American Public University

Obviously I will second all of the cliche posits: "you get what you put into it," "the faculty will not hold your hand; you must be self sufficient," and "(concerning faculty) you take the good with the bad." But, I will stress the point that there is an implicit bias behind the many negative reviews posted here of this university; and that is, not everyone has the self motivation and borderline 'reclusiveness' to do well under such conditions. Somehow, in my case, I managed to receive two BA degrees in Business Administration w/minor in Religion and Philosophy all within the course of about 2.5 years. My GPA was 3.79 and 3.93 respectively. So, naturally I am quite pleased with my experience. In fact, although I am currently half the way through a Graduate degree in Philosophy at a CA State University, I have just enrolled for another go at turning that minor in Religion into a Bachelors. This final BA here is primarily for the purposes of expanding my current intellectual acumen so as to help me move even further in my scholarly pursuits. But the fact remains that APUS/AMUS is 1) a regionally accredited university (which means credits will transfer to major universities) 2) one of the most affordable distance universities (I think they achieve this affordability through the outsourcing of many educational mediums to other institutes; e.g. get ready to go to You Tube and other sites to do research or learn the weeks topic. I did find all of the content highly relevant however. It is just for the fact that many higher priced distance programs have their own proprietary content that probably accounts for the higher priced tuition costs...just saying). 3) administration seems to get smeared here on this review site. Though, I really never had any issues with them and found that they usually had the answers to my queries and produced these answers quickly. Actually I was more often very impressed with the back office staff. I would imagine that those who throw files and papers into the corner of their room, loose stuff, never mark down due dates on their calendar, and generally expect others to be on top of their shiznit are the same former students who had a poor experience with the finance and administrative staff. One needs to be thoroughly on top of their shiznit to do well at APUS. Do not expect staff to order your life - this is unrealistic. This said, many prompts will show up in your virtual classroom that will help you in keeping dates and other important obligations. 4) Most classes have a very reasonable workload. Some courses are extremely easy, others not so much, but although APUS cannot be relegated to the status of "diploma mill," many of the professors are extremely accommodating and it is quite possible to do too much for that 'A,' while other classmates simply phone it in. But the internal discipline of always operating as if you were just half a grade point from failing will serve you well in the long run. Lastly, I simply wish to state that every professor is a PhD. This is important for accreditation. The degree you earn at APUS is comparable to that of a major university in that APUS carries regional accreditation. Additionally, if you have attended universities that carry only national accreditation, and perhaps universities that are arguably 'diploma mills,' e.g. ITT Tech. Institute, and so on, APUS will except your transfer credits. In other words, APUS is the perfect conduit to turn otherwise useless credits into legitimate and useful credits. If I recall, APUS offers over 80 degree programs. This is astonishing for a purely distance education university. For these reasons APUS was the perfect fit for me and it may be for you as well. I wish you the very best in discovering for yourself. ~KM

I have had the pleasure of being a part of this university for some time now. I am near the end of my program (BA in Psychology) and I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive leaping into an online learning atmosphere at first. This university has put me at ease especially in regards to the devotion that the instructors clearly portray! I learned so much in regards to human nature, human behavior, and life development, which in turn, will help me to seek out and obtain employment in my preferred area of interest. I am not, by any means, insinuating that this university is a piece of cake since you have to work to be successful, but the instructors (and students) are always there to help you reach your goals. I am proud to say that I am a part of this university and I am looking forward to continue, right here, to obtain my Masters in the same field. I clearly made the best choice, all around, when picking this university!!!

I was very pleased with my experience at APU. I can truly say that I learned a lot from this school, and found some of the classes to be very challenging. The teachers were very responsive to my concerns. I had a few minor issues regarding Financial Aid, which the advisors worked aggressively to rectify. The price is very reasonable compared to other online schools. My only advice is that when you begin a class, take the time to go over the syllabus, paper deadlines and quiz date. If you have to, mark your calendars with your deadline dates. Reviewing your syllabus and the material early will also help you to determine whether or not you will need a tutor. For the most part, the work is really doable. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Professor with any issues or concerns. Life happens to all of us, but if you make your professors aware of your situation, then most of them will work with you. Not waiting until the last minute to submit my assignments was for me, another key to success. Overall, I found this to be a really good online school to attend!!!!

