Is Full Sail University a SCAM? An honest review a decade later.

I also went to Full Sail and I had the time of my life while I was there of course because. But to be honest with you I don't think Full Sail in and of itself is a scam I learned everything that I went there to learn and I do it well now. I think the problem is actually the college system versus The Working World in general not so much just a particular school it's a mess out there and the worst part is we all come out of this experience with a mortgage level debt but no house period and there is absolutely nothing we can do to get out from under it.

This I think applies to any Arts College in general. Full Sail is better in my opinion because at least they market technical skills that are more directly applicable than fine arts. There are some people in either who get hired, make a living, some even go famous, but it’s a ruthless job market and your dreams will be crushed if you don’t have the talent.

I am thinking of going for a Bachelors in Digital Cinematography, anyone here wanna give me some advice?

Glad I came across this video, so my situation is more that I’ve already gotten a BA in marketing and have a career in that field, but I absolutely love music and have taken up production as a hobby recently (no I haven’t spent much money on it). My goal is to be able to produce, mix, master, release, and maybe even perform my own crafted music. Whether I can make a living from it or not, it’s still something I want to do because it’s fun and I love it…so I’ve been considering going to production school. Would anyone in here say FS is worth it even if at worst case scenario I just do music as a hobby?

i got a random ad for full sail that was basically saying "if you like video games, you can just play video games as your job as a game tester" and i was like ok signed up, got phone calls from full sail university and then i was like "imma do my research" so no im not doin that shit

I'm a Full Sail University earning my Bachelor's in Engineering Cyber Security

What if I go to community college first and then attend full sail? Would it be cheaper?

Whats average cost a month

I think getting those niche degrees are bad. But going for like a computer science degree, for example I got a degree in the mobile development program. And I’m making about 170K now, started out 70K 6 years ago. So I’d say it’s a fair deal. The program is a little over priced

This dude with the great hair. Rico suave hair.

Is it true that I can attend the Music Production program ONLINE only; or will I have to combine learning online w/campus attendance?

Im just nervous about tuition and finding work afterwards

Yea its a scam Because instead of teaching they have wrestling matches in NXT. The parking lot of Full Sail is bery dangerous.

I’m looking into going to FS to get into the music industry and to make my own songs now I know that I won’t automatically get to get the opportunity of getting sign until later but I want to know will full sail help me know how to write those songs and give me guidance on to how to how to achieve that goal because I’ve always tried self learning but it’s gotten me nowhere because I don’t know where to start

Since this video was last made the average costs is about $90,000....the program my child was interested in we were quoted $98,000. ...why pay that and come out making $40 to 50 thousand dollars per year mean while a certified nurse anesthesiologist program is about $80,000 and that high end and a new grad CRNA comeS out realistically making $150,000 per year ...full sail costs makes no sense for what the annual income a new grad can make.... reality is your first gig will not be on the next big Marvel movie or producing the next album for Taylor swift....do some make it big ..of course but they are far and few in-between and it takes decades to get there....oh when you tour give a fake cell number because they will hammer you with daily phone calls about nothing using high pressure sales tactics to force students to enroll....yes its a scam!!!

Im very nervous I start classes for Game Development next month but the more I research the more I see people not recommending it so I get very nervous. I keep thinking is this worth it or should i fund a better school?

I am looking for a documentary filmmaker. Interested contact me.

Thanks. Great information. I appreciate thoughts in your video.

Definitely had to hit the sub button cause you answered everything I was looking for 💪🏾

what is the conclusion

I went to FS in the 90's when it started. I think I was in the 3rd promotion. Took the film and video program and it was actually a joke. They weren't ready, didn't have enough teachers and so on. Price I think it was around $30k. The only thing that helped was they helped graduates get placed on different jobs. My first job was online editing for ESPN2. It was a learning curve obviously.

I wanna go for creative writing, it sounds like everybody ive been looking for but man its so expensive, i wish i knew if id be stable after i was finished, i wanna find a simale art school, ones thats closer to NJ

"The way they market themselves..."
Do you recall ANY university not using the same pitch style?
Near as I can remember, every ad for MIT, Harvard or any other institute does NOT claim that "Come to us, where only five percent actually work in the field they attended school for."
It is the nature of the business to point out the positive.

Sounds like a lot of people just gave up after trial & error…

I think results may vary, but when you hear the horror stories some students have gone through I think it's not fair to discredit those who say it's a scam. Just because you didn't get fucked by them doesn't mean they don't fuck people regularly.

Paid

Should have gone to a college for musical theory, electronic musical programming and radio engineering.... would have got a degree cheaper at a community College .

I went to CRAS in the late 90's. I wouldn't call it a scam, but I would call it a waste of money and unnecessary. I could have bought the books and read them the same as I did as CRAS, I could have and should have just used what I paid them and bought gear with it and started working. Any and every diploma or certification I gathered from them was completely uninteresting to any studio or live sound house, if not laughed at. Past the internship (mine was spent answering the phone for R. Kelly and nothing else) they set up, there is zero connections they help you attain. I've worked with a tone of Fullsail grads and every one concurs with my assessment. My advice, go in forums for recording studios and get to know people and volunteer to assist engineers in your area. Buy gear, learn to use it and offer to record people. Record a lot. mix sound at bad bars for bad bands with bad equipment, but make it sound as good as you can. These schools are BS.

