Ashford University Comments

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.

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 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.

I have been at Ashford for over a year, about 33 credits so far. I have pros and cons.

 I think it is a very well organized structure.  Every single class follows the same pattern, first day is Tuesday, first assignments due Thursday, quiz by Sunday, final assignment of the week by Monday.  So, the predictability about what is due and when is incredibly helpful.  Of course, how much is required and how it is graded is just like any other school.  Some instructors are easier, some are harder.  One of my most assignment intensive classes was a 100 level class, Intro to Computers - which should have been called "researching out new technology and doing lame-brain assignments on a lot of different software" because it had nothing to do with an intro to computers. However, other classes have been much more informative and on point.  Note - though they have options for Mac users, they are not as Mac-friendly as they could be.

The online library is wonderful!  I can't imagine the time people use to spend with card catalogs and pulling books off shelves! 

 Based on my one year of on-campus college, I would say it's similar in difficulty level, maybe a little easier but that could be because this format really works for me.  I can read through the whole class at the beginning, look at my work schedule/calendar, and plan ahead for my busier weeks and lighter weeks.  That makes going back to school as a mom and Realtor much more manageable.

As with other schools, some professors/TAs respond quickly, some slowly, and some not at all.  Overall I've been pleased with the course load and the instructors.

Complaints - My first academic advisor was a pain and my financial advisor was a numbskull.  Now they've combined the positions and my current advisor is much better.  They've raised tuition twice since I enrolled a little over a year ago.  If the government increases the military stipend, they increase tuition.  Also, my biggest complaint and the reason I'm looking for another school; if you change majors, you also have to follow any changes to general ed.  Example: I am in my final general ed. class, and at nearly 70 credits.  I have decided to change majors. Since most of my credits are general ed. and electives it should work just fine. They changed general ed. requirements last year so if I change majors, I now have 3 more general ed. classes, two of which are math classes - and the math class I just took will not count toward general ed., it becomes an elective.  This is obnoxious.  Most schools keep you on the same general ed. requirement track from when you started, even if you switch majors.  This is a major deal killer for me and as I said before, the reason I will be transferring to another school.  

I am in the process of finding other students that have had a financial issue with Ashford University in the past year. I am a former student and experienced nothing but lies and deceit from Ashford's Staff. And as far as getting help with your courses, its a freaking joke. The first five weeks are awesome and they help you a lot but once they drag you in and get your financial aid money AND your loan it's a wrap. No help at all. Everything is tellamated and I understand they have thousands of students but when you need help what are you to do? The INSTRUCTORS are no instructor at all. This school is a joke. I told these ppl I had no computer or phone to continue to go to school, and I became homeless and my two young children where taken away from me and all he could tell me is to use a pay-phone to call him and walk to a library to get my work done. Like seriously? They don't care about anything but their paycheck. P;EASE RUN AWAY!!!!! ANDS THEY WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR TO GET YOU STARTED, ITS A SALES PITCH, AND I KNOW A PITCH, BEING AN OUTDOOR SALES PERSON FOR A FEW YEARS. STAY AWAY FROM THIS SCHOOL PLEASE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DONT HAVE THE MONEY, OR A YOUNG MOTHER. GO TO YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THEY USUALLY OFFER ONLINE CLASSES ALSO.

I WAS going to apply for this school, but after the rep called my 6 times in one day, forced me to sign up on the phone, and then called me 5 times a day after I told them I needed time to think about my decision, I was discouraged about enrolling. I emailed my rep to let them know I was no longer interested, but still received 3-5 calls a day after the fact. I had to block their number from my phone.

Ashford University isn't into student uplifting, they are not teaching there, it's only money they are after. I am a student there and I am looking to get out of that program ASAP. I request that the teachers help me out in my work and I have been met with nothing but opposition and I am really disappointed in the fact that they call themselves an SCHOOL... When you go to school you expect to learn something new and expect to be guided in the learning process, this school is a poor excuse for learning, ADVISING YOU NOT TO GO THERE.

Dont be fooled by ashford and their slick sales tactics.All they will do is rip you off and take your Money!!!The Goverment needs to be informed about that university!!!Stay away from them.

I have been going to Ashford University for a little over two years. I just found out last week that the program I was going for does not really exists any more. I was going for my Bachelors to become an elementary school teacher. I found out that the contract with Ashford and Rio Salado was cancelled but I was not informed and that was over a year ago. I called the Department of Education in North Dakota and asked what I should do, they stated that Ashford does not have an approved Education Program and that my degree would be worthless in this state. I am withdrawing and going to complete my studies at WGU, which does have an approved program. I just hope that at least some of my credits will be able to transfer.   

In Jesus name, Do not go to this school! We as God's children are to be the head and not the tail, well with this school you will never get ahead. This is a waste of time and money! If you go to this school no job will accept your degree as credible no matter how hard or how many A's you get! You will be better at a community college which will take longer but at least you will learn! At least your degree will hold a much higher value over this elmentary school they call a university! I plead with you DON'T DO IT!

