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I know there are some negative comments from other students, but I think it is mainly with the Nursing program, which I cannot provide assessment to. However, being a Business student and graduate from Excelsior, I can tell you it was on par with the state universities I have been enrolled in prior. Having done both traditional classroom and online classes, Excelsior was equally challenging. Student services was better than University of Maryland, University of Missouri Kansas City, and DeVry combined.... Read More All my instructors were at a Doctorate level and professors at prestigious universities. Very critical in their grading, but depending on the amount of work you put in, the grades reflected. With the BPS degree I earned, I was accepted into a MBA program at a highly ranked non-profit, private state university. Also, with the course work I endured at Excelsior, I was well prepared for my graduate level courses. I appreciate my instructors immensely! Again, I am one of many experiences at Excelsior, so everybody differs. One more note, I am active military, and the instructors were very understanding and flexible when it came to my deployments.

I'm currently carrying a 3.79 GPA, studying for my BS in Business Management with a certificate in Advanced Software Development. My experience falls along the lines of I get out of this school what I put into it, and I'm already getting paid even though I graduate in 2017 (more on that in a moment). I went to a prestigious university right after high school, but I didn't take it seriously. I ended up losing my financial aid at the time because my GPA dipped below 2.0. I also got into some legal... Read More trouble, but despite my personal struggles, I managed to build a solid career in IT, and ran my own business until I lost it all in the recession. Long story short, I'm getting back to where I was, and I started another business. Over 20 years later, I decided to go back to get my degree, but I didn't have time to go to a traditional school. I decided on UoPX because one of my closest friends got his degree there several years earlier. He's currently doing very well as a senior analyst for a large health services organization, he's paid off his student loans, and his degree has opened many doors for him. Personally, I decided to get my degree as an example to my two young sons. I couldn't very well stress the value of a college education to them if I didn't have one, especially when I had done very well without it. The online classes fit easily into my work and home schedule, and I've learned a lot from the materials. I had good instructors and bad instructors at my last 4 -year university, and I've had good and bad instructors at Phoenix. Just like at the 4-year university, I could tell which ones actually cared, which ones didn't, and which ones are competent. I took classes that were a joke at the 4-year university, and I took classes that took every ounce of effort just to get a C. At Phoenix, I characterize the classes here as somewhere between easy and tedious. The classes that have challenged me simply had a lot of assignments due, and I simply did not have enough time in my schedule to get all of the work done. The group assignments pose a challenge to coordinate everyone's schedule to complete the work online. All of my groups, though, have had serious students, so I've never had a problem with flakes. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I transferred in with a lot of units, so I've taken mostly core and upper division classes. Perhaps the less serious students have already been weeded out by this time? Phoenix does let new students take classes on a trial basis. Again, this was my experience 20 years ago going to one of the best colleges in my state; some students simply did not care and let others shoulder the load in group assignments. The academic and financial advisors have been very diligent in checking in with me. I hear from someone at least monthly, and every time I call, I get assistance. In fact, I was studying for my Project Management Certificate, and I changed my mind and wanted to take software programming. My advisor got approval for me to get an ASD Certificate outside of the School of Business. The reason I did this is because I stumbled upon a situation after I finished my last Accounting class. A business owner hired me to straighten his books out. After that project, I've been advertising myself for part-time bookkeeping services, which does not require any degree, credential, or certification. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with a second potential client. I used what I learned, so now I'm making a little extra money on the side. With each programming class I complete, I have the chance to compete for more software programming contracts for my consulting business. I know so many people with 4 year degrees who don't even use them. My ex-wife has a degree from a traditional 4-year university. Because she stayed at home during our marriage and doesn't have recent job experience, she can't find a job that pays more than $12/hour (hard to live on in California). I know so many more people without college degrees who make six figures and up. Many years ago, the MCSE in IT was considered a joke certification, but now many IT jobs require it. I've sat on interview panels, and seen people get passed over with degrees and certifications but no experience. A degree does not guarantee a job, especially without the relevant experience, but it can open doors for someone who's paying attention. I recommend to anyone considering Phoenix, that before attending Phoenix, get all the lower division classes done at a community college first, if there is one in the area. First, it's cheaper; why pay $410 a unit for basic Math and English classes? Community colleges in California charge $50 a unit (I believe, but don't quote me), and students can still get financial aid there. Second, life happens. Kids get sick, jobs get crazy, cars break down, relatives die. If life gets in the way and you need to take a leave, better to do so with only a few hundred or maybe a thousand dollar student loan debt than $15,000. I agree with others here who have said it's not for everyone. 5 week classes and the online format takes a little getting used to. I learn by doing and watching, so the interactive tutorials and videos help me the best. I don't learn by listening, so I don't get much sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture. Also, if I have issues, I talk to my instructor. If my instructor doesn't help, I call my academic advisor. If I still don't get help, I go up the chain until someone does. Hey, I'm paying $15 grand a year, and it's my education. Now that the Feds have cracked down on for-profit colleges, I expect many more people to have the same experience I'm having. In fact, it may even be worth it to put less weight on any comments (positive or negative) from people who attended Phoenix prior to 2015. Lastly, I haven't had any negative feedback so far about attending Phoenix. Colleagues and clients have reacted positively, and no one has said anything about it being a worthless degree or diploma mill. In fact, I've already gotten paying work and I haven't even graduated. I will say that having sat on interview panels, I've seen more than my fair share of terrible resumes. I've seen resumes from Stanford graduates that seemed like a third grader wrote it. Needless to say, they didn't get hired. It may not be the Phoenix degree holding someone back. Just saying.

