Business Administration Reviews

Rought Start, but Worth the Wait!

By: jmckinney1978 (In Progress) on October 26, 2009

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Ok, I've been in my program since June, and I am finishing up my 4th class. I had a VERY VERY rough start dealing with financial aid.  Unfortunately, it took 5 months for my financial aid to get processed due to errors on my part and miscommunications from AU's financial aid office, however, I can say that it's worth the wait. They have a generous transfer credit policy which helps you graduate sooner. Although I had a headache trying to get through the financial aid process, and many times it was difficult trying to reach people to talk to (enrollment counselor, financial services advisor, academic advisor), but I will say this:  IF you can get through the headache of miscommunication, waiting to hear from someone, trying to reach people and can't sometimes, you'll be satisfied with the school overall afterwards.  I think the only complaint I really have is that it would take days for a return call back or email from my enrollment counselor, academic advisor and financial services advisor, which often got on my nerves.  HOWEVER, I look forward to becoming an AU alumni...this is my honest opinion, and I don't have any other complaints about MY INSTITUION OF HIGHER LEARNING!!!  GO SAINTS!!!    :-)

non compliance professor

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on October 6, 2009

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I recently finished my 8th class at Ashford,I know that the people in Iowa are a bit slow so I never made a big deal of it. I had a death in my family which I fully made my professor aware of and after emailing her to get a due date on my final paper, SHE never replied so I email her again today and she turned in the grades today. I submitted my paper just a couple of hours ago. She responded to my 2nd email. I failed the class .. Wow , my GPA just took a dip like the stockmarket. where do I go from here....?

financial aide

By: vaslim1946 (In Progress) on September 20, 2009

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I am enjoying my classes,but the financial aide office need to improve greatly.They are rude and don't know ther job mvery well.

Good School!!!!

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on August 24, 2009

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I will say that I used to work for Ashford as an Admissions Manager, and while I didn't agree with policies and procedures there or feel that I didn't get treated fairly, I would have to say that Ashford is a great school!  Faculty and other university staff show they are dedicated and all about the student.  I am not going to let my work experience there come into my overall rating of Ashford, everyone cares about students there and that's all the makes the difference.  I will be graduating soon and I am very proud to have come this far.

~Cont ~ Previous Post

By: watsonlisa15 (In Progress) on August 10, 2009

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I find it hard to believe that the President of the United States would deliver a major national policy speech at Ashford if this school was not known for its quality educational practices. This school is great and hopefully students will start attending at least 3 courses before they post remarks that are completely unreliable. Ashford University is a regionally accredited institution and their credits transfer to other regionally accredited institutions. They are recognized by the Higher Learning Commission which is a member of the North Central Association of colleges and schools. 

Only 30 percent of all educational institutions have business programs that are accredited by AACSB--and Ashford is not one of them. Ashford is one of the 70 percent majority not AACSB accredited. This does not mean that their business degrees are not valuable in the workforce, but it does mean that if you plan on becoming a top CEO on the Board at one of fortune 500's largest and most profitable corporations, you need to have an MBA from an AACSB accredited institution that requires the GMAT at enrollment. I have known many colleagues and business professionals who have received business degrees from regionally accredited institutions whom are faring rather well in their careers. If you are rich and you can afford to pay top dollar to attend a school that is AACSB accredited (which is the gold standard of business degree programs) then I would recommend you do so. But if you are like the majority of Americans who are looking for a way to supplement their income but don't have the funds to attend an advanced business school, then Ashford is a great place to pursue your professional goals. Ashford is a well-respected university that offers an up-to-date curriculum. This university has received Quality Matters(TM) Recognition for two years in a row--which acknowledges Ashford's commitment in assuring its courses are based on rigorous, research-based standards. They also allow you to attend your classes' commencement ceremony when you graduate. At graduation, I will walk across that stage and proudly accept my Ashford University degree. 

~God Bless You All,
Lisa (I am a double major pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Business Economics).

Ashford is Awesome

By: watsonlisa15 (In Progress) on August 10, 2009

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Ashford University is a prestigious school in which Democratic President Barack Obama (then president elect) delivered a major speech at in September of 2007. This school is notorious for its quality educational practices. I am in my 18th course and I am thoroughly enjoying my experience at Ashford. 