I was excited to attend AMU for my bachelors over 2 years ago. I loved that they offered 8 week courses. However, a year into the degree program, you were no longer allowed to choose your professor. Which is normally not a big deal, but the last 9 months or so, I have been highly disappointed in the professors, their lack of care, and harsh grading. I have contacted my academic advisor and they have offered no help at all. I have recently decided to pursue my bachelors at another university because of the lack of care.

I had one bad experience with one instructor, which, if you have been to a traditional college, is excellent. I am very happy with the education I received at American Public University. The program allowed me to take classes at my own pace and the degree progress page they provide for you acted as a kind of vision board as I completed my classes and saw my credits and GPA change. I know many that started classes at different online schools only to find themselves in debt with the school, with federal student loans, and no closer to a degree than when they started. You will not have that issue with American Public University.

APUS/AMU is a mixed bag, like everywhere else, I presume. Some professors are excellent, some are okay. Some of the material is engaging and interesting, and some of it is make-work. The biggest thing about getting an education online is that you must be prepared to teach yourself! You must have a great deal of self-discipline and go out of your way to receive the maximum benefit from the classes. Granted, I have only taken 100-200 level courses. The best professors I've had are in the Science and Social Studies. These courses were well-designed and the materials were great. The English department has been a lot more hit-and-miss. Some advice: Do your work as early as possible so that technical difficulties aren't devastating. And communicate with your professor on a regular basis. That is the only way in which I have felt any kind of a human component to the school. The school tries to generate online collaboration and sense of community through the class forums, but at least for me, that has had mixed success. The counseling/advising department has been very helpful, and a recent registration problem was handled swiftly and with great professionalism, by no less than three departments. The extreme upside of an online education for the working professional is that I can study at home, where I'm comfortable, in my pajamas if need be. If I need to work late, it does not conflict with class, and if there is a family tragedy or something the professors (so far) have been great at making the small accommodations necessary. As long as you are willing to put in the work to take in the materials on your own,

Really felt that the instructors and advisors were there to help me succeed, and get my goals achieved. Every class concludes with an online survey so you always have the ability to share you experiences and opinions about the courses and what worked well, and suggestions for improvement. The vast majority of my surveys were glowing because I really did feel that the compassion, understanding, and quality of instruction was amazing within this particular degree program. As a childcare center administrator, I utilized many of the Management and HR courses to my advantage as electives, so I was able to truly personalize my education to best suit my needs!

Very Pleased! I must say that I am very pleased with my education from AMU. I will be receiving a degree in Philosophy in August of this year and would have no issue with saying that my Liberal Arts education met with the sort of intellectual rigor one would expect. I have been to both traditional and non-traditional colleges and without a doubt AMU is a great school. My capstone class and final paper was challenging and provided a small glimpse of what writing a dissertation might entail. Anyone that asserts that AMU is a degree mill is ill informed and does not have a modicum of credibility as AMU is Regionally Accredited and is a solid school.

I just completed my 5th course with APU in order to get my BA in Psychology. So far I have been fairly pleased. Some instructors are good others are not. Use RateMyProfessors.com to research instructors before registering for classes. There have been 2 I have not liked but the other 3 have been good. I have had no issues with financial aid. I have someone I contact at financial aid anytime I have a question. You can't beat the price and I have taken classes at other online institutions with higher prices that were no more involved than APU. I have also taken classes at a brick & mortar institution (3 years worth) and have found APU to be tougher. If you have questions ask and if you feel you received a grade lower than you deserved appeal it, I did and my grade was raised! I was able to transfer almost all of my credits and now I am halfway done with my courses at APU.

