| Type | One campus plus online; many programs are offered both ways, some only on campus or only online |
|---|---|
| Campus | Winter Park, FL (3300 University Blvd). Online programs are open to students in other states through NC-SARA |
| Credentials | Certificates (about 7 months), associate degrees (62–63 credits), bachelor’s degrees and bachelor’s completion programs (120 credits); also master’s degrees, not covered here |
| Program length | Bachelor’s in as little as 20 months at about 35 hours a week, or a 27-month track; associate typically 13–14 months (Game Art 10–16) |
| Accreditation | ACCSC (institutional; renewal for 5 years listed in June 2025). CEA for the Intensive English Program only |
| Federal aid | Yes; GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon and DoD Tuition Assistance accepted |
| Founded / owner | 1979 in Dayton, Ohio; in Winter Park since 1989; privately held (Full Sail, LLC) |
| Students | About 27,000 (2026) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
About Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a private for-profit school for media, entertainment and technology careers: film, music and audio, games, animation, design, sports media, computer science and IT. It started in Dayton, Ohio in 1979, moved to the Orlando area in 1980 and to its Winter Park campus in 1989, and became a university in 2008.
Its programs are accelerated. Courses last about a month, one or two at a time, and students take them in a set order year-round, so a bachelor’s can be finished in as little as 20 months. Tuition includes Project LaunchBox, a laptop with the hardware and software for the program. In 2025–26 Full Sail cut about 300 jobs in two rounds, saw enrollment fall 13.1% (Higher Ed Dive), and saw a federal whistleblower lawsuit against it dismissed (see below).
Programs on campus and online
Prices below are total tuition, including LaunchBox, from Full Sail’s 2026 catalog: campus prices are for August–December 2026 starts and online prices for October–December 2026 starts. Earlier 2026 starts paid less.
| Program | Credentials | Delivery | Length (examples) | Sample tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Development | AAS, BS, Interactive Technology BS completion | Campus and online | BS about 20 months (campus) | BS $94,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Game Art | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion | Campus and online | AAS 10–16 months; BS 20–29 months | BS $94,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Game Business & Esports | AAS (online), BS, certificate | Campus and online | – | BS $72,500 campus; $66,000 online |
| Computer Animation | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion; 3-D Arts certificate | Campus and online | AAS about 13 months (campus) | AAS $54,040 and BS $95,000 campus |
| Digital Arts & Design | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion | Campus only | – | AAS $54,540; BS $94,000 |
| Graphic Design | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion; Visual Design certificate | Campus and online | AAS about 14 months (online) | AAS $37,500 online; BS $94,000 campus |
| Film | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion; Film & Video certificate | Campus (certificate also online) | BS about 20 months | BS $94,000 |
| Digital Cinematography | AAS, BS, Visual Arts BS completion | Online only | – | BS $73,000 |
| Music Production | AAS, BS | Campus and online | AAS about 13 months (campus) | AAS $51,600 and BS $92,000 campus; BS $67,000 online |
| Recording Arts; Live Event Production | AAS, BS | Campus only | – | BS $92,000 |
| Audio Production | AAS (campus and online), BS (online) | Campus and online | – | BS $68,500 online |
| Music Business; Entertainment Business | AAS, BS | Campus and online | – | BS $73,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Media Communications | AAS, BS, Communications BS completion | Campus and online | – | BS $73,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Sportscasting; Sports Marketing & Media | AAS, BS; Sportscasting certificate | Campus and online | – | BS $74,000 campus; $67,000–$68,500 online |
| Creative Writing | AAS, BFA, completion, certificate | Campus and online | – | BFA $73,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Digital Marketing | AAS, BS, Business BS completion | Online only (Marketing certificate also on campus) | – | BS $67,000 |
| Web Development; User Experience | AAS, BS (UX also certificate) | Online only | Web Development BS about 27 months | BS $67,000 |
| Computer Science | AS, BS; online BS completion (AI, Mobile Development or Web Development) | Campus and online | – | AS $48,250 and BS $94,000 campus; BS $67,000 online |
| Information Technology | AS, BS, certificate | Campus and online | – | BS $94,000 campus; $67,000 online |
| Simulation Engineering | AS, BS, completion | Campus and online | – | BS $94,000 campus; $69,000 online |
| Cybersecurity | BS completion only (needs a related associate degree) | Campus and online | About 9–13 months | $45,250 campus; $30,000 online |
| Undergraduate certificates | Certificate (about 22 credits) | Campus and/or online | About 7 months | $10,500 |
None of Full Sail’s programs leads to a state licence, and none uses externships or clinicals. Instead, each degree runs a series of Project and Portfolio courses and ends with a Career Readiness course. Completion programs are for students who already hold a related associate degree or higher; they add 60 credits to reach a 120-credit bachelor’s. The Game Design certificate is no longer accepting new students, the catalog lists no standalone Game Design bachelor’s, and an Interactive Technology completion in Software Development is listed but not yet enrolling.