When I enrolled at Ashford 2 years ago, sure there were a few students (out of 20-25 students) in the discussions who were struggling with English because it was a second language, but those same students ended up dropping out by the third class because they couldn't keep up with the curriculum. If you stick around to at least the end of your second course/beginning of your third, you will find a host of incredibly experienced classmates who are well-versed and very intelligent. 

People who enroll and only complete one class are the ones who complain about the use of language from foreigners who are attempting to complete their education--but unfortunately they end up dropping out because they have a hard time reading their weekly assignments and posting their relative responses in the discussion board. I think it is just ludicrous how impatient and rude some people can be to foreigners who are trying to learn an extremely hard language and who are trying to better themselves. The reason why they end up dropping out is because people look down upon them instead of encouraging them to keep trying.

Great Experience

By: ausaintpascott (In Progress) on July 30, 2009

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This has been a great experience for me. I am currently in my 13th course at Ashford and I will graduate 09/2011. The only downfall is that some of Ashford's custom textbooks are very expensive. My BUS 330 Principles of Marketing course textbook was $196 and I have had a couple others that were between $140 and $150. The average cost of textbooks for previous courses has been between $65 and $90. If you buy all your textbooks when you receive your stipend, you should be fine...but if you don't, you may become frustrated with the cost of your books. The staff and professors have been excellent and the curriculum is top notch. Just keep in mind that just about every course requires an 8-16 page research paper for your final grade. This grade counts for 25-30 percent of your course grade--you pretty much have to spend most of your course time planning for your final. In week 3 of every course, you have to either complete a rough draft of your final or submit a 3-5 page essay on an instructed topic. The discussion forums are really neat and I enjoy getting to analyze my classmate's thoughts on the discussion topics. The weekly readings are usually 2-3 chapters long. To truly get the most out of this experience, it is imperative to keep up with the assigned readings. The topics in the discussion forum are relative to the weekly readings. There are objective assessments due at the end of each week--but if you read the assigned readings, they are a breeze. If you do not read, it is extremely hard to find the answers hidden within the chapters. Overall, this has been an awesome experience and I am very proud of the quality education I am receiving. I would highly recommend Ashford to prospective students.

Love classes but Financial Aid are RUDE

By: Toknow904 (In Progress) on July 24, 2009

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I love Ashford classes and I love the flexiability but financial aid are rude and don't care. I called financial aid and they are giving my different dates on when I am suppose to be receiving my stepid check.  I spoke to one finacial aid rep and he was very rude and was laughing at my questions.  I even called his manager to leave a message and have yet to receive a returning phone call.  Their financial aid department is so unorganized and not customer service like.  I e-mailed my financial aid rep and have not received a response as well.  Ashford needs to understand that it is hard trying to buy books.  Why can't they be like other colleges and just give book vochers and people would not have to be struggling to buy books.  Ashford financial aid department gets mad when you call them about your stepid check like it's their money and like they are the ones that is paying for your loan.  But overall I love the classes I had so far but financial aid needs to get a makeover and stop hiring high school rude people.

So far so good

By: nermel1982 (In Progress) on July 22, 2009

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I have been enrolled in Ashford since February and have not had a problem with them at all.  I have had good experiences with enrollment, financial aid, classes, and instructors.  I had 40 credits transfer from my previous college which I thought was great that was 1/3 of my required credits.  The only frustration I had was my state aid which was my fault not Ashfords, I put my application in too late, so I didn't get it but the Pell grant paid for a majority of everything so far and I did get Stafford Loans but that was only because I could really use the left over financial aid that they send back to me.  So overall I am satisfied with the flexibility of it all since I have social anxiety it is great for me I don't have to leave my house.

A Proud Ashford University Student

By: ekalsi (In Progress) on July 21, 2009

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In my opinion, choosing to go for my BA in Business Administration at Ashford University back in April 2009 was one of the very best choices I ever made. As of today, I currently hold a very well deserved 3.65 GPA for the very first time ever. I was late one day in submitting an initial post because of the Blackboard system going down and my previous post not making it as the result. However, the instructor still gave me full credit for the initial post after I honestly explained the whole truth on why it was a day late. It may seem challenging at first to squeeze a whole courseload in 5 short weeks, but I do have faith that it can be done. My only regret would be not pursuing a wonderful opportunity like this earlier.