I chose UMUC to pursue a bachelor's degree online. I've had online courses before, and I understood that the workload is often more for out of classroom learning. If you are looking for someone to hold your hand while you learn, I don't recommend taking an online course. The only reason to take an online course is for the flexibility. As for UMUC's flexibility, it was largely dependent on the teacher. Each class requires weekly discussions as part of a participation grade, but some assign group discussions... Read More that greatly limit the flexibility of taking a course. If your group decides to discuss/post on a certain day, and you have to work, good luck keeping your grade up. It defeats the whole point of taking an online course. As for my biggest complaint, UMUC seems to mess up my billing every semester. I have a completion scholarship, which was awarded to me for having graduated from an associates program from a MD school. The scholarship boasts roughly a 50% cut in tuition, and although it isn't paid upfront, it (in theory) greatly reduced the costs to attend this school. The truth as it turns out is that the automated billing system they use can and will miscalculate your scholarship. In my case, I would pay in full, and get reimbursed, only to be issued an additional bill before the end of the semester. The worst part is that when I would call and question where this charge was coming from, nobody seemed to have any idea why this was happening. They would simply say my scholarship was being adjusted (even though I was meeting GPA and minimum credit hour requirements). Adding up the totals on my own, it became clear that the scholarship I was awarded was no where near the amount promised, and to this day, nobody can explain why. I learned to not count on any of the financial aid awards, and budget an extra $600 into what I already paid for my additional mid semester bills. I guess you could say the most valuable lesson the school has taught me is how to budget for the unexpected costs life will throw at you.

Reading the other article about GCU where much different then my experience. I have earn a Bachelors and just completing my Master here at the University, I have nothing but great things to said about this institution. Of course there are stubbing block but you will get them at every university. It is hard to satisfy everyone but from the blocks of instruction , the professor , enrollment counselor as well as the student advisors they all receive nothing but praise for a job well done. GCU, Thanks... Read More for giving me the information and the tools to go further with the journey that I have chosen to take. I would recommend this University to everyone who has the discipline to do the work and earn their education. With that said I would love to become a part of the servant staff.

I do not understand why there are so many negative reviews. You most definitely have to work hard and believe me when I say the course "crunch" is grueling but at the end it is very worth it to pursue a degree with this school. I did have a couple instructors that were subpar but for the most part they were outstanding. As for the cost, my youngest daughter is considering a school that charges almost $1200 per credit so at $450 a credit it's a bargain... I graduated with a 3.74 overall GPA; 3.54... Read More in Information Systems and a 4.0 in Psychology. I finished my degree on February 8, 2016 and am planning to return in a couple months to pursue a Masters in Psychology.

I am very disappointed to see the negative comments about Ashford. Every member of staff I ever spoke to was very friendly and as helpful as possible. I have attended for four years and never had any problems with staff or instructors. My advisers always responded in a timely manner and I feel I have received a quality education at Ashford and will most likely go on to get my Master's there. The problem is that many people are not disciplined enough to supervise themselves through life. A college... Read More degree is you responsibility and no one else's. If you do not take care of things the right way, bad things can happen such as some of the ones I have seen mentioned on this site. I kept my ducks in a row and managed four years of online schooling with this university with minimal technical difficulties. Their prices are in line with every other similar college I checked in to. I would highly recommend Ashford University to any and everyone!

As a new college graduate from WGU, I wanted to provide a review on my experience to share with anyone that may be considering attending. WGU was without question, the best educational experience I have had. It is run like a normal business and you are treated as their customer. The work is hard but very complete and relevant. I was able to put my head down and work through 3 years of school in 1.5yr's. I loved my coursework and while some classes are better than others, in general it was very well... Read More organized and supported. The course mentors did a great job helping me when I would get stuck and contributed greatly to my accelerated pace. Great experience, great education, great college.