Full Sail University

COVID-19 Updates

Update – April 1, 2022

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have prioritized safety for our students, staff, and faculty by following all federal and state guidelines, in particular the CDC recommendations on social distancing and masking. The CDC has introduced a new CDC Community Level tool that tracks current infections and hospital levels to provide a guide as to appropriate protocols.

Orange County, where Full Sail University is located, is currently considered to be at a “Low” risk level, meaning that no mitigation strategies like social distancing or masking are recommended. With that in mind, all mask requirements and social distancing guidelines on Full Sail’s campus will be suspended, effective immediately. However, we encourage everyone to continue to make the best decision for their personal circumstances and realize many may continue to feel more comfortable wearing a mask.

We will regularly monitor the CDC Community Level tool and other relevant public health data and will quickly adjust our policies as necessary if the risk level in Orange County rises again. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected].

Update – October 4, 2021

With cases declining in Florida, Full Sail University continues to welcome students for all on-campus activities, including in-person tours of campus, monthly orientation and graduation ceremonies, lectures, labs, and other educational offerings. Please note that CDC-recommended safety protocols remain in place, including 3-foot social distancing measures, and mask requirements inside all of Full Sail University's buildings.

Update – August 10, 2021

Although we continue to monitor the public health situation with regards to the COVID-19 Delta variant, we are confident that Full Sail’s robust response and existing safety protocols allow us to continue welcoming students back to campus to pursue their education. As a reminder, here are the plans for August and September, applicable to all campus students.

Please note: Students with scheduling conflicts may request accommodations, and all existing flexible enrollment schedules will be honored – if you have any questions or concerns, please contact student support at least one week prior to the start of classes at [email protected].)

  • August: Full Sail is open, with all lectures and labs available on campus. Students are encouraged to attend lectures and labs on campus, but may also attend online during the scheduled time.
  • September: All lectures and labs will be offered on campus and students will be required to attend lectures and labs in person.

In the interest of providing a safe campus environment, we also encourage all staff and students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. If you haven’t yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, we encourage you to find a location near you to make an appointment.

As a reminder, Full Sail will continue to require all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear a mask while indoors on campus. If you need a mask, Full Sail will provide an appropriate face mask at any reception desk.

Update – June 22, 2021

In preparation for our return to a fully open campus in August, we’d like to share upcoming changes to the attendance policy for campus students.

(Please note: Students with scheduling conflicts may request accommodations, and all existing flexible enrollment schedules will be honored – if you have any questions or concerns, please contact student support at [email protected].)

  • June and July: All labs are available in an on-campus format, as well as many lectures. Students are encouraged to attend their scheduled lectures and labs on campus, however, online lectures and labs will be available if necessary.
  • August: Full Sail will be fully reopened, with all lectures and labs available on campus. Students are encouraged to attend lectures and labs on campus, but may also attend online during the scheduled time.
  • September: All lectures and labs will be offered on campus and students will be required to attend lectures and labs in person.

We’re excited to welcome all Full Sail Students to campus over the next few months! If you haven’t yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, we encourage you to find a location near you to make an appointment.

Update – April 15, 2021

Full Sail students across almost all degree programs now have safe, on-campus options for labs, networking, lectures, and more.

Recording Arts

Recording Arts students are still taking advantage of Full Sail’s industry-standard studio gear with socially distant lab time, increased cleaning, Zoom multi-camera setups, and strict safety protocols for studio guests.

Show Production

Our Show Production students follow campus and industry protocols regarding masks, social distancing, and campus temperature checks. The Show Production instructors disinfect all gear with an alcohol solution before and after campus activities; they also provide additional personal protective equipment like headphone earmuff covers and face shields. Students have still worked some live events, including productions in Full Sail Live 1 and events at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Film

Film students are safely working on their projects with fully sanitized labs and sets, socially distanced shoots, and outdoor spaces. Their optional on-campus lab time still takes a deep dive into set design and construction, green screens, lighting, makeup application, and more as they film individual pieces, portfolio projects, and modestly-sized productions.

Business

Entertainment Business, Music Business, and Sports Marketing & Media students are still learning the business side of their industries during the pandemic. Entertainment and Music Business students have optional class-specific options every week, plus optional business-related sessions like speed networking and guest speaking events. Sports Marketing & Media students can attend optional weekly lectures plus weekly Business Workshops to sharpen their technical skills and work on final projects.

Game Art, Computer Animation, Simulation & Visualization, Creative Writing

Our gaming, technology, and writing degree students have a number of choices for optional on-campus learning. The Game Art program has voluntary weekly live sessions, while Computer Animation students can participate in up to two on-campus lectures per week. Simulation & Visualization students are finding new ways to use technology, like remotely programming and operating hardware devices. Creative Writing bachelor’s students can attend optional campus Friday sessions where they create and workshop pieces with their classmates.

Update – February 2, 2021

Currently, every Full Sail student enrolled in a campus degree program is now able to take part — safely — in optional campus educational opportunities. For these efforts, Full Sail was recently awarded Golden Bridge Awards across three categories for our response to coronavirus.

Safety Protocols

We are continuing to enforce all of our prior safety protocols, including:

  • Face mask requirements
  • Check-in stations with temperature checks
  • Posted social-distancing guidelines
  • Hand sanitizer kiosks
  • Single-occupancy restroom and elevator requirements
  • Intensified sanitization procedures
  • Aventus Health Testing Site on campus


Staying Distanced While Working Together

Our campus is designed to mimic real-world environments and studio spaces, which allows us to model professional production requirements (like socially distanced meals, shortened shooting hours, and mask requirements) in our labs, backlots, and studios. Central Florida’s beautiful year-round weather also works to our advantage, creating additional common outdoor areas on campus and easier social distancing.

