Colorado Technical University Online

Sandy Nishta February 14, 2007 at 5:46 p.m.

CTU may have received some unpleasant reviews on some boards, however I'd like to say that in addition to the staff being highly available and interested in students, the educational materials and portal is probably the best out there.

I have researched almost six comparable degree programs from different "universities" or concerns (some of these online schools are no more than a corporation with a collegiate facade). However, the could not compare to CTU in price, portal, books, materials and 24/7 live help (watch for hidden costs and undisclosed book fees!!).

Obviously everyone is looking for different things in a degree program, however at least you know you can attend CTU campuses on-ground and get a quality degree that way as well.

The instructors/professors are qualified, understanding and active in the respective industries. I have much experience in the field and thought the couldn't teach me much more however it was not only a solid review but also a solidification of my knowledge and skills.

The instructors were really professional. They were also like colleagues as they are in the industry and understood when I would have to work late or if there were personal contraints. Again, not all instructors/ facilitators/professors are perfect. Don't think you can skate through...some of them grade strictly.

In my opinion it's a great value, they offer good certifications on the road to your degree (so you actually get SOMETHING!!), the curriculum is backed by great organizations and it offers great real world, realistic experience & project work.

-SN

Past CTU Student May 14, 2007 at 8:19 p.m.

I attended CTU online last year. I didn't have to crack open a book unless it was for my own personal knowledge because I could find all the research I needed over the internet. I had withdrawn from a set of classes and reinlisted for the next set of classes. Well into the first week, SOMEHOW, my information was deleted. I was no longer a student and was told I was not reinlisted, never had, none of my information was up to date, my major change wasn't in the computer system, my advisor change wasn't in the system, even my financial aid information was gone. It was if someone just clicked on my name and hit delete. I spent 3-4 days sending all the emails back and fourth from financial aid, my advisor, everyone just to show I was a current student. FINALLY, they got me back into the classes, but the wrong classes (I sent previous emails from the instructors to prove I was in their classes). By the time I was back into my correct classes, I was so far behind in my assignments and barely keeping up with my group assignments. I decided that wasn't worth being a CTU student and decided to go to a local college. I mailed a transcript request to them to send to my current school. Over a month went by and no receipt of the transcript. Finally called them and was told that they never received it, but then again, they've had a high staff turn over (go figure). So who knows where it ended up. The department I talked to gave me all the information to fax over another request - but no mention of a fee. So one week after the request was faxed, I get an email saying that they have a fee and the transcript will be sent after the payment clears - 3-5 days AFTER receiving payment (even by credit card). I've learned that CTU may be wonderful if you are a current student. You end up off that list, and they don't give a damn. Even with my mess up of being deleted from the system to being a current student to withdrawn, they didn't care if I was bumped out of the system and all the work I did during that first week of class - I was not listed as a current student in their computer. I would NEVER recommend this college to anyone. Online classes are convenient, but CTU is NOT worth the headache.

Ken August 10, 2007 at 12:39 a.m.

I agree with BigN. I attended Auburn Montgomery in Montgomery Alabama for 2.5 years. My employer (fortune 200 company) has an education partnership agreement with CTU. I'd never heard of CTU before seeing it on the company intranet. I completed the last 1.5 years of the degree online and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration December of 2006. All in all I'd say the quality of education was comparable. I think that the negative stereotype that dominated HR/Management thinking in the past regarding online degrees is fading. I've learned that many of those who fear the online degrees fear EVERYTHING online, not only the degrees! These are the type of people that will not pay a bill online at a secure site of their utility provider for example (rather still send the check in the snail mail). These individuals are sticking their heads in the sand and are not embracing or even aware of the value that new technology brings. In todays dog eat dog, fast paced business environment online degrees may be the ONLY option for many. CTU is highly recommended. For what it is worth, I am 26 and have been with the same company that paid for my education at CTU for 4.5 years now. HR was very encouraging and believe you me, if there was ANY issue with this university they would not dare have a partnership with them. I recommend CTU to anyone that is self-motivated and technology minded.

To: This school is a joke September 5, 2007 at 6:37 p.m.

Yes! We must stay away from the "For Profit" private schools, Like Harvard, Yale and others, because they are such a waste of money, unlike "Non-profit" schools that do nothing but suck away your tax dollars.

By the way, what DO those "non-profit" schools do with those millions of dollars they receive? Especially their sports programs.

Schooling September 6, 2007 at 8:15 p.m.

I believe "This school is a joke" meant "Why not show me a website that says an acadmic institution sucks that is NOT-FOR-PROFIT", the last part of that was wrong. But all For Profits are not bad. I believe the education is good at some of them. They get a bad rap because they have open admissions and agressive recruitment. The more they take in, the more they make. But some schools have admitted to this but stated if a student can't cut it, they will drop out. Its not ethical, but its legal.

Comment September 15, 2007 at 8:02 p.m.

Colorado Technical University if a "for profit" university.

Sure Tom September 20, 2007 at 1:53 p.m.

