Ashford University

@Me If you're responding to my post: On numerous occasions, both by phone and email I would suggest better times that I could be reached. So yes, I obviously thought about it. And did it. 

Did you think about maybe answering your phone and scheduling a better time to talk?

I'm not suggesting that you don't enroll. I'm suggesting that you don't ever click on their name! Get off this page, and as far away from Ashford as you can. 

I was terminated from work today. Want to know why? Ashford would not stop calling my phone. I explained on numerous occasions that they needed to call me after certain hours. They don't care. They started TEXTING me! I know a lot of you may be like.. "wow, why not just silence your phone?" Well, I can't. I have children. 
I'm looking at my missed calls just from today. 14. Seriously? 14!! 

At first, I thought my boss was overreacting. But now that I'm sitting home all unemployed-- I realize she was right. Who the hell needs to call you that much, email you that much, text you so much in one day???

It's like a desperate boy from the bar who just can't understand that you were just drunk that night..

They are pushy, and rude. They call at ALL hours. 6am, 11pm. 

Maybe Ashford is a great school. I might have really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I won't know now. No job, no money, no school. 

Thanks Ashford.

fyi you can take up to a 45 day break in between your classes

I am earning my MBA with a concentration in Supply Chain Management at Ashford University. It is a good school and I hope to be able to teach at the college level when I graduate in October 2012. My only reservation about the school is that I wish I had asked about breaks in between classes. Even a week would do me some good. The two week break at Christmas is the only break year round, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Has anyone graduate from Ashford with an MBA and succeeded in finding a good job paying at least $70,000 a year?

What with my work  I need my home work now.

So you were put off because they called your promptly after you put in the request, trying to offer you supreme customer service? Interesting. 

The online curriculum has been good, and my professors have been pretty good as well.  However, I'll agree with many here that the support can be lacking.  I've tried to get in touch with my academic advisor for days at a time with no luck, and finally called their main line and used a different advisor.  I'm 3 classes away from finishing my BA, and I can say that Ashford has afforded me the flexibility to earn my degree while I continue to work full-time.  That's meant alot to me, and I hope to stay with them to start a Master's program. 

Ashford's online program is decent, however the staff in the financial aid office are deceitful.  I was well into the semester when the financial aid office told me a disbursement was sent to me, however I never received it.  My student portal listed a credit of $3,400.00 but the bursar's office claimed they were never paid for the courses. I tried to find out what happened to the funds, but the financial aid advisor had resigned and no one could find my file.? I am now receiving a letter from their collections department. 

Given positive comments I've read from actual graduate students on various forums, I'm surprised to see so much bile being spilled here about the school.  I realize they're under scrutiny as a for-profit school and they've been aggressive in recruiting some students, but I've yet to hear anything elsewhere along the lines of what's been posted here.  Makes me wonder if some competitor is trying to make them look bad.

I graduated from Ashford this year with my bachelor's in sociology. I can tell you that I feel that I received a top-notch education at Ashford. I never experienced any trouble with my advisor or financial aid. There is a question on the student portal which asks the student for permission to save excess funds instead of returning them to the student. I checked no on this option and had no problem in this regard. I would never suggest letting someone hold your money for you. I found my instructors to be helpful and responsive. Instructors were good to apply experiences out of their own education and lives to issues discussed. This applied real world situations to the concepts we studied and enriched our learning. I did find that some students are lacking in grammar, sentence structure and punctuation but I have found this to be the same at a different online university also. I had a very rich learning experience at Ashford. The discussions and papers inspired me to do my own personal research on issues that came up in class discussions. I learned much more and on a higher level here at Ashford than I ever did at my previous community college. Ashford is awesome and the bad media is ruining their reputation just because they are a for-profit school. Don't let the negative reviews stop you from getting a great education at Ashford!

I am finding it more and more embarrassing that I am attending Ashford University. We are required to write weekly discussions about material pertaining to the course, and I am finding that posts done by fellow COLLEGE students have the spelling, punctuation, and grammar of a fourth grade class. When our PROFESSORS are supposed to be helping us expand our learning and critiquing our posts, they are allowing this detestable grammar to occur WITHOUT any consequence. What is worse is that these same professors are commenting "Great job" to posts that make no sense and make me dumber, just by reading them. This is completely unacceptable. I find it insulting that I am required to respond to some of these ridiculous posts. I feel that I am now wasting my intelligence attending this school.
Although I understand that this is an online course of study, I came in to this university believing the same level of expectation as an on campus route of study. If this university is dumbing down their online courses this much, online courses should NOT be continued. If the level of expectation of the online learning is the same as the on-campus learning, I am appalled. 

I have to say I am very surprised because I attended Ashford for two years and I have never had single issue with them.

Ashford is a joke, the classes are way too easy, I just got my degree and never bothered to buy my text books. If you turn in anything your going to pass. They want your FA money, they will stick you with extra bills. They don't care about you. If you just want a degree, fine, but if you want to learn something go some where else. I learned more in HS. The teachers will pass anyone !

I am an Ashford student now and wish I never started. I was so excited to finally start school. I am a single mother with 3 kids and I work very hard. Every class you fail they make you take it again and also pay for it. If you do not pay they will not let you graduate. Although I should not have failed 3 classes in the 2 years I have been there. I have search around locally only to find that many of the stupid classes I have taken are not even transferable. Seriously? Give me a break. Please anyone looking to attend school, look around and make sure that they are not  just making up a class in order for them to get money for it. More than likely you will not be able to transfer it.

I requested information from Ashford U and recieved a phone call from them 5 minutes later. That put me off. I told the recruiter my work hours and politely asked him not to call me at work. The next day, he calls me at the exact same time as the previous day. Once again, I told him not to call me and that I would call him if interested. He ended up calling me five times or more every day for the next two weeks. He finally stopped when I yelled at him. My boyfriend was wondering who this strange man calling me was and had trouble believing he was a school admissions counselor. Thanks for harassing me and almost getting me dumped, Ashford U...

Don't listen to all of the people out there saying that AU is not a good school because they are lying.  I attended AU and they are a wonderful.  You take one class every 5 weeks and 6 weeks if you are working on your Phd.  I dis enrolled because I had to much going on at the time and I was not able to focus on my classes and to my surprise when I tried to return so idiots from Mississippi have been doing something illegal and now there is a legislative ban on AU that is barring all students from MS from attending.  I wish that I had never left because I have been in to other schools since then and they are not worth the money that I have spent.  They just pile work upon you weekly with no regard as to you finishing it.  AU is nothing like that, you have a chance to focus on one class at a time and this helps you to complete them without having to go from course to course completing work from different instructors.  I would give anything if I could go back and finish my degree. btw the other two schools that I meantion or Rasmussen and Hodges, hopes this helps 

I believe there is  a form regarding this on thier site you can sign?  I believe ,with all docs that you sign upon applying .. I did not sign for them to hold extra money. They first said mandatory , but I just told them we would know whether or not I was going to be registered for a class prior to 14 days and that is plenty of time for me to pay anything  if that is the case. I hope that works out. Do they have rights to " discriminate" if you do not? You sound like you may know something about this so I'd like your opinion.

I feel for you.I had a bad thing close to that happen to me and I found out how to prevent it. Sorry for grammar.. I am late but had to send you one .I refused to sign the form letting them hold mine and told them that there would be no reason because we would know prior to 2 wks whether i was attending so i wd pay. i had a bad one at mountain state. they claimed they sent my finaid back,part because i dropped a course, but i was getting my dept edu bills form 800k plus. i sent them to MS and got a good dept edu bill for one month but next month MS had pushed it all back on the govnt . Worse, the had owing identical amount/ Of course i mailed dept of edu both and MS got stuck with it because they have a certain amt of time to do it and they still had money and me paying loans. KNOCK ON WOOD BUT I LEARNED MY LESSON. IF IT IS A LOAN THAT WE HAVE TO PAY ,IT SHOULD BE IN OUR HANDS SO LOOK FOR THIS FORM IF YOU GO BACK.

SORRY ABOUT FORMAT CAPS PUNC . i saw this on way to appt. and had to respond

oops "noew"  is  now
ding dong. lol.

I enrolled at Ashford as an adult freshman.My fafsa was submitted months ago but they couldnt seem to get it because my name is hyphenated. Anyway , they had already posted a schedule of courses and I had began one on the 27th.I really do not know what to think about them noew because suddenly all of my courses were removed. Finaid at Ashford verified they had gotten the fafsa but my ad visor just stopped emailing or responding . It just bothers me that no one gave me any explanation. It was like I just fell off the earth after 3 plus emails daily.Lol. So what do you all think? Advice?. I would like your Opinions before pursuing them further. to ?I do not know what to think. I am thinking they since they just got mt fafsa , are taking time to figure out my finaid. Is thier financial aid dept. any good because tuition is not cheap and I did not see for for expenses.Thank you. xoxo TXSWEETS

I could not be happier with the help I am receiving at Ashford University. From the beginning my admissions counselor and I hit it off and everything just clicked. I am in my first class and I am already looking forward to my next class. If you really want to do well and your and mind is made up then this is the college for you, but if you want to mess around and not do the work then please go somewhere else because you would not do well.

I could not be happier with Ashford. If it were not for their online program, I don't think I would be able to attend college due to my work schedule. I have recieved nothing but support from my teachers and academic advisor. Yes the text books are high but name one college that does not charge a ton of money for textbooks? I have also gotten the hardback copy of my textbook with a very few classes that have the electronic form of the book.So the comment that states that Ashford only has electronic forms of the books and they bill you for them is not correct. I can't believe all the negative comments being posted here. You have to do your research before you embark on higher education and this includes asking lots of questions. For many of us online schools are the only way one can get a degree. 

could you possibly give me the information regarding the professor that you are talking about so that i may see for my self i would highly appreciate it. for i am interested in attending Ashford, and would like to know all i can concerning this school.Thank you and have a great day this message is for the comment made by S regarding her criminally active professor 

If you don't mind me asking who was it? Im currently getting ready to start some classes at Ashford and all this is kinda worrying me.

I saw a comment about Xerox and Ashford. Can anyone tell me the connection between the two?? 

I agree. I recently just ended my employment with Ashford.

I'm not sure if you can see my e-mail or not but if you can I encourage you to respond. I am a former employee of this university and am working on organizing a set of statements to the board of education regarding the treatment of employees and students. A statement from you would be appreciated and your name is not needed.

I will be transferring in to AU from another "well-known" university. I visited this site to get some unbiased, real people reviews on AU (I was not at all disappointed, by the way), and I must say that many of the complaints lodged here are quite similar to those of almost every distance learning institution: problems with financial aid, the advisors, curriculum, staff/facilitators, other students, etc., etc. Allow me to share my experience and why I chose AU over all others. 
To begin, the "other" university became too big for their own good. They raised their tuition costs for the Bachelor's degree programs to almost $600 per credit! For that amount of money, I would think that there would be more interaction with the facilitators such as video conferencing and 24-hour-a-day availability!!! I was four classes in before I was directed to review my financial aid figures on the NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System for Students). Guess what? I would have ended up having to pay out-of-pocket for three courses - and my finance advisor NEVER shared that with me UNTIL I ASKED THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.
After shopping around with a host of schools to include Kaplan, Walden, Argosy, AU, and others, AU was the best deal for me - not only financially, but academically (plus, they accepted ALL of my transfer credits, so I did not lose the time or grades I made with the "other" school). I am a realist and already know there is no higher education institution that does not come without its challenges. I am a very outspoken person who asks the right questions to get an honest answer and I will never be happy settling with the first answer I receive.
Like others have recommended, do your research before making a commitment that has a huge bearing on your future. I wish everyone the best with whatever school they choose.

I have enjoyed ashford so far.

DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! the first few classes go Great, then they purposely give you failing grades so they can get more money from you. The Instructors are rude and arrogant and office personnel are never in!

I see alot of the same complaints as I have had. I would NOT give this school a half way decent rating as they are a scam. I wish there were legal recourse available to those of us who paid out so much money to a school who withheld financail aid from us! I had to pay $5,398.00 plus the graduation fee in order to graduate, needless to say, they said I had no more financial aid funds available to me! LIE I have over $3,000 still available and it was NOT used. SCAM SCHOOL and they should pay back all teh money of those who had to pay but had financial aid available! Any lawyers out there want a case? 

I am in 1st semester for this online college. I had transferable credits from a SUNY University that I could no longer attend due to my schedule. It's taken me 4 years to come back and this still seems like the best opportunity for me. Financial Aid covered everything and I had money that was given back and I'll be using it for books. I really enjoy how everything works. I checked the courses and credits with the University I was attending and everything transfers, so it's legit. I really do not enjoy comparing my 100% work to people that start off discussion posts with "these two is the most like me because I do get frustrated..." There is no feedback for people that can not comprehend sentence structure and it's really demeaning when the Instructors can't write that well either. I look forward to pushing through cause it seems like my classes will be easy credits. I just hope the students that write one sentence for a paragraph will get better over time. There is one other person in my class that knows how to write.