Full Sail’s smaller class sizes help students limit the number of people they encounter on campus. Since we don’t have dormitories, fewer students need to be on campus when they’re not in class. Students who would like to stay at home can pivot to our award-winning online learning system. Prospective students can avoid the stress of signing up for hard-to-find ACT and SAT testing dates: We skip the scores in favor of a phone interview and virtual admissions process.

Update – December 18, 2020

Full Sail has confronted the challenge of reopening campus by implementing a cautious, safety-based approach. We consulted with Dr. Michael Lauzardo, Deputy Director of Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, and followed guidelines from the Center for Disease Control to create safe, optional on-campus experiences. Here are some additional details about how we’re meeting the needs of both campus and online students during the pandemic.

Campus Safety Protocols

Each week, students can participate in optional campus experiences, including labs, projects, and production work. There is a daily cap on the number of students and faculty allowed on campus to maintain social distancing. Video training sessions, signed disclosures, and daily attestation forms maintain open communication about campus safety protocols and any potential COVID symptoms among students and staff. On-campus check-ins require an individual QR code and a fever screening at a touchless temperature-check station. Masks are required for everyone at all times, and we follow CDC-recommended campus cleaning protocols. Each classroom has a supply of personal protective equipment, and we’ve also employed an on-site nurse from Aventus Health who can administer COVID-19 test to symptomatic students or faculty members.

Dynamic Distance Learning

Creative camera work and new technology is giving Full Sail’s online students a more immersive Zoom experience. Lab instructors can set up multiple cameras throughout a classroom or lab space, connect each camera to a separate Zoom session, then place each feed into a single Zoom window using Synergy software. This creates a dynamic lesson with multiple vantage points that students can switch between in real time.

Update – October 2020

Optional on-campus labs are now available to all degree students. All safety, cleaning, and distancing measures that were introduced in July are still required.

Update – July 2020

Full Sail has started cautiously reopening a small number of campus labs to support seniors who need lab time to graduate. The labs are optional, and students who elect to attend campus labs must follow a strict set of safety protocols. These include:

  • A daily symptom monitoring attestation filled out prior to the student’s arrival on campus
  • Temperature checks upon arrival
  • Masks are required on campus at all times
  • Social distancing guidelines are enforced
  • All common areas are currently closed
  • Bathrooms and elevators are limited to one person at a time
  • All campus areas are deep cleaned throughout the day
  • All tours and club meetings have been shifted online

Update – June 8, 2020

Full Sail is staying true to its innovative spirit and technological expertise to keep our students, faculty, and staff safe and engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also providing resources to the Orlando community to support K-12 teachers, public safety, and medical services.

Students

We’re continuing to link classroom activities to real-world experiences with student seminars. So far, Full Sail has hosted virtual sessions with musicians like the band Trivium and successful grad Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young; Q&A sessions with ESPN anchors, radio hosts, and comedians Ken Jeong and Greg Hahn; and we’ve connected Film students with graduates like Stephen Beres (HBO's Senior Vice President of Studio & Production Services) and film and TV executive Deborah Liebling.

Students have been stretching their creative wings with the Digital Cinematography degree program’s Social Distancing Short Film Contest, while Game Design students completed Your Human is Sick, an educational game about the immune system

Student Community

Armada Events

Full Sail’s robust esports community is continuing to play and connect with virtual club gatherings and weekly tournaments. Armada, the school’s esports team, finished in the Collegiate Call of Duty League Top 12 in mid-May. Esports competitors also participated in an open Rocket League tournament that raised thousands of dollars for Feeding America.

Virtual Orientation & Graduation

Students can still mark the beginning and end of their Full Sail journeys with virtual orientations and graduations. New students attend two one-hour live shows that welcome them to the school, while graduating seniors celebrate their accomplishments with multiple ceremonies.

Assistance

Full Sail is addressing student needs by offering pass/fail grading and a Hardship Assistance Scholarship. The new Technology Assistance Scholarship reduces the financial burden of online education costs, including high-speed internet setup.

Career Development

Full Sail’s Career Development Department continues to present industry opportunities to students with virtual seminars. Graduates and industry professionals are joining students for Zoom sessions throughout the week to share job search tips, give portfolio critiques, and answer general questions.

Our Emerging Technologies Department also hosts weekly Tech Tuesdays, and online event featuring panels with grads who work for tech giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, gaming companies, and tech startups.

K-12 Community

In response to the dramatically altered K-12 landscape, our Instructional Design & Technology master's program has launched a free, on-demand webinar series for local educators who need support transitioning to remote teaching. Full Sail has also created a scholarship initiative that provides over $1 million for eligible K-12 educators to enroll in Full Sail's Instructional Design & Technology Master of Science degree.

Central Florida Community

We are proudly supporting Advent Health's contingency plans at a time when hospitals are stretched to their limits. Full Sail is offering to allow Advent to store essential personal protective equipment (PPE) on campus as needed. We also loaned classroom space to the Orange County Firefighters so that they could separate 56 trainees into six-person classes and safely complete their training.

Full Sail Labs

Parents who are struggling to find trusted educational resources while they’re at home with their teens might want to check out Full Sail Labs. The center for child and young-adult learning is currently offering free online courses for teens ages 13-17 in Music Production and Game Design. Virtual summer camps are also being offered throughout June and July.

Ongoing Communication

Full Sail University will continue to communicate with our community through the following channels:

  • Additionally, you can find more resources at Orange County's website at ocfl.net, the Health Department’s COVID-19 website at floridahealth.gov, or the CDC's website at cdc.gov.
  • For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Health Department’s COVID-19 call center at 1.866.779.6121 or [email protected] (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).
  • Please visit floridahealth.gov to locate and obtain contact information for your local County Health Department.

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