Full Sail University

Winter Park, Florida, United States · Est. 1979 · Private University

Private for-profit media and entertainment university specializing in audio, film, animation, and game design.

  • Founded in 1979 in Dayton, Ohio as Full Sail Productions; relocated to Winter Park, Florida in 1989
  • Private for-profit university with ~26,737 students (25,532 undergraduates)
  • Accredited by ACCSC to award associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees
  • Specializes in audio, film, media production, animation, game design, and entertainment business
  • Campus features 200 acres with soundstages, film backlot, 110 studios, and esports arena (The Fortress)
  • Notable alumni include Discord co-founder Jason Citron, Grammy-winning engineers, and Oscar-winning sound professionals

Academics

Full Sail's curriculum is primarily focused on audio, film and media production, video game design, animation, and entertainment-related studies. The university offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs accredited by ACCSC. Programs include entertainment business, game design, computer animation, digital media, sports marketing and media, and sportscasting. The university began offering online degrees in 2007 and added coursework in augmented and virtual reality in 2016.

Campus & Facilities

The 200-acre Winter Park campus, located 8.6 miles northeast of downtown Orlando, features soundstages, a film backlot, and 110 studios. Recent additions include The Fortress esports arena (opened May 2019), a Virtual Production Studio (opened March 2022), and two emerging technology labs opened in 2025: the Spatial Computing Innovation Lab and the Drone Innovation Center. An IBM Cyber Defense Range opened in 2026.

Student Outcomes & Recognition

As of July 2024, Full Sail has a 47% graduation rate according to the College Scorecard. The university has received numerous awards including FAPSC School/College of the Year (2008, 2011, 2014) and recognition from the United States Distance Learning Association. Full Sail's Game Design master's degree has ranked in The Princeton Review's Top 25 Graduate Programs for Video Game Design since 2014, and the university ranked #19 in Animation Career Review's Top 50 Animation Schools in 2020.

Notable Partnerships

From 2012 to 2020, Full Sail served as the home base for WWE NXT tapings, with students producing episodes and earning scholarships through merchandise and ticket sales (totaling $385,000 by January 2018). The university partnered with ESPN in 2010 to open a laboratory for research and development in studio technologies, and with Wargaming in 2015 to build a user experience lab.

Founded
1979
Type
Private University
Courses
12
Total intake
Not yet verified
Websitehttp://fullsail.edu
HousingNot available
Some details are still being verified.

Quick stats

Courses offered
12
Avg career outcomes
Not yet verified
47% placed
Total intake
Not yet verified
Housing
No
Data last verified June 2026 · compiled from official sources