Some of these comments are some of the most RIDICULOUS and ignorant things i've ever heard. To all of those claiming that Ashford is taking your money.... you are seriously the most delusional person ever. YOU are doing something wrong if you owe the school money. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You should really just stop now and save yourself the agony because if you are dumb enough to think its the school's fault and not your own then you are a lost cause at this point! Do a little research on how college works. Its called... pass your classes, do your FA on time, and don't drop out of courses leaving you responsible for the charge. If you do that, you will never ow money. Apparently, you aren't doing that.

Just letting everyone know that Ashford will wait until you are almost done with your classes, then tell you that there is not more financial aid. If you are getting enrolled in this school prepare yourself. You will not receive your degree because they WILL have a huge bill waiting for you and hold your degree hostage!Go to a different school. They are all just as easy to get into as Ashford is.I have heard of many people experiencing this issue. Walk away now and save yourself the drama that I am now going through.

Lots of people flunk out or default on their student loans from regular schools too, how is that the school's fault? How many people haven't paid back their state university government loans? Probably in the millions. Let's investigate state universities recruiting policies. Ridiculous.

You are right there is a lot of hate. Did you read the recent article from Huffington post that 98% or so of students are on-line; there is no football team no blah, blah!! it's all a fake from Bridgepoint in CA to milk the government out of $$$ and yours also.  The college cannot get  accredited for teaching some courses as they are "fakes"......not waste your money and get laughed at at a job interveiw...for wasting your money. Just buy a crackerjacks box and get your degree out of there...about the same.

So much hate on these chat sites, jeez. Working people just trying to finish their degree. Nothing wrong with Ashford or any other accredited online school if it fits your needs. They aren't claiming to be MIT. No one is forcing anybody to do anything. Lighten up people.

There are MANY graduates from Ivey league schools who are having a nearly impossible time finding employment.  Those that think an AU degree puts you ahead of any other job seekers are just plain clueless.  Bridgepoint Education depends on their students cluelessness to make incredible amounts of money.  Making money is what they do very well.  Just be brutally honest with yourself about Ashford, its not fun to do most of the time, but it is the most productive.

I am a current student there and after reading these reviews I am a little scared to continue! I would like to hear from some of those who have graduated and have used your degree. I want to know if you have had any trouble getting jobs with this online degree. I read ones post that it did not work in NY. That is where I am moving when I am finished with school!!! I am really starting to freak out about whether this is a waste of my time and if after I have finished it will be worthless to me :(  Please everyone respond that can give me help or advise!!!! 

I have read hundreds of reviews, mostly bad, for this school. I honestly believe some of the worst reviews were from either current or past employees. What I would love to read is a review written by a graduate that actually used their Ashford degree to obtain employment. I would love to read from just ONE person how their Ashford education actually benefited them in getting a job.

Do not go to Ashford. Save yourself the hardship you will have to deal with every semester. I have been with Ashford University since November 2007 and now that it is graduation time, I am being treated like crap. Basically, they had me doubled up on courses and my graduation was set. Now they have changed my schedule, last minute, to have me graduate in January. After I have not only purchased my class ring and paid dues for graduation. I was also accepted to a school, and now I can not attend until next Spring. This school just rips people off and could honestly care less about you. My advice is to get into a physical campus and walk in everyday. Then you will be able to deal with these people face to face. This has totally ruined my perception of schools and I am just sick of it to the point that attaining a Masters scares me. I don't want another experience life this ever! Just do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. 

I have been a student at Ashford for 6 months now. I agree with everything Paul said with the exception of the books. In February 2011 Ashford University stopped allowing students to purchase their own books. ALL books for all classes are electronic and need to be purchased online. All students are automatically billed for these books, whether we want them or not. The reason for this is that all the new reading materials are being written by Bridgeport, which is owned and operated by Ashford. Just another way for them to make more money and rip off the student.

I would like to agree with alot of the students comment. I wish I would have read alot of these comments before I had started. I only been going to this school for 6 weeks and it is the worst experience I have ever been through. They are so unproffessional. My academic advisor is never in nor is my admission rep. The only way you can get a whole of them is through there supervor and when you do get to them they cold transfer you to another rep. They when they make an error they don't want to take responsibilities for what they do wrong. This is the worst school I ever attended and I am so glad after the class I am in I will be attending another school.

I did a background check on my current professor and found that he has served time in 11 prisons with the charges of drug dealing, robbery, fighting, and RAPE!!!  I am disgusted that Ashford would hire someone with this history.  I loved school at Ashford up until this point.  Now I am disgusted to even enter my online classroom.  Every time I see his name I cringe.

Hi I going to be a student at Ashford in about a week so can some please help me out thank you

mindy, PLEEEEEEASE don't fool yourself that an AU degree will mean anything for you.  Job market is impossibly difficult, AU will not do anything for you.  sad truth.  but at least its the truth.

I am an Ashford Student, and I love it. I dislike my Academic advisor, which I can rarely get a hold of, but I couldn't ask for a better financial aid advisor. I am hoping to complete my BA in Social and Criminal Justice in 2014 

I am surprised to see all of the negative reviews about Ashford University. I am not going to judged anyone's opinion because every experience is unique. In regards to my experience here at Ashford, if I had to rate them on a scale of 1(negative) to 10(positive), I would give them a (9). As a fulltime working wife and mother of 4, I appreciate the convenience and flexibility that Ashford offers in order for me to meet my goals. I have looked into many different universities and none of them suited me as well as Ashford. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first about whether or not I would be getting a quality education or not. I am happy to say that I am very satisfied with the outcome and how much knowledge and skills that I have acquired. I communicate with people better, I understand certain things better than I used to, and I've become more interested in learning new things. I have made a grade of 'C' in a couple of classes which I am not happy or proud about. But, I simply picked myself up off the ground, stayed level-headed, asked for advice/help, and believed in myself. Since then every grade has been an 'A'. Overall, I believe Ashford has the ability to supply relevant and meaningful knowledge to students with real desire and determination. I don't know if their agenda is to take my money or if they truly care about how successful I turn out to be. I just know one thing, what I have taken from Ashford University is far more valuable than what they can take ($$) from me. I am not looking to get a promotion at work(although it may happen), I simply wanted to increase my business skills and knowledge and hopefully be able to hang a degree in the office of my own business one day...Just my opinion.... 

ali= Ashford Graduate.....LOL

ths recommendation service to going on  Ashford University best time is looking best ideas think more program is payment to you education and career services is  more development think about great development service think about business education and caree education all on top of the development new on the world top speaking dynamic program of the education degree looking futur

It is unfortunate seeing those that speak negatively of AU simply because they didn't understand how to do online courses.  I have taken online courses at 3 universities and Ashford's are by far the most simple to understand.  If it wasn't for Ashford I would not be getting my B.A. right now. AU is a very affordable, flexible university that has allowed me to get back to college and finish what I started 20 years ago.  They make it easier to do online with a simple interface and concentrating on one class at a time.  You can buy used books through Amazon or Ebay and then sell them when you are done.  I have had a teacher or two that were slow to respond but the overwhelming majority are very helpful and quick to respond.  I have 1 year left and will probably even continue with a Masters.  Thank you Ashford!!

First of all i want to say that Ashford University is a great online school for those of us that have to work and take care of home.  I had no problems with registration, the advisors, or my classes.  Everything and everybody was pretty straightforward.  My thing is when you want to achieve something as an individual you have to work hard at it. I did.  I am 43 years old and i did the university thing coming out of highschool and its  no different.  As far as the financial part of it, if you are not making the grade, your money suffers.  i am a true witness. I have just finished in March 20ll with a BA in Psychology and because i failed a math class twice, i cannot receive my certificate or transcript because i owe a balance but that wasn't their fault, that was on me. So i am trying to find a job to pay them so i can get my papers.  Ashford is great!  I wished i could have been on the actual campus.  Please don't blame others for your failures!!!!!

I am truly sorry to say this because I worked for Ashford, but my god get a grip if you think this place is even remotely legit.  From an employee's perspective the best way to put it is that you are waiting for Ashton Kuchar to come out of the woodwork and say you were being punked the entire time. Honestly, you want that to happen because it would make everything make sense.  Some(and truthfully most) of the coursework that gets submitted by students is at a grade school level.  It is a miracle that the government hasn't stepped in yet to squash this blatant robbery of their funds.

All I can say is that the level of educational you will receive at Ashford is elementary at best.  It is definitely a way to get a degree and check the box on your resume but I honestly feel like I'm throwing my money away and wasting my freaking time and effort.  I'm seriously debating going back to UMUC.  I found the program much more challenging and you might not believe this but you actually have to take midterm and final exams.

I think that some people have taken the word (SPOILED) TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL...

Ashford will never reject free money from people that have no business getting a college degree.

It seems to me that those who want something for nothing have commented negatively about Ashford.  Welcome to reality; you have to WORK to get your degree.  It is NOT a degree mill, it is college.  The only difference if you were in a traditional brick-and-mortar campus is that that school wouldn't take you; you'd be too stupid to meet their enrollment requirements.  Maybe Ashford should review who it accepts into the school.  People who are serious about their education and want to learn should be the focus, not people who can't form a sentence and sit around drinking beer all weekend.

two weeks of BS training and somehow these EA's are qualified to advise prospective students on what route they should take with their educational goals.  lolololol.

haha, This is true. I receive transfers from enrollment advisors on occasion and they sound like they live in a fantasy world, very chipper people. I ask them a question and they kinda just laugh it off.. kinda annoying actually....

There are quite a few things that I disagree with for Ashford University. To be honest, I care not for "marketing" anything about Ashford. I was curious about the schools ratings. I found quite a bit, but for the most part, this one was the only one to grab my attention. I will soon be leaving my current job position to continue bettering my life actually :) . Once I do, I will gladly come back to this website and "exploit". Trust me, there's plenty to know about Ashford University and Xerox... A few other schools you might not be surprised about are Kaplan University and UTI. I will tell you guys good online schools though, The Rockies and Western Governors University. Financial Aid is smooth and easy, advisors contact you back as well. The system is ran correctly and the people are more friendly. "@Unknown", You seem to have a lot of built up anger towards the school. I feel for you honestly. Please don't think that I am a "plant". I'm sure if you called the financial aid department tomorrow, you would know when you are speaking with me :) .. I'm very straight forward and I actually try to help you guys.. and I mean that.. As for hiring people from Ashford, plenty of people do actually. Of course, where you get your degree matters, but so does the person. Unfortunately, a lot of the students that attend Ashford don't seem to apply themselves as best they can in life. I do recognize their desire to achieve in life, but there's a lot mroe to change than just earning a degree.

The funniest part i think about ashford university is that the enrollment counselors dont even have degrees.  They are trying to "motivate" you to get into class but yet they work there and "believe" in the product and have an opportunity to go to school for free through ashford but still dont. ANYONE can get into ashford, people who cant use a computer or even spell ashford go there.  And it is supposed to be equivalent to a brick and mortar state college/university? HA

Search the Huffington Post for Ashford. Great article about this so called "college".

Alright. I work with Ashford University. My name will not be discussed for obvious reasons, if you have any questions, just ask here. I'll touch on a few things. First, anyone who says Ashford "steals" money is an idiot. Seriously, if you think ashford "steals" money, you know nothing. Seriously, you know nothing. Ashford University is a title 4 school and they receive title 4 funding, aka loans from the government (direct loans). There are many many guidelines that Ashford MUST follow or it will LOSE title 4 funding and go down the drain since 75% of the students use financial aid. Duh? 

Ok, verification. Again, blame the Dept of Ed please? It's not Ashford. The Dept of Ed selects 30-40% of all completed FAFSA for a "random" process called "verification". It's pretty much to weed out all the lazy people who want to sign up for 5-6 classes and take the money. I'll even tell you how. When you complete 60% of your courses in an award year, you have earned 100% of your financial aid. So basically, if you were packaged for the "full" amount of Financial aid, you're going to get about $15,004. 5500 in PELL, $3500 in Sub loans and 6000 in UNSUB loans. Direct loans has fees which is why the number is what it is. 

Processing. All of your faxes go into a fax server. They need to. The reason is because we receive around 5,000 or more faxes a week. Emails: sometimes some idiot "archives" all the messages and poof... 250 messages gone like that. So if you call and say "I sent it 3 times already!" .. yup.. some idiot deleted a ton of emails. We usually fish them out, which is why a month later, some students have the same file like 9 times. It's getting better. I will admit, some people, I'm not sure why they hire and don't fire because there are a lot of lazy-ass people who will just feed you crap so they can get off the phone. What do you expect though with 600 employees? Every once in a while you'll get a bad egg. 