Get Over Your Issues

By: rrichison (In Progress) on July 11, 2009

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I started out paying cash for my course, but after my 3rd class, I decided to apply for finanicial aid.  It only took about 1.5 weeks to apply and get approved.  It is true some of the academic advisors and financial aid reps are just as ignorant and the people posting bad remarks.  

You have to be smart enough to know what you want and how to obtain it.  This is a great online program which doesn't rely on anyone but you to complete.  

When you do enroll and you start reading your the required postings, you will see there are definately people who don't belong in a college course.  I think some of these people are the one typing these negative reviews.

In summary, if you want to obtain your degree and you do not have the time to attend a traditional university, this is the best online program.  The other popular online programs do not allow you to apply to any masters programs expect for their own.

Run around

By: kjv1611ac (In Progress) on July 7, 2009

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I contacted this school as an inquiry. Robert is a smooth talker. I continually asked him ALL through the inquiry if this was obligating me. He continually answered no and pressured me into apply for financial aid to see if I would qualify. Before I knew it, I was enrolled and plagued with 
phone calls and e-mails. I can't seem to get ANY help getting off the enrollment. They seem to ignore those calls.
Do not do an inqury of this school unless you are ready for an e-mail and phone nightmare!!!!

absolutely not worth the time

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on May 31, 2009

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I am writing this on behalf of my step-sister. She separated from the US Navy last year and wanted to get her college degree.  When she asked me for my input, I suggested she research her options very carefully. Nearly one week later, she informed me a local online consortium had contacted her and offered to accept her military training as a substitute for nearly ALL of her prerequisite 100 and 200-level credentials.  Having spent several years working alongside a colleague who later became the president of a very well reputed corporation, I decided to inquire about the bona fides of an online university in today's business world.  Sadly, her response was what I feared most-she told me to tell my sibling, "absolutely not worth her time."  Unfortunately, my sister did not listen.  She paid her enrollment fee and expected classes to provide her the necessary instruction to permit her to find suitable employment in the business community. Almost six months later, my sister had her BBA in marketing.  To date, she is yet to find a job paying more than $28,650. Her total bill for materials and instruction: more than $50,000. Several potential employers have suggested she transfer her units to an accredited university, like USD or National.  To my sister's disgust, these schools will NOT accept any of her upper division work, and few of her accredited transfer credits from the US Navy.  SDSU told her she would likely have to start at the Freshman level, if they admitted her at all in lieu of her attendance/degree completion at another university.

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on May 19, 2009

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CAREFULL  I TRIED TO CANCEL MY CLASSES AS OF THE THIRD WEEK BY LOGGING IN AND AND SEEING HOW TO DO IT  DUE TO I DIDN'T WANT TO ATTEND THAT SCHOOL IN I GOT STUCK PAYING 801.00  SO THEN I SET UP A PAYMENT PLAIN WITH THEM AND WOW THE TOOK MY CHECKS AT ASHFROD AND CASHED THEM , BUT THEY ALSO TURNED ME IN TO A COLLECTION AGENCY'S.. SO BE CARE FULL THEY REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU  JUST YOUR MONEY  OVERPRICED ON LINE SCHOOL.!!!!!!!THESE PEOPLE ARE BAD

Think carefully before wasting your student loan $

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on May 16, 2009

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I made the choice to enroll at Ashford to complete my degree in Business.  My first class was great but my second class was taught by a professor who ruled with an iron fist, had control issues, didn't communicate clearly unless it benefited him, and quite frankly was terse with words and rude.  I got my first grade from him and I immediately withdrew.  In state tuition here costs 1/3 of what Ashford was charging me for an overrated professor who didn't care "1" ounce about me.  I hope they enjoy the thousand bucks I spent because it will be the last dime they ever get from me.

Aswesome

By: telco4me (In Progress) on May 14, 2009

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I did actually compare the costs of Tuition. I spoke with enrollment advisors at other schools. Kaplan wanted ridiculous amounts as well as the popular Phoenix. I am amazed at the support, because I did not realize online would be so interactive. I did transfer most of my credits (they actually took care of that for me) and I just have to log on and complete my assignments. I have only positive things to say, as well as my friends that I referred.

