Capella University

Capella University is not a school, it is a business, and they will seek to lure you in and trap you with hidden charges. I was halfway, HALFWAY, through a semester being paid for with student loans when Capella called me up saying I needed to pay $700 right then and there or would be dropped. I'm not made of money, what do you think the student loans were for?? I tried to drop the class to save myself any trouble, since I didn't have $700 and wasn't going to any time soon, they said it was too late to drop or get a refund, so I got a "withdraw" grade for the class and charged an additional $600 on top of that. Now they expect me to pay $1300 or else they won't release my transcripts. I need my transcripts to apply for financial aid at other schools, as well as to enter the nursing program, so Capella has ruined my life and I got nothing out of it at all.

Firstly, beware of the bait and switch. I was originally quoted 12 courses to graduate, as I had transfer credits, but when I received my academic plan, after signing up, the number was 20. Capella has some formula they use to calculate credits, which is about half. So if you have 70 transferable credits, you really only have about 35. When I inquired about it with my advisor, she said that the enrollment counsellor made a mistake and took off 1 course, 19. I like many people who are considering Capella, I did not finish my original degree due to a life-threatening illness and this seemed like a way to get it done quickly, DESPERATE! The second issue is in order to have a tutoring session, you have to make an appointment, as you may already imagine, there is 1 tutor per course so more difficult courses have a longer wait time. I have experienced tutors skipping my confirmed session! The last point, it takes some instructors a long time to evaluate your assessments, wasting your money. I had a situation where I had finished assessments 1-5 within a week. 1-4 were evaluated within 12 hours of my submission. The 5th and final one took the instructor almost 3 days to evaluate. Wasting money. I am on my 5th course with 14 more to go. Overall, I would say that in my situation, I am desperate to finish quickly. If you are in a different situation, find another school. They take advantage of you b/c they know that you are desperate to finish-up a previous degree or in the case of many H1 Visa students, require the completion of an American degree to work in the US. I am going to stick it out, but if this helps anyone who is on the fence, I would not go to Capella.

When I decided to go back to school, the research of which school to attend was daunting. After much deliberation with different schools and online research, I made the decision to attend Capella University. I requested information which was prompt and was followed by a no hassle, stress-free phone consultation. The individual I worked with answer many of my questions around accreditation status, financial aid, student loans, as well as helping evaluate my transfer credits from a community college. Each step of the way the team was friendly, helpful, and ensured that I was successful (for the first year you have a personal advisor that holds your hand if needed). Every single instructor I had was dedicated to my success. Offering faculty expectations early on, grading scales, when assignments and discussions would be due, as well contact information made for a great learning environment. Toward the end of my coursework many books were going electronic (ebooks) and although I am comfortable with using those types of documents, the software was a bit slow and, at times, a challenge to use (in all fairness this could have been the tablet I was using which was a few years old). The knowledge I gained was valuable and relative to my field (I have over 18 years in the IT field from PC to Network Technicians) and feel that the degree awarded corresponds to real world acceptance and relevance. My advice is to do your research, see how the school fits with your learning style and other personal commitments, and then take the plunge.

I went to Capella for 2 semesters, took 4 classes, and I am now almost $7000.00 in student loan debt. My degree was supposed to be Information Technology with a minor in Web Application. I was forced into taking the core classes at the beginning which had nothing to do with what I wanted to learn. The academic adviser fought me every time I tried to take a web application class. I became so discouraged that I ended up dropping out of this university. The university admittance adviser was inadequate at the start. He didn't seem to know a lot about the IT degree programs. Therefore I was steered onto the wrong path in the beginning. He also said I would receive a discount on my classes and I had to contact him about the discount at least 4 times over the course of 2 months. I finally had to take the problem to someone two levels above his head to get it solved. The first core class in the curriculum that I was forced to take was a class on how to write an APA research paper! This class costs $2000.00! Really?!! If you enter college on a junior level and don't know how to write a research paper you need to go back to high school! Even though I made A's in all the classes I took, I can't tell you what I learned. All I did in every class was type research papers and answer questions in the class forums. I finally dropped out after taking Software Architecture which was one of the core classes. The scheduling adviser told me that I had to take this class before I could take any data base classes. This didn't make any sense because all I did in Software Architecture was draw software schematics. I've never even had a software class in my life! We were also supposed to create a game in JavaScript. The instructor was not helpful at all and I could have learned more JavaScript from a library book! I was ecstatic when it finally ended! In August of 2014 I wrote a letter to the president of Capella telling him of my experiences there. He immediately gave the letter to a Senior Academic Associate in Learner Affairs. She emailed me saying she would look into my concerns. I never heard from her again even though I sent another email to her in April of 2015. I would NOT RECOMMEND this college to anyone. I'm in debt now and I've not received any real education in my chosen field.