Last thing for today, PWD's.. post withdrawal disbursements, people say "I left and I havn't received my money that I earned". Well, again, it's not our fault. Partly, but not fully. When you leave the school, the school has 30 days to complete your R2T4 (return to title 4 lenders). This is when they determine if you earned any money or not. Again, there is no "stealing money" here. There are guidelines that you MUST meet. They're not just gonna give someone who finished one class and got an F, remaining funds. You EARN that money. PELL funds have to be paid and again, DOE requirements, HAVE TO BE PAID within 45 days of the  date of determination. After so many screw ups they lose title 4 funding. LOANS however, can take up to 180 days for you to receive any funds. That is both Ashford's and the Direct loans program AND the DOE deal. Okay, well that's it for now. Hope that helped!

This school is such a business. All it wants to do is to sell you classes forever. Grades and education are meaningless.

I read all the reviews and some are true, while others are dramatized. True: Advisors do change frequently. Initially, my advisor changed with each course, so I decided to complain. After my complaint, I continued with the same advisor until I completed the master's degree program. Though, the advisors changed often, each one was pleasant and concerned about the progress I was making. I just got tired of speaking to different people.  I had no financial aid problems, as I did as I was instructed.  I even postponed a couple classes because of family emergencies.  My financial aid was not affected because I followed the instructions of the financial aid counselor.  The classes were intense and not for the lazy. I did homework, posts, reading and wrote papers each week. It was way more than I anticipated as a full time employee. Overall, I would attend Ashford again. I have no complaints about my education or the online MPA program.

Ashford does the exact same thing.  Ashford has a separate division for the enrollment of military personnel.  When you really think about it, it should make anybody want to vomit.  It is the very worst part of the human makeup that allows for crap like this to happen.  It is astonishing that the government hasn't put a stop to it yet.

what I am about to say is fact......and should make any prospective student of Ashford University want shyte down the collective throats of Bridgepoint Education.  I was once taking a poop on the ground floor of Bridgepoint's Sunroad location. There was a meeting for divisional leaders on the ground floor at the time.  Sure enough two divisional guys that shall remain nameless come in to the bathroom to take a piss.  they were discussing how badly they needed to piss as well as sharing some details about their sales figures for the month(of course by that I mean how many student applications they had thus far for the month.)  "man I got like 880 or something like that, I can't enroll anything lately."(I guess 880 was bad).  I will never forget what I heard next.  word for word, "It seems like it is harder to find chumps these days, and without chumps we a f-ed."

I might be missing something Angela, but if not, you are coming off very incoherent.  I think if you allow yourself to take a broader view on things perhaps things will start making sense.

Crap, I am a 3.8 student I took a Anthropology class in September. I am re-taking it again because the instructor was a jerk. She flunked me because of my reports. Everything was completed and correct. She was just a flat jerk. Everyone in the class is re-taking Anthropology or has re-taken the class. It is dependent upon the instructor on whether you pass or fail not the school.

What are you studying. It is the the same everywhere just because you study a subject doesn't mean you will be able to work in that field. Or some schools do not accept other schools transcripts. We have that issue in Idaho. As for Utah if the school is in Utah all the credits are interchangeable. It depends on what you are doing and how much you borrow.

Just like any other Diploma, you will receive it in the mail. You are not required to attend the graduation. My 1 degree mailed and it was from a public college. My friend who graduated from BYU it was mailed. Idaho State University mails them and so on.

I have enjoyed Ashford. I am a transfer student from Idaho State University. I did do many of my labs at Idaho State and I am able to finish my degree through Ashford. The price is the same as Idaho State University and many people need to just have the patients with instructors. The counselors are easily replaced and after your first 7 classes they know you are serious about attending. So if you have issues keep riding them like Sea Biscuit. They will respond to you if not go to their higher up. I know I have done it. NO your degree is not easy to earn. That is why you earn it.

Do a query on the internet for America's top ten greediest men of 2010.  Andrew Clark (CEO of Bridgepoint Education, Ashford University's parent company) was at the top of the list.  Literally the greediest man in the United States.  Do you want him as your principal/university president? effectively he is exactly that if you attend Ashford.  Working at Ashford is so bizarre and just low class that you are seriously waiting for candid camera to come out at any moment.  It almost can't be real that so many capable individuals in the San Diego area waste their time working there.  I would call Ashford a joke, but stealing money from the American people providing false hope to those that need hope the most just isn't funny.

Funny I see the same post on a few schools on this board. It is obvious that you have something against online education.  

here is the hierarchy

-high school grad
-Ashford University grad(Phoenix,Kaplan,doesn't matter)
-community college grad
-state college grad
-private university grad
-blue chip private university grad(Ivey league, Stanford, MIT etc.)


if you graduate with your bachelors from Ashford you are entering the job market as a step ahead of high school grads, but behind everybody else.  with the amount of fierce competition for the best jobs there is your Ashford degree is virtually worthless.  In fact one could go a step further and say that if you present an Ashford Univerity degree to any employer you are basically communicating to the employer that you are a sucker.  If your resume sits in a pile with 10+ others then you literally have no shot unless you have significant work experience in whatever field you are trying to get into.    

Lets talk about some of the inside stuff that goes on at Ashford University, as I am a former employee.  I just could not stand waking up every day and lying for a living.  Pretty good living too, made $72,000 a year duping some of the country's most gullible people into taking on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans for a virtually worthless degree.  
-first off Ashford only gives a shyte if the student passes their first class, it is at that point they get to keep the loan money.  because of that fact they make the first class insanely easy and mandatory to take.
-Ashford employees are instructed to "get at the pain" of prospective students.  this basically means to show them how much their life sucks professionally and convince them an Ashford degree will make a difference.
-you have a GED and are not in default on a previous student loan you are in.  It can get a little more complicated then that at times, but basically that is it.
-the more students you enroll as an enrollment advisor, the more you get paid......of course they will tell you to enroll quality students, but in reality they do not care as long as the student is a warm body.
-extremely juvenile business model in general, as if eighth graders are running the place.
-It is flat out mis-representation to claim that they are a traditional campus school with an online program.  the campus has 1,000 students while the online program has 70,000+ at this point.  The students that go to the physical campus pay nothing to go to school if they maintain a 3.5 or better, and 80% off tuition if they maintain a 3.0 or better.  Bridgepoint makes nothing off of them, they are their only to maintain the appearance of a physical campus.
-in short, Ashford's financial aid department is TERRIBLE. absolute trash.  not to mention purposefully un-ethical.
-Ashford is nothing more then corporate U.  their mascot should be a man in a business suit.
-you have to realize that the purpose of a business is to make as much money as possible. thats it.  Just imagine how much greed and corporate bureaucratic shyte play a huge role in everything that is Ashford.  

Are you jealous that you spent too much money for the same degree. Ivy league schools are just like brand name products. You pay for the name.

I have been attending Ashford University since March of 2010 and will be graduating with my Master's in April 2011.  I haven't had any problems with any departments.  It has been a smooth ride...

For those that seriously think you can complete a semesters worth of learning in 5 and a half weeks, think again.

It is so accelerated and so high level, it's a joke.  Here's your money (wink wink), here is your degree (wink, wink)

Wow!! All the mixed reviews here. I am currently a student (online). I have had my problems with them, mostly finacial aid. I would agree with just about all of the negatives that I have read about that department.If you don't mind hounding folks in a polite/rude way then you can get answers.  However, I have also read how it is supper easy and eventuallybooks are not needed. Sure for some classes, it was common sense stuff, as with any college there are easy classes and hard classes, instructors who are there to teach and instructors who just want to get paid. That being said I have had my share of all of them. I can't say that I have learned a great deal, I am not a naive 18 year old either. I didn't expect to learn from all the classes, because of life experience. I did however, learn many things from the major courses I took. Ashford will be what you make of it, there is much you can learn if you want. Online classes are for the self-motivated so if you are not willing or able to put in the time to learn then you wont. You may still be able to pass the classes but in the end thats all you have done and Ashford is not to blame. If you want the education you can get it, if you just want the paper well you can get that too, just like many have done at many other colleges that are deemed "good".

I Graduated from Ashford University in June 2010.  My experience was GREAT. I would advise others to attend this school....

How did you receive your diploma? Was it mailed to you or did you have the choice to walk across the stage? Do they give you an option to receive your diploma at a college near you? 

Just wondering

where these teachers because I have been at Ashford for over 2 years now and I have had some rough teachers. I have had teachers tell me that I was off subject or I need to put some personal experience in my discussions. the only problem I have had with Ashford is their financial aid department (they really suck). All my classes from previous schools was transferred. 

I am enrolled in Ashford University now and I received a phone call from my sister telling me I need to get away from this school. Does anyone know of any way out of this situation? Reading through everyone's posts on this page and others I have researched I am becoming very uncomfortable with being enrolled in their school. I am worried I am going to owe a lot of money and I cannot afford it. Can anyone give me anymore information? Am I in more trouble than I think? I need help and I need to figure things out now before I end up owing for the rest of my life. HELP!

Sorry, if you're not getting As at a school like this, then that just proves they let ANYONE in. As are the norm. You are basically 'failing' if you're getting Bs or Cs. Sorry its the truth. And they are briefed to give As. The business side wins always with for profits. Hence the nickname for profit. It's not 'for-education' it's 'for-profit'. No wonder the DOE is relooking and federal funds for these businesses.

That is not true!!  Most universities are state schools. Every state has a portion of taxes that are paid by their citizens that go directly to state colleges.  That is why it costs more for an out-of-state student to go to a school...they nor their parents have not paid any taxes to go to a school in the state that they do pay taxes in to. These schools are NOT for profit.  They are truly institutions for higher learning.  So, as a receipent of a MSN from The University of Iowa...I'm sorry to tell you that you are wrong.

I want to clear up one point I made in my previous comment as to be completely beyond reproach.  Ashford will proudly boast being founded in 1918, thus making them 93 years old.  Most "Admissions Counselors" will generalize and say 100 years, but the better ones don't.  Most of the people within the organization are decent people, and some are actually pretty impressive.  The unfortunate truth is the business model Bridgepoint employs encourages so much juvinile behavior.  The company virtually forces bright people to act un-ethically in order to "succeed".  The company operates as if a grade school bully set the guidelines.  It is absolutely standard behavior to hear "managers" scream at the top of their lungs that one of their "Admissions Counselors" is "on the board."  Meaning that they convinced someone(prospective student) to take out federal loans to attend Ashford.  REST ASSURED if you enroll two people it is better then one, and who cares about two if you can enroll three, three is old news if you can enroll four, and so on and so on.  The best Ashford can say is that they are in compliance with the laws that govern them.  Boy scouts they are not.  The real shame of it is the students they serve.  They are nothing more then a point on the board, and they get nothing but mediocrity from their university.  It is so hit and miss, with the Admissions Counselors, financial aid representatives, academic advisors etc.  One student can deal with a series of competent people, while the next student is stuck with a nightmare experience.  With regards to the "admissions counselors" the content of their calls are USUALLY respectful and not harassing in nature, but the fact that they call so often even after the prospective student has tried to politely say they are not interested is highly harassing.  In almost all cases it is not the Admissions Counselor him/her self, it is the business model they are forced to adhere to.

Bridgepoint Education knowingly Mis-represents their "Ashford University."  A failing distressed property was purchased in 2005 in Clinton, Iowa.  Andrew S. Clark along with Warburg Pincus Investments misrepresent this property as Ashford University.  Ashford has been around for less then a decade while they will gladly tell you they are over 100 years old.  The campus has about 1000 students while the online division has upwards of 70,000 students at this point.  Andrew S. Clark is selling 1 million dollars of stock every month.  The University is only interested in enrolling as many students as humanly possible.  Ashford University is an elaborate scam in the highest order.  The degrees are indeed accredited, but beyond that believe nothing.  The "admissions counselors" get two weeks of training before becoming tasked with advising students on what is right for them.  If these "counselors" do not enroll enough students they get fired.  In Short, the for profit nature of Bridgepoint comes at a HUGE detriment to the students they serve.  As a former employee it is actually very comical how they try to position themselves as anything more then a money making juggernaut.  They exist in this country as a siphon for title four funding from the government.  Their doors are closed the same day the government says enough is enough.  The degrees are virtually worthless in the real world and will almost certainly be associated with fraud in the near future.  Very commonly myself and many of my fellow "Admissions Counselors" were referred to as "garbage" because we didn't enroll enough students.  The atmosphere as an employee is incredibly sophomoric, and un-necessarily high pressured.  It is commonplace for an "Admissions Counselor" to finish what sounds like a great conversation on the phone with a student only to laugh at them afterwards, gloating about the fact that they enrolled a "dumbass."  Any prospective student must never believe the sincerity of Ashford University.  Some of their "Admissions Counselors" get paid six figures because they are so good at making people believe the sincerity of th university.  How many legit operations call prospective clients upwards of 15 times a day until they literally need to put themselves on an official DO NOT CALL list............none.

