivating. THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION IS, IT’S ALL ABOUT WHO. YOU. KNOW. period. Those who put tons of time into networking are the ones who have been successful. The average person really goes into the job market blindly not knowing how cold of a place it can be in this field. It’s easy to lose hope.

    I’d say the school leads you under false pretenses but I can’t blame everything on them. You make the choice to buy into the hype. You will get a great education and useful skills but just think of this… they are pumping out grads each month. There is extremely high turnover at major studios for internships because they know that they can get away with not paying FS students because there are just so many starving grads out there begging for an opportunity to dust consoles.

    For recording, a few classes on Pro Tools (combined with subsequent certification) and basic sound foundations are all you need to get you through. Those can be taken at Valencia. Gain some ACTUAL experience through internships. Save the money, open up your own studio if you want. You will come away just as educated and far less in debt.

    Good luck to everyone!

31. Opinions about Full Sail are incredibly polarized. And rarely are they presently objectively. One of the more objective assessments came from Mr. Devolld, one of Full Sail’s Hall of Famers. My personal experience with Full Sail gave me little besides a dented bank account and a bad taste in my mouth. If Full Sail is as wonderful as they claim it to be, they would allow students to enroll in one class and have the opportunity to check it out and see if it’s a good fit for the student. But they don’t. They require a student to lock into a contract that involves a substantial amount of money and a minimum of a seven month time commitment. The education bar is set low to accommodate the academically challenged student who couldn’t get in anywhere except Full Sail. The pressure is on the instructors to pass the students whether they deserve to move forward or not. Full Sail is a business first and foremost. They have no student government to handle complaints and they have nothing that could even be remotely called customer service. If you have an issue with the school and want to withdraw there is no way to get a refund. Good, sound legitimate businesses don’t operate this way.

32. Full Sail has its ups and downs. Believe me, I am in my 5th month of online school at full sail for Music Production. I do have a good time and I have met a lot of really good people who are going to go quite far with their goals. Full Sail’s financial aid department is a joke. I have been juggled around by advisers. I am constantly getting bills for bump fees that I wasn’t even enrolled for. One adviser will tell me they have it covered, then the next week I have a new one and the old one is no longer with Full Sail or is on vacation. They almost NEVER call you back or email you with answers to your questions.

    When I first signed up for Full Sail I will admit I was concerned. They didn’t ask for a portfolio or anything like that. Me not being my smartest, kinda just went with it. They hook you up with everything you need. Computer and hardware wise. The text books we use are so outdated it hurts. To be 100 percent honest, I hold a high B average after 5 months of hard work and I am no where near impressed with Full Sail. I have not learned one thing from any of my teachers. None of which have any history in real music environments so far. It’s sad, I learned 8 times as much from my High School Music Theory teacher than I did with my Full Sail ”Music Theory Teacher”. Back to the hardware and software, It is all great and cutting edge stuff. Full Sail however doesn’t do the necessary research on hardware to understand conflicts between OSX and certain interfaces for recording. Nor do they do the research to know that certain interfaces are glitched and currently don’t have patches to fix them. I have been in music my whole life. I really thought Full Sail was the ticket. They haven’t helped me at all, and everything in my so called ”career” is driven by stuff I have learned from locals and classmates. That’s sad. I love the friends I have made. I do not love the fact that my life long passion for music has now turned into my life long goal of paying for something that isn’t helping.

    Do your research before you ”test the waters”.

33. Well, considering this is the highest ranked result in google’s results for whether or not full sail is a scam, I guess I’ll put in my two cents. The university seems legitimate from first glance, and the website says its accredited. But I have been unable to get any report back on them from either the bbb or the college accreditation database. Neither organization seems to have them down on record, which always throws up red flags for me. This doesn’t necessarily mean the college is a scam, but the degrees they offer may not actually be accredited.

34. THE TRUTH ABOUT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY

    I am a 26 year old guy and I graduated last month from the Bachelors of Film Program, and here is what you need to know about Full Sail.

    The Film program is a 21 month program, that typically becomes extended a few months. Most people graduate in right around 2 years. The program is rigorous, some classes are a breeze, and some are really hard. The student body as well as a lot of the faculty is completely weird and there are a lot of dreamers running around the campus. However, The Full Sail Film program teaches you things you need so that you can make an impact when you leave school and start an intro level job. Film is a craft, and just because you get a college degree in it, be it from NYU, UCLA, or even Full Sail does not make you good at what you do. It’s an art. Back to Full Sail though, you will have many, many odd hours of class. Each class is only a month or two long so at the end of the month you are going to feel a like you are trying to meet a quota to study for finals, or hand in final projects.

    Most(not all), of the teachers will be there to help and really do care. Just as in a typical university or state school, you have good and bad teachers. I found my schooling with Full Sail beneficial for the most part, however, like any college in the United States, it’s not perfect and you run into your occasional BS!

    Prospecting, Jobs, and Life After Full Sail…
    I am in this mode right now. Still attempting to “Job Hunt,” however, I will assure any future student, you will make great contacts, and it will impress people that you went to such a top of the line, buzz worthy school. Why do I say this? Well have way into my education at Full Sail, I was selected to intern on the Howard Stern Show in New York City. Why did they select me? Solely, because I was a “Full Sail Guy,” one of the shows producers was actually a Full Sail Grad, as well. I completed the internship, but while interning for the number one radio show on earth, everyone wanted to learn about me while I was up there because of the school I went to. I am talking about A-List celebrities, to NHL Hockey Players, you name it. I am currently working gaining employment with this company as well. I feel Full Sail has gained a huge reputation just in the Two Years I have attended, and I think it is only going up. So why all the Criticism?

    The Downside of Full Sail University
    Every month Full Sail is accepting and starting new classes. While on campus I think the last number I heard was somewhere around 8,000 for the student body, and they are maintaining that number. That being said, students are graduating ALL THE TIME from Full Sail, which means they mass producing students. But if you look at huge state schools, look at UCF which is right down University in Orlando, their student body exceeds like 45,000. So they have a lot of students coming and going as well. Cut and dry, Full Sail will even tell you they are a “For Profit University,” which is true the film program will set you back 100k, easily. I looked and my class a few times that had about 85 students in it, do the math 85 students at 100k. That’s profit. Full Sail is a cash cow, and they want their money too. My parents and I still joke about how if you want a call back from someone at Full Sail, it’s tough unless it’s the Financial Department. Lastly, my only other complaint about this school is the students. When I was in high school(graduated in 2003), I played sports, dated girls, partied, had a pretty normal high school life. Most comment is a fact so remember it, the MAJORITY of Full Sail Students are odd, have bad hygene, and do not really understand the real world. If you graduating high school and want to live the college life this isn’t the school for you because you will drop out, no question. The schedule will tear you up, and you can not party, or do other things normal college kids do. The guy to girl ratio is about 6:1, so good luck meeting girls there to. The film program is commonly referred to as Film Boot Camp, so be ready.

    In closing I hope this review has helped. Everything I have mentioned is a fact and if you are thinking about attending, consider everything I have mentioned. Full Sail University as a whole was great for me, because I am not a typical students age and the fast tracked Bachelors Degree will never be taken from me. Full Sail is not a scam but there are times you will feel like it, like you would at just about 95% of the colleges in the US today.

35. HE TRUTH ABOUT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY

    I am a 26 year old guy and I graduated last month from the Bachelors of Film Program, and here is what you need to know about Full Sail.

    The Film program is a 21 month program, that typically becomes extended a few months. Most people graduate in right around 2 years. The program is rigorous, some classes are a breeze, and some are really hard. The student body as well as a lot of the faculty is completely weird and there are a lot of dreamers running around the campus. However, The Full Sail Film program teaches you things you need so that you can make an impact when you leave school and start an intro level job. Film is a craft, and just because you get a college degree in it, be it from NYU, UCLA, or even Full Sail does not make you good at what you do. It’s an art. Back to Full Sail though, you will have many, many odd hours of class. Each class is only a month or two long so at the end of the month you are going to feel a like you are trying to meet a quota to study for finals, or hand in final projects.

    Most(not all), of the teachers will be there to help and really do care. Just as in a typical university or state school, you have good and bad teachers. I found my schooling with Full Sail beneficial for the most part, however, like any college in the United States, it’s not perfect and you run into your occasional BS!

    Prospecting, Jobs, and Life After Full Sail…
    I am in this mode right now. Still attempting to “Job Hunt,” however, I will assure any future student, you will make great contacts, and it will impress people that you went to such a top of the line, buzz worthy school. Why do I say this? Well have way into my education at Full Sail, I was selected to intern on the Howard Stern Show in New York City. Why did they select me? Solely, because I was a “Full Sail Guy,” one of the shows producers was actually a Full Sail Grad, as well. I completed the internship, but while interning for the number one radio show on earth, everyone wanted to learn about me while I was up there because of the school I went to. I am talking about A-List celebrities, to NHL Hockey Players, you name it. I am currently working gaining employment with this company as well. I feel Full Sail has gained a huge reputation just in the Two Years I have attended, and I think it is only going up. So why all the Criticism?

    The Downside of Full Sail University
    Every month Full Sail is accepting and starting new classes. While on campus I think the last number I heard was somewhere around 8,000 for the student body, and they are maintaining that number. That being said, students are graduating ALL THE TIME from Full Sail, which means they mass producing students. But if you look at huge state schools, look at UCF which is right down University in Orlando, their student body exceeds like 45,000. So they have a lot of students coming and going as well. Cut and dry, Full Sail will even tell you they are a “For Profit University,” which is true the film program will set you back 100k, easily. I looked and my class a few times that had about 85 students in it, do the math 85 students at 100k. That’s profit. Full Sail is a cash cow, and they want their money too. My parents and I still joke about how if you want a call back from someone at Full Sail, it’s tough unless it’s the Financial Department. Lastly, my only other complaint about this school is the students. When I was in high school(graduated in 2003), I played sports, dated girls, partied, had a pretty normal high school life. Most comment is a fact so remember it, the MAJORITY of Full Sail Students are odd, have bad hygene, and do not really understand the real world. If you graduating high school and want to live the college life this isn’t the school for you because you will drop out, no question. The schedule will tear you up, and you can not party, or do other things normal college kids do. The guy to girl ratio is about 6:1, so good luck meeting girls there to. The film program is commonly referred to as Film Boot Camp, so be ready.

    In closing I hope this review has helped. Everything I have mentioned is a fact and if you are thinking about attending, consider everything I have mentioned. Full Sail University as a whole was great for me, because I am not a typical students age and the fast tracked Bachelors Degree will never be taken from me. Full Sail is not a scam but there are times you will feel like it, like you would at just about 95% of the colleges in the US today.

36. I have read a lot here and all over the web. Very frustrating. It is hard to always believe a forum or blog because there can be representatives up selling the institution being discussed.

    I am interested in the Entertainment Business Bachelors on campus. It is a very different program offered at FSU and would appreciate feed back on the subject. I am a rugby player, bartender and a very social person looking for a successful outlet into the business world. Please help!

37. Graduated from FS 3 years ago with an Associates in Digital Media, I work in the TV/Film industry as an Assistant Editor for MTV in NYC. Say what you want about the school, it’s about what you put into it and how you treat your time there. I’ve been considering going back to get my Bachelor’s so I can consider going to Grad School.

38. I am planning on going to Full Sail next year. I am concerned about the comments. I will be going for show production. Is there anyone that graduated with that degree? Are there jobs for Show Production? I do not want to go to 4yr college for English, math, and history . I want hands on.

39. I would like to know how psychotic got a refund? I am ready to battle FS for a refund. I is nothing but a SCAM. My son is thousands of dollars in debt and is transfering out. They tell you what you want to hear. Teachers are horrible. As a Mother I do not appreciate a pot smoking teacher teaching my child. Two of them I know for sure. Communciation is terrible with the staff. It should be a crime at the cost of this school. Hind sight we never would of allowed our son to attend there. I would like any info on how to get a refund…Please If you are thinking about attending PLEASE do your homework and watch for scams and a lot of bull crap told to you. I can say this is the worst decision we have ever made in our life to allow our son to attend there. What a load to be lifted to get him out of there.

40. What people fail to see is the fact that even those who go to top notch universities, can still find themselves without a job when they graduate. I dropped out of highschool at age 17 and began working a full time job with a landscaping company. I saved my money and bought myself equipment and started my own wedding photography and disk jockey business at age 18. I than started doing free lance jobs as a self-taught animator and started getting hired by local advertising companies to make animations for tv commercials. So now im 19 years old and i have no degree at all, not even a highschool degree! but im raking in the cash. Im currently working on my own cartoon series that im going to expose at independent animation festivals all over the country, hopefully someone important sees it and likes it. Im not counting on it though. Listen people, a degree from a media school is for someone who has no idea where to start and who refuses to open the doors themselves and take a peek at the possibilites there for them. They wait for the schools to open the doors for them and find them work, which is why they cant find work. This is the advice i can give to you, Your success sits behind a door waiting for you, a degree is the key you need to open that door, but if you dont have the key, just kick that son of a bitch door down!

41. @Craws…Its one thing to argue and provide a valid opinion but your an ass! You personally attacked that woman on several levels. Charlene obviously had a bad experience and maybe overreacted a little but to bash her like that is unecessary. Only a douche would call out someone for grammar mistakes in a freaking internet blog post! BTW vocabulary doesnt show as much intelligence as it does arrogance. GET OVER YOURSELF!

42. I have posted a related blog article “Do Music Producers Need College” here:
    https://www.conradaskland.com/blog/2010/11/do-music-producers-need-college/

    This is in response to some of the comments on this post.

43. OK Folks, listen up,… I have read all the above posts and as a Full Sail graduate I believe I might have some insightful information that one may find pertinent in deciding to attend Full Sail or not.

    Let me preface my comments by stating that I can only speak to those that are interested in the recording arts/music production program.