If you require a lot of hand-holding or tutoring, this program may be difficult for you to complete. For example, College Algebra is not a strength of mine, and shortly after the course started I began to struggle completing the assignments. Thankfully, Capella had tutors available a couple evenings a week and I was able to get a grip and successfully complete the course. Suffice to say, I would not have made it through that course without it. But that is not always the case. The Degree related courses were not easy by any means (after all, if it was easy everyone would have a degree, no?), and you have to be able to figure a lot of it out on your own. I tend to be stubborn and not ask many questions. The times I did ask they were responded too in a reasonable amount of time (and I payed attention to other students questions and the instructors responses). Course room discussions are a vital part of the online learning experience, so take advantage of it as much as possible. Some classmates provide valuable insight and getting involved with their discussions and being receptive to constructive criticism is important online as well (there are plenty of peer reviews for APA formatted papers). All courses have time restraints and the instructors can only bend so much. Some instructors are more flexible than others and some are very strict. If they say one discussion assignment is due by Wednesday and the other is due by Sunday, then they mean it and if you miss it your grade will reflect it (like it or not). It is important to read and adhere to each instructors expectations. Also, it takes a lot of discipline to come home after work and put 2 to 4 hours of research/discussion in a few times a week (and likely additional time on the weekends). I spent many Sunday evenings working to beat assignment deadlines. You have to have the will to succeed and the discipline to stay caught up. Most of the courses are well-designed making the learning experience positive. A couple of the courses were flawed and the instructors were well aware it. Adjustments were made as the courses unfolded and the instructors were very communicative and almost apologetic at times for issues that occurred. However, this was a very small percentage of the overall program during my experience at Capella. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, I have school loans to pay off now. But now I have a degree I am proud of from an accredited learning institution. It will more than pay for itself in due time. Like I said, if you require a lot of learning attention, and are unable to absorb the loads of information in a productive manner, then online school is likely not for you. All in all, I recommend Capella's BA in IT program whether you are currently employed or not. Coming straight home for college rather than the hassle of going to a B&M institution worked best for my lifestyle. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!

PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY AND LOOK ELSEWHERE... Getting into this school is so easy . But please stay away and find another school. Once they take your money, you are on your own. And after you graduate, DO NOT expect to get a job saying you graduated from here. Because, believe me when I say, employers know what poor quality this school is. I recently graduated from this school and was requesting for professional references for jobs and NO professor is willing to give any even though i got all 'A' for those classes. Because they know their grades are only for the paper and their study material are horrible.. I wrote to the one of the top administrators a letter and left voice mails and EVEN THE HIGHEST ADMINISTRATION HAVE NO DECENCY TO WRITE BACK A REPLY or call back!!! What kind of a school have such callous practices?. This school cares about no student. But about their finances. HORRIBLE SCHOOL. THIS UNIVERSITY IS BY FAR THE WORST I've EVER ATTENDED!!! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STAY HOME! If not, donate it to a charity. DO NOT ATTEND THIS SCHOOL. WORST UNIVERSITY I HAVE EVER ATTENDED!!! THE "professors" give you all "A"s and you know how bad your work is. They just wanted to say lot of students pass. So when we come out, we have good GPAs but no one would give us jobs!!!

i recently decided to pursue an additional bachelors degree. i chose capella because their online program is reasonably priced and is accredited by ABET. i enrolled in my first class (which is 6 credit hours and required to be taken first) right before making a cross country move. the counselor i had been speaking with was very encouraging and had me anxious to start. i ran into a few hitches during my move and had to neglect the course for two weeks due to travel and lack of internet access. i decided to drop the course. i would have to get every point left to earn a respectable grade if i didn't. i contacted my counselor two days after the refund period. i was unaware of the 12 calender day refund time frame. this is a shorter time period than the university i had attended in the past. not having internet access during my move made it impossible to research this myself. i was communicating with the course instructor via email on my phone while traveling and i informed him of my situation. he was very encouraging about finishing the course, but failed to mention the drop date deadline. now i owed (still owe) about 2000$ for a course i dropped. i made an appeal to have the amount owed reduced. i was denied. in the end i know this is my fault, but i feel that capella should make it a priority to make their policies known at the onset. if i would have known the policy i would have dropped the course within the 75% refund period. the policy is on the website for you to find. and i do mean FIND. i had to use the search engine to find the link to the policy. they do not "advertise" it. if you decide to attend capella university online be sure to read all of the fine print before you start. you might pay for it if you don't. my on-campus college experience was a little different. the first day of class had time devoted to university policies (including drop dates). this is not the case in capella's online program. there was a clear lack of communication in my experience. if they would have reduced the amount owed i would still be excited about their program. location independence while pursuing an ABET accredited program sounds great. there aren't many of those to be found. i feel they do not advertise (make an effort to insure that you are aware of) their drop policy because more people might take advantage of it if they did. they are a private for-profit institution. i now have a bitter view of private online colleges. this experience has convinced me to pursue my degree on campus (not capella). it will be better to meet people in the same program. i prefer meeting people in person better than the internet anyway. just trying to put a positive spin on things. if you choose to attend capella online please heed my warning. it is not their concern that you are completely informed. you are on your own. make sure you know all of the rules before you start. inconvenient situations tend to happen in life. if life happens to you while you are attending capella you better know how to work the system or the system will work against you.

