Full Sail University

Motto	If you're serious about your dream, we'll take your dream seriously
Type	Privatefor-profit university[1]
Established	1979
Accreditation	ACCSC
Chair	James W. "Bill" Heavener, Co-chairman & CEO[2][3][4]
President	Garry Jones
Students	26,737[5]
Undergraduates	25,532[6]
Location	Winter Park , Florida , United States 28°35′41″N81°18′11″W / 28.59472°N 81.30306°W /28.59472; -81.30306
Mascot	Douglas DC-3 airplane
Website	fullsail.edu

Full Sail University is aprivatefor-profit university inWinter Park, Florida.^[7] It was formerly arecording studio inOhio namedFull Sail Productions^[8] andFull Sail Center for the Recording Arts.^[9] The school moved to Florida in 1980, began offeringbachelor's degrees in 2005,^[10] and began offering online degrees in 2007.^[11] The following year, the school was granteduniversity status by theFlorida Department of Education.^[12]

Full Sail isaccredited by theAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges to awardassociate,bachelor's, andmaster's degrees inaudio,design,computer animation andbusiness administration.^[13][14]

Full Sail University was founded by Jon Phelps inOhio, in 1979.^[15] Its curriculum was centered on recording arts and offered courses inaudio engineering.^[16] It relocated toOrlando, Florida, in 1980 and added new courses to its core recording arts program. In 1989, Full Sail moved to its current location at Winter Park, Florida;^[16] the following year, it was accredited to grant specializedassociate degrees.^[17]

Enrollment doubled between 1989 and 1991 at a time of increased interest in film and media studies.^[18] The university had financial difficulties in 1992 and its growth slowed.^[19] Between 1995 and 1999, it began offering associate degrees in computer animation, digital media, game design and development, and show production and touring; these were later expanded into full bachelor's degree programs.^[17]

In 2005, the school offered its first bachelor's degree program, a Bachelor of Science degree in entertainment business.^[20] In 2007, the first master's degree program—also in the entertainment industry—was offered.^[21] Online degree programs began in 2007, the first of which was an online adaptation of the existing Entertainment Business Master of Science.^[21]

The additions of the master's degree programs, among other factors, led to the school being recognized as a university by the state of Florida.^[22] In 2008 it changed its name from Full Sail Real World Education to Full Sail University after attaining university status from theFlorida Department of Education's Commission for Independent Education.^[22]

The curriculum and degree programs were broadened between 2006 and 2011,^[23] adding programs such as a Bachelor of Science in sports marketing and media,^[24] and a Master of Science degree in game design.^[25]

In 2012,WWE began filming episodes of itsinternet television showWWE NXT at Full Sail University.^[26][27][28] In June 2015, the school began hosting theWWE Tough Enough series.^[29][30][31] As part of the partnership between Full Sail and WWE, students have the opportunity to produceWWE NXT tapings, during which merchandise and tickets sales contribute to a scholarship fund for students enrolled at the university.^[32][33] As of January 2018, the partnership had resulted in $385,000 in scholarships.^[34][35][36] In September 2019, WWE and Full Sail University announced the expansion of their partnership. In 2020, it was announced that WWE NXT would stop taping at Full Sail University.^[37]

In 2015, the university announced a partnership withWargaming and completed building auser experience lab for conducting research projects.^[38][39][40]

Full Sail University's Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting was established in 2017, with a sportscasting degree program and instruction provided by sportscaster and radio personality Dan Patrick.^[41][42][43]

The university moved to Winter Park in 1989.^[44] Full Sail University's approximately 200-acre (81-hectare) campus is located 8.6 miles (13.8 kilometers) northeast of downtownOrlando. The campus hassoundstages, a film backlot, and 110 studios.^[45] An office building for teaching staff for the online degree program was leased in 2009.^[46]

In 2010, a new game studio was named "Blackmoor" (after a campaign inDungeons & Dragons) in honor ofDave Arneson, who taught game design at the school from 1999 to 2008.^[47] In November 2010, in partnership withESPN, the school opened a new laboratory for research and development in studio technologies.^[48] Two months later, approximately 200 Full Sail Online employees moved into the Gateway Center in Downtown Orlando.^[49] Also in 2011, the university announced plans to construct an 86,000-square-foot (8,000 m²) educational building to house 475 faculty and staff, additional film and television soundstages and classrooms; it was scheduled for completion in early 2012.^[50] In July 2011, Full Sail acquired Lakeview Office Park in Orlando.^[51]

In October 2018, Full Sail announced plans to construct anesports arena called "The Fortress".^[52] The 11,200-square-foot venue opened in May 2019, serves as home of Full Sail University's esports team, Armada.^[53][54][55]

In 2020, The Fortress was named a top-10 collegiate esports facility.^[56] It was also named one of the "15 Most Elite Universities for Pursuing Esports Careers in North America" in 2020.^[57][58] The Virtual Production Studio opened on the main campus in March 2022.^[59][60]

Full Sail's academic degree programs are primarily focused on audio, film and media production,^[61] video game design,^[62] animation^[63] and other studies related to the media and entertainment industries.^[64] Full Sail began offering coursework in creatingaugmented reality (AR) andvirtual reality (VR) projects in 2016, housed in the campus's Fabrication Lab.^{[65][66][67][68]}

Full Sail isaccredited by theAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).^[13][69] In 2007 and 2011, the college was subject to criticism regarding limited transferability of credits.^[70][71][72]

According to theCollege Scorecard, as of July 2024, Full Sail has a 47% graduation rate.^[73] Academic year prices for full-time, first-time undergrad students in the 2023–2024 period was $26,947.^[74]

In 1989, 1990, and 1991, the Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts wonMix magazine's outstanding institutional achievement award for recording schools.^[75]

In 2005,Rolling Stone called Full Sail "one of the five best music programs in the country".^[76]

The college was named FAPSC School/College of the Year (an award for which only career colleges in Florida were eligible) by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC) in 2008, 2011,^[77] and 2014.^[78] Full Sail was recognized for its 21st-century best practices in distance learning by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) in 2011,^[79] and was the recipient ofNew Media Consortium Center for Excellence Award in 2011 and 2015.^[80][81]

Full Sail's Game Design master's degree has been ranked in The Princeton Review's Top 25 Graduate Program for Video Game Design since 2014.^[82][83][84] Full Sail also ranked in the top 50 in The Princeton Review's list of undergraduate programs for game design in 2021.^[85][86]TheWrap ranked Full Sail last place in their 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 lists of the "Top 50 Film Schools".^[87][88][89] In 2018,College Magazine ranked Full Sail number five in their list of the top 10 colleges for video game design.^[90] In January 2020, Animation Career Review ranked Full Sail University number 19 in their list of Top 50 Animation Schools in the US.^[91]

Instructors at who have taught at Full Sail includeDungeons & Dragons co-creatorDave Arneson (game design),^[137] andOprah Winfrey's domestic partner,Stedman Graham.^[138][139] Other notable instructors includeJames Neihouse, cinematographer and lifetime member of theAcademy, a 6,000-member group that votes on Oscar nominees. Oscar-winning sound engineerBill W. Benton teaches in the Film Production MFA program,^[140] and former wrestlerEd Ferrera teaches the creative writing program.^[141][142]

• Official website

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• Universities and colleges established in 1979
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• Art schools in the United States
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