    A brief description of why you may want to listen to me:

    I graduated Full Sail waaayyy back in Jan. of 1990. At the time, Full Sail was well respected in the industry and there weren’t many other schools around that would allow you to “break into” the recording engineer field. Upon graduating I accepted an internship at a VERY nice recording facility in Atlanta whose past clients included BIG, BIG names. Lynard Skynard, Van Morrison, Neal Diamond, Outkast, Salt-n-Pepper, etc, etc. My internship coming to a close I was offered a full time position and basically given the keys to place as the owner was an absentee owner. After 2 years there, I opened my own small facility in the basement of a house that I had rented. Completely remodeled the entire basement and had a very respectable 2″ – 16trk. facility. Advertised in the local artsy-fartsy newspaper, and had great success with engineering and producing local and regional band demos and albums. Two years after opening the basement facility I moved the studio into a 10,000 sf. facility consisting of a two story front half and the back half comprising three separate studios. We leased out the upper story front half to various related industry businesses i.e. small record labels, tape duplication facility, music producers, and independent engineers. This facility lasted about 7 years until I just got totally burnt out, working literally 27 / 28 days a month and a good portion of those days lasted MORE than 24hrs. I got fed up with entertaining fat headed producers at strip clubs till 3 or 4 in the morning, and just looking at what my capital expenditures where every month would nearly throw my body into epileptic shock, particularly when considering the depreciation of the equipment that was being purchased with these expenditures. In other words,.. I wanted a life…

    Now, if you are seriously still interested in this career, please listen to someone with many many years of actual, hands on experience. DON’T Go to ANY school for “recording arts”. Particularly Full Sail.

    Why???

    There is a MUCH better and more economically sensible way to do so. I heard that even the least expensive program at Full Sail starts at around 35K !!! WHAT ?!?! $35,000?!? is that dollars or pesos?? It’s dollars folks and wasted dollars at that.. If your folks are springing the bill or you have the funds yourself DON’T DO IT!! There are better ways to “break in” to this industry and here would be my suggestion…

    First, find the nearest major populated center that has an active recording industry. Most all major cities have a large number of viable facilities.

    Next,.. Take $15,000 of that “tuition” money and put a down payment on a 2bed / 2bath condo. In this economy these can be found for a VERY good deal ( between 60 and 80k )in decent, safe areas. Rent out the 2nd bedroom to help pay for the mortgage and have the “roomie” split your utilities. Your would be paying apartment rent in Orlando for two years anyways and this way at least you have something to show for 24 months of “housing” expenditure.

    Now,.. find a well known, actively working, well respected, independent engineer, who is doing the kind of work that you are interested in and make him an offer… an offer something to the effect of: “Mr. well respected engineer, I would like to offer you $800 dollars a month, for a maximum of two years to work for you for free” !! I know your thinking that’s crazy!! why would I give somebody money to work for free?. Well,… in exchange for the free work and the 800 smackers a month he will agree to teach you how to do what he is doing. It is as simple as that but has MANY advantages to going the “school” route.

    1. Your actually spending less than the cost of tuition by about $35 a month. Use this for books on audio engineering and study them yourself.

    2. You would be in REAL WORLD sessions, with REAL WORLD clients.

    3. After having been taught “control room edicate” (probably the FIRST thing he would teach you) You could expect, at the very least, an introduction to the studio owners and the clients. Don’t expect much but a simple “this is Bill, my helper” at first and as you gain the engineers trust and show that you are learning it will soon be ” this is Bill, my assistant”.

    4. The people you are meeting and contacts you are making are actually “in your area”. This can’t happen at a school and is worth it’s weight in gold!!

    5.You will find that you have exposed yourself to MANY different studios, many variations of equipment, and a wide variety of session types, many more so than a school can offer.

    I am certain that if you really think about it you can realize that there are Many advantages to going it this route. By the time the two years is up you will already have two years experience, many industry contacts, session familiarity, several demos under your belt, a growing reputation and hey!,… a condo half paid for…..

44. In general, that’s one of the best game plans I’ve ever heard. I wouldn’t worry so much about owning a condo, but going directly the an industry pro and offering them money and hard work is VERY smart. Just make sure you do pay them and that you do work very hard.

45. I went to Full Sail and now work in marketing for NBC. I graduated two years ago and am very happy with my education. Any college outcome is what you make it. I know from what I saw that a lot of the students who don’t shine right away are quick to blame the school. I see it there and I read it here. That’s exactly it too, having to hide behind the anonymity of the internet because you don’t respect yourself enough to take an initiative. As for the school’s mentality to simply sell the program to pedal out diploma’s? How is that any different than Ohio State spending 10’s of millions a year on football? It brings tuition. If you spent half the time actually trying to do your self some good as you do complaining you wouldn’t have anything to criticize.

46. Listen, for those of you darlings who are considering Full Sail University, DO IT! I am enrolled online there, now and have had nothing but wonderful experiences with it. My instructors are highly educated and experienced in what they do and are very helpful and understanding. I don’t know what rock these “scam” people crawled out from under, but they’re obviously the people who would be dissatisfied with ANY school or program they’re in. As one person said up above, “you have to be extensively passionate” about what you want in order to go here. Where else can you get a BS in Music Business within 28 mos? I live in Nashville, and to all of you who say it’s not accredited are sadly mistaken! All music industry executives and producers, and demo singers here know about Full Sail and are extremely excited when I tell them i’m attending. Everyone here who was passionate about what they wanted to do and dedicated to it, has said they LOVED IT!!! You can’t be a slacker…You have to be dedicated and committed to this whole heartedly. It’s not a “bird course” you’re going to fly right thru! I’m a mother of 5, two of whom are under 16 mos…I have time to do it!!!

47. FULL SAIL IS NOT A SCAM…I AM A CURRENT STUDENT AND PEOPLE WHO SAY FULL SAIL IS ARE THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE DROPPED OUT OR DO NOT PUT AS MUCH TIME INTO SCHOOL AS THEY SHOULD. ONE POST SAYS SHE COMPLETED 4 CLASSES WITH A 3.8..THOSE WERE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES NOT CLASS DESIGNED FOR GRAPHIC ARTS. I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IF ANYONE WANTS HELP

48. I happen to live in Florida my whole life and heard both sides. When I moved to Orlando to go to University of Central Florida,I have witness many people going to full sail. That includes people who have dedicated their time there and failed. Yes, I’m talking about those with passions that worked hard to go to school. They are now working at jobs that don’t take them anywhere. These were the people that usually aren’t from Florida. I’m also familiar with music scene in Orlando. I’ve been told that a lot of Audio engineers hire Full Sail students to work for them and usually end up getting rid of them because they are either incompetent or no only the technical side. Full sail is a technical school also known as a trade school, a very expensive one. There are a lot of businesses around Orlando that actually deny Full Sail graduates. If you plan on leaving don’t expect to get very far. Full sail credits are not recognized at credited universities. Technical degrees can only get you so far, but when the technology changes, theory is what helps you in the end. Real universities are credited because they give you both theory and technical viewpoints in school. I personally don’t recommend anyone to go there. Full sail wants to give themselves the title university because they want people to realize that they are not a technical school. They know that all over Orlando they are called “full scam”. It is also quite obvious that if you go there you think that it is a great school because thats what the teacher feed you. Be realistic and go to a university. Any school that says you can get a bachelors less than 4 years is a joke.

49. @Lindsey

    You seriously need to learn how to speak english. If Full Sail students are incompetent and can’t get hired, then I don’t even want to know who in the world would hire you. Honestly. “Or no only the technical side”. What is this, the second grade? UCF should have looked further into you before accepting you into their university, because obviously you have some underlying issues. I doubt you know this, but Full Sail will send you back to school when technology changes, for free mind you, to take new courses. So when technology changes, you don’t use theory. You get your ass back to school and learn how the new technology works, which is a lot better than being stuck with what you learn at your college, for your life time. What’s a joke is that you go to a school where you can change your major up until you’re a junior in college, so you just end up wasting 2 whole years in school while you could be out searching for a job. And another thing: no one who goes to Full Sail thinks that we go to a great school because our teachers feed it to us, we think that because it’s true. We learn, hands on, what we need to know to survive out in the real world. When you’re out partying every night, we’re at home, studdying our asses off for our next exam. So which schools are the scams? Our 2 year university that puts us in the right direction, or your 4 year university who leaves you to find it on your own?

50. This entire blog has completely been pointless thus far. The Moderator should most certainly be monitoring these comments and looking into the comments made to give honest up to date feedback to help prevent all this confusion. One second I am like F%^K full sail then I am like I cant wait to go. Its like I am on a seesaw and I feel like I am the only one riding it. The only statement I can make with my experience is that; I go to Guitar Center regularly and fall in love with every equipment I ever see in the Pro Audio department and even the natural instrument department as well. Eventually I decided to inquire of what steps I need to take in order to become a qualified Music Producer. I was told Pro Tools Pro Tools Pro Tools Its industry standard. At the time I couldn’t afford it too rich for my blood in addition to my stubbornness. I decide to buy all sorts of equipments and software which i never learned to use properly because i became frustrated and just sold them to daddy’s junkys losing like %75 of my purchase price all the time… I did that a great deal of times going through thousands of hard earned dollars * MINIMUM WAGE DOLLARS* I love music and always wanted to produce music to change the industry from all this junk music thats being produced currently im 26 years old but from the old school era… so eventually it dawned on me … I love music have a great ear for it but have no theoretical skills or notation skills.. so my reality says go to school for music and learn as much theory as possible and as well as notation skills so i can gain full understanding of what it is to produce/compose(OLD SCHOOL WORD) a track… bringing back the old school era with a new school swing… I spoke to one of my homies from GC who i usually pick his brain because he went to full sail and i use him as a guide to my progressiveness. I call him ” MOBY” because he looks like him… anyways he has a great deal of knowledge of frequencies and this and that and all the parameters that go into making a perfect track… so i asked him how did he like full sail he said its a great school.. but he was only bummed that he couldn’t find employment after spending so much to gain the knowledge. He works at GC now which pays $8.oo.hr minimum wage plus commission if he is lucky enough to sell anything of great value he earns a whoping %8 on a scaling down rate.. im not sure im allowed to say this but this is what i know ..he didn’t tell me this… i interviewed with GC in my attempt to be in the environment of my passion.. they say “you are the product of your environment”… i failed because i didn’t have enough knowledge of the musical life.. so back to the drawing board the point i am trying to make though is that he paid thousands to gain this education he is only valuable at a mere Minimum wage job at GC… which would only pay off if he would be able to sell one of those Really expensive studio mixers which is a once in a blue moon sale… he does side gigs and things of that nature to build his repertoire… but im sure that money he spend could have been cut by 3/4 or 1/2 if he used it towards his own equipment and maybe became and apprentice of someone already in the field… * WHATEVER HAPPENED TO APPRENTICES*???? SO here i am trying to get some clarification on what he told me and the sides are pretty much dead in the center.. so what do i do quit FSU before I even start and save money… and credit score… or continue on and take a risk because that is the life of a entrepreneur/ musician… or go to a University here in my state close to home that offers a major in music learn the theory learn the notation and even do a course in electronic music .. because they do offer one… graduate with an accredited university degree and the intermediate knowledge base.. and then just gradually through time effort and perseverance… gain contacts through networking and just build up as much as my technical knowledge through the infamous you-tube… and eventually create my own work studio for me to flourish in.. there are so many options… i just want to know what is the most practical way of gaining all the knowledge of becoming a bonafied Music Producer … In addition to most economical… FYI FSU has decided at the start of the year to increase their Tuition by $3,000 why? i don’t know but that’s another hindrance in my educated decision… PLEASE HELP

51. There are ZERO jobs in recording engineering. Not one job that pays enough to live from, anywhere in the world. NADA. ZILCH. Not a single, solitary JOB anywhere.

    A Full Sail ‘qualification’ if you can call it that, is 100% worthless. It’s a scam, plain and simple.

    Look it up on Google. It’s a FOR PROFIT business, that’s all. The more people they sucker in and grab money from, the bigger the owner’s new extension in his Malibu house will be.

    FULL SAIL IS A 100% WORTHLESS ENDAVOUR. THERE ARE NO JOBS IN RECORDING ENGINEERING AT ALL, ANYWHERE. THE TOP ENGINEERS IN THE WORLD NOW WORK FOR $15/hr, PART TIME, ABOUT 1 WEEK IN 4. RECORDING IS A DEAD CAREER PATH. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING IT.

52. The real thing is this: Does it really matter where you went? or what you did? What the employer is looking for is a knowledge base. Can you do the job?

    You are there to learn a trade. And really any school will give you that? Most will give you more then that. Sure, if you goto state college or something like that for a BS you will not only learn this but, you will learn that and with this and that it will make you more employable for many things other then what you are. But, the people that are going to FSU are going for a trade and a trade is what they or you will get.

    You dont want to be a Civil Engineer or Plumber you want to do something in the Entertainment Industry. And you learn just that. To do something in the industry. Is that a scam? To teach you how to work your trade and one that you wanted to learn? No. How else are you going to learn it?

    I think some of the comments are people just bummed that they didnt make it right out of the gate. And maybe I would be too but, I wouldnt give up if it was a dream of mine. You (and dont fall down now) have to work for it. There it is and I said it. Its not going to drop in your lap even with the skills. I wish Bill Gates would call me on the phone and say “Hey I got a Job for you right now!” But, that isnt going to happen. And you shouldnt expect it either. You have to get out there and make it happen like everyone else in life. They give you the tools you have to work at it and make it happen for yourself.

    So is it a Scam? I say.. No! How can it be if you are learning something? If I teach you how to make scrambled eggs is that a scam? If I say, I will teach you how to cook 10 meals and I do that and then tell you that someday if you work hard and learn it all that you could be a short order cook? Is that a scam?