I worked for Ashford University as an Admissions Counselor and I must say I would never recommend this university to anyone! First of all, an admissions counselor calls a new lead 5 times per day if not more.  I do not know anyone whom likes to be called this many times within a 24hr period! Once a live person actually is reached, the job of an admissions counselor is to destroy the dream of the person on the phone by telling them they are worthless (in so many words) unless they choose a career path in which Ashford offers.  Management, Educators and Trainers of Ashford look down at and make unnecessary comments about potential students.  I would never want to attend a school in which I was looked down upon or stereo-typed.  The entire company praises themselves by stating they and or the Admission Counselor are "Changing Life's".  Each manager will go around and celebrate an enrollment of a new student by stating "Let's give it for _ _ _ _ she/he changed a life today!".   The only one whom can change a life is the student and God.  The Ego's at Ashford are large and unfortunately being educated does not make up for plain old common sense and actually having compassion for people; not by pretending to.  The mentality is; the more education makes you superior to everyone else. What a arrogant way of thinking!

This school is THE WORST school I have ever attended. Their is a community college in my city that handles their information better than this school. The teachers don't give a crap about their students. I send questions to my teacher and never received a response. Their financial aid department is  dumper than a bunch of rocks. They send you information about disbursement dates and then they don't send you your money. They say their is a processing time which is a load of crap. I didn't receive my funds for two weeks. I can't even believe this is an accredited school. If you are thinking about going to this school, DON'T. It is not worth $12,000 a year for. Take the time to go to a real school because this school is a joke! This school is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!

I enrolled in Ashford University in June 2011 and had financial aid problems in the beginning.  I went to this school 3 months before getting aid.  Then, the financial aid advisor emailed me and called me to say that I wasn't using the 2012 taxes and I called another financial advisor and he told me that I was getting aid.  What the f***?  That's not all!  Every time I try to call my FA advisor or student advisor, I never received a phone call or even an email ever since I enrolled in this school.  Nobody answers the phone!  F****** terrible!  Plus, I wanted to change my major and my academic Advisor sent me a password reset.  I even called tech support and student services.  What a bunch of dumbasses, dude!  It didn't work, and now I'm stuck with this useless degree.  Every time I try to withdraw, the academic advisor,whom I haven't talked to since enrollment, uses tactics to keep me in there.  Something is f****** wrong here!  Did anybody else experience the same things I went through?  Please email me to give me some real evidence of crooked people there.  

I agree with you. I am so frustrated with this school. I'm pretty sure the academic advisers are just idiots at a call center. My fiance is even going to the school and her academic adviser won't even call her back! Get out of this school asap b/c even if you do graduate your degree is probably a joke. How is this school federally accredited? And no one ever knows what is going on. This school sucks
 

My experience with Ashford was good the at first but i unexpectedly had to withdraw in Dec 2010. I was never contacted again, then I got a check for $1700 in May 2011 from the school. Come to find out they still had to me enrolled after 5 months of absences and was collecting my grants and loans. They charged me 5xs for a English class I never signed into. Now I have to pay that money back and they also have a collection agency hounding me saying I owe them money. I think this is a crime!! On to of that they are withholding my credits from my new school. I will never enroll in another online college.

I am just finishing my 2nd week at ashford.with all i just read ,im really concerned!!!I still havent heared anything about my student aid or grant.shouldnt i know by now .. please reply

I have been attending Ashford online for about a year. The school is excellent, and the professors are tough but fair. I spread my time to work a little each day on my assignments although two days are the requirement. I am in my 60's and am maintaining a 4.0 and on the Dean's List. I have gone to other schools in the past, including University of Phoenix, and was not happy but did OK on my grades. I am majoring in Gerontology which is a much needed field for the growing number of boomers and aging seniors. I highly recommend Ashford University.  

WARNING: This college online is boguss. It is a corporate business that uses the name of Bridgepoint Education, LLC.. out of San Diego, CA. It is a big office building that is after military, students/youth and the low to moderate income folks to scam off of there Financial and government aid and grants. Look up the Fraud investigations into Ashford University there is 35 of them. The attorney General is involved and so is the governmental agency governing financial aid. Ashford online IS NOT accrediated they have only applied for it two years ago and still do not have it. They are not nationally accrediated either. So therefore your degrees and certificates, classes are non transferrable and Ashford/Bridgepoint takes the financial aid they hold from students and put it in a interest bearing accounts until you run up a bill in classes to the same amount or over it and then they will claim you owe them more monies. You also cannot possible withdraw or cancel out of this college crap without them causing havoc to your financial aid and making it impossible for you to attend another accrediated college without paying them off first even though you dont owe them.. they trap you into this college and others..Kaplan, DeVry,UofP and many more are just money making scam artists. Oh and you financial aid is also used on the stock market to make them money off of stocks and bonds at high interest rates.. So when considering this school.. dont they are jerks that dont care about your college education they care only about lining there pockets with billions of funds from you and the government. Including the military and there educational grants. They stole almost eight grand from me. I was charged a outrageous amount for only four classes and given my aid waaay too late after it had been in there money making account for over three months time. Someone needs to stop them from frauding the students/consumers and the govt. Sincerely Disgusted and appalled .. anonymous student of OREGON