Shareholders Foundation (an consumer advocacy group) is currently investigating Bridgepoint Education (which is the parent compnay of Ashford University) for fraud. All current and former students are encouraged to contact them at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com. You can go to their website click on investigations and find Bridgepoint Education for more information

To Easy A Jazzy your statement is completely fallicious.  My husband also attends Ashford puts in his hard work and he is a B sometimes C student.  To even make a statement like that is absurd.  Sure some professors are easier than other but to say the school gives out A's is completely false.  The bottom line is you have to work to get good grades.  

I am astounded at many of the comments I see here saying Ashford is not a legitimate school, a joke, etc.  I have been attending Ashford since 2009.  My husband and I live overseas, so online college is really my only option to finish my degree.  After speaking with several universities I chose Ashford, A. because they are accredited, B. because they are a Private school, and C. because they also offer MBA in my chosen field of study Organizational Management. To anyone who thinks Ashford is a joke--yes you can pass the classes with little effort.  However, I attended both another private university before Ashford as well as community college.  Essentially the education is the same except you are not sitting in the classroom.  You get what you put into it.  I do not have the ability to sit in a classroom and learn.  Nor was I ever one to excel in classroom learning because I have a lot of responsibilities and a life.  I am fortunate to be able to attend Ashford and gain a lot of useful knowledge pertinent to my career.  When I graduate I plan to work in public service.  My husband is in the military.  We both agreed a career for the government would be the best option for me. So far at Ashford I have a 4.0.  I have been inducted into Golden Key, and made Dean's List every semester.  I put countless hours and effort into my schoolwork though.  The post I read about not even reading a book and making all A's is bogus.  The course materials are the same quality as if you were at any other school.  The tests are not extremely hard, but I have had some that were moderately hard that required rereading text several times to get the answer.  I am meticulous about my papers.  I follow all guidelines by the instructor and I mean each instructor as preferences change with the course as well as APA format and I also use the writing center every time.  If you think you will just get A's doing nothing, you are sadly mistaken.  Your classes will challenge you to incorporate your real life experience with the material from the course.  I have learned a lot at Ashford.  Sure the staff changes frequently, but I am content with my progress towards my degree.  I have a year left and I will start my MBA hopefully at Ashford as well.  Do not be fooled by people who are sour on this school because of their mistakes. I have found the financial department meticulous when it comes to my aid and I had several contributing sources.  Never had a problem ever.  Just don't start this school thinking it is a joke or a joke of a degree.  Ashford is accredited regionally which is all that matters when you go for your job interviews after you graduate.  I think some posters on here work for U of Phoenix or other online universities and are only trying to drive up their enrollment numbers! 

I am currently enrolled in  Ashford's online program and I am completely and utterly unhappy with the quality of the program. In three classes I have done three assignments on procrastination/time management and three assignments on my decision to attend college. Discussion post topics are mostly irrelevant and focus too much on self reflection. Discussion posts are filled with the life histories of every miserable person there. If you want expensive group therapy this is the place for you!

Jazzy, this school gives out As. They tell their professors in not so many words that you are an adult learner, and if you do any work at all, give an A. Unfortunately the open enrollment of this school (a purely profit business decision) forces them to make this policy, because any buffoon can be enrolled at Ashford. If they didn't have the A for work policy, 90% of the Ashford students would of flunked out or dropped out. The business side has tainted the education. Bottom line, there is no educational value to Ashford.

I am going into my 4th course at Ashford and I am very pleased with the experience so far.  Many of the negative comments revolve around financial aid.  As long as your classes are being paid for, and you're not being asked for money by the school, then what's the problem?

Hello!

I recently graduated from Ashford in November 2010 with a Communications Studies degree and was very shocked to learn that I would not be graduating Summa cum laude, which I earned, because I was 7 credits short of their erroneous number (55) credit cut-off point.Instead I get a "With Distinction" honor.

I was wondering if anyone has a problem with the way some schools issue latin honors. Especially when it comes to online students. Ashford's policy is cut and dry. Through research, I have found out that the top online schools have made provisions (for Latin honors) so online students who work hard but do not have the required 55 credits still have an opportunity to receive these high honors instead of "With Distinction". I do not even understand what that means.

In my case, I received 48 credits from Ashford. My lowest percentile was 93% and my highest was 100%. In essence, 16 classes, straight A's. Someone please explain to me how I am not graduating Summa Cum Laude?

Maybe most online students are in school for 2 years or more, but there are some who are not, but attended for at least a year which means approximately 30 credits. I feel that they should receive the same honors because they did the work! 

The school only requires a 3.9 for Summa cum laude and I made a strong 4.0. That alone should be the exception. They could also do as other schools and split it up. A certain G.P.A. for 55 credits and a higher G.P.A. for qualification if you have less than the prescribed credits or like some schools who just require 30 credits across the board. Either way these are better and fairer solutions than the status quo. 

As an alumnist now, I am going to campaign against this policy. They will probably not change my degree but maybel I can help others.

As it stand now, my family and friends who have been with me through it all are just not going to understand this. How do you go from the top 2% of your graduating class to some generic term? 

What are your thoughts?

I have recieves jobs at a major bank and Morgan Stanley smith Barney with a degree from Ashford. It's not necessarily important where you go for school, but if you go to school. Relatively speaking ofcourse. I mean I'm talking about the average person here...

I have recieves jobs at a major bank and Morgan Stanley smith Barney with a degree from Ashford. It's not necessarily important where you go for school, but if you go to school. Relatively speaking ofcourse. I mean I'm talking about the average person here...

I received my masters degree from Ashford in November, 2010 and it was a very rewarding experience.  The professors are highly qualified, well attentive and will not let you get away with just posting anything. Like any school there are some good points and some bad points but my overall educational experience was great.  I highly recommend this school

Once again, a clueless Ashford student.  I also requested that my excess funds in student loans and grants be sent to me within 14 days of disbursement and guess what?  They come SOONER than 14 days! It is your job as an adult to escalate the issue if you feel you are being treated unfairly.  I have never had a financial problem with Ashford.  Also, Ashford is very military friendly.  Since I'm a vet, I get reduced tuition, NO technology fee, free books...etc.  Just food for thought. Ashford does not trick anyone. They are not allowed to keep money if you email the stipends department and you get a response email from them saying your request is being processed.  It seems like you are not being that proactive and I suggest you get on your job and do so!

Not true. I worked VERY hard for my A's here at Ashford and A's are not guaranteed.  You dont do the work = poor grades.  The teachers are very picky about the work you submit and I have never gotten a perfect 100% in a class.  Revise your thinking.

100k on student loans? How many degrees did you get, 4?  My financial doesn't even total over 30k for three years of school...I dont get where your logic in finances come from.

I have to agree with a lot of the comments made here, but if you are someone like me who really can't go back to a traditional campus, Ashford is a pretty good alternative.  I've found a couple of people at the University who really seem to care about me and my goals and have found that I am really learning a lot in my classes.  I also use Student Portal Buddy to get additional help with my assignments which has made a huge difference for me personally.

Getting A's at ashford is the normal. If you didn't get an A that means you didn't turn anything in. It's such a corrupt educational system. The business side has tainted it.

I don't know where you went but Ashford was to through when I went there. They would  not let me go until they got my credits for the high school that I went to. This School is pretty good so far accept for a few of the teachers are rude, but all in all it is a very good School.

I enrolled in Ashford because the advisor was outstanding. His attention to detail was awesome and he really cared. I got moved to another advisor who was equally as good. I loved the Ashford experience. Recently, I got moved to another advisor who was not very detail oriented. I dropped a class, but it took him 10 days to get me out; now I am in "default" because thay want me to pay for the class. The biggest issue is that this school is so insulated, I cannot get through the switchboard to escalate my concerns. They only forward my call to the same person who has not returned my calls for 2 months.
I did love Ashford; now I am in a credit battle because of thier mistake. They would rather send me to collections than get 2 more years of tuition out of me. I am currently looking for another school.

For those of you who are complaining about the Technology fee that you did not know about it and that you didn't know it was non-refundable then it is your fault for not fully researching something before you sign on for it. It is all over thier website. 

My experience was fairly good up until graduation.  First, they fail to remind you that there is a fee and forms to submit to "request" to graduate. It's written in the catalog that I read two years ago when I began with Ashford...
 
Then, they put your status on hold until they get the fee, yet they FORGET TO TAKE IT OFF after you've paid it. I was told that it would take 6-8 weeks to get my certificate ten weeks ago.  I just called and found out about the hold they forgot to remove (see above).  Now I get to wait another 6 to 8 weeks for my certificate.  Pathetic!!!   Follow-through people...  Follow-through...  

My experience at Ashford was so much better than the stories I read here. I was a student that transfered in 90 credits and was there for a year and one month. My advisor was the greatest! She called me after every class to congratulate me for obtaining an A. I graduated with distinction (honors). I worked my behind off for it! when I would make honor roll she would call me and sing a quirky congratulatory song on my voicemail. I really liked her a lot. I will agree the financial aid reps are inept! IT's almost impossible to get an answer out of them. I grew tired so everytime I needed something from Financial Aid, I would call the office of the University President. I would complain and refuse to give up the line until I received the help I needed. After that happening a few times, my financial aid rep was VERY responsive. I graduated with my B.A. in Social Science with a concentration in Education. I immediately started my Masters at another distance university to obtain my Masters in Education with a teaching certificate. The quality of the education was excellent, BUT the support office departments are TERRIBLE! My advisor has a thousand students, I spoke to him once, the day I started. Finanical aid seems to be a nightmare at every college/university!!!! I am so glad I have not had issues and I needed to speak to them. I called once. When they didn't respond, I called the office of the President to complain AND demand action. My financial aid person checks in with me regularly now. I began as a traditional student, now I am all for distance learning. It's new and challenging, but I really like it. 

I was on here to see the kinds of jobs that students are getting after they graduate, but I see that there are some people who are just not sure what they want to do.  Alterior motives, working angles, and blaming others for past mistakes are all signs of childishness.  If you find a better school then be thankful for your experience at Ashford and move on.  Yes, the school has less money, but for those of us who are really trying and want to graduate, it's an excellent school.  The inappropriate comments are just that.  Just pick your self up, get your emotions together and move on.  Maybe to those who are pregnant the negative comments are understandable because of the over abundance of hormones, otherwise, move on. Enrollment advisors are the equvalent of a mentor. Financial advisors always get back to me.  Just like getting hired for a job, some people are just impossible to please and get along with.  However, when you realize that it's so important to consider and focus on what you can offer rather than what you can receive then you will be much more satisfied.  Try it!  I know what I am talking about. If you could have gone to another school, then you would have, in my opinion.

I took a class with them, and would rate it a zero. Nothing but bad things to say, the financial advisors are scammers. I went to another online school.

I am going to take online classes with Ashford within the next 6 months and would like to know from the experience of other former as well as current students in an online format environment; on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being the best, do you recommend it? 

To all graduates; are you employed in a field you desired as a direct result of Ashford U.? 0 = NO, 1 = will be, 2 = YES.      

-Thanks   

Ashford University is nothing but a joke! I have told my "ex" advisor about 3 months ago, that I was no longer interested transferring to Ashford through email.  She replies back to me, asked me to call her and she wanted to work something out, which I decided not to bother.  Few weeks later after that, she calls me repeatedly! I thought maybe if I ignore her, she will get the hint, but I guess not.  Not to mention, she will not no for an answer.

Recently, 2 days before Thanksgiving, she calls me again.  I have told her, I was no longer interested, goodbye! She decides to be a tattletale and has her supervisor calls my sister (my sister is a student at Ashford), instead of confirm the problem to me! Even though she had NO rights telling my sister that I was being rude.  Maybe if she would of listened to me and stop calling me, I wouldn't be angry with her.  My sister hates me now because I was being "rude" to her precious advisor! I have tried to tell my sister that her advisor isn't all that great, especially when she creates a phone harassment! She won't believe anything I say, but she will believe her advisor, who is telling her nothing but lies.  I thought my sister would look for out for me and defend me, but I guess I was wrong.  Pathetic? I think so!

Yesterday afternoon, I have been trying to get a hold of her manager and he has not return my phone call yet.  If he ever calls me back, I am going to give him a piece of my mind!

Seriously, this is not a joke! This is what happened to me and I don't approve this at all! I have lost all respect to Ashford and that pathetic advisor! They sure can make a person's life like a living hell, not mention trying to ruin my family.

I am not trying to convince people to boycott Ashford.  Some people do have good experience at Ashford.  If you feel Ashford would be a great beneficial to your education needs, then go for it! Just be aware, this could happen to any of you, which I hope it doesn't.

that's funny, I graduated from my Ivy league undergrad at 21 with a BS. Why is a no name piece of crap 'skool' like assford being selective? Hilarious. You have to take a test to get your BA? redonkulous.

