Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 13/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Full Sail University earns a 13/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier. The numbers are stark across every dimension. Net price averages $38,875 (notably higher than its $26,906 sticker tuition), translating to $155,500 in total four-year cost. Average earnings six years after entry are $34,200, climbing only marginally to a median $38,219 by year ten - almost no career-progression lift. The earnings premium over a high-school graduate is just 2.1%, the lowest sub-score on the report. The implied payback period is 91.8 years, which is the algorithm's polite way of saying earnings effectively never recoup cost. Median federal debt sits at $27,000, but program-level debt for the heavy-volume creative majors runs $40,000-$45,000. The five-year repayment rate is 33%, and 7-year repayment is 56%. Completion is 44.3%, weak. The program mix varies: a few small computer-science cohorts post B/B+ grades, but the school's identity programs - audiovisual technology, design, film, human-computer interaction, music - post F grades at high graduate volumes. Honest framing: the data shows graduates routinely carry six-figure four-year costs against earnings that don't differ meaningfully from non-degree-holders.
How Full Sail University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score13/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Full Sail University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $26,906/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,906/yr |
| Average net price | $38,875/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $155,500 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,219 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 44.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 25,777 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $26,906/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $38,875/year, or roughly $155,500 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $38,738/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $41,762/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,200) and comes to 0.79, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $38,738 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $38,162 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $38,181 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $40,236 |
| $110,001+ | $41,762 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $38,738 net price - comparable to what middle-income families pay, indicating Full Sail's aid does not scale to need. Across four years, that's $154,952 - well over five years of household income for the lowest bracket. Pell-eligible students should treat enrollment here as financially incompatible with their resources unless pursuing one of the small CS-track programs.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $38,162 ($30K-$48K), $38,181 ($48K-$75K), and $40,236 ($75K-$110K). The aid curve is essentially flat, meaning the school provides almost no need-based discounting. A $48K-$75K family ends up financing the same $152,000 four-year price as a $30K family.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $41,762. Note the inversion across the income gradient: Full Sail's net price RISES with income but only by about $3,000 from the lowest bracket to the highest - effectively no discounting in either direction. Higher-income families are paying $167,048 over four years against $38,219 ten-year median earnings. The math does not work for any income tier outside of CS-track students.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Full Sail University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $33,579 | F |
| Human Computer Interaction | $45,823 | F |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | $44,012 | F |
| Visual and Performing Arts | $36,870 | F |
| Design and Applied Arts | $44,962 | F |
| Music | $39,466 | F |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $38,124 | F |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $33,429 | F |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | $38,847 | F |
| Communications Technologies | $36,898 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Computer Engineering
Computer engineering is Full Sail's strongest program. Graduates earn $61,553 one year out and $93,410 four years out, against $20,500 median debt - a 0.333 debt-to-earnings ratio and a B+ ROI grade. With 76 graduates this is also a meaningful cohort. The program demonstrates that Full Sail can deliver real outcomes when the major is technical and labor-market demand is high; CS-track applicants are the one subset of prospective students for whom the numbers defend enrollment.
Computer Science
Computer science graduates earn $50,359 one year out and $77,512 four years out, against $19,875 median debt - a 0.395 debt-to-earnings ratio (B grade). This CS program has 104 graduates per cohort. The earnings trajectory is strong relative to the program cost, making this and computer engineering Full Sail's two genuinely defensible pathways.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Film/video graduates earn $24,078 one year out, climbing only to $33,579 four years out. Median debt is $27,000 with a 1.121 debt-to-earnings ratio - F grade. With 594 graduates, this is one of the largest cohorts at the school, and the financial outcomes are poor.
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
Audiovisual graduates earn $30,014 one year out and $44,012 four years out, against $43,000 median debt - a 1.433 debt-to-earnings ratio (F grade). 508 graduates per cohort makes this a flagship program by volume. Debt is $43K against $30K starting earnings.
Human Computer Interaction
HCI graduates earn $26,924 one year out and $45,823 four years out, with $33,471 median debt and a 1.243 debt-to-earnings ratio (F grade). 572 graduates per cohort.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 39.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 44.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 32.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 55.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Full Sail University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 25,777 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 33.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,970 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT/ACT mid-ranges are not reported because the school does not require standardized testing. The completion rate is 44.3% and five-year repayment progress is 33%.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Sail University (this school) | 13 | $38,875 | $38,219 |
| Herzing University-Minneapolis | 16 | $16,670 | $36,909 |
| Strayer University-Virginia | 11 | $19,578 | $40,092 |
| Strayer University-Tennessee | 11 | $11,645 | $40,092 |
| South University-Richmond | 11 | $30,442 | $34,421 |
| Strayer University-Georgia | 9 | $18,318 | $40,092 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Full Sail University side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Full Sail enrolls 25,777 students with a 33.8% Pell rate - a large for-profit serving a meaningfully low-income population. The fit profile that the data actually supports: students enrolling in computer engineering or computer science (B/B+ grades, 60-100 graduates per cohort) where earnings genuinely materialize. For prospective film, animation, music, or graphic-design students, the data is unambiguous: outcomes are poor, debt is heavy.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Full Sail University scores 13/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $38,875 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,219 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 44.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 44.7% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Full Sail University: Common Questions
Is Full Sail University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Full Sail University scores 13/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $38,875 a year after aid against $38,219 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Full Sail University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $38,875 a year, or roughly $155,500 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Full Sail University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,219 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Full Sail University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Full Sail University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Full Sail University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $34,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Full Sail University?
The six-year graduation rate is 44.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.