    Its a scam if I say I am going to teach you how to make scrambled eggs and then I leave and you learn nothing at all.

    Is it to high a price to pay for a trade? Maybe.

    Should you get angry at them because you cant get into a job right away–that pays off the loan the next week? No.

    Best Advice: Get out there and make it happen.

    No employer is going to call you until you are at the top of your game. And getting to that point is a long road sometimes.

53. I am enrolled in the online program and I am currently a year and a half into it. I am still in the program, have not graduated yet and was offered 3 jobs. Going to this type of school shows that you are independent, motivated, have a desire to learn and can manage your time. (These were the reasons why I was offered the positions.) I have learned so much to the point I can prove to potential employers that I know what I’m doing.

    For those who complained about not finding a job, you have to do internships and gain some sort of experience. You can go to any university and run into the same issue in this economy. It’s a numbers game and it’s what you put into it. Lazy people will not succeed at anything. Those that aim at nothing will always hit it! I also see it as a private school to justify the cost. People who are in the industry recognize the name as a reputable university. If you want a high paying gig out of college, then go to sleep and you can dream about it. To get anywhere in life, you have to work for it.

54. Wow, it is very funny to read all of this. I too am applying for Full Sail and will be starting shortly. I am sorry to hurt any feelings, but what university is not “for profit”? Has anyone looked at how much universities cost for IT/Entertainment degrees? I have researched for two years, and there is a reason why I applied to Full Sail.

    I went to a “gifted” school which focused in the arts and found that the curriculum is similar to what I am accustomed to. Weird colleges and pot-smoking teachers are not bad if you know how to work with them. But hey, what university does not have at least one or two of these? I know Harvard and Yale has the same kind of group personally.

    Secondly, I have researched the industries and found that yes, they do know who Full Sail is, and yes, they will hire a graduate… if the graduate puts in the effort. We live in a harsh economy and only trust-fund babies get a free ride these days. What company will hire someone saying “yea, I sort-of, kinda wanna job with your company” (I wouldn’t). They want proof from you that you know what you’re doing, and you’re worth their money regardless where you went to school.

    Finally, the cost of an education in the arts is expensive. What do you get at Full Sail? Hmmm… Lifetime education in your field, a computer with your chosen industries leading software, and job assistance (not job giving, you have to work for it). Compare to Florida State University or University of Florida just for fun… No computer with leading software to work with, you have to share named resources with the whole student body at will, and most likely, you’re paying more for their athletics department than your own department. With this in mind, after having to purchase your own computer and software with little discount, your parking decal, student fees, and “what ever that fee is”. You would still end up roughly at the same expense anyway.

    I am not a pro Full Sail person, but for what many are complaining about, I don’t see any fresher grass on their side of the fence either. Just remember, no one is forcing you to go to a university, for if they are, it is called kidnapping.

55. I notice a good 90% of the people defending Full Scam are all current students. I can relate because sadly, I done the same thing, despite going against everyone else’s warnings.

    I graduated with a degree in film back in 2009 and not only am I over my head in debt, I’ve yet to find a job relevant to my degree. If I could go back and change it all, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

    I knew I was taking a major risk (considering it would be a hard industry to break into), but the admissions reps assured me “Full Sail would secure us with jobs upon graduation”. That was my official selling point. But guess what? They never did. The job placement people continue to give you the run around until they cut off ties with you. Had they told me otherwise, I would have never sold my soul to the devil and attended that worthless scam of a school. But they ASSURED ME they’d hook me up with a job after graduation. You guys can say “it’s up to you to find a job on your own” all you want, but besides the fact that I have endlessly searched, Full Scam should not LIE to their students, during the recruitment process, assuring them they’d assist you in landing a successful job upon graduation.

    Forget attending a major university like Ohio State University, University of Alabama, University of Southern California, UCF, or Miami University, after you realize there’s no work in the film industry, because you’ll be so far in debt that you simply won’t be able to afford it. Trust me, I know…

    On the flip side, all of the guys (whom I stay in contact with) I graduated with are in the same position I’m in. Struggling and regretting ever falling for such a scam. And for those of you who are boasting what few grads have found success, they either knew someone in the industry or just flat out ran into the right person at the grocery store. I’d say, on average, 40 people graduate in the film class per month. That’s 480 students per year. If I had to guess, I’d say one student per 4 years actually makes it. The rest? They wind up like myself and all the other grads I know.

    Heed my warning to all of you who are “interested” in falling for their little trap: DON’T DO IT! If you want to learn film or RA, save yourself $70k and buy as many books and DVDs on film and RA as you possibly can as there are many, many resourceful books and DVDs out there relevant to what you’re wanting to study. Learn it and take out a loan, buy a camera, round up a crew and shoot a flick yourself…

    …Because I PROMISE YOU (unless you have industry connects), if you decide to attend Full Scam, you’ll wind up like 98% of the graduates: broke, miserable, never landing a job in your desired field, and pleading others to not attend school there. Again, I PROMISE YOU, despite their lies, you will never even sniff a film set after you leave that scam of a school. Don’t believe me? Bookmark this post and come see me after you graduate…

56. Full Sail a SCAM? Or are you the idiot with dreams of being a big-shot producer without doing ANY research, or having ANY knowledge of the music industry? You think they should determine whether or not YOU are right for the school? Are you serious? Isn’t that up to you? If you don’t know…then you deserve to fail. Let me guess…they should hold your hand and find a job for you too? Pull your heads out of your asses. Im realizing that all the bad stuff I’ve read about Full Sail is coming from a bunch of people who probably have little to no creative talents and skills, think this school was going to be ‘fun’, then become upset when they feel they were ‘misled’ and they really have to work hard. Who’s fault is that? Were you promised a job? You think they should tell you not to go? Not to follow your dreams? What about people like me who tried pursuing a career in music and it didn’t work out as I wished? I shouldn’t be given a chance?

    Full Sail gives you the tools you need to become as successful as you want. Just like any school. What you choose to do with them is up to you. Your instructors should not come to you…you go to them. Some things just can’t be taught. Either you have it or you don’t. Put in 110%. Show some motivation and don’t do just enough to get by…maybe you’ll get somewhere. I’ve never heard so many cry-babies in my life. Quite pathetic.

    My portfolio will speak for itself…accredited school or not. If an employer will not hire me based on a Full Sail degree then F— em! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You know how many traditional schools churn out screw ups, then blame the school for their misfortune? You don’t think RSDI and SVA have the same issues? A school can’t do everything for you. You get out what you put in. And to be honest, I feel these non-profit schools wanted my money just as bad. Taking Psychology and Sociology for my design degree? How do you think these schools stay open? Where does all the money generated from college sports go? Back into the university? Please.

    A school is not responsible for an individuals lack of motivation or lack of talent. If you enrolled in Full Sail with a distorted perception then that is YOUR fault. I doubt anyone from that university said “When you graduate you will have no problem finding a job in the recording industry” …or any industry for that matter. I noticed these forum are filled with people bashing and not praising. Probably because the successful graduates have better things to do with their time than bitch and blame someone else.

57. To FULLSCAM:

    You need to wake up as well…think film jobs are being handed out? Didn’t you have any idea what you were in for when you graduated? This just makes me laugh. All these people complaining about no work is mind blowing. Was this some sort of revelation that just came to you one day? Maybe some of you thought…’Hey I know, I’ll make movies!” or “I’m going to be the next Dr. Dre!” Would you rather them tell you not to go? Or maybe they should discourage everyone from going and shut down.

    How can you blame Full Sail for lack of jobs? Seriously that’s unbelievable. If you want something bad enough you make it happen. No one is handing out jobs door-to-door…especially in the film/music industry. Isn’t the lack of jobs something to think about BEFORE you enroll? Those of you that had no clue about life after Full Sail… makes me wonder how passionate you were before attending.

58. ditto exactly what “anonymous, april 2009” said. Except I made the life changing mistake of co-signing on one of my son’s 4 student loans backed by the lovely Sallie Mae. my son could not find work after graduating from Full Sail and ended up finding a graphic design job paying a below average wage, especially given his $100k + including accrued interest in student loans thanks to the sales and marketing team at Full Sail. Do not go here… very expensive mistake on my and my son’s part. Please learn from our mistake as my son will be paying on his loans for the rest of his life. Could have gone to school to be a doctor or lawyer for what we’re paying for the stupid Full Sail “education”.

59. This thread has been really helpful for me in terms of hearing the differing opinions about Full Sail. One thing I was wondering though is if anyone who has posted has any info on their Game Development Program? Thanks!

60. I’m very interested in the Game Development Program as well. It’s a bit difficult to make a firm decision on whether or not I should attend FSU. I’m extremely paranoid about scams! If this was a true SCAM, then how would we know if those who are defending the idea that FSU is NOT a scam, aren’t actually the one’s working at/for FSU?

61. Everyone…

    Just follow your instincts and see for yourself. There’s no such thing as a SCAM if you’re benefiting off of it regardless of what it is.

    I’m going to try FSU because I.Me.The Person typing this. Wants to give it a shot. Being confused is one of a “Followers” traits..No Offense.. Again, just follow your instincts and you’ll be fine.. My apologies to the good & the bad comments on this blog, I don’t mean to come off harsh, but these kinds of things would stress future students out.. As For the Students and/or Future FSU students: Work hard and you’ll surely benefit from it, that’s all it takes… The only hard part about college is responsibility and yes that is perfect to cover all of the good and bad ($$$).

62. I work in the video game development industry. I did not attend Full Sail but have interacted with a fair number of co-workers who did. As some of the above comments have noted, the quality of the individual matters far more than the name on the school.

    I’ve worked at four different companies now, each one more “successful” (by financial and critical standards, though that’s always subjective) than the last and each one has had Full Sail representation in its ranks. I’m not trying to slam or advocate for the school, but I’ll note my observations:

    -The number of Full Sail grads in the workforce is proportionately smaller at the better studios

    -Of the Full Sail grads who are at the better studios, almost all have prior experience at a different studio first

    -Debt burden on these guys is very high, especially those with children. They frequently complain. Game dev salaries apparently aren’t high enough for them to pay the bills for a family and really make a dent in their tuition liability simultaneously

    -Quality of a Full Sail worker runs the full gamut, from rockstar talented to downright incompetent

    -Full Sail grads don’t seem to bat an eyelash about long hours and crunch time at the end of projects

63. This blog is pretty comprehensive. Check it out.

    fullsailuniversityreview.blogspot.com

64. From experience, nobody worth anything in Chicago has ever heard of Full Sail. Any gig I get, college always comes up in conversation and nobody has ever heard of it. Even the big rental houses. So degrees really don’t matter. They say, let me see your experience. They see a couple crappy films from school and pass it on. Now i’ve got $1,100 in student loan payments that I can’t come close to paying on. My advisor says…”borrow the max, you never know how much you might need.” Thanks a**hole! When I called and asked the school for advice and help, she literally hung up on me. I have never heard from career development. I was a very good student and worked on some cool stuff. Doesn’t matter, people want to see Columbia, NYFA and so on. DO NOT go to Full Sail. How can they justify what is now $120,000 in student loans (incl. interest.)? They can’t. The school should be sued.

65. Hmmmmm my 2 nephews went there. One for animation the other for sound engineering. The one that went for animation was hired by Disney on the spot based on his final project. And his previous grades. He already worked on the hit animation rapunzel and is on to his next assignment. His brother worked on the new 2010 wolfman. He worked as a sound engineer on the movie. And is working in holy wood also. My 19 year old musician son is going online for sound engineering and his wife for web designer. They said they love it. My nephews wife also graduated from the school and is doing great. Now my 22 year old wants to go for graphic design and web design. In life everything has a price. The way you get ahead is by what effort you put in and out. They can’t hold your hand. You need to use them like they are your personal help. Then go out on your own and make your mark. It’s up to you to make it happen that’s life. It’s hard. Hope this helps good luck.

66. Based on what I’ve seen here, what I’ve seen and heard elsewhere and what I’ve heard from people I know who have actually attended Full Sail, I’ve come to one conclusion: There is no definitive answer to the question “Is Full Sail a Scam?”.

    (Before I continue, let me give some brief background. Have not attended Full Sail. Thought about attending but the price is too damn high. If I were to go to school at Full Sail, the program I would go for would be Film.)

    I personally know some people who have attended Full Sail. One went for Recording Arts. When I met him, he was working on his projects in his spare time and working a regular 9 to 5 job to pay the bills (met him at work in fact). He was relatively happy with Full Sail and understood that it could take a while before he found success in music. Such is life.

    Another one had just graduated from the Game Design program and was working a regular Office Space type job as he proactively looked for work in the game field.

    I’ve also know a few people who went there and warned not so much that it’s a scam. But (direct quote here): “You pay a lot of money to go there and the actual education you get is quite limited”.

    I think a large part of the problem could be attributed to a communication issue on both sides. Full Sail is at heart a business. Like any business, it wants to turn a profit. How does it turn that profit? By offering something that people want. It uses that and plays on it. They play up things like the job placement thing and that leads to one thing that Full Sail does that I would consider to be wrong: counting retail sales jobs at places like Gamestop, Blockbuster and CompUSA as placement.

    On the other hand, a significant number of the people that attend Full Sail probably don’t quite realize what they’re in for. A lot of them don’t realize just how tough to break into the entertainment industry really is and they don’t realize how brutally competitive the industry is. Then there are also those with no talent who don’t realize it until it’s too late, those with talent who are undone by laziness and those who do have the talent and the drive yet just aren’t sure how to make it work.

    One thing that Full Sail should do (besides stop counting retail sales jobs as “placement”) is stop using the words “job Placement” altogether. As a vocational counselor once observed (direct quote again), “there is no such thing as job placement”. Say job placement and it sounds like job guaranteed. Not the case. This isn’t The Godfather, Full Sail isn’t putting stallion heads in hiring managers beds to make sure graduates get the desired jobs. As for breaking into the entertainment business allow me to quote Jack Nicholson in The Departed: “No one gives it to you. You have to take it.”