What the main programs cover
Game Development (bachelor’s, campus)
The campus bachelor’s is 40 courses and 120 credits over about 80 weeks. It is a programming degree, heavy on math and computer science: Programming I and II, Systems Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms, Linear Algebra, Physics and Computer Graphics, then Engine Development, artificial intelligence, Game Architecture and Game Integration. Seven Project and Portfolio courses run through the degree. Applicants must show advanced math skills at admission; those who score low on the skills assessment may be placed in a prep math course first.
Film (bachelor’s, campus)
The campus Film bachelor’s is 120 credits over about 80 weeks. Coursework starts with the History of Motion Picture Arts and Scriptwriting, then moves through Fundamentals of Production I and II, a course on the jobs on a film crew (Film Positions), Broadcast Production, Advanced Production and an introduction to postproduction. Full Sail warns that labs can be scheduled at any hour, day or night. Students who need to study from home can take Digital Cinematography instead, which is online only.
Computer Animation (associate, campus)
The campus associate is 63 credits over about 52 weeks. Students start with 3-D Foundations and Model Creation, then take 3-D Animation I and II, Shading and Lighting, Visual Development and Compositing, alongside Project and Portfolio courses. Graduates can go on to the Visual Arts bachelor’s completion. The program is also offered online, and a shorter 3-D Arts certificate of about seven months covers the basics.
Music Production (associate, campus)
The campus associate is 62 credits over about 52 weeks. Recording Arts is a separate, campus-only program. Courses cover Recording Principles, Sequencing Technology, Audio Workstations, Musicianship and Music Genres. A bachelor’s version is offered on campus and online. Campus students should expect 32 to 40 hours a week of lectures and labs, with lectures in the day or early evening.
Graphic Design (associate, online)
The online associate is 62 credits over about 56 weeks. Courses include Typography and Page Layout, Color Theory, Logos and Symbols, Creating Brand Experience and Digital Publishing, with Project and Portfolio courses that build a design portfolio. Online students should plan on 25 to 35 hours of coursework a week. The same subject is taught on campus, and graduates can go on to the Visual Arts completion with a Graphic Design concentration.
Web Development (bachelor’s, online)
The online bachelor’s is 120 credits over about 108 weeks (27 months). Courses run from an introduction to web architecture and programming for web applications to server-side languages, database systems, cloud application development, deployment of web applications and content management system development. Six Project and Portfolio courses run alongside. There is no campus version. Students who already have a related associate degree can take the Computer Science completion with a Web Development concentration instead.
Cost and paying for it
Full Sail publishes total tuition by program and delivery mode, with two price periods for each; prices rose for later 2026 starts. For campus starts from August to December 2026, bachelor’s degrees cost $72,500 to $95,000 (up from $66,500 to $89,000 for May–July starts). Online bachelor’s degrees cost $66,000 to $73,000 for October–December 2026 starts. Associate degrees cost $37,500 to $54,540, online bachelor’s completion programs mostly $30,000, and undergraduate certificates a flat $10,500. Full Sail says the cost per credit is an average and may differ by semester. A $75 registration fee is credited to tuition but cannot be paid with financial aid.
Full Sail takes part in federal student aid. Its scholarships include Creative Minds (up to $40,000, for high school seniors entering a campus bachelor’s), Full Sail Bound (up to $7,500 for an associate or $15,000 for a bachelor’s, for campus starts from 29 June 2026, with a 250-word essay, first come first served), Momentum (up to $30,000, for online students; eligibility limits apply) and International Momentum (up to $20,000 for a bachelor’s, for international online students). For military students it accepts the Post-9/11 and Montgomery GI Bill, VR&E, DEA and Fry Scholarship benefits and DoD Tuition Assistance, is an unlimited Yellow Ribbon participant, and has a Military Student Success Center on campus.
Admissions and schedule
Applicants need a high school diploma, GED or state-approved equivalent (or a college degree), government photo ID and an admissions interview, and must score at least 70 on Full Sail’s technology assessment. Game Development and Computer Science also require advanced math. Non-native English speakers must show English proficiency. Most programs start every month.
Campus students spend 32 to 40 hours a week in class and labs. Lectures meet in the day or early evening, but Full Sail runs 24 hours a day and labs may be scheduled at any time, day or night. Lectures can have up to 120 students; labs typically have 6 to 24 students per instructor. Online students should expect 25 to 35 hours a week. A 27-month bachelor’s track at about 17.5 hours a week, and a mix of campus and online study, are also offered.
Accreditation and graduation rates
Full Sail is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC); the commission’s June 2025 notice lists a five-year renewal. It is licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education and takes part in NC-SARA for online students in other states. The only programmatic accreditation is CEA’s, for the Intensive English Program; none of the media, technology or arts programs has one.