I have been a online student at Ashford since Sept 2011. I was told I would recieve my financial aid in four weeks..it took them six months. I was charged 7,440 for 4 classes. I recieved 634 dollars for a stipend and a whole lot of heartache. I dont go to school for the finances. The teachers and assistants are inaduequate and totally unorganized. If you desire to write research papers on useless subjects this is the place for you. Oh and they arenot regionally accrediated they only have applied for it. They are nationally accrediated and you degrees will not transfer to a regional or technical college. This is a corporate business scam. They wont release transcripts, they say you owe more money and dont inform you of it then charge you crazy interest rates on money you dont owe. If you have extra money left over of financial aid your guarenteed to lose it all to them. I personally see this place as a trap and financial trap that makes Ashford Online money. You cant transfer in fear of ruining you eligibility for financial aid cuz by the time you actually get it your headlong in a class and will be penalized if you drop that class..
So therefore they keep you trapped. You try to transfer and are stuck cuz they dont end your last class until the college you wish to go to has already started classes. I cant wait to get out of this trap it is a joke.. and big scam and joke.. they fraud the government and the students on here. It does not even cost almost eight grand to take four classes on a on campus school at all!! I hope someone turns em in one day for stealing the students financial aid. If they attempt to do this to me I will sue them. Good luck to you that think you have a useable degree.

@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. 

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.

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

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?

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

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.

Hello, 

I have my issues with the school too, and I don't mean to come across as rude, but if one fails a class, of course the person has to retake it to EARN their degree.  Its the same for any school, traditional or online!

I mean seriously, stating that you are a single mother of 3 has nothing to do with the school and earning your degree!  Are you implying that you should get an easier pass than me because I'm single and have no children?  

On a side note, Ashford University is very expensive, so for those "stupid classes" you need to take, it would make more sense for you to expand your "search" and check the articulation agreements that Ashford University has with local community colleges.  You'd be surprised just how much you can save by taking an online course at a local community college and transferring it in.

Best of luck Danielle.  Please don't teach your children that should they fail a class they should feel sorry for themselves and expect to take the class for free as it isn't going to happen.!

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...

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

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

this is because they want your money and dont care about your education at all. They are a corporate entity scamming the govt and students for financial aid money. the co. name isnt Ashford University it is called Bridgepoint Education, LLC and are affliated with Universal Co. of California that is into movies and enertainment not schooling. They put your fund into there stocks and bonds and interest bearing accounts and scam, lie, cheat and screw students like u and me over daily to the tune of billions of dollars. They  have been and are bieng investigated for fraud. They own the brick and mortar school in clinton, Iowa. They hire kids/young students to run the advisor sections and promise them free tuition and books to attend there boguss colleges where no transcripts are given, no credits transfer at all. They pressure these young twenty years old to market and push students into there colleges so they can make money off of them they dont give a rats butt about you or your education at all. The teacher dont have teaching degrees they are computer whizzes.. that scam us all.. sorry to say for us unsuspecting consumers we get the raw end of the deal here.. dont believe a word they say at all..

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. 

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

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.

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 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!

This is true they failed me on my second class one week before it ended the teacher was a boguss jerk and wouldnt help me at all. This is so they can charge you twice for the class. They also will make you take a fifth class for the term you failed in so that they make money off of you failing three times.. I totally agree there financial aid and academic advisor are young kids that have maybe a associates degree if that..lol what a joke this place is.

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 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

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 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.

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.

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.

Bridgpoint education is right there a corporate business in california..they dont even know where Ashford University is at physically.. I was shocked when the admissions advisor lady had no clue where the real school was at.. lol.

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 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.

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.

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!!

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.

Not true. I still purchase my books from ebay and amazon.

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.

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

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...

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.

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

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.

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.

What does applying yourself have to do with the school? I apply myself and my financial aid adviser is an idiot. Do you guy just hire anybody to work for you? Even if you do apply yourself, you don't get answers from anybody. Managers and Sups will not have answers to questions and transfer you to wrong department. It feels like all you guys care about is receiving your money and thats it! Its not my educational self worth that is the problem, its the SCHOOL! I  am spending a lot of money at this school and for them to not care is rude. Trust me, i care about my educational expenses and the degree I am receiving! You guys make excuses like oh people don't work for their grades, have you not read the comments on this page? it has nothing to do with that, it is about your department and how ridiculous you all are. This school has lied to me more than once on recording even! I had an adviser have to apologize because they were telling me wrong information! AN ACADEMIC ADVISER TELLING ME LIES! unacceptable. So whats your excuse for this?

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

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....

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.

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.  

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...