    Now I re-read what I just wrote and realize that despite what I said in my opening paragraph there is an answer in a way to that question “Is Full Sail a Scam?”. Full Sail doesn’t “scam” as much as it spins, which is what most businesses do. The only part of what they do that I would count as flat-out dishonest is the retail sales as industry jobs part. Other than that, Full Sail is your typical business.

67. In a nutshell:

    I’m a dad of a Full Sail Game Development graduate. Two weeks after he graduated, he started a job paying $50K+ with great benefits. What more needs said?

    Extended version:

    The schedule at Full Sail is unconventional – like a job in the entertainment industry. Full days, long weeks, sometimes late hours. And that is just the scheduled classes. That didn’t include working on projects outside of class hours (homework). I consider it good preparation for a real, salaried, career.

    The classes are hard. No mollycoddling, just-repeat-back-what-I-said type “learning” like you’ll find at public colleges. The classes were tough and he had to apply himself.

    On the other hand, if you keep attending and trying they will keep teaching. Pay the set cost for the degree and you can keep trying until you give up or succeed. If it takes longer than the projected schedule, no extra charge for the extra time you need. (If you don’t attend regularly, that is reason for failure though.)

    The final project was required for graduation. The final project required a working, polished, fully documented computer game. Developed by a team from several disciplines taught at the school. If it isn’t good enough, you don’t pass. Try again until it is.

    Tough, hard, thorough preparation for a working career. Just what I paid for as far as I’m concerned.

68. Personally Full Sail is not a scam, but it’s also not for people who don’t have a passion for what they want to take there. It may seem like a lot, like for me, I am going to go for Creative Writing for Entertainment starting March 28th 2011, that cost around 54,000 dollars. But with the fact that I am poor, I am lucky that both FASSA, and Pill Grant. Personally, if you have the passion, and you been looking into doing this for a long time, I say Full Sail is the way to go.

69. Fullsail isn’t a scam. They Tell you everything up front, there is no dishonesty. The thing about fullsail is that (like other’s have said) they are a DIPLOMA MILL. The teachers don’t care, the classes sacrifice quality for speed and they don’t really teach you much. You get a whole lot of fluff that you won’t retain A. because there’s a lot of it and B. most of it is useless (hence the term fluff), and every now and then they drop some little trick and brag that it’s a trade secret to keep you interested. The classes are set up to be easy to pass even if you didn’t actually learn much. Half the teachers have too much ego to actually be of any use and would rather brush any questions off with some generic, out of the can response than try to actually help you with your problem.

    I am going to this school on my own steam right now. I only chose it because they give you some cool gear and act like they’ve got all these high class teachers with great resumes. Well they do, the things is those great teachers don’t actually want to deal with you. They want to make sure you have the bear minimum to fulfill their curricula so they can get you onto the next class and keep making money off of you. I have been taking online classes here for most of a year and I truly wish I had chosen to go to a real school. Most of my last classes reading material was ONLINE e-magazine articles which are open to the public. If you want a fullsail education go spend a couple of hours on the internet and look it up yourself because so far I haven’t been taught a single thing I couldn’t have googled for free.

    If I could afford the payments, I would drop these classes right now and go to a real school. If you’re just looking to take some classes to prove to mommy and daddy that you can finish something and have a BS in BS, go to fullsail. I suggest this option to spoiled rich kids who are getting a free ride from their parents. Otherwise, I suggest you find a real school or just start doing it yourself. The most common thing I hear out of teahcers mouths is “just play around with it, you mostly have to figure it out for yourself” Yeah? Than why am I paying you? An earlier post put it best when they said “You pay a lot of money to go there and the actual education you get is quite limited”.

    I was on this site, reading these posts not that long ago trying to decide whether this school is for me. I ended up ignoring the warnings of people on this site and others because I figured that just because a few people I know very little about are complaining doesn’t mean anything. The satisfied people never make noise so this must just be the slackers that didn’t want to actually work for their passion. Well, I’m a B student, doing quite well in my classes. As soon as I am making enough money to afford the switch I will be quitting fullsail to go to a real school. This real school will not accept any fullsail credits and I will have to spend at least a year or two doing gen. ed. before I get to even think about my major. I have no shortage of passion, and I am not afraid of working for what I want. I feel fullsail is not a quality school because they are not. Some of the other people complaining here might be these undedicated slackers or whatever the happy customers at fullsail want to call them but I’m not one of those people and I can firmly tell you your money would be much better spent elsewhere. It’s not that hard, and all the people who say the only reason anyone complains is because they are lazy is probably lacking in intelligence. Like really? It may seem like a lot? HA! The classes are easy, and that’s why they aren’t any good. I’ve been waffling back and forth on how I feel about this issue and as of being told that my computer being of high quality means that I’m expected to make a $60 p.o.s practice amp sound like a professional recording I’m done. If your teachers aren’t willing to take limitations beyond your control into account than they aren’t good teachers and need to get a job they know how to do.

70. I have read a lot about how FS’s credits do not transfer, but I know several students to go to law school after taken the Master,s classes.

    I went through 3 programs there, and have a great job. I found that most of people who complained, were in the bottom of the class.

71. They are a trade school. Like ANY trade school and even alot of colleges, CREDITS DO NOT TRANSFER. That does not make it a scam! I know people who are making 100K+ a year now after attending the school and their loans are entirely paid off only within a couple of years since attending since they’ve ALL been able to secure great jobs within months.

    THEY DO NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM PROMISE OR GUARANTEE A JOB UPON GRADUATION. Not even college does that! You’re an idiot if you think that and much less LYING if you’re saying they promised you that. Read your contracts!!!!!!! Don’t expect to become a famous, rich filmmaker because you have a degree pertaining to it, you will be getting a job if there are openings in it. Where the hell do you find a FILMMAKER or MUSIC PRODUCER job? You make one! Full Sail gives you the knowledge and tools you need to do things for yourself and have a bangin career, not just a marginal job.

    For those who got degrees in things you’ll never get a job in, that’s your fault. Do your research and then study accordingly.

72. Wow, where to start… First of all, when I think scam, I think of a guy trying to sell me beach front property in Arizona. But just for kicks, I decided to go to Dictionary.com and look up the word scam. The following is their definition: a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle. So… I don’t know about you, but me… By definition alone, Full Sail has been around for far too long to even somewhat remotely be considered a scam, I mean they were founded in 1979, or at least thats what they say. I personally know for a fact they’ve been around for 6+ years (that’s how long I’ve been dreaming about going there).

    Yes, I am a little biased because I am (even after reading all this) trying very hard to get into Full Sail. I may start classes here within a week (fingers crossed). I will tell you right now, I would sell my soul to the devil himself to go to school here. I don’t know these people that are posting negative comments, but what I can tell you is that the problem lies within themselves, not Full Sail. I say this because I have sat in classrooms with students in the design field on three different levels. I’ve studied CADD (Computer Assisted Design / Drafting) at a high school level, a trade school level, and college level (I am interested in several programs at Full Sail but will be enrolling in Game Art, hopefully followed by Game Design). What I’ve noticed is simply some people are meant to do it or even have a gift, and other are there because they WANT it… Then there are those that are sitting there because they had to sit somewhere, and either someone told them to try it or they are simply hoping its a good fit because the parents expect them to go to school. Out of those three categories only about 1-5% will be a perfect fit, maybe 40% want it bad enough to make it through the course (and only a percentage of them will actually be worth a damn when they do finish) and the remaining 55-59%+/- are in the wrong class or idiots in general. Now if you’ve attended classes, you may have noticed similarities no matter the course. If you haven’t it is likely you are the idiot in the group and to you everyone one else probably did way better work than you and you may occasionally get online and go to random websites to bash your college or university because you are not competent or talented enough to either A.)graduate or B.)get a job.

    If you read what Current Fullsail Student (2 words, btw… Full Sail) had to say, they proved my point exactly, I only just now read theirs. They said “If you’re just looking to take some classes to prove to mommy and daddy that you can finish something and have a BS in BS, go to fullsail.” So clearly we know why he is there, and now we know why he is complaining….

    Like several other people more or less said, each individual will make their own experience out of it. A lot of these people have unrealistic dreams. Just because you bought a toolbox doesn’t make you a mechanic. Full Sail will give you the ‘tool box’ but it is up to the individual to use those tools to the best of their abilities.

    You should not go to Full Sail because you think it’d be cool to be a music producer or game designer or whatever for that matter. You should go only if you have a burning desire to excel in a field that you have natural talent in. You should research several programs and find which is going to be the best fit for you individually and you should research what you want to study and make sure it is a good fit for you. If you weren’t good at math… Ask someone or google if being an accountant requires a lot of math before you enroll in a bachelors degree in accounting.

    Look… Bottom line here is, Full Sail is not a scam, and if it is, brand me a fool!

    Btw, JSanz above me made some very good REALISTIC statements, and I think thats what a lot of these people complaining do not have, a sense of realism. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

73. So I’m re-writing to amend earlier comments. I’m too proud to eat my words usually so trust and beleive.

    The first few months at fullsail online are lame. That’s no lie. First you have to go through some idiotic “G.E” classes and then the first few core classes are elementary. I pretty much slept walked my way through the first 7 months laughing the whole way and barely paying attention and still maintained a passing GPA. The thing that I’ve come to realize is that it’s like that anywhere. Most schools you spend at least a year if not more on G.E. so fullsail is really a lot quicker. The teachers for lower classes never care (I’m guessing because they usually want to teach the cooler classes) and the lower classes are always lame unless you are completely new to the subject. Don’t go to this school for instant results. I am now being challenged to the degree I desire, and am learning what I started these classes to learn.

    The thing is, about a third of the way into it your money starts getting worth it. The thing you have to keep in mind is they have to make sure we’re all on the same level. I wonder how many of the irate comments on here are made early in the curricula and either the student drops the classes too soon or never amended themselves once they realized what’s really going on. In todays world it’s easy to think you’re being scammed or that your ignorance is being taken advantage of but with fullsail that’s not the case.

    You’re going to feel real stupid and wonder why you’re paying for this for a hot minute but once you hit the real classes things start to click. A lot of the b.s that was wasting your time turns out to have a point. You have to keep in mind that your dream job has a boring side as well. The rest of the b.s turns out to just be for those that weren’t quite as knowledgable as you were coming in. It’s like when you learn to fly. No one just hands you an F-16 and says “go really fast and wiggle the joystick”. First you do some simulations, than you do a ride along and after a while they finally let you fly on your own. Well that’s what fullsail does. They ease you into it and by the time you really start to know you’re stuff you don’t even realize how far you’ve come. A few weeks ago I made an angry comment on here. Turns out if I had just waited I would have never done such a thing. As I got more into my most current class I realized that yes they are dropping some good knowledge on me and no things aren’t that bad. I really hate to correct myself and yet here I sit, typing this out.

    Case in point. The moment I realized Fullsail works was when I was checking out a local “professionals” work. I laughed my head off. This person is making money doing a cheap hack job and my measly self is sitting here whining about Fullsail. As I took it in and analyzed the work using my not yet completely trained Fullsail skills all I could think was I could do better in my sleep. Based on my limited knowledge and personal tastes, I would already rate my skills above that of a lot of “experienced” locals.

    Do not go to Fullsail if you’re not passionate. If you don’t already know a little about your major I would suggest you do some personal studying first or you’re going to have a hard time. This wasn’t my problem but I can see where a lot of people would contend with this. Don’t expect to be the shiz right off either. You’re getting an education for a reason. That reason is to learn a discipline. All disciplines take time. Why do you think bhuddist monasteries would make their initiates wait outside for three days with no food or water, insulting them and telling them to leave the whole time before the initiate was accepted? You have to mean it, and they’re not going to just hand you their hard earned knowledge right off because you paid for it. These people really mean it and they love what they do and if you can’t cut it they don’t need your money.

    So Fullsail, I apoligize for my earlier comment. I’d do it in person but the punishment should fit the crime. This is where I wronged the school, this is where I make amends. Fullsail is a good school if you are a good student. Posers beware, we mean business around here.

74. I’ve been contacted by a publication doing a feature story on Full Sail University. The writers are looking for people willing to go “on the record” about the school. Interested? email me at nancyeford@gmail.com

75. Ful Sail rocks!!!!!!

76. Hello everyone, I would like to start my comment off by saying I am not interested in applying to Full Sail “University.” I do have a few comments to make having read many of the posts on the forum. First of all (excuse the euphemism) I want to let everyone know that the majority of the people commenting have atrocious grammar. Secondly, one person stated that he does not think the academics at Full Sail are that bad. I would never consider attending a school that had academics that are described as “not that bad.” I am only on this forum because I am waiting to go see a movie with my friend, and whilst trolling Facebook we noticed someone who attends Full Sail. That sparked intrest in us, having never heard of the school. Based on the research we have done, which is very little, we have come to the decision that Full Sail is a bogus school.

77. Donnyboi, there’s no such word as intrest. Perhaps you should go back to your “university” and ask them how the real word is spelled. LOL!

78. LOL,

    This is hilarious. It’s those same people in here that whine and bitch that Full Sail is a scam are the same ones who don’t give it their all. Why is it that I’m an online student studying “Internet Marketing” who finds people that want to work with me? Why is it that I have employer that wants me to Intern with them? Why is it I have a website up or built a site for someone. It’s because I have the passion to make it happen. You do what you love and you will do great. I say stop crying like babies and do something with your life! Wa, wa, wa!!! Bunch of babies acting all retarded!

79. Passion is the key..and 57,000 tuition..whew..I know in the end my future shall be prosperous, but as a stay at home semi retired parent this is hard to swallow..decisions decisions . much love to those enrolled. Hope to get there soon.