I graduated in June from Ashford and it was a great school. I received a BA in Psychology. All of the instructors were highly qualified and concerned with their students learning. If you are attending Ashford, make sure you go through their graduation, if you can get there

Samantha you take an under 22 test which is uberly easy and you are okay

I was going to transfer Ashford next semester for BA Criminal Justice.  The advisor from Ashford informed me that I had to be 22 years old to get in the bachelors program.  Instead, she would put me in the AA program.  I told her forget about it! If I want to get an AA degree, I would just stay at community college right now! I didn't know there was an age requirement? I figured as long you are over 18 and have your high school diploma or GED, but I guess not.

However, I won't be 22 in 2 years.  I can't wait that long to get in the program.  I tried to tell the advisor nicely that I was no longer interested attending Ashford.  Guess what, the advisor keeps calling me non stop! 

That's the only complain I have with Ashford.  I am sure it's a great school and all.  If anyone under 22 is thinking about attending Ashford; either you wait till you're 22 to get in the BA program or go somewhere else.

Does anyone gets jobs after graduating from Ashford?

Bottom line... did a degree from Ashford help you land a good paying job in your field of study? All they kept telling me a BA may open many doors for you, so will a key.
Straight up, yea or nay, were future employers impressed with your Ashford degee?

I just completed my first course at Ashford, and although I can't fully judge my experience with the school yet - I can say "so far, so good".  The class structure is organized and easy to acclimate to.  My first instructor was very responsive.  Everything comes with detailed instructions.  If you can follow directions, the online format is easy to get used to.


When my enrollment advisor called for the first time, he explained the school in detail for nearly an hour and answered every question I had.  It's his job to get prospective students enrolled ASAP, so I wasn't turned off by what some may consider an over-eager approach.  Most people who've been out of school for several years are naturally apprehensive about returning.  It's easy to interpret an enrollment advisor as being pushy - when really they are just trying to help you take that big step.  They get paid for signing you up - that's their job.  Don't hold it against them.  


The financial aid process is not difficult if you can, again- follow directions.  You're only concern should be if your education will be covered - not how much extra money you might get to pocket from your award amount.  


As for people who say Ashford is a "diploma mill", or "not a real school", etc. may not realize that many of us work full time and/or have families to take care of.  We don't have time to attend a physical school.  And if any of you actually spent any length of time in a professional environment, you'd know most employers don't care where you went to school (or even what your degree is in many cases) as long as you have one.  My buddy works for a very well known company and would rather hire a graduate of a no-name school rather than a Stanford graduate - because of the entitlement attitude that comes along with them.  You'd be shocked what really goes through many employers minds when they look at resumes.

it seems like a good school to me, i am currently talking to my advisor, but after reading all these negative comments im not too sure about ashford anymore. i gave him all my info already... do you think its too late?

Don't go there.  I worked there and I know what I'm talking about.

I am currently looking into enrolling in Ashford's online program for an MA in Organizational Management (Emphasis in global management). Does anyone have any experience with this MA program? Thanks

Shari, I also went to Kaplan and have transferred to Ashford University.  You failed to mention that yes, books are not included at Ashford like Kaplan, but kaplan costs $24,000.00 more than Ashford!  And it's not even a real university!  Ashford at least has a campus, and I would much rather pay $50 a class for books, than $24,000.00 for free books.  do the math, girlie, you'll see you got ripped off.

has anyone taking english language learner studies? how is that? i am goin to start this month? some advice

I requested information from this school after seeing an ad on Facebook. Less than 24 hours later I received 8 phones calls the first of which was at 6:30 in the morning PST. The person who called obviously didn't care about what time zone I was in. I am a Corrections Officer and received call after call at work. One person left a message and said to just call them back if I had questions and even said they emailed me information. Not even 2 hours went by and ANOTHER call AT WORK. Totally put off. No thank you. Again today, after telling a person yesterday to let me think about it and I would call back...I HAD 7 MISSED CALLS. This is bordering on PHONE HARASSMENT.

I read a comment up there about the Technology Fees and book costs and it made me aggrivated, not at the author, but at the school. I can't believe how much the so-called Technology Fee has gone up since I signed up for this school about 6 months ago. Also, I think it's crap that your books are not included as well. When I attended Kaplan, my books were included. I only left there because their classes required you to go to a one hour seminar each week and I couldn't go because they are one EST and, at the time, I was on PST. Also, their classes are two for 10 weeks instead of one every 5 weeks. I think I made a huge mistake because Kaplan also only charges that Technology Fee per class, not all of it up front like Ashford.

I just recently stopped attending Ashford and have to say I am so pissed at that school. My Enrollment Advisor was nice but forgot to mention that the $990 Technology Fee you are charged in the beginning is NON-REFUNDABLE even if you've only taken 4 classes. So basically I paid this fee for nothing. I think they owe me most of that back but they do not feel the same. I tried to file a complaint with the BBB about other issues and wouldn't you know it, they are not members! Also, when I was attending this school, my financial advisor was crappy and never returned emails or phone calls. It's just annoying. I left Kaplan University for this one because I prefered their program but now I'm thinking it was a really bad idea. DON'T GO TO ASHFORD!!!!

Nida sorry I attended Miami Dade College and now I attend Barry University. Oooops....sorry I guess you don't know anything about traditional schools. All you know are crappy, worthless, bull crap schools. Before you try to talk smack get on my level.

Have any one found out that you could not tranfer you credit from Ashford University to any others college? When you received your degree that it was honor at any other college or at your jobs at reasonable to moved up within the organization. There is question about this matter concerning this issues.

This scummy school has started sprouting off of highways like UOP. Another venture capitalists wet dream.

Awwh Alayna that's all you could come up with.  No wonder you hated college so much.  You couldn't text your way through.

I am currently enrolled in my 12th online course at Ashford, as a Business Administration major.  I have had a great experience so far, and after reading a lot of these negative comments I question the validity of most of them.

I am receiving employer reimbursement for my classes and books, so I do not have to deal with financial aid.  As far as books, I always order the e-book version, which is about half the price of the text, and do not have to pay shipping cost, or wait for the book to arrive in the mail.  Once I buy the e-book, it downloads immediately to my computer and works the same way as a text.

The technology fee (was $990 for me a year ago) was mentioned by my advisor prior to me enrolling.  Again, since my fees, tuition, books, etc are reimbursed by my company it really didn't affect my decision to enroll.

Lastly, in my 12 courses so far I have had only 1 instructor who was difficult to work with.  This particular instructor didn't help much if you had a question, and was borderline rude at times concerning student feedback in the discussion posts.  Is this unusual?  I don't think so.  I am sure every university in the world has an instructor or two who is difficult for their students.  I was lucky to get a B- in that course and just moved on and have had many more wonderful instructors so I know that one was just a bad apple in the bunch.

Nida STFU

This is for the people who complained about oweing money because of a mistake at Ashford or with FAFSA:

You are an adult, it is your responsibility to keep track of how much money you owe, how much money you have and what your limit is.  Do not blame someone else for your stupidity.

I read through a lot of the negative comments and I have to say a few things.  First: Financial aid is not granted to every one. Secondly: The concept of on-line classes means that you will be doing a lot of the work yourself.  If you wanted a babysitter you should have went to a traditional classroom setting.  Third:  These people (academic adivsors) are not your parents, they do not have time to call you everyday and ask "how are you doing?".  This can be said for both on-line classes and traditional classrooms.  In fact, when you go to the academic advisor on campus, they do not fix your problem like Johnny on the Spot, they make you wait for an answer.  Sometimes this can take weeks.  Laslty: This is a college, not a trade school, elementary school or day care.  You are an adult and as such they expect you to be able to take care of some of your problems, follow directions, read an agreement and accomplish your own work without someone breathing down your neck.  So please, if you want a babysitter or your mom, if you want someone to cuddle you and hold your hand every step of the way, if you refuse to take responsiblity for yourself...  DO NOT attend college.  DO NOT attend an on-line college.

What a joke this school is,   Rude staff.  I am so glad to be away from this so called online school.  
Do not believe anything you are told or read about them being helpful.  This school only takes your money and destroys your dreams.  You are told to take certain classes  once signed up you find out you do not need the class and the one you need is full so you have to pay for something you do not need or want.  So called professors will not respond to your questions until after the weeks assignment is due and submitted and marked wrong.  Administration does not want to talk to anyone.  A real shame.
Just a warning   be very careful read EVERYTHING before you sign up for anything here.

$1290.00 Technology Fee????!!!! I must also pay for my books out of pocket!!! So, what is the technology fee for if the books are not supplied online? I have just finished my 1st class and I am withdrawing. I am going to pray they do not come up with any other bogos charges to my account!!!! If you dont ask, they won't tell!!! DO NOT GOT TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!

Beware! The people are a bunch of crooks! They steal your financial aid money and use it on things they are not allowed to. I think that the staff may even be pocketing some of the money and pretending it is for charges. I honestly did not have a good experience at this school. the academic advisors were mean and pushy and arrogant. I must have dealt with over 12 different advoisors over the course of two years there. It was a waste of time and money all together. Do not, I repeat DO NOT waste your time here if you are a financial aid student. By the time that I would have graduated they had me owing $100,000 in student loans. I really would not want anyone else to have to deal with these crroks! Spend your time and money elsewhere! They even charge you for classes that you did not complete and sneaky ways that they do things will make you so mad at them. Pick an other school!

I am finishing up my 2nd class at Ashford and I am very satisfied. I almost changed my mind after reading all the bad reviews, but thank goodness I decided to enroll. An online degree is the only option for me at this stage in my life and Ashford was the perfect choice. I needed the security of a school which also has a physical campus, like Ashford and I needed a Communications program. My 2 classes have gone very well and I am doing well in them. Classes are not easy and the instructors so far have been very hands on where communication and feedback are concerned. I feel I am receiving a great education at Ashford.
I hear alot of bad reviews about financial aid as well. I can only assume that whatever problems went on in the past, Ashford has fixed because my financial aid went through without issue. My first semester is paid for and I received my stipend check at the end of my 7th week enrolled. Be prepared to pay for the books for your 2nd class out of pocket, but my stipend check came in time for me to pay for books for my 3rd and 4th class!
I Love Ashford!

Do NOT attend this school. I am only 2 classes away from my Bachelors degree and had to take a leave of absence because I cannot stand dealing with the faculty. The enrollment counselor lied to me, the financial aid adviser either ignores when I want help or lead me astray. The teachers do not use current editions of the text and I got a bad grade because I used the newest edition of the text. WORST decision I made in a long time was trusting my education to these people.

This school is desparate and is only after your money. First of all they are pandering to people who are already in an unfavorable situation. Their add popped up when I was applying for disability benefits, ie. housing, food stamps for my brother. I thought this might be something helpful and inquired about the school.  They emailed me which I ALL I really wanted but they won't stop at that.  They won't stop calling even after I told them atleast 10 times to STOP calling!!!! They are harassing me!  My brother doesn't live with me and I explained why I inquired.  I initiated the contact and it is my right to END it!  They are totally insane.  They have SEVERAL horrible reviews.  DO NOT use this school!  They are scam artists! I am about to file a police report against them for harassment.

Hello All,

Ashford College is a legitimate college and offers great one-to one instructors, however the only problem I had was that the advisors changed very often,  at times it was easy to get lost in the shuffle. For instance, I had cancer, before  I went into the Hospital, I was told by my advisors and the financial aid office that I could suspend my financial aid  until I return back to my classes , Highly frustrating, and it was not handled properly.  I was going through  life threatening issues that was very stressful. That did not help it was sort of a pass the buck treatment.
I feel that the advisors are a little in-experienced to handle mature adult situations which could severely impact our future.
I would say just to Be aware & careful about the advisor changes , especially when they do not address issues in a timely manner which affect the student's professional education outcome ie. grade point average and the misunderstanding of the unclear procedural policy practices within the College.
Otherwise the school to me was the best and the meaningful learning experience was great.
One more thing Blackboard had serious issues, I had a 4.0 and was taking a course and when I took my test where answers were lost due to a crash and my score was lowered right before graduation,w which resulted in a refusal of repeating the test to keep my high scores. I was told by my advisors that employers do not care about the grade point average. Wrong some do look at this , especially if you are continuing on to receive scholarships for Grad School. This was not the case , it effected my  scholarship eligibility rate. Otherwise,  they are a great college providing these other issues can be rectified.
I was recently called by another masters of education advisor asking me to return there, offering an Alumni  grant , but they fail to point out that it was only for a few classes but made it sound like  since your were a successful Alumni it was a grant that would pay for all your education classes.
I still have questions about returning there because of these issues that I have experienced!


Respectfully,

c;

I recognize people love this school because it gives out A's like water. You could turn in your daughter's 1st grade paper and swing an A-. Piss poor.