Quality Education

By: golfchop (In Progress) on April 20, 2009

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After reading most of the reviews I found that the negative reviews were either ex employees or people who have had trouble with financial aid.  I have gone to school on campus to get my associates degree and beyond and switched to Ashford to complete my Bachelors degree.  Anybody who says they are giving away degrees here has some sort of agenda against the school.  I put in more hours of work in my classes here than I ever did at my traditional college and I also find that the closer you get to your degree the better quality of students I find in my classes.  I have had only one instructor that was mediocre and the rest were excellent.  After reading the negative reviews the first question I asked myself is how many of these people have a personal issue with the school that was their own fault.  I am sure that there are some legitimate complaints but I have nothing but excellent service here.  I do feel that I am getting a quality education but I am working hard for it.  And for those who say an online degree is not a real degree, what do they say to people who attend traditional universities but attend some classes online which they all offer now.  Is there degree from UCLA or NYU not a real degree online is the future of education and will only get better.  One last thing anyone who says they were denied for financial aid it was their own fault the only way you are denied is because you did not pay back previous financial aid and they know going into school whether they had previous loans and if they paid them on time.

Ashford University is WONDERFUL!

By: mrscuevas2 (In Progress) on April 19, 2009

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I dont understand all the negative review, but then I sat down and thought about it. Online schooling is not for everyone. There's a lot of people that really need to have a phyiscal school to go to, just like there's people out there that cannot work from home. They need that structure and for someone to tell them what to do and when to do it.

I am now in my 6th class at Ashford and it's not at all easy. I currently have a 3.93 average and it's really hard to continue that. Everything is not as easy as people may think. Yes, the tests are open book, great, but the written assignments arent just given to you, neither is the discussion posts. I noticed that most people on here that are complaining were only with the school for like a month or so.

I havent had a problem at all with my financial aid. I receive my stip-end exactly when I am supposed to with no problem. I have been very pleased with this school and once I am done with my Associates Degree I am going on to my Bachlors and my Masters. I really enjoy this school.

Don't Waste Your Money!

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 3, 2009

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I found this to be a complete waste of time and money.  I felt the classes were useless and extremely expensive in proportion to what was taught.  It wouldn't be so bad if I felt I had learned something meaningful.  Honestly, how much can you expect to learn with a semester crammed into 5 weeks, minimal instructor feedback and sub-standard learning materials.

The constant 10 page term paper writing was tedious and worthless.  Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against putting forth effort for my education but a term paper every five weeks even for an Information Technologies class is ridiculous.  

When I decided to downgrade my program from a Bachelor's in BA to an Associate's, they tried to get me to take a class almost identical to one I had already finished.  It was simply named differently but the synopsis was virtually the same.  I had to petition the registrar to get it transferred. The approved it but after all that they never did change my degree program.  An administrative oversight apparently.  It was at this point that I started to feel that I was being shammed.

Their customer service is mediocre at best and somewhat juvenile.  Getting questions answered or problems solved can take weeks.  Their financial aid department is a joke.

Ashford University is a business - not a place for higher learning.  They are in it strictly for the money!  Don't waste your time or get into debt with financial aid and have nothing meaningful to show for it.  Take the time and go to your local j.c. or university.  You'll be a much better person for it!

Could be worse!

By: mdibacco21 (In Progress) on March 20, 2009

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I have been at Ashford since October 2007. I am 40 credit into my degree with another 80 to go. There are positives and negatives to the school. I like that it is online. I like that some of the instructors are willing to work with deadlines when you show you are willing to work hard. 

The negatives are that some of the books are a bit pricey and the buyback is usually not worth it. The other negative is that you basically have to write an 8-10 page paper for the "final" in each class. I would much rather take a test then write a paper for some of these classes. I understand having to write a paper in an English class, but in an environmental science class a test would be sufficient! 

Some classes have more instructor interaction then other. I can totally respect that since most of the instructors have families and full time jobs just like the students. I haven't had too much interaction with my advisors, so I can't say if they are good or bad. The few times i've emailed my financial advisor she has gotten back to me within 24 hours which is acceptable to me. So far everything that has happened was exactly what I expected and what they promised. After being rejected the prior year by Colorado Technical University because I couldn't get any student loans, it was nice to find a place that would work with me to help me obtain the dream of a degree.

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