Full Sail’s ACCSC annual report (submitted October 2025) gives rates by program. Graduation counts students who finished within 150% of the program’s length; employment counts graduates working in their field, out of those available for work. Online bachelor’s cohorts graduated at much lower rates than campus cohorts:
| Program and cohort | Graduated | Employed in field |
|---|---|---|
| Film BS, campus, Oct 2021–Sep 2022 | 85% (167 of 197) | 80% (117 of 147) |
| Computer Animation BS, campus, Oct 2021–Sep 2022 | 76% (81 of 107) | 62% (47 of 76) |
| Computer Animation BS, online, Sep 2020–Aug 2021 | 36% (235 of 661) | 52% (103 of 200) |
| Music Production BS, campus, Oct 2021–Sep 2022 | 64% (75 of 118) | 71% (47 of 66) |
| Music Production BS, online, Sep 2020–Aug 2021 | 28% (161 of 585) | 70% (105 of 150) |
| Graphic Design BS, online, Sep 2020–Aug 2021 | 45% (267 of 592) | 74% (186 of 252) |
| Web Development BS, online, Sep 2020–Aug 2021 | 26% (20 of 78) | 89% (16 of 18) |
Across the school, Niche (using federal data) shows a 44% graduation rate and median earnings of $39,233 six years after entry. Full Sail says 112 of its graduates were credited on 20 projects nominated at the 98th Academy Awards (2026) and 137 on 27 projects nominated at The Game Awards 2025.
Lawsuit, layoffs and other recent news
In June 2024, two former executives of the Los Angeles Film School filed a federal False Claims Act whistleblower suit in California against that school, Full Sail and their owners and affiliates. It alleged, among other things, that the schools paid third parties to create short-term “gigs” that were counted as graduate job placements. The Department of Justice declined to join the case, which was unsealed in September 2025. Full Sail denied the claims and noted the two had never worked for it. In March 2026 the court dismissed the case, finding that the allegations lacked specificity and mixed up Full Sail’s conduct with the Los Angeles Film School’s.
Full Sail laid off 120 staff and faculty in May 2025 and cut 180 positions in August 2026, which it called an organizational realignment; it said no degree programs were eliminated. Higher Ed Dive reported a 13.1% fall in enrollment from 2025 to 2026. In March 2026 Full Sail announced Dream Lofts, student housing built by Terian Group across University Blvd from campus, with a first phase of 570+ beds due in 2028.
Before you enroll
- Full Sail is expensive: a campus bachelor’s costs up to $95,000 in tuition for late-2026 starts, and Niche reports median earnings of $39,233 six years after entry.
- Online students finish far less often than campus students. In Full Sail’s own ACCSC report, 28% of a 2020–21 online Music Production bachelor’s cohort graduated, against 64% of a later campus cohort.
- The pace is intense: 32 to 40 hours a week on campus, with labs that can be scheduled at any hour, day or night.
- Cybersecurity, and Mobile Development and AI (as Computer Science concentrations), are offered only as bachelor’s completion programs: you need a related associate degree first.
- There is no on-campus housing; the Dream Lofts development across the street is due in 2028, and the school has cut 300 jobs since May 2025.
Housing and career help
Full Sail’s Housing Resources team helps campus students find a place among the 30-plus apartment complexes within five miles, with housing guides, a roommate list, webinars and help setting up utilities. The Career Development Department offers résumé and interview preparation, employer research, regional networking events and an online alumni community, open to students and graduates. Full Sail states that employment is not guaranteed and that career services can be suspended for students with unpaid financial obligations.
What students say
On Niche, Full Sail averages 4.45 out of 5 from 6,102 reviews; on OnlineU (gradreports.com now redirects there), whose reviewers are online students, it averages 3.2 out of 5 from 393 reviews, with 69% saying they would recommend it (both checked October 2026). Niche covers the whole school; OnlineU covers online students only. Niche’s ratings are much higher than OnlineU’s; we found no sign of a burst of reviews.
- Praised: project-based work on industry-standard equipment, instructors with industry experience who are supportive, and a creative, collaborative campus community.
- Criticized: high tuition and student debt, billing disputes (including one reported bill for a term never attended), a weaker online experience with slower instructor replies, recruiting that some reviewers call predatory, and the lack of campus housing.
Sources
Full Sail catalog (Sep 2026) · Campus tuition · Online tuition · Approvals and ACCSC outcomes report (Oct 2025) · ACCSC notice, June 2025 · Lawsuit dismissal (Full Sail, Mar 2026) · Higher Ed Dive on layoffs (Sep 2026) · Niche
Programs & Courses
Film, Media and Communications
- Film (campus)
- Digital Cinematography (online)
- Media Communications
- Sportscasting (Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting)
- Sports Marketing & Media
- Creative Writing
Music and Audio
- Music Production
- Recording Arts (campus)
- Audio Production
- Live Event Production (campus)
- Music Business
Art, Design and Animation
- Computer Animation
- Digital Arts & Design (campus)
- Graphic Design
- Game Art
- User Experience (online)
Games
- Game Development
- Game Business & Esports
- Interactive Technology completion: Game Design concentration
Computing and Technology
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Cybersecurity (bachelor's completion)
- Web Development (online)
- Simulation Engineering
- Mobile Development (Computer Science completion concentration, online)
Business and Marketing
- Digital Marketing (online)
- Entertainment Business
- Marketing certificate
- Business certificate
Campus Locations
Winter Park, FL 3300 University Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792