Having just finished my Ph.D. in Information Technology in January, I think I received a very quality education from this University. All of the instructors were top-notch - it was clear from my interaction with them that most were considered somewhere near the top of their respective fields. I recieved much encouragement along the way, and just the right amout of guidance to complete all my degree requirements. At the same time, I think the instructors were very tough, as they should be. No one should expect ANY slack in a Ph.D. program - or any hand holding - but the instructors should be there to provide general guidance in guiding the learner. I was a little nervous about being able to complete the program, as I knew the Ph.D. was going to be a real 'step up' in the learning process - as it should be. But Capella's residency system of requiring the student to go through three specific 'colloquia' - three separate one-week in-residence, intensive seminars on how to do everything from quantitative vs qualitative analysis, literature reviews, writing, creative thinking, preparing for the comprehensive exam and dissertation - were immensely helpful in completing the overall program. With this Ph.D., I have completed five degree programs - a Ph.D., three Master's degrees, and a Bachelor's degree - all with different universities. Two of these universities were on-line, and three were 'brick and mortar' ones. My best experience was on-line with Capella (my worst? - a Master's degree program at a 'brick and mortar' university). The only reason I don't give this a 10 overall is because of their support staff. There seems to be a real high turn-over with their support staff, which caused me a little frustration from time to time. Fortunately, I required very little support from the support staff, and any problems I had were usually resolved by a call from my Ph.D. mentor. Overall, I thought is was a GREAT program. But one word of caution: the program is TOUGH! For those looking for a high-quality education that WILL teach you how to be a good researcher, this might just be the place for you. But if you are just trying to get the 'credentials', you might want to look elsewhere.

Except for a couple of PHD instructors that slow grade all is good. There are issues everywhere but I as of yet have had no major problems. I posted first in October of last year and I was then 7 classes away. I am now two classes away from my Bachelors in Information Technology. I took two classes in the summer [Not easy with full time job and night work two times a week] and look to finish my degree in March 2013. I have been at Capella since December of 2009. The class work has projects that can be related to real world situations.

Capella review I have been at Capella since December 2009. It is a good school in my view. As of this writing I have seven classes to go for my   BS in IT.  In a ten week course I think is just long enough to get what I need out of the course before mental fatigue kicks in. The instructors so far have been challenging and engaging. I am  doing well, but I do put in a lot of time for my part time situation. Capella technical support has been quick to answer my issues or questions. There are a sea of on-line schools out here so I don't have a lot to compare to but the school being accredited as this one is is very important to me. Capella just received ABET accreditation. I am an IT manager and getting my Undergraduate  degree would help solidify my position. 

I chose Capella University over several others because they were A) accredited B) offered US Gov certifications upon graduation in my field given I took the required courses and C) because there are scholarships available for those in my field. I have Bachelors degrees from University of Phoenix (UOP)(brick and mortar school in Michigan) and De Vry. Columbus. I have over 25 years in Information Technology and I felt then and do now, that Capella is my best choice. I have read complaints about instructors at Capella and I have had a few that were substandard but I have also had instructors that were of the highest caliber. I think the same could be said of any University. At University of Phoenix I had the same experience with the quality of instruction. All of my professors at Capella have been PhD's. I feel that the course work at Capella is very challenging and does indeed pertain to my major. I have a perfect GPA in my masters program so far but, I am only taking one class per quarter. I would and do recommend Capella university to anyone interested in obtaining an advanced degree.