Full Sail lies about their connections with the Industry, and lies about how many bridges just their name has burned. When I was a student, in 2016 I befriended Garry Jones the Pres of FS. He stated to me that "So many rich kids come to the school and pay in full and then fail out. Then Full Sail spends their money and when the kids come back and say they got nothing out of it and want their money back, they don't have to do anything about it because they are a private college" It is a predatory school that leaves their alumni with no tools to better themselves. They do nothing other than check in every few years to see if you have done anything of note so that they can flaunt you. I for one am completely rejecting any contribution that Full Sail made me who I am today.

Did you have to do side classes like algebra or English while taking your music production class?

Shut up - it's a scam. That's why I got a phone call from the hood forcing me to join.

I am too in full sail but I got a grant where if I complete everything and pass all my classes I will have nothing to pay back

I kept seeing an advertisement of this college for game creation on my Instagram. I did call, talked to a man for about 30 minutes. He explained everything.. it seems legit.. but.. also... the money it takes... is.. well.. not possible for me haha.

Experiences vary widely. There are some serious systemic curriculum issues just by the numbers alone. It's not worth the price. Do you know instructors just pass people to pass them? So the student ends up in the end of their program not knowing shit. How is that ok? especially for those of you putting in the work?

Instructors regularly forget to record lecture for online students.

Recording arts is just one degre, and a very niche career from Game dev, game design, creative writing, IT, simulation etc.

I would be starting next year i make music since a child and i want to mix my talent with the intelligence of earning a degree and being more professional of my talent. First i would be trying out for the Military.

Considering the Digital Cinematography program right now and for the first time in my life I feel "light" making a decision and pursuing a new avenue. I feel an overwhelming sense of joy when I create and I just want to be the best at it. I enjoyed school and like to learn so I plan to be a sponge. Whatever happens after is entirely up to me, as is with every pursuit in life. Thank you for being candid. Very refreshing and helped solidify my plans!

I'm a junior in high school, I heard so many good things about Full Sail and signed up for it(signed up to get an insight about more things and about art and music) but I'm a timid person and when I cannot connect with the people around me I struggle and I feel like I'm an outcast and everyone thinks I'm the worst student there. I lose my confidence and start living up to what they say (what I think they say) I start slacking and being behind on my work. I'm not sure if I am capable of handling a school like this, I watched a video about why you shouldn't go to FS, and one thing they said is "If you don't want to network or need to learn how to FS isn't for you" I'm assuming he meant to connect with people and that's something I can't do, I have social anxiety and I have a hard time just greeting people or saying goodbye. Just looking at my high school life and seeing that university will be much harder than this, I feel like I cannot do this, I get anxious just thinking about it. Money is not a problem to me, it's just if I'm capable of this and if I can keep up... if you can even read this do you think I can even last in FS?? If I don't end up doing this I'll just get a job and hopefully, there will be a miracle that will happen. I know I have to work for it.

full sail student taking graphic design course here 👋 full sail isn’t a scam, I find that the school is very strong with the courses of art as I’ve learned a lot about my feild. However, I feel it would be awesome if full sail added in a fashion design degree though.

I wanna ask this: for audio engineering and music composition, what university would you recommend for a bachelors?

2008 Full Sail graduate here. Recording Arts degree. Salutatorian. Never missed a class or lab. Perfect attendance award. Global Professional score of 110. I put in the work, hardcore. While the university didn't help place me in an industry job, the skills learned got my foot in the door. Also, I gained the cool experience, the community, and networking. I made friends there who I'm still friends with today, 16 years later! Thanks for the video. Subscribing..

Is this place still open? Do they still have classes that are not online?

I just got an ad from Full Sail for creative writing and inquired about it. The pitch over the phone was good, but of course I wanted to do my own research before jumping into it

From what you said in this video, I think this could work out for me. I'm in my late 30's and attempting my hand in that industry has already humbled the ego outta me. So hopefully that will give me a perspective that can aid in my education

the only reason i went to fullsail was because i got a full ride, to be honest i wasnt going to go to college unless i got a full scholarship. and i liked fullsail because of its accelerated program. I think its way way overpriced for its time and how much it teaches, but i think all colleges are like that to a degree.
if you have to money and want to genuinely learn i think its a great place.
if you dont have the money, please please please spend 2 years AT HOME learning on your own. you can do it all on your own

Sounds like University in general. I'd love to dive deeper into the factors that led to the drop outs. However, I found this informative. I start this Monday (November 25th, 2024)

This sounds exactly like any trade school.
Most people, like 99% are no longer in the industry.
I went to motorcycle trade school in 1999.
I was a little older at the time, mid twenties, most kids were straight out of high school.
Just looking around you knew most would never stick it out, especially when then often missed class.
Despite so many graduates, there are very few good mechanics in any given region.
Many also thought they were going to be on a race team and the superstar mechanic.
It all comes down to how much you’re willing to put in.
And then how much you’re willing to grind for years afterwards.
Go in eyes wide open.