When I decided to go back to school, I checked into several schools and felt that I had made a quality decision; I could not have been more wrong.  I would avoid going to this school, just as others on here have commented they are very deceptive, this is probably  not illegal but it is definitely unethical.  I had student loans and I was told about a month prior to graduation that I everything was paid and all I had to do was complete the classes I had left.  As soon as I graduate, I get an email stating that I owe them money.  I called and finally spoke with someone who would answer some questions, a difficult thing to get done at this school, I was told that my academic advisor provided bad advice by advising me to re-declare my major (which I questioned at the time and was not told that it cost money to do so) and the school messed up and sent me too much money.  I was told that they would check into fixing the problem and would be contacted back.  I had to call them every time and when I began to press them on why it was taking so long; I was told that if I did not pay I would be turned into collections.  All they were doing was stringing me along until they could turn it over to collections they had no intention of helping me out.  The lady who left me a message claimed she did not know what I was talking about.  I ask for proof and continually am told that I have to check the finance tab in the student portal.  It does not give any information about why I owe money.  I paid the money because I do not want my credit destroyed but I have contacted the Better Business Bureau and an attorney.  I would avoid this school!!!!

I've been a student of Ashford University for over a year and a half. My experience has been nothing but wonderful throughout the entire time. I am going for my Bachelor's in Health Care Administration. My advisor's and instructors have been nothing but helpful and do everything they can to work with you. If someone has a negative experience with Ashford, then it is only because they failed to communicate with the University. I highly recommend Ashford.

I am currently six classes from graduating with my BA in Psychology at Ashford and I LOVE IT!  It has been the best school experience I have ever had.  I have never had any issues wth instructors, financial aid staff, or advisors if anything they have been more than helpful.  The classes are great, the schedule is convenient, and everything is well organized and easy to follow.  

Not everyone is cut out to be an on-line student, it takes alot of self-discipline and the ability to learn in an unstructured environment with limited assistance.  

To all of those who have made complaints that they did not respond fast enough or not at all my suggestion would be for you to go to a campus program where the instructor is there on hand to assist you at your convenience.  I had a previous experience with a campus college and hated it.  The best part about on-line college is the ability to know what the class requires ahead of time and being able to make my school work schedule fit in with my everyday life.  If I need to be at a softball game I can plan things around it.

This is a great school, and for a university degree you really can't beat the prices.  I love the people, I love the experience and I am thankful for everything they have done for me because without them I would not be graduating in May.

Hi Everyone. I often read on these review boards problems and complaints about Ashford. I want to share my story in hopes to show it's not bad for everyone?

I recently graduated through their online program with a BA in communications.  I had one instructor out of 14 over the course of a year and a half who seemed to be half-witted.  Other than that guy (at the end of each class is a course survey), I have enjoyed all of my instructors, their feedback, class discussions, and the material was very interesting to learn.  

I topped out in the 15% of my class with a GPA of 4.0.  I have an impressive portfolio of all my final papers, and now have enrolled in their MAOM program for my graduate degree.  Perhaps I lucked out with my advisors, and perhaps I happened to fill out my FAFSA perfect because my pells and scholarships have come through fine with plenty of loan funds exceeding to send back to Sallie Mae, dropping my loan amount after graduation.

The online program, its advisors, and staff are located in San Diego, CA, while the Brick and Mortar college itself is located in Clinton, Iowa.  

My instructors have been from all over America, and teach up to 5 classes a week at various online colleges and brick/mortar schools.  

My experience has been a positive one, however, I do believe this school and the online program is not for everyone. It is writing intensive, and it is imperative you read through the college catalog to understand about withdrawing from school and its consequences.  My advisors have been wonderful, knowledgeable, and timely.

Otherwise, I would not be furthering my education in the Master's program.

I wish you well to find the right school for you.  I have enjoyed Ashford to finish 84/120 credits I transferred, and I look forward to hanging my MAOM next to my BA degree.

@ Sherri, Maybe you need to find another FA Advisor, because mine is Awesome. Every last one of them that I have had has been great, and I think I have had about 4 in the past year. They hold your money in the 30/70 way because you told them to. All you had to do was decline their plan. I did the same thing when I first started, but when they gave us the option to change it....I Did!! And if you have been there for two years now, then you had that same option and still chose to let them hold on to your money. That sounds like a personal problem, not Ashford. I have been with them for only one year and I have gotten four disbursements. If you include when I started then I have received six (30/70 rule). So to all you people who are complaining about FA, well, all I can say is that next time you should read. If you are not getting any extra money for books then you did not do like majority of us did and asked for the maximum amount.
So as I have stated before...Ashford is a great school to attend. It is not as easy as everyone thinks it is. You can't have any excuses because the teachers don't want to hear that crap. No one is going to hold your hand and make you do the work. Graduating is totally up to you. I have really enjoyed my time here at Ashford University and look forward to graduating in May with my BA in Healthcare Administration. I might just go on for my Master’s Degree, but I will take two months off in between. The only break we get from school is the two weeks Christmas break, so the two months that I take off will be very much needed and deserved.

WOW!Is all i can say at this point. I sure just looked this school up anlong w Phoenix Online. The guy I spoke with was so eager for me to fill out an app right after just talking to him for 30 min... I told him i cant just do that so quick,there is no rush. He said What other questions did I  have? I said none, I just need time to think and do my own research. I mean gesh! This is not for free, heck yea i need time to look the school up, and verify things! Did he think I was a fool? When I asked him did the degree I was looking at have a concentration, he did not even give me a clear answer, just said lemme look, I dnt think it does, no I dont think so...let me look, no it does not...OK,. THAT ASNSWER DNT WORK FOR ME!I have went to campuses and the admin reps are not as pushy! I think im going to work something out and go to a campus! Ga State where I'M at... their reps don't pressue me! They just say come in when you are ready!

The reason Ashford University is regionally accredited is because they bought out a struggling private Catholic college, in turn, buying the accreditation and "1908" history. LOL

That is how all the "Diploma Mill" for profit universities get their start.

Watch Frontline's College Inc and all will be explained.

You will graduate with a useless diploma and tons of federal debt. Did you know that you can never escape Federal loan debt. They will garnish your wages, your Federal tax returns and you are not eligible for social security.

Guess who loves Ashford's parent company Bridgepoint Inc?

Wall Street!

All that yummy federal loan money to play with.

Bridgepoint/Ashford spends more on advertising d than on their education department.

BEWARE

Google Frontline's College Inc and Watch the program. It will turn your stomach.

Former Saint Telemarketer,
Your right on!

Also it's funny how the 'academic advisors' make more than the professors.....

Ashford is no different than any other online university.  Which is exactly why Congress is looking into them all.  This is a for profit money grab that is taking advantage of people who really don't know any better. 

This so called university has 3000 employees, 1600 of which are telemarketers (their names are listed for you when you choose your representative on their application!!!!).  These poor schmucks have been hired to get you to take out student loans. Each one of these "phone monkey's" are dialing to the drum of the CEO Andrew Clark who will one day be forced to testify in front of Congress for his intentional raping of the American tax payer.  If you don't believe me, ask yourself what other "Dean/CEO" of an American University pays himself 20 million dollars per year.

So if you want to go there, go!  But don't cry 12 months from now when you have 15k in loans and your credits aren't worth anything.  The only people who should attend this university are the same ones who had their homes repossessed because they felt cheated by their lender and didn't do any research at all. 

Online universities are the new subprime lending cheats.  It's the same formula.  Make false promises:  Qualifying is easy, don't worry about the loans that's 4 years from now, why wouldn't you do this everyone knows house ownership/college degrees always make money.  Sounds familiar doesn't it.

And guess what, these criminals are taking advantage of tax payers money to feed these lies, to line their own pockets.  My only hope is that Obama won't bail out all of you retards again!  

Here's the deal, you want to go to college, go.  But go to a real one.  College isn't supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be hard!, its supposed to be a sacrifice!  It's this process that changes your mind forever and creates a college graduate out of you.  

You can't get this tranformation by logging on twice a week and replying to two of your fellow classmates.  The only ones who will tell you that is what college is all about is either an alumni from one of these retarded schools or is getting paid to get you to go to one.  (Which buy the way is one of the main reasons schools like Ashford face losing their accreditation which will will really make paying back those loans tons of fun.....)

So take my advice if you're thinking about going, don't.  And if you are going tranfer out while your credits are still worth something.

I just graduated with my BA in Early Childhood Ed. from Ashford! Years ago I tried going to a traditional college and it just did not work out. I actually started with Ashford in 2006 and just finished. My advisor was the same person all 4 years and called me, emailed me, and got me through some tough times! I remember wanting to quit and Brittany Davis was awesome, cheering me on!  I am currently applying everything I learned in a large (250 children) Child Development Center as an assistant director. You have to be self motivated but the professors were always available. I only had 2 professors in all 4 years that I wouldn't recommend. The rest were all full of guidance and motivation. I believe you get what you put into it. It wasn't easy but now I am grateful for everything I learned since I love what I do. I also used financial aid and never had any issues.  They remind you each award period of what to do and if I ever had questions, I would receive an answer back promptly. Also, you can order books from anywhere by just logging in to your class and getting the book information, you do NOT have to go through the bookstore. I only did that a couple times.  I averaged $60-$85 a month on books which was quite reasonable. I've recommended friends and plan to go back for my Masters in a few months.

Ashford seemed like a good idea at the time, but I have since had my doubts. Many in-fact, one of the problems is financial- they do not want to release my excess funds to me. They have re-done my loans under another name-without asking, or notifying me. The system experiences multiple errors on a regular basis, and apparently when you call to talk to someone about this, they all feel obligated to tell you how smart they are. So my little master degree weilding operators, if that is the job you have because you went to Asford-answering phones, you can have your accredited university. Now, the professors are a whole other ball park- I have come to the conclusion that they either employ people that have personality disorders, and don't know their rear from a hole in the ground; then again maybe they can't handle the student load (of 10-18 a class), or when it is all said and done..........you'll love this, maybe they have multiple people posing as one professor so they can't keep what they tell the students straight. My personal issues with Ashford aside, from an unbiased stand point (as possible) I would say I am smart, but the classes seem easy for the most part. The work load is not heavy for a full time student, this is very unusual. I have many questions that have as of yet to be answered at Ashford. Should I personally continue to encounter issue after issue I will transfer to the University my Mother works at, and I know is legitamate. In conclusion, Asford is not what one would qualify as a Well rounded University to attend.

Ashford University has alot of issues.  I have been a student there for almost 2yrs now.  They have a rule where they keep the students money then disburse it to you as they see fit.  And you have to bite the expense of your books awaiting them to disburse the money you are awarded thru a pell grant or the money you will have to pay back from your student loans.  I found out that they trick you by putting that lil note about it in your enrollment forms.  However by requesting your money be sent to you after tuition is deducted within 14days of it going into your acct you can supposably get your money.  But that is not true either as they have come up with excuse after excuse to continue to keep mine. I get 4 deposits per year and have went an entire year with only 1 disbursement.  So basically they are using student money and giving it to you when they have it.  Be very weary!

Ashford is the worst school! The faculty are less-than-qualified and don't ever seem to know what it is that they are doing. Ashford should be shut down immediately due to incompetence on the faculties part.

I just don't understand what the problem is. I have been with Ashford since January of 2009 and so far all have gone well. My financial aid is sent on time, every time. If I have a stipend it always arrives 14 days after my FA is posted to my account. If you want the whole stipend disbursed to you then you should not accept the 30/70 rule when you sign your paperwork. That’s just my opinion. 
As far as the course work goes, well lets’ just say that it’s not that easy, and if you apply yourself, it’s not that hard. I have found myself struggling in some classes, and had to wonder what I got myself into. If you apply yourself you will get a good education. As someone stated before, “you can leave this school feeling like you have learned nothing.” But that is with any school. You get out what you put into your education.

I started attending Ashford in Oct of this year.. When I first start researching schools I put in for some info about the Social and Criminal Justice degree.. The calls never stopped after I put my phone number in.. Nathan the counsler wouldnt take no for an answer so finally I gave in and said Id attend this school. The financial aid department is awful and the trying to do this online is crazy.. I just dropped out this month after putting myself in so much debt for this "University". You cant even buy your books with the finicial aid that you are awarded.. The books are about 100 if not more and you can only get the Ashford Edition so theres no buying them on some other website. They also sent my loans back to the lenders so now I owe the school alot of money just because I decided to swich schools.. The teachers really arnt that fantastic either.. You'd figure paying 1130 for each class that you would get some quality education.. I would NOT reqremend this school to ANYONE!! Its honestly a bunch of bull s..t!!

PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS UNIVERSITY!!!! Ashford University is a horrible excuse for an educational institution. They truly only care about your money. I took six classes there, made the Dean's list, and still had so many issues in that brief time, I have almost completely lost any remaining faith in the entire education system in this country. If you are not an expert at Ashford's policies and procedures and financial aid, you will not be able to function at this "university". I was not able to get a hold of my academic or financial advisor ONCE over the phone in the time that I was there, a HUGE downfall given that they specialize in distance education. Worse yet, often I could not even get anyone to respond to my email correspondence. They removed me from a class, IN THE MIDDLE OF A CLASS, and erased all of the coursework that I completed due to an issue with my financial aid (caused by Ashford) that I had no knowledge about. After ending my enrollment at Ashford due to the disrespect and disregard for my education that I was shown while there, they sent me an email with a 15 day notice that yet another balance appeared on my account without my knowledge, and I still could not get anyone on the phone to straighten it out. Once they have you in their grasp, they will not let you go! I am still fighting with this University today, and I will take every opportunity for the rest of my life to help any other upstanding students from having to go through an ordeal like mine. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS UNIVERSITY!!!!

I took two classes from Ashford and was incredibly disappointed.  It seemed too good to be true and it was.  The "professors" were terrible, the assignments were boring, and I didn't learn anything.  They are a for-profit school and it shows, once they have your money they forget you exist.  However, as soon as you disenroll they somehow remember your phone number to try to get you to take more classes.
I learned my lesson, no more for-profit schools.

I was an enrollment advisor for over a year.  If you're interested in attending or working for Ashford University I highly recommend that you DO NOT.  Ashford is unethical and immoral.  They'll tell you anything you want to hear to get you enrolled and then you're on your own.  They are extremely overpriced and unprofessional.  Do yourself a favor and take online classes at your local community college.  You will be glad you did.  Ashford University sucks!

I am currently attending Ashford. I love it. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I have been At Ashford for two years now; took a semester off and went to a local college only to return to Ashford. Ashford is not that expensive. People seem to be complaining about the price everywhere... most of the schools in my area cost way more than this, unless it is a technical school that does not offer bachelors degrees. The classes are set up so that you are always engaged in the topic and allows you to learn; however, you get what you put into it. You can easily leave the school and not learn anything, but again, what school can't you do this in? As far as the Education major, I would not reccomend it. It does not grant you certification to teach and you still have to complete another program to actually become a teacher. This is a great school for those who can't attend a traditional college and highly reccomended!

Good Afternoon,
 I'm not sure how I found this website; I might have clicked on the wrong link. I am not sure of the situations that many of you have gone through. It appears that many of you did not read the forms that you were signing. I have been attending Ashford University for almost a year now. I will graduate with a BA in Health Care Administration. The course work is harder than University of Pacific and you will get out of it what you put into it. All of my instructors currently work in the Health Care field. I have had great interaction on the discussion boards with my classmates. I took one class that I didn’t have the time for and I failed it. I took the class again and received an 'A'. Ashford University is not a cheap school, but then most of us don't have the time to attend a brick and motor school. I pay about $1067.00 a class for three unit credits. I am able to get my books from the schools bookstore, coursesmart.com, ecampus.com and any other book site. I have been able to reach my financial advisor and my academic advisor with no problem. I have had no problems with my student financial aid. I currently have three job offers based on the fact that I will graduate July of 2011. One of those three positions is with the company I currently work for. The bottom line is that you must read the paperwork. If you are interested in the school just write down any questions and then make the call. Do not sign up for anything if you are unsure. They can NOT force you to do anything. Make sure they have your transcripts before you start your classes. I paid the money my own to have my past transcripts mailed to them and they all transferred. I confirmed that they had everything before I started my first class. If you are looking for something bad it's like everything else in life...you'll find it. I am not trying to defend the school. I just want those thinking about going to have a fair opinion because that's all that I can give...my opinion. I have referred two other people to Ashford and because of the referral their application fee was waived. They are both doing fine. If you want to attend just write some questions down. If you don't feel right about the answers or if you feel you’re getting the 'hard sell'; treat it like a car dealership and walk away. They can’t make you buy what you will not spend the money on.

I wrote the two posts on July 12th & 18th. I too have no direct experience with Ashford but from your story I would say you certainly did the correct thing by not attending Ashford. Any school that has no screening process for accepting students (especially on the graduate level)and has 'used car salesman' tactics to get you to enroll is bad news. There are many traditional b & m schools out there that have excellent online degree and certificate programs.
In my state, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and UCLA (among other UC campuses) leap to mind. Private options include USC and Stanford. Every state has excellent options. Please check those out!

Never actually attended, but when I requested information I was pressured into applying before they would tell me anything. I tried to make it clear that I am still researching options. After more phone calls I was turned off by the pressure and decided not to pursue Ashford any further. 
The option of getting a quick masters degree was appealing, but they have no screening process when accepting students into the graduate program. My advice would be to look at more traditional universities and if you need to go to school online many traditional colleges have online programs  themselves.
Again I never attended so I can't comment on the actual curriculum, but my encounter with enrollment advisor was like dealing with an army recruiter or used car salesman, just beware.

This school is a JOKE!  I was attending Ashford's online program, and when I decided that it wasn't for me, they made it impossible for me to withdraw.  My academic counselors did not answer their phone, return phone calls or e-mails.  They signed me up for another class, and I just did not log into the class at all.  When I did finally hear back from them, they were demanding money for the class that I never took.  I also had a student loan (and Pell Grant) and they had all the rights to take more money from the loan, yet they were still coming after me for over $1,000.  And now that I am ready to go back to school, they will not release my transcripts because they are still claiming this non-legit charge.  Basically, Ashford has screwed me over because without my transcripts, I cannot attend school anywhere!  THANK YOU ASHFORD!!!!

I am currently in the deciding process to start with AU. I reside in California and would like a heads up on what I need to be a certified Teacher? Can anyone that is either going through the course or has already completed their BA degree give me some feedback?
I would also like some feedback from anyone that has already graduated... Have you found a job in your field and has your accreditation of your degree been verified?
Thank you for taking the time and helping me with my decision.

All I can say is that if you have even the smallest and slightest issue with a class or a teacher they will NEVER help you and NEVER find the teacher or their grades at fault.  You are always, 100% wrong, even if the teacher is biased.

I am not defending Ashford. This is a private university. They can charge what they feel they need to charge. Public Universities have lower tuitions because they are state subsidized. The University of California System recently raised the tuition 35% (now costing students about $12,000 year including expenses). As we slip further into bankruptcy (which we will due to reckless spending)the tuition costs will continue to rise. I am hearing another 35% hike is likely within about two years. That will put the cost at $16,000 annually for a public institution! Some would say that it is still a bargain. That is probably true. However, the point is, private colleges and universities get very little money from the state. That is primarily why they charge what they charge. Some very good colleges and universities had to adopt the For-Profit Model in order to survive financially. That does not necessarily mean that a very good university suddenly becomes a very bad university because it has adopted this model. That is simply ridiculous. Again, I am not defending Ashford nor am I saying that it is a very good university. In fact, I don't know this school. I am merely pointing out where I believe Ms. Gucci's is incorrect.

Ms. Gucci's explanation is not completely accurate. While I agree with her that SOME For-Profits care only about enrollment numbers and 'getting the buck' others are traditional brick and mortar schools that turned to For-Profit in order to financially survive. She said "non-profit all the money that they make for tuition it goes back into the school such as sports, computer labs, school resources, etc." There are For-Profits that do exactly that as well including having sports that are part of the NCAA. 
In conclusion, while I agree with Ms. Gucci on certain points, not all of her points are accurate/true. I do believe that some For-Profits are 'sub-standard' (especially the Nationally Accredited schools).

What is the website?

Check out the July 7th article on BRidgepoint education/Ashford University

I recently graduated from Ashford.  The experience was a great one.  The process of enrolling and the financial  part of it was very easy.

To Justin,
Ashford online is not percieved as an academia degree maybe the campus division but, not online. Ashford is just like Devry, UoP, Walden, Westwood, Kaplan, Strayer, etc. They are for profit and don't care about if you learn or graduate.

So far, my experience has been good. All traditional colleges charge an application few so that's not out of the ordinary...and just so you know...if you enroll for a class and then withdraw AFTER the withdrawal date...YOU HAVE TO PAY THE SCHOOL! That's traditional or otherwise. I guess alot of people don't know how this thing work. The only think I could possibly complain about is that unlike traditional schools, they (and other online schools alike) use the first financial aid disbursement to cover a bogus technology fee. But i too understand this...most people get the disbursement, and drop out before the withdrawal date. So now they just keep it and you get one the next time but by then they have already made at least a profit. That's just how it works. I look forward to enrolling because the B.A. in Health and Human Services is exactly what I have been looking for!

Ms. Gucci,
     So because they are putting it back into the school its ok for a university to charge $60k for a bachelors degree?  It doesn't matter where the money goes afterwards its still ridiculous how much they charge.  I just think its goofy that people get mad at a university for wanting to make as much money as possible.  Even if they are out to make money, which all business' are and it doesn't matter for profit or not, what they do with the money they bring in has nothing to do with the quality of education provided.  Ashford recruits athletes and has several sports teams as well which are funded by tuitions.

@Justin:
There's a difference from being for-profit and non-profit. For-profit is exactly what Ashford, Argosy, Everest, Uop, Kaplan, etc. is. They only care about how many people they can enroll in a month. The more people they enroll the better it is for the academic advisor aka telemarketer pockets. Schools like FIU, UM, University of Georgia, New York University, etc are non-profit all the money that they make for tuition it goes back into the school such as sports, computer labs, school resources, etc. While for-profits make money and give it to their shareholders out on Wall Street.

Ashford University in Clinton, IA.  I have completed 76 credit hours towards my BA.  I have been at Ashford (online) for a little over 2 years now and I really have had no complaints.  I have read all of the complaints about financial aid and can honestly say that I haven't had many problems.  I have had to turn in another FASFA because student loans are now completely controlled by the government instead of banks as well.  Besides having to do the paper work over again, I haven't had any problems.  I have heard Ashford called a degree mill as well.  Ashford is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  They are also accredited by the CHEA.  By having these two, the university has to be legitimist.  I have also seen where people were complaining about Ashford being a for profit school that only cares about making money. HELLO! All schools are out to make money.  There is not a single university in the world that is not out to make a profit that is including all the big schools like USC, Clemson, Iowa, Ohio State, Harvard.....  If they weren't out to make a profit the school would be free!  The price of Ashford is very comparable to most colleges except trade schools who aren’t regionally accredited.   By the way, FASFA does not pay for school.  FASFA is an application for federal assistance i.e.: loans, grants etc...  FASFA will not pay for your school and Ashford cannot tell u what you qualify for. I truly believe that people need to do their home work on a school before enrolling.  Ashford is a good school and has an excellent online program for working adults.  I have contacted all of the hospitals in my area and they have all stated that they would accept a degree from Ashford.  I do not need someone to hold my hand and I put in the work to get my education.  I have not had a problem.  I advise anyone interested in going to this school to do their homework, ask questions, and pay attention to what’s going on. Don't believe all of these negative comments, figure it out for yourself.  They don't just hand out Ashford's accreditations to anyone.  Look on the website for the accreditations as well; Ashford is listed on there showing that it’s not a scam.  I would recommend this school to anyone.

As a former employee of Ashford University (who left by choice) who was not in the enrollment/admissions department, but in a parallel department I am well versed in Ashford University policies and the admissions process and department. I cannot in good faith recommend anyone to Ashford University and largely because of the enrollment process. Ask an enrollment advisor about Mako Mondays and ask them to quote Donald Trump. A Mako is a shark and on a handout was part of the enrollment numbers and enrollment goals that enrollment was given to meet. There is a lot of pressure on enrollment advisors. These stories are not anecdotal. Employees that arent disgruntled will attest, there is no hiding from the fact that Ashford University is purely a numbers driven agency as any for-profit company is. It is to the detriment of the student except for their focus on time to completion. That is commendable. However, otherwise Andrew Clark uses the term Best in Class to death. It sounds really pretty but ultimately its a marketing gimmick. It is a veneer over the enrollment department. Ask around you'll hear the negative stories more than the positives---theres a reason. Thats why these stories are not anecdotal. Do not enroll at Ashford. Its more expensive-- the only reason people go to Ashford is because Ashford doesnt' require SAT or ACT scores and you could just lie and say you graduated from any given High School-- all Ashford does is verify the school existed. They do not require diplomas. How they are accredited-- I dont know. But the worst part is the sleazyness of the enrollment team. Ask them on a Mako Monday what will happen if they dont make their numbers and you'll understand.

Peanut butter sandwich, Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,Peanut butter sandwich,

Wendy T. After attending AU for 2 years and nearly earning a degree, I must ask; have they not instructed you where the CAPS LOCK button is and what it's used for?

Making text in all caps 
1) makes it very difficult to read, 
2) lets you 'not' be taken seriously, 
3) gets your post skipped over because they think you're flaming,
4) Makes you look uneducated.

That...and your run-on sentences makes me believe you should spend some more time in grammar school. How do you write reports and essays? Surely the teachers are not passing you with this use of grammar? Now I'm wondering if this is the right place for me. I may feel like I'd just be buying my degree, not earning it. Hmmm.