80. I had the experience tonight of having dinner with a audio engineer who is head of audio for a very well known company. I asked him if he knew about Full Sail and he said he knew about it quite well. Said he had worked with many people who went there.

    I don’t want to post negative things because this is my blog. Other people can say what they want – but I personally don’t want to post negative things on my own blog.

    That being said – this person highly recommended going to a four year accredited college for an audio related degree.

81. 90% people who say “Full Sail is a Scam” are either spoiled, lazy, or drop outs..If they’re no handed a top notch job on a effing silver platter, then it isnt good enough..word of advice for you lazy bums..WORK FOR YOUR DREAMS!!

82. I go to full Sail University and to comment on all of this, Full Sail is what you make it. Of course there are people that consider it a scam but you actually have to take it seriously and use it to its full potential. I go online, not having an instructor in front of me. We receive real resources to further expand our knowledge in our majors. People have a misconception that just because our school is advertised it must be a scam. You HAVE to use all resources given to your advantage! And for the people who look at degrees from this school worthless, this means you have no faith in the people who graduated and take their dream extremely serious. You may miss out on catching your best employee! The school doesn’t make the worker but it does gives the resources for the worker to make him/herself!

83. FSU, UF, FAU etc. All state schools in FL. No hint of scam.
    The fact that there are blogs both for Fullsail and against is a serious Red Flag.

    Testimonials re Fullsail Grads: A small % of grads get great job with any college. With Fullsail you graduate with heavy, heavy debt vs other schools particularly state schools. Labs stay open very late, in a rather in and unsafe area. Not good.
    Do your homework before signing on.

84. I think SCAM is a very harsh word. Yes, this university makes a profit, but they do it by operating a business that does a good services to its students. Arguably, Full Sail has some of the best and most state of the art facilities in the world when it comes to media, TV and music production. You go to Full Sail for that experience and exposure – getting a good job is up to you.

85. I am proud to be a FULL SAIL GRAD.

86. ***ITS A SCAM***I registered for Full Sail University…due to circunstances i had to drop out…I took 1 week and a half of classes now am stuck with a bill of over $7000 for a week and a half…They dont want to bring it down…they state that the fee for the mac laptop which was the only thing i receive is $3000…this is a ripe off for a student of 19 yrs old that wanted so bad to get a career in full sails…Its sad…were can i place a complaint…can anyone help me with this…its just not fair.

87. Full sail isn’t a scam by definition, they’re just a diploma mill. It’s all about making money. I can only speak for the online program but the online program sucks. You learn some decent information but it is not worth the money by a long run. They drag out the classes because in all honesty there’s not much to teach you. If you want to learn production, bite the bullet, buy some equipment and figure it out. Go buy a few books, read some emagazines. Anything you could want to learn you can find online or from going out, meeting people and talking to someone in your industry. Again, fullsail (online at least) is not a scam, just a horrific rip off. Even when you withdraw, they drag it out just so they can charge you for the extra class or so. Don’t take the online classes, just buy a computer and the programs and a little hardware (you can get perfectly passable hardware used online or often even in a pawn shop) and teach yourself. Spending a few grand on equipment and software seems expensive but compare that to 60 grand for the classes plus interest plus a debt you’re going to be paying off for decades. Half of these classes are not teaching you anything, they’re showing you how to do the same things that the programs tutorials can show you and then telling you to play with it and figure it out for yourself. You don’t need to go into debt to have some “Industry pro” tell you how to teach yourself.

    Everyone on here who’s pro-fullsail says it’s all about drive. Well if you’ve got enough drive to deal with this bull, you’ve got enough drive to teach yourself at a fraction of the cost. I heavily suggest against this school, they need to stop profiting off of peoples dreams and get thei act together. Fullsail is sub par and greedy. Don’t get ripped off, teach yourself. You don’t need their false confidence.

88. J.AFRE,

    http://fullsailuniversityreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/so-you-went-to-full-sail-and-think-you.html

    Links to multiple sites where you can file complaints against Full Sail University

89. This has been an exhaustive read. I actually went through every single comment and I’m both sad and angry about the negative comments about Full Sail.

    Let me begin by saying that I am a PROUD Full Sail graduate. I graduated in December 2003 in the Digital Media program. In my time at Full Sail there were no BA programs, I graduated with an Associates degree and I can proudly say that I make very good money doing what I do but it hasn’t been an easy road by all means. I had to struggle, fight and swallow allot of humble pie when I got out into the real world. Full Sail taught me the basic knowledge of my trade but I took that basic knowledge to the next level. First off when I attended the school we weren’t given computers I bought my own and took it to every class I had soaking up as much information as I could. I even use to record audio of every class I had. I even remember copying my teacher’s 3D Studio Max model as he was doing it in class, so when I got to lab I already had the work done, then I would repeat the process several times until I knew how to manipulate an editable poly and an editable mesh like I was molding clay. I think I was fortunate because I had class mates who also realized the value of the knowledge we were absorbing and we all took it seriously. Surround yourself with older more serious people (advice number 1)

    As a Web professional who has been in the industry for 8+ years I can tell those of you who are thinking of attending this school that the learning only begins after you graduate. There are some incredible people out in the industry and you will find that you are always learning and the industry is always evolving. My biggest advice is to learn how to market yourself. Take all the knowledge you learned about web design, graphic design etc.. and brand yourself. Turn yourself into a brand! Don’t go into Full Sail thinking you are going to start a business out of the box. Be patient!!!! As for me I can say that Full Sail changed me life, but its been a working process. If you don’t eat, sleep, and breath the field you want to get into then don’t waste your parents money (or yours for that matter). I can tell you that I lived Digital Media. I was always doing something even when I didn’t have class that had something to do with design, video, music, 3d, photography. I designed an entire city (with interiors and textures and all) for fun just to practice my 3D max skills. My room mate was a former Audio Engineering grad from FS and we would write songs in our down time ( learned basic Pro Tools from him). I literally breathed the industry and I still do. If you don’t think you can do this 24/7 365 don’t go there. It seems to me that allot of the old FS success comes from older grads. The new generation of FS applicants think its a fast ticket to success. Believe me its always a struggle.

    Full Sail is not a “scam” anyone who suggests that is just wrong. Yes the school is expensive even when I was there we noticed that the school was slowly hiking the price of tuition for the new students that were enrolling on a monthly basis. When I hear the cost of the school now I feel sorry for the students who were never going to make it regardless of what course they chose to do. It is also a business so yes the owners want to make money so take it for what it is a stepping stone into the Industry.

    Finally would I recommend going there? ABSOLUTELY!! But only if you have a mature mind and a true passion for the industry otherwise if you are going to sit around and joke around all day you don’t have a chance!!!!!

    Good Luck!

90. WOW! Up-Down-Up-Down…like a roller coaster of opinions.

    Already been approved for financial aide at a local Massachusetts community college for computer programming.
    I wanted to create phone/mobile device apps. I have many ideas and want to use hardcore technical education and my creative side and diversified career background to create new and innovative apps for business as well as traditional “game” models.

    I see a lot of the comments came from courses that require a lot of natural born talent to begin with. A graphic artist needs to be an “artist” and better than the next “artist”. Someone wanting to get into the music industry would certainly need to have done some work, somewhere other than the brief demo from Full Sail…experience is what they want.

    I’m a screenwriter and have studied the craft for five plus years and I didn’t choose to take this course because I know it’s a crap shoot. Who you know is important and there’s SOOO many screenplays out there…it’s a big investment for such a risky career path.
    I’m seriously considering the web application development online course. Bachelors in under three years. Tools to work with. No driving to another location required. Lifetime classes to keep up with technology and if I work hard and do well, maybe someone will notice and refer me to a possible job prospect. THAT”S how it works people…along with knowing your shit.
    Realize you will ALWAYS start at the bottom, unless you’re someones nephew(shoe-in).
    I want to make great mobile apps! I want to do things no one else has done before. I want to work with smart, intelligent people to complete time sensitive projects that are worth every sleepless night!
    Is Full sail where I get started?

    Anyone currently in or completed this course that could give an opinion?

    Thanks,
    Married Dad with two teenage daughters and a five yr. old son.
    Working full time-double weekends plus one shift.

91. RABS program graduated few months ago, moved to LA. In two months I have done a lot of things (For free). But my work ethic and quality of work is paying off.

    Like others say, the diploma doesn’t mean shit, it’s about your credits and work. I’ve been in LA for 2 months and I already have 4 IMBD credits. It’s a start and now I am starting to get my name out there.

    Is it pricey? Yeah, but consider this…I also applied to Drexel in Philly which is a 4 year and 200k of tuition for there Music Industry program. I applied to Miami for there audio engineering program and it was also 200k. USC which has film scoring and a film degree with a focus in sound is another 200k. (All of this out of state) Vancouver film school was around 30k for there one year program.

    It’s obvious they want money, and with that you get a lot of people who think, Hey movies are cool I could do that. Hey I like to make beats, this looks cool. Granted I don’t know how good the other programs are, but you get my point…

    A lot of the haters are drop outs, our class went from 220 to 25 graduation day. Honestly you have to try to fail a class. (At least in RA)

    I have quickly used my education to impress people, if you don’t do the work in school it won’t pay off. If you think the road in this industry is easy, then you might as well turn back. Only the strongest will survive. (Sorry for the cliche, lol)

92. wow,
    there’s so many pros and cons;
    dat it’s EVEN!
    what i’m noticing, though, is that the peopl who say it is NOT a scam are CURRENTLY enrolled in Full Sail. Peopl who say it IS a scam graduated a long time ago n are job hunting. mmh…

93. “currently enrolled” = “haven’t finished”

94. I have 3 degrees from Full Sail University and I think I have a bit to say.

    OK, LET’S GET A FEW THINGS STRAIGHT.

    1. It is true, Full Sail Credits DO NOT TRANSFER. (SO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND WHY YOU’RE THERE).

    2. Since 2007 our country has been on an economic landslide. (NO ONE HAS JOBS).

    3. This is the first time in roughly seventy years that all US Military Branches have been at “Over strength”. (Except it has nothing to do with patriotism). I should know I’m a Staff Sergeant (35N) working for US CENTCOM.

    4. Of my class I have seen a fair share of my fellow classmates endeavor careers in the REAL entertainment industry (MTV, Universal, Hit Factory, Clear Channel, and others).

    5. I myself have worked on industry products with Grammy winning producers. (And they were intimidated by me because I had three degrees from Full Sail… Go figure).

    So what’s my point? Knowledge is knowledge… It doesn’t matter who accredits it! It’s the student that makes the difference between a “Hermione Granger” and a “Ronald Weasley”. And just like anywhere else, you got a few winners and a whole bunch of losers. I also went to DePaul University and it was no different. In fact I saw more work ethic at Full Sail than I did at DePaul.

    Next Thing, IF YOU WANNA BE RICH YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUSINESS! THE TIME OF GETTING A SALARY THAT WILL BUY YOU A LAMBORGHINI IS OVER! Corporations are outsourcing their hardest work to the poorest countries (website/programming comes from India and production from China).

    The only person that is going to pay you what you’re worth is you! The most financially successful person I know is a HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT, he owns 600 affiliate marketing websites and makes about $400,000 a month doing it. He gets college graduates to do the annoying parts then he sits back and enjoys the fruits of their labor.

    And my degrees have been accepted within the government and the corporate world, you just need to know how to apply them.

    I can go on forever but I think you get my point.

95. I’ve gone to college in the past, and as part of a career-change, I’m currently enrolled in the Game Dev BS program. I’m also concurrently attending public university for Computer Programming. I feel I have enough exposure to both traditional public college and Full Sail University to write a brief objective analysis between the two. This has been my experience so far.

    Full Sail is nationally accredited, not regionally accredited. All this means is the criteria for transferring credits into or out of Full Sail differs slightly from the criteria for transferring credits between two regionally accredited schools. It makes no difference to an employer. Full Sail’s administrative offices are my biggest complaint, as the various departments tend to have trouble communicating and coordinating with each other. It took several weeks for them to figure out my VA benefits, FAFSA eligibility, billing, transfer credit, etc. However, once all that was done, it was smooth sailing thereafter.

    The teaching staff has been great. Every instructor I’ve had has been knowledgeable, experienced, available, and easy to learn from. The material is also great. Very little time is wasted on irrelevant general ed courses, leaving only those which actually benefit you in the field (Composition, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, etc.), and the rest is all core training.

    Education at a traditional public university feels so slow, dumbed-down, and dull. Doing 6 classes at a time, not zeroing in enough in any of them, and then having the same classes for 3-4 months straight tends to leave me scattered, unfocused, and bored. A year of college left me feeling like I had the same level of expertise as I did before I started. Then public school has the added stressors of hoping the class you need next is scheduled to run next semester, hoping you can register for it in time before it fills, figuring out which book (the one on the website or the one in the syllabus) is the right one for your class, finding and buying that book before class starts, and often having to attend different campuses all over town to get the class you need. Half the time the instructors have very little involvement with the class and are only at the school for their own research projects, are inaccessible, and have poor teaching practices as reflected in their ratings. Tutors sometimes cost money too. Parking decals run about $80 a term. There are some student success programs, but I’ve never seen much recruiting done on campus at any of the public colleges I’ve attended. A 2-3 hour class drags on painfully as I check the clock every 2 minutes.

    By contrast, at Full Sail I focus on one or two classes at a time, delve deep into the subject, and learn so much more in a single 1-month class than I learn in six 4-month classes at public school. I mean that literally. My first 1-month long programming class taught me more than I’d learned in a year of programming in public school. My scheduling is done automatically, my books are issued to me before each new class, and all my core classes are in one building. Brand new books are issued for free (covered by your tuition), laptops with the appropriate software pre-installed are issued (covered by your fees), tutors are available for free, and classes failed can be retaken for free. Even classes passed can be retaken for free. You’re (usually) free to sit in on any class in the program if you have the free time and desire to do so. All of my instructors so far have been great, and all of my instructors for my next few classes have high ratings. Parking is free. I’ve personally witnessed representatives from AMD, ATI, Google, and EA recruiting on-campus. An 8-hour class blasts by in the blink of an eye, sometimes before I’m even ready to leave.