If you have other means besides financial aid to pay for tuition, by all means attend this school. If not please research and look for somewhere else to go. Everytime I have filed for financial aid and federal loans, I always have to fly through so many hoops and hurdles. I am receiving loan money for school but never receive my check until my classes are well over with. I needed a laptop one semester and had to go the library to complete work just because the money that I took out to help me with these things was held on to until I got done with the courses.

The 300 and 400 level classes are still very challenging. I've not had a single professor on "auto-pilot" for any of these courses and in fact spend 15 hours or more a week on homework just to keep up with two 8 week classes. The 100 and 200 level classes, in 2004-2005, were very challenging as well. Now...not so much. I am currently taking 2 classes I don't need in order to refresh my memory so I can better help my son in school (French and an Algebra class) and I am sad to report that the academic challenges offered several years ago when I was a Freshman seem to have gone by the wayside. I've noticed the "announcements" posted by the professors in both classes are totally canned. Often they have the wrong date and even make reference to previous classes (Merry Christmas in a post for a class that is in the month of March). It's not just the professors that seem to be skating by. In my math class a guy constantly gives completely wrong answers, either can't draft a coherent sentence or is just too lazy to try (no kidding... he wrote: "yes, there are 4 more steps to solve this" and then skipped them all and put down what seemed a random number.)He never follows directions for format or content yet he is proceeding through the course along with the rest of the class as if nothing is wrong. So disappointing :( AMU was really a place I use to feel proud to attend because I thought we all worked very hard and EARNED our degrees there. What happened APUS/AMU?????

The college is a JOKE!. they want you to spend 100+ hours on filing paper work for " SAP" appeals then tell you its not enough paper work. they gave me the run around for weeks and i was very nice and calm with them. i had an issue with a teacher and they didnt follow through. the teacher got away with giving me a bad grade and they did NOTHING about it. they want to promise you a good education but they will [mess] up your financial aid. they are a FRAUD and i have reported them to various media outlets. I SUGGEST EVERYONE ELSE DO THE SAME WHO HAS BEEN DONE WRONG BY THEM. do not let them tell you your wrong if you have PROOF they are lying to you. I have over 10 emails that says i am a student at APUS but i have my student file saying my SAP was denied. i was denied the SAP but i was allowed to sign up for classes and send money to them and WAIT for my financial aid?

This is my third semester at APU, and I have been very pleased with everything so far. I'm in the BA Psychology program and hoping to get my MFA in Screenwriting once I finish. I did a lot of research and looked at just about every online school before choosing to attend APU, and I'm glad I did. Yes, the financial aid department can be hard to get a hold of and they do make mistakes sometimes, but it is not impossible to get things taken care of. Everyone in the department that I have spoken to on the phone or e-mailed has been helpful and nice. The tuition is very reasonable, and actually less expensive than the brick and mortar universities in my area. The tuition also includes your textbooks(some are e-books), which is pretty awesome considering how insanely expensive college textbooks are these days. As far as academics go, it has been wonderful. Most are easy to get a hold of and grade pretty quickly. I will say, however, that you really have to be motivated and disciplined to get things done. All courses have weekly deadlines, but beyond that it is your responsibility to keep up and make sure you get everything turned in on time. You also really need to be a self-learner or become one. There is a lot of reading involved and I have found that most of the professors are just there to provide you with the learning materials, grade your assignments, and answer any questions. For me, this is not a problem and I actually enjoy having control of my own learning. I've never enjoyed lectures. The psychology classes have been great, and I have really learned a lot. That said, it is definitely not easy. Be cautious in taking higher level courses too early on. Although most don't require any pre-reqs, it can be overwhelming if you haven't taken some lower level courses first. One thing I absolutely despise are the Discussion Boards. In just about every class you are required to post a thread discussion and also reply to two fellow students EVERY WEEK. It can really become tedious and generic when you have nothing really to say and just want to do the work and then move along. All in all, I have found it be a challenging but very doable program and I am glad I decided to come here rather than anywhere else.