If you pay thousands upon thousands of hard earned dollars to learn to write properly in school, why do you not apply your learnings to real applications? That's what school is for!

>.<'

I HAVE BEEN GOING TO ASHFORD UNIVERSITY FOR TWO YEARS AND AT THE END OF MY DEGREE (4 COURSES BEFORE GRADUATING)I RECEIVED A WARNING EMAIL THAT MY AGGREGATE LIMIT FOR FINANCIAL AID HAD NOT ONLY BEEN EXCEEDED BUT IT WENT OVER BY OVER $2000.00. ASHFORD IS MAKING ME RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR MISTAKE AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS OF TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT MY AGGREGATE LIMIT WAS AND IF I WAS GETTING TOO CLOSE. THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE AT ASHFORD IS GETTING STUDENTS MONEY AND THEY ARE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR LACK OF ADVISING TO THEIR STUDENTS. I FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WHICH TOOK OVER 30 DAYS TO GET A REPLY BACK AND NOW I AM TWO COURSES FROM FINISHING MY DEGREE AND CAN NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR MISTAKE AND FAFSA'S MISTAKE FOR NOT KEEPING TRACK OF THE MONEY.
I AM VERY DISAPOINTED AND DONT THINK THESE SCHOOLS SHOULD GET AWAY WITH SUCH A THING THAT THE STUDENT ENDS UP BEING TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR IN THE END. I AM NOW OUT OF A DEGREE AND OWE THE GOVERNMENT A HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY!!

Hello everyone!

I am from Ashford University and will be graduating this coming October 16, 2010.  Let me tell you, I love Ashford University!  I never had one bit of a problem from enrollment upto my last class.  My financial aid counselor and academic advisor, including all my instructors were very helpful and they never left me hanging.  I received several payments (excess money)from the financial aid that I applied for and told me that if I ever have any problems with the checks to just let them know.  Aside from accomplishing my degree, I met several people on-line and became friends with them.  We exchange Christmas and Thanksgiving cards each year.  Academically speaking, they are advance in providing textbooks, and because I am getting my diploma this year in Business Organizational Management, I already have a job lined up for me as a support manager with my employer.

It seems like several people are having difficulty with financial aid.  That issue is separate from the reputation of Ashford University.  I had a great time going to this school and I will actually miss it after graduation.  This is an outstanding university and I'm glad I found it.

Good bless to all of you and mahalo for reading my post!

I just started with this school. I dont know why people are having such problems. my advisor was patient with me and answered every question i had. i got to opt whether to have my loan sent to me or the college. I think people log on here from that lovely Univ of Phoenix and try to make everyone think they are great. LOSERS

Just out of curiosity who actually landed a job in their chosen field with an Ashford University degree? That's all I want to know. Thanks.

Curious... after reading a lot of mixed-bag reviews, I have a question to the ones who successfully completed their degrees with no problems:

Did you get a good job based off your degree with AU?

I know many who get a degree from UoP who can't get a job, or were fired because "we don't recognize their accredidation."

I also know some who have, and currently attend UoP, and I think it's a joke: After having spent 3 years in a brick-and-mortar school myself, I found the courses laughable. I'm curious how AU compares to that before risking that kind of money on any school.

I am interested in the online, fast-track style of degree - being married, working, and with 2 kids. It's easier than driving 40 miles to a decent 4-yr. But I don't want to waste my family's time or money.

(Also, I noticed the majority of people complaining - have horrid grammar skills, using "there" for "their" or "ur" for "your". If you want to be taken seriously, take some pride in your presentation. This isn't a MMORPG chat window.)

I just finished my BA at Ashford via online classes and could not have been happier anywhere. The overall experience was FABULOUS!!! I was absolutely amazed that so many people wrote negative comments here. I never had one bad experience with this school. I would recommend it to anyone.

Thought you might find this interesting... 
San Diego Reader | For-Profit. For Learning?
sandiegoreader.com
On May 4, PBS’s Frontline show interviewed a former recruiter for Ashford University, the online college that is part of San Diego’s newest corporate darling, Bridgepoint Education. She complained about the pressure to enroll students. ...Share

Ashford University's financial aid department sucks.  My wife had her pell grant sent back in February and we've been fighting them since to get the errors THEY put on her documents fixed.  Every time she calls the "processing" department, she gets different person.  Sometimes they are just plain unhelpful, stating that she should be patient, but most of the time they just lie to her, telling her that they have put a "rush" on fixing her account, or that they have added a note telling the "processor" to pay attention to her updated documents.  It's May now, and at the rate they are going, it will be the next financial aid term before they get it right.  She is so frustrated that she emailed her "advisors" telling them that she is so fed up she wants to quit.  One of her "advisors" called her back and told her that if she quits now, her loans won't cover the class she is in.  They use strong arm tactics to keep you in school.  They suck and I highly recommend that everyone stay away from this crappy school, unless you like paying for your classes yourself.

I LOVE THIS SCHOOL.  They have their accreditation

I recently graduated from Ashford University with my bachelors degree in Social Sciences. I have had nothing but good experiences with this school. The staff was always very respectful and helpful and answered questions in a timely fashion. Instructors were often providing helpful feedback on homework assignments and encouraged students to contact them and ask questions in an effort to enhance their learning experience. If you are someone who is ambitious, motivated, and dedicated to your education and learning experience at Ashford you should have no problem succeeding in your courses. I was very happy with this university and would highly recommend them to others.

I'm already suspicious of this online school .... I started a web chat today with one of the enrollment advisors, and was immediately hit with the hard sell.  The gentleman I talked to was nice enough, but I put in a fake name, an email addy I barely use, and didn't give my phone number intentionally due to my nature of not believing something that seemed too good to be true.

First off, the guy didn't seem to care when I told him I was getting my associates degree, graduating on May 20th.  He told me that I could start classes on May 11th -- and when I told him I wouldn't be finished with classes yet with my current school, he apologize for seeming "pushie".  I could tell this jackass was giving me the hard sell, wanting to call me on the phone and wanting me to set up an appointment to "meet" with him to discuss my student status.  The process was very reminiscent of my experience being ripped of by Computer Learning Center a number of years ago ... so I ran like hell.

I was attending Ashford after doing my homework, or so I thought on them, since June of 2009. As of March 2010 I withdrew and paid off my balance after several weeks of calling my advisors and not hearing from them. I finally received an itemized statement and sent a check for that amount. Today, April 29, 2010, I received an email stating I had funds to be given back to me; when I called they told me my balance was over $3700 for funds they returned to my lendor for classes I never signed up for or attended! I am currently in the process of writing to the BBB and the Iowa attorney general. I should have known they were too good to be true and should have ran the first time it took two weeks to hear back from them! They messed up my financial aide several times. And Sally Mae refused to give me a loan for their college. I encourage anyone to run as fast as you can from any advisors who call, and if you do not, be prepared to have more than six advisors in only six months, without a warning! This school is more fraudulant than your nigerian cousin requesting cash through your email!

I earned my degree from Ashford in 2007 and had a good experience with the school.  I do have to tell you that the finance dept is absolutely horrible.  I have been attending Clemson University for my Master's program since August 2009 in which I had to order transcripts and everything.  Now, I am transfering to Penn State and Ashford is telling me I have a balance of 710.00.  WTF.  Now after 2 and a half years I have a balance.  I didn't have a balance when I requested transcripts last year and I do have my degree in hand.  And, after talking to the finance people at the school they act like's it not their problem.  No class.  After this experience I wouldn't recommend Ashford.

I was referred to Ashford University by a co-worker and enrolled in January '09. As of Monday I have completed my Bachelor's degree in Social and Criminal Justice. I must say it was a great experience and had it not been for the online environment I probably would not have finished college. Thanks so very much. As far as the complaints. Like anything else do your research. I had no problem with my advisors, Tanya and David. They were both helpful at any time. Good luck.

I have been studying with Ashford Online for 3 years and I'm almost done. I've had 0 problems with financial aid and have recieved emails and letters at the beginning of each period to tell me when and how much my financial aid and loans will be. I've had some problems with professors not answering emails ontime, but my student advisor has been very helpful in those situations. I've found my textbooks in other places other then ashfords store, so thats a false accusation and there is no way to finish an entire course online in one night, unless you seriously dont have a life or have never been to an online school and dont know what your talking about. Ashford is a physical school as well as offering online classes, yes they are for profit and expect you to pay just like a non profit school or any other business. The degree does not online and you do not have to travel to the school for graduation.

I am a current student at Ashford Uni. I graduate in Dec 2012. I would like to say a few things for everyone so that you may understand this school a bit better. I did all my background checking I could about this school.
1.If you are looking to become a teacher in California this online school is not in the list for credentials. There are ways around this. Applying for credentials based on an out of California School degree is one way.
2. If you take online courses understand that the class atmosphere is not there. if you can not handle a class with little to no instructional help do not take online courses. 3.Most of my instructors were quick to respond to me, I did however have one that not only confused me on her instructions but did not clearify enough to where I recieved a grade less then I thought was apropriate. But remember all classes have a chance of having a teacher that cares little for explaining themselves and cares more  about the ole mighty dollar.
4. Before I entered into online courses the first thing my Academic Advisor had asked was whether I could handle teaching myself and learning from a book alone. I told her ofcourse, which is true. When it comes to online courses ask yourself the same thing. If you can not then online courses are not for you. You can not expect every teacher to be extremely attentative and answer you every hour of the day. It is not realistic. Most of these teachers are teaching classes at schools at the same time as these online courses. So if you can't handle not getting an answer when you want it or in the time period you want it then do not take online courses.
5.With every school there are good and bad teachers. acknowledge this and be sure to fill out your end of course survey to help the schools to improve there online courses and get better teachers to teach us.

In the end each college has its bonuses and downfalls. I particularly did not like Pheonix College due to the one helping me refused to help me find out if I could get a student loan instead of some loan he recomended. I thought this very suspicious and walked away. I have been extremely happy with Ashford from the moment I spoke with Jessica Eddings, my Academic Advisor. I am sorry that not everyone has had as possitive an outcome as I have. But as I have said not every school is good for everyone. Just be sure you can handle what they offer and go from there.

Good Luck!!
(Thank you Jessica for pointing me in the perfect direction for what I needed to get done and answering my calls so promptly every time I was confused)

@ Chris
Hi bro, you did the right thing. You did your research. They can be a little pushy at times. As I had stated above, I'm currently a student at Ashford. I'm in the process of completing my first class and was enjoying it until my wife decided to give Ashford a try. I guess they were so caught up in trying to meet their quota; they were trying to sell her a fairy tale financial aid story. I had to step in and correct them, but got alot of attitude. They finally quitted when I informed them I had used Pell Grant before at a traditional university and that they were selling snake oil. Then my enrollment advisor suggested that he should drop me from Ashford because it seemed I was unhappy, even though I was just trying to protect my wife. When I asked him if that was a threat, he quickly changed his story. For a brief moment I though about taking my military TA elsewhere, but decided against it. So far, it seemed to be a good school. My instructor is great. I guess only time will tell.

So I have spent about a day reading every single post on this site. I have to say that I am torn right now. I have narrowed my choices down to two different schools, Ashford Univ. or Strayer Univ. I have not yet decided because I am still researching. So far I have been talking to a David Hough, who seems to very knowledgeable and is not pushy at all. If it was not for him I would have picked Ashford right away, instead he has encouraged me to do my research and contact him with any questions that I may have. The only reason I have yet to decide is that Strayer has a campus here where I live, yet Ashford seems to be more my type of school. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Ashford University is a great institution; it’s also a real brick and mortar university. I’m currently enrolled as an online military student and am in the process of completing mi first class. BUT BEWARE!!! There are a few bad apples. I’m considering changing one of my advisors because of a recent incident. My advise to anyone planning on attending Ashford. Do your research before committing. Don’t be pressured into doing anything. Then Sen. Obama did give a speech at Ashford. Here are a few websites to prove it. 

nytimes.com/2007/09/13/us/politics/13obama.html

clintonherald.com/homepage/x211843225/Obama-delivers-national-policy-speech-in-Clinton?keyword=leadpicturestory

I am going to Ashford Online right now for my MAED.  It is very fast paced and there are no breaks.  That is pretty much my only problem with it.   I used the max amount of loans to pay for it, and got a nice refund for supplies and such.  I get about $5500 back per semester, so I was able to cut down my hours so I could do more of the school work.   I consider Mondays and Thursdays my school days since those are the two days that assignments are due.   The fast pace is difficult, but if you are able to make those deadlines without fail, this is a great school.  

I tried going to Fort Hayes State University Online.  It was much cheaper per credit hour.  The application process was so drawn out at FHSU, and Ashford was so quick and easy -- Ashford won because of the support of my enrollment advisor.   So far I do not regret it.

--Thanks Ashford!!