    As a veteran, my education benefits would pay for me to attend any public school I want 100% free. To attend Full Sail, however, I have to spend several thousands out of pocket, because the VA pays private schools much less. I chose Full Sail anyway, and I couldn’t be happier with that choice.

    I also want to add that people who complain about not being able to find a job should not be blaming Full Sail. Full Sail is not your personal job finder. It is a school. You pay for an education, and they give it to you. What you do with it after graduation is on you. Entertainment industries are extremely competitive, and this is something you should already know and accept before ever enrolling at Full Sail. It’s up to you to decide if your passion is worth the situation it puts you in economically. Most of these complaints are exaggerated and misrepresented, some are outright lies.

    On a final note, I do want to stress what others have said, that if you don’t really know what your passion is, and you don’t have a strong work ethic, then Full Sail will be too fast, focused, and demanding for you.

96. So, I have been looking hard at going to Full Sail. And after reading this blog I want some information on the show production program. Is anyone currently in this or anyone graduated that can shed some light on the quality of this program? Thanks

97. First google hit when I typed in “Full Sail University Diploma Mill”.

    I have read Every. Single. Comment. There is some major bitterness out there about Full Sail. The complaints seem to fall into the following categories:
    “I wanted to quit, and they milked me for another class”,
    “The classes are not helpful, and I wanted out before the 7 months are up”,
    “I didn’t get a job!”

    But there was one comment that just reminds me of what is wrong with the world today.

    “They talk you into taking out the full amount of your loans because they say, ‘you don’t know what might happen’.”

    *raises hand* I know exactly what will happen! You will have to pay that money back plus some (and for the record [see what I did there?] I will need to take out loans to attend).

    I’m sorry that you feel as if you were hoodwinked, but you made a bad choice, and it of course can’t be your fault. (Just so you know, other colleges, even private little colleges in the middle of the bible belt suggest you take out the maximum amount on your loans. It’s not a new practice.)

    The mom who “made the life changing mistake of co-signing on one of my son’s 4 student loans” that commented above, just proves my point. She said this: “my son could not find work after graduating from Full Sail and ended up finding a graphic design job paying a below average wage, especially given his $100k + including accrued interest in student loans”

    I’m going to go ahead and assume her son graduated in late 2010 (She posted in January 2011). He had to take an entry level graphic design job. According to this website: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos090.htm#earnings that would be $26,000-$36,000. What’s the problem again? Oh yeah, those pesky student loans that you didn’t have to take out. You spent $100k+ and all he got from it was an entry level position in the field he chose to go into.

    Why is it such a shock to people that you aren’t going to make squat when you first graduate or with your first job? You need to put in the blood, sweat, tears and time that your boss did before you. Just because you spend over $50k on an education doesn’t mean you are entitled to anything but an education, an expensive education, but just an education.

    But I just keep coming back to is this… it’s an art degree. Is the make or break decision to hire you going to hinge on Full Sail or the product that you put before them? I’m willing to bet it’s going to be the latter.

    TL;DR Stop whining because it’s expensive and you can’t find a job.

98. In searching for a college to fit my needs I’m astounded by the debates I run into about the credibility of FSU.

    There is a common trend that I see on both sides of the argument for or against this institution.

    Look at the grammar and spelling skills of the haters.
    Look at the grammar and spelling skills of the supporters.
    If I need to say more to get my point across then you probably belong to the former.

    Some haters use the argument that Full Sail University is not a “University” and that they are breaking some holy moral code by using this term.
    Have you ever used a dictionary?

    Come on people, how did you even get through high school?

    The fact that so many people are hating on FSU is testimony to their credibility.
    That statement becomes clear when you consider FSU’s open enrollment.
    Let me explain before you get your panties all up in a bunch.
    Almost anybody with a GED can get into FSU.
    Pros? They give everyone a chance.
    Cons? The serious students have to put up with the idiots.

    Couple that with extremely rigorous and taxing courses and what happens?
    Well, most humans are stupid, especially ones that just got out of high school.
    FSU gives everyone a chance, therefore most students who enroll are stupid.
    Yep, that’s life. We are a pitifully stupid race. Don’t agree? That’s because you’re stupid.
    The good thing is most of the stupid people drop out. Some may sneak through and still get a degree, but they are no match for the serious student that applied themselves who didn’t expect to be handed a job after graduation without more effort. The slackers who graduate will cry even harder than the drop-outs when they can’t get a job, and will blame it on FSU when it’s their own fault.

    That is why there are so many haters. It’s the way the world works. What a bunch of whiners.

    They expected to buy a ticket on a fancy train that would take them to their dream career, and all they would have to do is sit and enjoy the ride.
    Wrong.
    ANY college is just the train tracks. YOU are the train. The college simply helps to guide you. YOU must shovel the coals into the furnace, YOU must pull your own weight, YOU must gain enough momentum to take you over the massive hill at the end of your journey. Just sitting on the tracks will get you nowhere.

    The whole point of going to college is to prepare you for the workforce. Do you think anyone will want to hire you if you didn’t work your way through college and continue to work as hard as you can to get a job afterwords?

    The Job Placement program is the same anywhere. They simply point you in the right direction and give you tips. That’s the way it is supposed to be. It is YOUR responsibility to search and actually apply and present your portfolio and strive to EARN the job to show that you really want to WORK.

    Very successful people in the workforce have come from FSU. They were taught by the same people who taught the whiners.
    Who’s to blame?

    Oh-yeah! squid launcher!

99. THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE RECORDING ARTS STUDENTS.

    THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE RECORDING ARTS STUDENTS.

    THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE RECORDING ARTS STUDENTS.

    THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE RECORDING ARTS STUDENTS.

    Wouldn’t any person be concerned about a school that is so entrenched with negative comments from former students? Beyond questions about this school’s accreditation, I think that the government needs to address the for-profit school’s ability to charge students the amount of tuition that this school requires. The majority of these students are taking out PRIVATE student loans for this school, since federal loans will only provide a maximum of $5,500 for an independent freshman college student, and this school does not offer scholarships. College students should be protected from taking tremendous financial risks through obtaining PRIVATE student loans for colleges that are not regionally accredited (meaning that the majority of credits earned can not be transferred to other accredited colleges).

    Also, in light of the fact that graduates from this school can not obtain degrees that will be recognized by traditional colleges, and the fact that graduate success stories are largely exaggerated and marketed by Full Sail, there needs to be an investigation into the benefits of the educational product this school is offering. Before an individual purchases a home, there are home inspections in order for banks to validate the cost of a home before a mortgage can be obtained. The quality of the neighborhood and schools are also on public record. The same amount of regulation needs to applied to for-profit schools.

    As a graduate of The Recording Program at this school who pays $1,055 to Sallie Mae every month for the private loans taken out for this school ALONE, this is my best advice: stay away from the Recording Arts program. Go to a traditional school for business or music business and take out an extra 2,000 in private loans beyond your tuition and living expenses every academic year. Slowly buy outboard audio gear, and with each purchase, devour the manual that comes along with the audio gear product. Slowly build a studio of your own.

    Although you have access to boards at the school, the majority of recording these days are done on Pro Tools, which you can purchase yourself. Also, every room in every individual studio is different. If you intern at a recording studio, you will only learn the rooms of that studio. Signal flow (knowing how to hook up each piece of outboard gear in the appropriate order) and understanding the symbols on the front of the gear is MOST IMPORTANT. You can learn this on your own. You can also build a list of industry contacts and a great by offering to record artists in your home for free or at low cost.

    MY STORY:
    Graduated in late 2004. Moved to NYC in early 2005 and got an general assistant job with a major studio. I made $7.25 per hour. I met lots of famous recording artists. I also worked with other general assistants who attended REGULAR college and studied recording arts as a hobby on their own. I was forced to quit my job as a general assistant job after 1 year because it was not financially feasible to stay. FOUR major studios have closed here in NYC in the past 6 years. Now I am learning more about Recording Arts by buying the equipment myself and building a studio. I wait tables in fancy restaurants (like actors and dancers) and I pay Sallie Mae 1,055.00 per month. If I don’t pay them, they will call me and my parents home every day and eventually take me to court.

    LEARN RECORDING ARTS ON YOUR OWN. READ GEAR MANUALS AND BUY BOOKS FROM AMAZON. IT ALL THERE.

    LEARN RECORDING ARTS ON YOUR OWN. READ GEAR MANUALS AND BUY BOOKS FROM AMAZON. IT ALL THERE.

    LEARN RECORDING ARTS ON YOUR OWN. READ GEAR MANUALS AND BUY BOOKS FROM AMAZON. IT ALL THERE.

    LEARN RECORDING ARTS ON YOUR OWN. READ GEAR MANUALS AND BUY BOOKS FROM AMAZON. IT ALL THERE.

    JIM FORBES, AS WELL AS MOST OF THE RECORDING ENGINEERS OF THE PAST LEARNED THIS WAY!!

100. There is a definitive answer to the “is FullSail a scam” question. The answer is no. To imply otherwise is absolutely ridiculous and appears to me as little more than whining from nonsensical children. They are not trying to dupe people out of anything. They never claimed to have regional accreditation; you will not find that ANYWHERE in any of the information posted on their site. If you call and speak to an enrollment adviser, they will inform you that no, usually their credits will not transfer. However, that isn’t the point of attending the school. Do your research before attending FullSail like you would do before shelling out significant money for ANY endeavor. Don’t expect to graduate and go on to a six figure job right away. FullSail offers anybody interested the chance to get the fundamental skills needed for a starter career in whichever field they choose to study. They are upfront about their fees, and don’t suddenly spring more on you out of nowhere. The comments about the work being graded by assistant teachers is true, but not a good point. Almost every course you take at ANY school or university, aside from primary schooling, you will find your coursework graded by the professor’s assistants or other faculty. There is nothing wrong with this. A correct answer is a correct answer, and mistakes are mistakes. Most of these posts really sound to me as if some people are upset because they didn’t do what they were supposed to in the courses, if they even TRIED FullSail. If they did not, then why the hell are you listening to them?

101. Okay, I am in the school for about two months. I want out, the online program is okay, but it’s extremely costly and not teaching me enough. Anyone know anyway at all to start on my way to exiting the school.
     I saw a few people here that said they did it, how about telling me how you got out. I have no idea of even how to begin getting out of the online program I am enrolled into. Please, someone, help me.

102. I just enrolled in the online program for my MBA in Entertainment business and i hope i am making the right decision I realy like to experience things before i have an opinion about it so we will see

103. I have been hesitant to tell my story publicly because I have been embarrassed by my choice to attend this school. I’m still embarrassed, but I guess apathy is finally setting in. If this post helps anyone, then so be it.

     In ’06 Full Sail looked like the answer to all of my problems in my seemingly directionless life. After an eye-popping tour of the school and a promise of over 80% job placement rate, I thought I had the answer to my future licked.

     ..I think in Month 10 when my fellow student copy and pasted the same paragraph for 6 pages and scored a 90 on his assignment I realized the true quality of education I was receiving. I had worked hard for 3 days, and was graded an 87.
     We laughed about it at the time, but I find little humor in it now.

     Post graduation, here is my advice: Look at the cost of tuition. You can have passion and drive shooting from every pore of your body, to the moon and back, but if you do not have this money in your pocket to blow before you enroll, do NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL for RA. It is not worth the very basic things you could learn on your own through purchased gear and an internship. You don’t need a degree for an internship. In this case, passion and drive IS enough.

     I graduated with a degree in RA in 07 and would have been better off either spending money on a degree in a STABLE job field. I worked in the tech shop for the majority of my time there, and I discovered I wanted to transfer to an electronics degree a handful of months into schooling. But FS locks you into tuition (I believe 30% of the way into the program), and the credits are non-transferable to any school, anywhere. Hindsight is 20/20. A very painful 20/20.

     I am suffocating with debt working at a decent job in the electronics field. Unfortunately, I do not have the disposable income to go back to school in order to move up in the field. I will be paying $500/mo until I’m in my very late 30’s. Maybe longer, maybe more if something happens and I can’t continue to make these payments. I’m scared out of my mind and the pressure to pay is encompassing my life. I wonder if I’ll be able to afford a home, children, etc. before I’m 40.
     I’m mentally worn, but thanks to my parents I was brought up with a great work ethic and the idea that you take care of your responsibilities- and that in itself keeps me moving.

     Private loans do not qualify for bankruptcy in any capacity. There are no IBR or ICR programs. Interest only payments last for only a few years. Forbearance and deferment will only inevitably shoot up your monthly payment due to daily accruing interest. You cannot consolidate with Sallie Mae, or with any other bank without collateral. There is no help. You will have to pay.

     The one thing I can say Full Sail is good at is directing students to Sallie Mae. They have an AWESOME Financial Aid department. They have an awesome power to get you the money to attend, even if a typical financial institution would look at you and laugh you out the door.
     So don’t worry, if you want to go, you’ll go.

     In closing, I believe the cost of tuition is not worth the very basic and shoddy education that is quickly and hastily crammed into your brain before you’re sent out the door for the next round of students.
     If you look up the definition of “Diploma Mill” in the dictionary you will find a picture of Full Sail.

     How do you think successful Engineers, Designers, and Film-makers got along without FS? They got themselves a true real-world education. In the real world.

104. ^correction, according to the website I have what they call a degree in Recording Engineering. The program was 50K, I currently owe 60K after 5 years of paying (2 years interest only and two deferments).

105. The bottom line is, it’s not a ‘University’, it’s a trade school. Your 21 month ‘BS’ is simply that. ‘MBA’…oh don’t make me laugh.