I am about to attend Capella for my first class in their MS Information Technology program. So, I can't say a whole lot YET since I haven't started. What I can say is this- I work for a Fortune 50 company and they highly encourage attendance at this institution. They provide tuition reimbursement for the program as well. They employ over 250,000 people. I would say that has to speak for something. This company will hire someone with a degree from Capella, and encourages its employees to enhance their careers by obtaining an advanced degree at this institution.

After obtaining my undergraduate degree back in 1990 I decided to go back for my MBA in Human Resources Management and am getting ready to wrap up my first class at Capella. I had orgionally looked into the University of Phoenix and their program. While the University of Phoenix is a very good intitution, I felt Capella was much better with a fantastic online support system. The course has been challenging but extremely enrichning. I am excited about my next class and so far am highly impressed with the quality of learning. I highly recommend Capella to others.

To all who are thinking about taking online courses, Do NOT even bother with Capella. The school is awful. The cost is high! The credit system stinks. And the teachers are only there to collect a check. They do not care about student goals. Be very cautious when looking at this school. I would recommend a University from your local state. It will be much cheaper, and the degree will be more impressive to prospective employers.

I researched online universities for several weeks before I decided to join Capella University. In my opinion, Capella University offers the highest quality and most advanced online education available. My entire learning experience at Capella University has been absolutely superb! Capella University is fantastic!

I am a Capella student in their undergraduate program. I am about 1 year from graduating. So far, I have to say that the instruction has been good. The courses aren't too demanding and the online environment is good. My problem is when I enrolled the admissions counselor stated that a CISSP certification would fulfill 5 course requirements. After I enrolled, my learning advisor told me the same thing. Up to this point, there was no mention of any associated fees. Once I received my certification, I informed my new advisor, now all of a sudden, there are fees involved. $2250 to be exact. My advice, if they say that a certification, license, prior learning, etc., will fulfill some requirements, be sure to ask about associated fees. They won't tell you until you have no choice but to pay them. Overall, my experience has been pretty good, but this latest issue has really disappointed me. If you are looking at Capella, do yourself a favor and ask a TON of questions. You don't want a $2250 surprise like I got.

I am not sure why so many reviews are tied to this institution, yet I would like to write a few words about my personal experience in the Ph.D. program in Information Security and Assurance. joining Capella was a personal decision, I though to myself that working and going to school would only be possible by joining a Online Program from an accredited institution, so I choose Capella. By enrolling in Capella since the beginning I realize that I was doing more work than my previous graduate degree (MBA) at the State University of New York, yet I psychologically set myself to face the challenge. I have been in the program for about 1 year now and I could tell you that the amount of work giving to students is enormous, yet for those of you that like to challenge yourself in getting a excellent education Capella is the only answer. Off course, I evaluate various other online universities prior to making the decision to apply to Capella, yet I do not regret one bit my own judgment. One word of advise, any student attending any online university should not take more courses than the ones you are capable of doing. I personally started working with 3 courses at Capella and have been doing that until this present quarter, I am planning on doing my last quarter this coming summer with four courses ( The challenge of my life), I know it will be hard I should say extremely hard because I have a full time job and a family to take care of, but I have prepare myself psychologically and physically to face that challenge. I know people that take two courses and struggle all the way to the end of the class and fail, you must be aware of the load of work you can handle. Do not try to take three courses or even four courses if you do not have any experience doing this sort of things, I guarantee you that if you do without a prior self-assessment you are more than likely to fail multiple of those courses. I feel ready to face those challenges and have assure my mentor and the dean of the school of technology that every course I take will result in a "A" grade, yet if I fail I ensure them that a "B" will be my last option, but failure is out of the question. Again, try to do a self analysis of how much work you can deal with and just register for it, do not try to be a super hero by taking four classes unless you are "READY" to do that. Capella University is the best thing that ever happen to me as it allows me to have a normal life and help me progress in an academic setting. I guarantee you that joining Capella will be the best decision you will ever make, yet I can't guarantee you how well you will do in your courses, that will be up to you. Remember, in every course you start with an "A" is up to you to stay with that grade. Best of luck to all.

I am not sure what the negative hype is all about. I completed a little over 2 years at Texas A&M in the mid 90's, and a few classes at the University of Houston. I recently enrolled at Capella and completed 2 core classes. I had a great experience and the instructor was very knowledgeable with a wealth of experience. The assignments were actually more intense (in some cases)than my work at A&M and UH. The student portal is very easy to navigate. The staff was always helpful and professional. My wife graduated from the University of Texas. She regularly made comments on the assignments and how they are just as comprehensive as any assignments at UT. I recommend Capella University.