Academics
Full Sail University is an entertainment media institution offering on-campus and online degrees, including 2 graduate certificates, 2 associate degrees, 25 bachelor's degrees, and 8 master's degrees. Academic degree programs are primarily focused on audio, film and media production, video game design, animation and other studies related to the media and entertainment industries. Over 70% of students and graduates have used financial aid to cover some or all of their education expenses. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before applying for student loans through the university.
The college’s education is accelerated, typically completed in half the time of a traditional four-year college — associate's programs are 12 to 13 months long, bachelor's programs are 20 to 36 months long, and master's programs are 12 months long. Degree programs begin monthly. Courses are generally four weeks in duration, with students taking an average of two courses at a time.
According to The New York Times, Full Sail is regarded more highly than many other institutions in the for-profit college industry. They reported that some of the university's academic programs have high loan burdens and low graduation rates. The $81,000 video game art program graduated 38 percent of its students, who carried a median debt load of nearly $59,000 in federal and private loans in 2008. The Times cited other Full Sail degree programs as having higher graduation rates, noting that the master's in entertainment business, "a yearlong program with a $36,245 tuition, graduated 80 percent of its students, nearly 63 percent of them on time." According to Inside Higher Ed, "a closer look at the numbers reveals that graduation rates are not a major problem at Full Sail: the overall graduation rate is a fairly high 78 percent, according to federal data." In the same article, however, The New York Times noted that Full Sail's own students have posted criticisms of the school, including some that call Full Sail a "scam" because of its high costs, low placement, and difficulties with credit transfer.
The college was named School/College of the Year by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC) in 2008 and 2011, 21st century best practices in distance learning by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) in 2011, and was the recipient of a 2011 New Media Consortium Center for Excellence award.
In 2007, Full Sail University offered its first online degree program, a master's degree in Entertainment Business. Currently, the school offers a total of 22 online degree programs: seven master's degrees, thirteen bachelor's degrees, and two graduate certificate programs. Nine of the online degree programs are directly based on campus-based degree programs, and the other thirteen are exclusive to Full Sail University Online. Online students at Full Sail utilize much of the same software and creative tools students use in campus-based programs. Additionally, Full Sail custom-built a learning management system for use with their online courses; the LMS is Macintosh-based, and utilizes content created by an in-house curriculum development team in conjunction with campus-based instructors. The curriculum used for Full Sail University Online is generated utilizing the same educators and advisory boards as campus-based programs.
Although the university is not regionally accredited, it is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The college has been subject to criticism regarding transferability of credits, as credits from nationally accredited schools often do not transfer to regionally accredited schools.
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