106. All this back and forth can be settled easily. It’s not a university. It’s a trade school. Who oversee cosmetology schools.

     Your 21 month ‘BS’ is clearly that, and ‘MBA’…come on now, stop kidding yourselves. Stanford, Harvard, MIT, FullSail.

     I wonder which one doesn’t belong? LOL!

107. I enrolled at Full Sail and asked if I could take Photography or Cinematography classes, they said “No that is outside your program”, but every single class has required me to make videos.So is this an honest school?

108. Here’s the truth… it’s accredited and expensive and the worst education value you will ever see. Please visit http://alostcookie.com you’ll see a “resume”; it’s from the former course director of their film program. He has no real background in the industry and now he left to go to LA & is asking his old students to get him production assistant jobs!! He blogs about being completely unprepared for professional industry lif at http://www.hirejasonblanchard.com – he’s also begging his students for money to stay in LA on http://www.gofundme.com/jasonblanchard. These are the level of people you’re spending your education dollars on! On his “resume” it clearly says he designed their film program. It’s so sad to see so many grads leave this school, and go to LA (many of whom I’ve employed) only to realize what they were taught was pure bunk. This is an actual first lecture taught to these poor students.

     He uses the “F” word multiple times and gives the worst advice I’ve EVER heard. USC, NYU… no one would ever DARE to say these kinds of stupid things. Maybe he should check his ego at the AZ/CA border, because as he says in the video “there should be no egos in film school, you all suck equally”. Please, I’m begging you to get real industry experience or go to a reputable film program. Don’t waste your money. Parents beware!

109. Why do you guys use this website to see if Full Sail is worth it or not? You’re pretty much listening to those who are doing well [People who work and graduated full sail] and those who are idiots. [People who flunked out of school in Full Sail and claim they graduated to try to make a point] Negative comments are from people who didn’t pass. Plain and simple. They will tell you false claims such as “I’m a graduate and this school sucks I passed with flying colors” or “I graduated and I can say its too expensive and didn’t find a job” In reality it is your responsibility to get a job with the use of the school’s supplements. Stop looking at these false claims and just check out the school for yourself.

110. Education is simply for experience, not who spends the most money or attends a better school. But as we live on today, education seems to be more on who has more money, which school is “better” which in turn means they want more money and what kind of job areas they belong in. If people can make a business starting off with only 1,000 dollars [In whatever country] Then I say pick a school to get any knowledge needed to fulfill your dream rather than listen to People state what’s better for them rather than what’s better for you. [They will never truly know what you need, only you will leave this website and do some research.]

111. I see a lot of up and down comments on here about the school. As a 2003 graduate of the RA program I will share my experience. The education I received there was great, and I had a lot of fun learning everything I did. I am also grateful for the friends that I made through my lab group.

     Now having said all of this the area where I feel the school failed the most was in post graduation. Now before you say anything about the school not handing you a job and you having to work for it, I know all of that and knew it when I graduated. I’m talking about them allowing you to keep projects for your personal demo reel(which is what I was told we would be allowed to do). For instance my lab group had to redo the voices, music and sfx for the quidditch match in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was to be the culmination of everything we had learned and the final piece to our demo reel. We weren’t given a copy of the finished product like we had been with everything else at the end of the class. We were told to email our lab instructors upon graduation to receive a copy of this project. I graduated in July of 2003, and that October I had an interview with Bethesda Softworks(the elder scrolls series) for a post production engineer position. I had been emailing my lab instructor over the summer, asking for a copy of my lab groups app project. When I finally got a response from him this is what I was told:”we had to destroy your post production project because we didn’t receive permission to use the video portion of Harry Potter.” It bothers me that the school wouldn’t acquire what they need in order to use the video. It made me feel like we worked hard that final month for nothing. Again we were told that this would be highlight of our demo reel. You can’t blame me for feeling the way I do. This was out of my hands at this point.

     I ended up moving to los Angeles and I worked for a few different studios. I have found that the schools reputation is mixed. Some studios I went to considered full sail grads a dime a dozen, and really arrogant while others considered a blessing. I did have the chance to work with Nas, kalis, and prince(yes you read that right) so overall I will say my experience was good.

     I’ll leave you all with this, back everything up, even if your lab instructor tells you not to.

112. The Source Mag did a article on them check it out…………Cant be that bad

113. I just finished high school
     I have felt fascinated about the recording arts program.
     But after reading the reviews here…..
     I don’t know whether i’m choosing the right place for that
     Please help me out on this issue
     Is it a good choice?
     I’m from India. So making a choice is a turning point.
     So please do help me with this?

114. YEA Full Sail Ive just enrolled, Talk to you in 32 months – Music Production
     P.S. LaunchBox

115. Full Sail is a scam.

     Bottom line.

     The dumb and ignorant feel otherwise though.

     To each his own.

116. ok ok, half of this is bullshit off the bat. i dont care about my grammar so cheers to that. anyway, i cant comment on the classes but i am going June 25 and its 2012. the thing about bad communication is COMPLETELY outrageous. my administrative guide calls me atleast 2-3 times a week just to check im doing what i need to. my enrollment guide emails me back fairly quick to answer my questions. reading these comments does get me a little worried im not going to lie but hey the hell with it, its something i really love and want to pursue. the entertainment industry has NEVER been an easy job to land so thinking your 100% getting a job is retarded. i have taken the behind the scenes tour and i must admit it is pretty impressive, i learned shit that i didnt even know at THE TOUR. take this as you wish, im not getting paid by these people, im not working with these people im just telling you the truth as far as i know.

117. Does anyone have any information on the Entertainment business? Experiences, tips, how the class was, etc. I am extremely interested in this school. The career I am passionate about is managing music artist..

118. @ Zack

     I don’t know where did you get ( Nearly $75 Million a month per 100 students)it should be 7.5 Million a month per 100 students bro.
     I hope you learn some math there. thank you for your info

119. @ Adam Thank you so much for your information bro.

120. Has anyone here taken or taking the computer animation program? most of the complaints I see are from the RA program.. So i was wondering if the computer animation program was/is good. I realize graduating from any school with an animation degree (whether it be bachelors or associates) means i will have a tough time looking for a job especially in these times. But this is the career I want. so please someone let me know!

121. I’m interested in the Master’s program for Entertainment Business online. I’m glad that I took the time to read every single comment posted because it’s good to see both sides. I will have more questions before signing on the final dotted line; however, my gut feeling is that it’s a fine establishment/business/school. I’m a graduate of University of Phoenix and I’ve heard the same thing through the years about them. Distance learning worked for me. It’s not for everyone, but I think I’ll be okay. I worked very hard to earn my degree in Business Communications. Positive or negative – thanks for all the input good people. ^_^

122. I worked for Full Sail for a good six years before moving on to another career in HR. And regardless of your opinion of the school there are a few things you need to understand about it..

     #1: They are nationally but not regionally accredited. It’s important to understand that almost 99% of school that fall into this area are in fact trade or vocational schools. Meaning you can get Financial Aid but not transfer your credits or DEGREE to most universities.

     #2: As stated above, your degree is NOT a BA/BS. In the sense that if you get a BA from FS, and then go to get a Masters from a University, they will basically tell you “Your don’t have a BS”

     #3: Wile some of the staff are very experience, some of them have A-No work experiences. B-No degree of there own.

     #4: Many I.E. Most companies don’t even recognize FS’s degree’s.

     #5: Full Sail University Doesn’t Recognize it’s own degrees.
     I.E. If you get a Masters in Something, you can’t teach at Full Sail University with a degree from FS Without Work Experiences. (If you have a masters from a ‘traditional university’ you can teach there.

     Final Note.
     Do people from FS get jobs? Yes.
     Do people from FS not get jobs? Yes.
     Do people from FS get jobs more often then people from Trad-schools… O my no.

     Simple way to think about it.

     Example #1.
     Applicant A: 4.0 GPA. (Good Portfolio) Degree from FS University.
     Applicant B: 2.15 GPA. (Lack luster Portfolio) Degree from Trad-School.
     End Result: Applicant A will get the job…

     But….

     Example #2. (Actual real world example)
     Applicant A: 3.98 GPA. (GREAT Portfolio) Masters from FS University.
     Applicant B: 3.81 GPA. (Good Portfolio) BA from Trad-School.
     Applicant C: 3.1 GPA. (Good Portfolio) BA from Trad-School.
     Applicant D: 2.14 GPA. (GREAT Portfolio) BA from trad-school. Internship. A little work experience.
     End Result: Company was hiring for two positions. They Hired Application B,C & D. (Hiring a extra person and passing over the FS guy)

     Simply put.
     The degree is not useless. But its Pretty much useless when in commpation with any Traditional Degree.
     _

     I currently work in HR as A MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN THE ORLANDO AREA. (Hint hint – They four+theme parks in the area)

     And they take a slightly harsher opinion of FS because of past experience with there grads. And Simply WILL NOT HIRE FS Grads. Because they come out of FS knowing slightly less then 2 year students from trad-schools.

123. Quite a few comments on this subject. Plus a lot of opinions going in all directions.

     What about IADT? Their Web Development program is much more rounded but is still a nationally accredited school.

124. I am an Online student at Full Sail and I just wanted to say that just because your company does not recognize Full Sail degrees does not give you the right to bash them as a University and call them a scam. I think that you should try reviewing digital law.

125. This is in response to “Orlndo,” who claims to have been an instructor at Full Sail.

     I have a very difficult time believing your statements because of the high volume of spelling and grammatical errors in your post. Yes, I’m a spelling nazi; however, I usually don’t say anything unless such errors are made by “instructors” or people who claim to be teachers. You, of all people, should have top-notch spelling abilities and a grasp on basic grammar rules.

     My oldest son is seriously considering Full Sail next year when he graduates high school. I have done a lot of research and am comfortable with his choice. Every school has its good and bad, every school is expensive. However, when you consider that this is, technically, a trade school, you cannot possibly expect the equivalent of an Ivy League education. Full Sail is expensive, but not any more expensive than other schools that require students to take nearly a year’s worth of useless classes, such as liberal arts, history, sociology, and health ed. The degrees at FS are specialized degrees, meaning that students are going to be primarily focused on JUST that specialty; hence, they will be learning less about career tracts they aren’t interested in.

     My husband and I both have only Associate’s degrees from trade schools. We both have managed to fall into careers we truly enjoy and our combined salaries are well above 6 figures. We realize today’s job market is much more competitive than what we faced; however, we will support our son as he faces that market head on.

126. i am a current student at fullsail, the recording program is full of people that make beats in their bedroom and are here because of the no child left behind program. The film seems good from an outside prospective, they always have alot going on.

     MOST RELATIVE POINT HERE….who care about the schools accreditation. Im not going to fullsail to transfer my credits to another university LOLOLOLOL. Why would i be going to school to go to another school. Grow up and get a job. If you graduated and aren’t smart enough or cant find a job its because your personality sucks, or yours just not smart enough because you didnt pay attention while you had what will probably be the best chance you have in your life to change your lifes path.

     the school IS what you make of it. They can only teach you so much and they need to give you plenty of skills because some people may have to do something else instead of their dream job when they graduate. BOO HOO. you can’t expect to go to school for 2 years and go work with usher or metallica. I see kids everyday that go to school, sleep, talk about getting high, then they fail their tests or barely pass, go home and watch adventure time and do it all again the next day. There are many many many students that i started off with that arent in the school anymore. GOOD RIDDANCE. less competition for all of us later. Some people that graduate with their “C” average gpa and wonder why they cant find a job. You cant get a job when you only know 70% of anything. They want to hire someone that knows what they are doing. There are no surgeons out there that only know how to perform 70% of a heart transplant, what good does that do.

     I also see kids that sit in class and ask the instructor questions during our breaks and stay after and try and learn more than just what was covered in the days curriculum. Those are the people that i would want to work with one day. . Im currently in the process of starting an after school club for those of us that actually want to learn more.

     Most instructors are awesome and know so much. They include the macbook pro in your tuition and the software needed so no excuses for anyone when they graduate with less skills than anybody else in their class.

     The overall organization of the school is horrible, the traffic to get to school is VERY out of hand and they dont do anything about it. The last minute posting of the upcoming class schedule is not only extremely lacking of common courtesy but is borderline disrespectful/inexcusable. I understand the random schedule due to the cost of equipment and amount of students so if I have the chance to work on a million dollar piece of equipment ill be there whatever time you tell me. Its the lackadaisical approach to posting the class and lab schedule for my next class that i feel is disrespectful. If they want my money, they need to make it easier for me to make money and i need to know my schedule for that. I paid $80,000 in tuition so if your going to charge first class money I demand some first class service and I expect to be surrounded by people that feel the same way. Im not saying I want the teacher to bow to me when i walk in, Im saying kick out the kids that want to sleep, or cant pull their pants up. I paid 80k to go to a school with a good reputation but i feel that the reputation of the school will just keep going downhill unfortunately until these things change. The school is supposed to put out the best of the best and i want to be a part of that group but sadly there is a lack of any type of pride in the school. Im ashamed of half my classmates but more so by the school for letting them do whatever they want as long as they keep paying.

     Basically I have a million bad things to say about the students and the “everybody is a winner” ideology that we now in 2013. Some people will grow up and live the dream and others will be the angry lady that does the returns at Walmart and if you could watch their lives like in “The Truman Show” you could see the decisions they made that got them to where they are today. It wasnt opportunities that were given to one or another or one had more money than the other, it wasnt because they didnt have a brand new history book in 8th grade and theirs was 2 years old and now that drastically changed their life path. The test comes from the book and the knowledge comes from the student. If they cant find a job its because they didnt read the book and didnt do well on the test and got crappy grades and didnt get a scholarship and didnt go to college or didn’t join the army to earn money for college because that laziness kicked in again, so dont feel bad for anyone that didnt grow up living the dream, or finding their dream job. its their own fault, not the school they went to.

127. also fullsail is not there to make you the next rapstar, its the untalented people that are going to pay you your basic salary to try and live their dreams. Stop trying to be a rap star and learn where the money is gonna come from.

128. I am a full sail student and like every college in the world. IT”S NOT FOR EVERYONE!! I am selling my music, have sold music to VH1, TruTV, ESPN and numerous commercials and still selling productions to those that pay. I have an actual passion for music, for all those that complain about full sail. Obviously you don’t have passion, too lazy and whine to get what you want. I am not defending the school because it is a business for education program that you get out what you put in. The instructors are experts in music that have helped me even after hours, but only those that WANT help. Stop dogging the school just because YOU can’t succeed. I even EARNED scholarships that helped me lower my tuition each semester. AFter my two year degree is over, instead of $57,000 I will have only paid $32, 000. THANKS TO DEDICATION AND HARD WORK. If you don’t do well in classes and can’t cut it, don’t be mad at anyone but yourself. I along with many other people that actually enjoyed the school and work in the industry, busted our asses everyday, not just when assignments are due. If Full Sail is a scam, then so is every other school in the U.S. that you pay for.

     Again, you get out of Full Sail what you put in……

129. I have been hesitant to tell my story publicly because I have been embarrassed by my choice to attend this school. I’m still embarrassed, but I guess apathy is finally setting in. If this post helps anyone, then so be it.

     In ’06 Full Sail looked like the answer to all of my problems in my seemingly directionless life. After an eye-popping tour of the school and a promise of over 80% job placement rate, I thought I had the answer to my future licked.

     ..I think in Month 10 when my fellow student copy and pasted the same paragraph for 6 pages and scored a 90 on his assignment I realized the true quality of education I was receiving. I had worked hard for 3 days, and was graded an 87.
     We laughed about it at the time, but I find little humor in it now.

     Post graduation, here is my advice: Look at the cost of tuition. You can have passion and drive shooting from every pore of your body, to the moon and back, but if you do not have this money in your pocket to blow before you enroll, do NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL for RA. It is not worth the very basic things you could learn on your own through purchased gear and an internship. You don’t need a degree for an internship. In this case, passion and drive IS enough.

     I graduated with a degree in RA in 07 and would have been better off either spending money on a degree in a STABLE job field. I worked in the tech shop for the majority of my time there, and I discovered I wanted to transfer to an electronics degree a handful of months into schooling. But FS locks you into tuition (I believe 30% of the way into the program), and the credits are non-transferable to any school, anywhere. Hindsight is 20/20. A very painful 20/20.

     I am suffocating with debt working at a decent job in the electronics field. Unfortunately, I do not have the disposable income to go back to school in order to move up in the field. I will be paying $500/mo until I’m in my very late 30′s. Maybe longer, maybe more if something happens and I can’t continue to make these payments. I’m scared out of my mind and the pressure to pay is encompassing my life. I wonder if I’ll be able to afford a home, children, etc. before I’m 40.
     I’m mentally worn, but thanks to my parents I was brought up with a great work ethic and the idea that you take care of your responsibilities- and that in itself keeps me moving.

     Private loans do not qualify for bankruptcy in any capacity. There are no IBR or ICR programs. Interest only payments last for only a few years. Forbearance and deferment will only inevitably shoot up your monthly payment due to daily accruing interest. You cannot consolidate with Sallie Mae, or with any other bank without collateral. There is no help. You will have to pay.

     The one thing I can say Full Sail is good at is directing students to Sallie Mae. They have an AWESOME Financial Aid department. They have an awesome power to get you the money to attend, even if a typical financial institution would look at you and laugh you out the door.
     So don’t worry, if you want to go, you’ll go.

     In closing, I believe the cost of tuition is not worth the very basic and shoddy education that is quickly and hastily crammed into your brain before you’re sent out the door for the next round of students.
     If you look up the definition of “Diploma Mill” in the dictionary you will find a picture of Full Sail.

     How do you think successful Engineers, Designers, and Film-makers got along without FS? They got themselves a true real-world education. In the real world.

130. Ok. So I went to Full Sail Online for 3 classes in the Music Business Career Program, and I had all A’s. It is extremely easy and I’m a single mom with 3 kids and a full-time job! I don’t know about the assistant teachers grading papers, but I do know that the Wimba Sessions lasted anywhere from 30min to 2 hours and I did get emails back from one of my professors in a timely manner. I will say this though, IT IS WAY OVER-PRICED! I didn’t learn anything new in the classes that I did take and it honestly, literally, took me only 30 to 45min to do the assignments. The work is extremely easy! This school is, in my opinion, an over-priced trade school with a University name. I have since, moved to Los Angeles, and am attending UCLA. And no, my credits did NOT transfer. I suggest people do research on whatever school you choose and make sure you’ll be happy with whatever the outcome may be. And btw, to all you people who keep saying Full Sail isn’t a scam, I bet you all feel a little silly now that they are being investigated for scamming people out of Millions of dollars! Kudos to those who realized it before it was too late and to those who already have their degrees from this school and don’t have jobs, don’t worry, keep trying. Hopefully something good will come out of it!

131. Hello I’d like to try to give an unbiased point of view being someone who has just started attending full sail on campus. My major is Recording Arts and I am 2 months into my program. First thing I’d have to say about Full Sail is that within my first month i took two class which I did not learn anything. These classes were jokes in every aspect from the content to the instruction and to the actual assignments. And its funny too cause a decent amount of people fail these two classes due to different reason but the main one is due to the poorly written homework directions. With that being said my second class is a lot better and i actually learn things in this class so I can’t bash the classes so much. Now the reason why I am here is because me and a group of my friends got jumped last night by like 8 grown men on full sail housing. For people who don’t know, Full Sail is a 24 hour school. It is normal to go to or get out at 1am.

132. Going to Full Sail was a huge mistake for me. It is an overpriced school that has next to nothing accreditation. It did not do much in the way of finding me a job. I am currently in a debt I will never be able to pay. I am basically a slave thanks to this school

133. I find it interesting that the individuals who say Full Sail University or College is a scam; never went there or flunked out. If you check out any University and ask is it a scam you will get replies. Here are a few that have scams wrote about them: Harvard, Babson, Brigham Young, UCLA, Berkley, University of Rochester, Georgetown, University of Miami, etc.

     This school was founded in the 1980’s for audio and is the home of Platinum productions. The alumni were involved in over 75% of the Grammy’s and Academy Awards. It is one of of the most progressive schools in the country.

     My son found the school in the back of a Game Design magazine, ironically I gave it to him. We flew down in April the year he graduated. I told him he could stay home, I would attend! We both laughed. He graduated June 24th and started on June 30th, At that time they were not a University and only offered Associates. His teachers included founder of “Myan Computer Games” Shack O’Neal is the only one who can place his arms reach across the entire sound mixer. Would Shack go to a scam school,? I don’t think so.

     There are many famous musicians, game designers, stars, groups who have attended, taught or performed at Full Sail. It is the home of Platinum Productions. Check this out yourself it’s all online.

     As far as cost. Expensive and well worth it! Thousands of Grants and Scholarships are available, you just have to search and do the work. Instead of a dorm there are hundreds of apartments in walking distance. FS even provides a free roommate match up. Instead of spending money on dormitories they spend it on education.

     Do not be fooled and miss the opportunity of a lifetime to visit this school.

134. wow a lot of negative comments claiming that they don’t have enough time to study, that the courses are too hard for online teaching. really? the classes aren’t that hard. if you fail out of full sail, then yes it was a bad choice for you. try community college? at least when you fail out of that, you won’t be owing so much money. pathetic.

135. Thank you to all that have contributed their experiences and thoughts since I first posted this blog article back in 2009.

     I don’t have any new personal experience about Full Sail to add, either pro or con. But I did have something related I wanted to share.

     There is theater and performance school (which I won’t name) that has a long time reputation as being a scam and a money mill. I recently had a friend roped into the school – given lots of awards that fed into their insecurities and their desires to make it as an artist – they went to the school and dropped out after one quarter because it’s “not for them”. I gather the truth is they realized the money machine that they had gotten rolled into.

     Yet, at the same time I am working on a high profile show and both directors attended this same school. The directors are excellent, one of them possibly being the best director I have ever had the privilege to work with.

     So, does cream rise to the top no matter which cup it’s poured into? Something to think about. While this blog post was focused on “Is Full Sail a Scam” – that might be the wrong question. The right question might be “Can this school provided the opportunities to learn the craft without prior experience” or similar to that.

     In any case, whatever you decide, I know that for people starting out in the arts it’s a long and difficult road. I’ve worked in the arts for 40 years now, 30 years as a full time living. It’s not an easy road and I wish the best to each and every person who has the dream to pursue it.

     As always, we appreciate your experiences and feedback here so prospective students can make the best choice for their studies.

136. I was the first graduate of the super program 93 Recording arts/ Video and Film Production despite a slow start ended up graduating with a 3.8 overall gpa worked free interning for a couple years many small short term free lance projects after and finally had to give up and get real job. When I attended the instructors were good the equipment was top notch but the school was a joke. Even instructors were not being paid but john had a brand new 780 benz.
     Obviously clear that nothing mattered except marketing and money. If the school was 1/4 the price maybe it would be worth it. But instead it is ridiculous and absurd and a ripoff. If I had it to do over I would of gotten a degree in something medical and bought the nice equipment for my home studio

137. Full Sail is what you make of it.
     I graduated with my BFA in February 2016.
     I moved to Los Angeles, California last month and I am working in the industry.
     My education at Full Sail is my only experience in the industry.
     Your destiny is in your hands.
     Hard work pays off.
     If you want it bad enough, it will happen for you.
     Full Sail is not an easy University to go to but, if you actually read everything required and do all the assignments, you will learn something.
     Good Luck!

138. Oh boy, I was going to stay out of it…but, dude in the beginning said his business regards a Full Sail degree as trash and anyone can work at Domino’s especially with a Full Sail degree. First, I live in Gainesville Florida which is very close to Full Sail. It is awesome and I have always regretted not going. A high schoolmate did and she is booming right now and has been from the moment she stepped out of Full Sail. She did it though, not Full Sail, not whining or blaming or crumbling in the face of obstacles. I came across this looking for lectures of Full Sails or used texts. If you want to get a feel of what it’s like subscribe to them on YouTube and watch some lectures. Never forget though, don’t be an asshole because not everyone can work at Domino’s. Make the most out of all of your choices.

139. Hi I’m currently a student at Full Sail University. I had a transfer from a different college because I changed my major from cybersecurity to Game designer. I’m a single mom and I work 2 part-time jobs and got school full time online. my GPA is 3.75 at this school. I have never had my GPA that high before. Full Sail is a wonderful college to go to.

140. Hi Megan,
     Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am so happy that so many students are having a great experience at Full Sail. For the record, again, I have worked with many audio techs on pro shows that went to Full Sail. I realize that different people have different experiences, but for me, seeing “Full Sail” on a resume is a green flag, not a red one.

141. Is Full Sail a scam?
     I feel like I am in a good position to rate this school, as I have been to a regular state university for 2 years, and Full Sail, both for music. I have also played the piano for 20 years now. I will do my best to give you an honest opinion, yes its an opinion, of the music programs. We need more of those, right?
     I will graduate from Full Sail in 6 months from the 29 month campus music production program. The school is much different than the regular school I previously went to. The classes are a month long which I thought was strange, at first. Full Sail is big on working quickly, and moreover, creating a portfolio. That is exactly what some months are dedicated to at the school. You work on a project that could be used to get work in the industry, or put out into the world. Different teachers work in different facets of the music business, but many have music on ESPN, Netflix, Hulu, the list goes on and on. For one of our classes he wrote a track with the same tools provided to us by the school, and the same techniques he showed during the course, from start to finish, answering any questions along the way. A couple weeks later he informed us that the track was picked up to be used on television. I don’t know how much more job specific you can you get than that. It was more than the techniques he displayed that motivated me, it was also the possibility that I could do this with the things I learned, and complete it in a matter of hours. Some of the classes I found easier than the traditional school I attended, and some more difficult. Full Sail classes often spread the information into multiple classes, so you are always using it, and working on your craft. It is also a very hands on school, and not just devoted to classical music theory. Full Sail is very progressive and is always changing. 20 years ago the school was just a couple rooms, and they did Audio training. Im from this area and the campus seems to grow every few years. Full Sail accepts the GI Bill (which is a good sign) and is nationally accredited but not yet regionally accredited.
     The state school I went to is pretty much typical of any other 4 year school. The credits transfer to “better” colleges in many cases, which is a plus. They rarely ever mentioned the word portfolio, or audio, they were more focused on the student learning a single instrument and a lot of music theory to go with it. I don’t have any negative comments about the traditional college, other than that it is similar to an education one would have received prior to the onset of any kind of technology. Its a good school if you want to do say, solo voice, cello, or classical piano teacher. Things like that. Not near as industry related as Full Sail. You wont touch a computer either, unless you buy yourself one.
     Im not going to make this an in depth study or anything, but schools generally teach the same things. When you learn Audio 101, its pretty much the same everywhere, and only how the info is presented thats different. With the internet you can learn absolutely anything for free, so their really are no excuses to the amount of knowledge you can attain. Im going to do my thing no matter what school I go to. Hey, if you are worried about credits transferring, than maybe its not for you. Maybe school isn’t for you. Maybe you can go to Harvard and be a doctor. I don’t know your situation.
     Full Sail is most definitely not a scam, but yes it is different in the way they operate.
     I wish you all the best.

142. People are commenting that graduates from Full Sail are left with a large amount of debt and no job. Some are responding that if the graduate can’t get a job than it is the graduate’s fault.
     Why is a school graduating people who are unqualified for positions? It is a scam because they allow everyone to graduate. Doesn’t matter if you can do the job or not. They are happy to put you in massive debt.