Right Tom. I agree, except why would anyone who has the least bit intelligence pay to go to a for-profit if you can go to a non-profit university and get a real education? Hey, why not buy a degree from a diploma mill if you don't want to earn an education right Tom?

Sure Tom October 1, 2007 at 4:57 p.m.

deputylasttries also works for CTU, don't listen to him!

Cheryl October 11, 2007 at 3:15 a.m.

My fiance and I signed up for CTU. They told us to fill out loans before our FASFA's were even complete. The first class is a joke. Literally a waste of time. The teacher didn't teach a thing. It's like he just read off the book in the once-a-week teaching sessions that we could hardly ever attend. When we filled out our FASFA's it took like 5 or 6 different people to tell us how to fill out the tax portion of our forms and each person told us a different way. My fiance and I aren't married but we have a son and my fiance supports us both so they were baffled about how to fill out the form with us not being married and who should or shouldn't claim who. Then I mailed them a form they needed and they told me they never got it, AFTER classes were like a week into session and they wanted me to print off a form when I had no printer and fax it to them. I had to mail it to them and they supposedly didn't get it. With our FASFA' alone we wouldn't have had to pay a thing, but they didn't have us fill this out until after we were tricked to sign up for loans. I will never recommend this school to anyone. I don't see how they are accredited, if they are.

Again October 26, 2007 at 9:56 p.m.

Again, accreditation does not mean quality unless it is a professional accreditation like ABET or AACSB. Your accreditation simply means it does what it says and is a valid organization. Just like Walmart is valid, but it doesn't mean it's quality.

Again October 29, 2007 at 2:42 p.m.

That wasn't my comparison. I meant Walmart is accredited under the Department of Commerce. It doesn't mean they are quality, it just means they are valid. Just like the DoE accrediting someone. There are professional accreditations that CTU lacks, ABET, AACSB, NSA, etc.

Again November 9, 2007 at 8:51 p.m.

Ya and they pass you for paying steel. Other schools reinvest into their faculty and facilities. You wouldn't know about that since CTU has over 85% adjuncts.

Nope November 14, 2007 at 6:08 p.m.

School still sucks P Rock, sorry you wasted your cash.

P Rock November 15, 2007 at 3:24 p.m.

by the way, where did you go to school Nope?

steel November 15, 2007 at 11:27 p.m.

Cheryl, seriously now, you have to be kidding. Your making statements against CTU that you assume are not true with other organizations of higher education. Any school you attend has the same load process (fafsa, pell grants, even scholarships). You can't knock CTU because you don't understand this process.

Sandman November 27, 2007 at 7:35 p.m.

How is CTU for losers who can't make it anywhere else? A mom with 4 kids that cannot leave to night classes is a loser? A dad who works 2 jobs and doesn't have time for on-site school is a loser? No, you my friend are wrong. For-Profit schools push you to your limit. They pound you hard with information in a small amount of time, and hey if you come out with a passing grade, guess what, you're smart. What the hell is a 16 week course at a state college with 1,000 other students? That is education? When you can't hear the professor talking and his slide show is from 4 years ago?....That is education? Pa-lease. I went to a State college and dropped out to go to DeVry, and loved it. I am looking into the BSIT/Software Engineering Online degree at CTU and will most likely do it. What do you guys think?

Keviknows December 13, 2007 at 6 a.m.

Again,
You are wrong when you say that CTU lacks Professional accreditation like ABET. Colorado Technical University's School of Engineering is accredited by ABET. Just do your research Again before you speak. Colorado Technical University is not just an Online school. Their Brick and Mortar main campus is in Colorado Springs, Colorado and has been there since 1965. So the bottom line here Again is they are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Higher Learning Commission and they have professional accreditation from Accrediting Board of Engineering Technology(ABET) for their School of Engineering. Now to close this case, lets analyze this scenario: Again wants to get a degree. He knows that he is a slow learner so he decides to buy a degree from a degree mill. He chose CTU thinking he could buy a degree. He was very surprised when he saw the course cirriculum from CTU was indeed very real and too hard for him to complete. He has realized at this point that CTU is a real university that has been around since 1965 and does not hand out degrees like candy as he had anticipated. The course work was too challeging and he fails. Now he is mad because he has to pay for classes that he has failed out of. Again's last resort is to come on this website and complain because now he has to pay a real university for real classes that he failed. Again, from now on do your research before you try to discredit a school that is regionally accredited and professionally accredited. ABET's website has all of the schools that they accredit. CTU is on the list folks, just see for yourself at their website. Go to chea.org and that website will tell you all of the degree mills that are out there scamming people. Colorado Technical University is not one of them. Happy learning to all.

Anthony March 6, 2008 at 4:02 a.m.

If you want real online education go to WWW.AMU.APUS.EDU

tic tac March 21, 2008 at 3:28 a.m.

@Kamil's Mom

CTU will take him... it might be a good idea to get him into an associates program and let him chill on that until he is 18. You really don't want to rush him through school... especially college. He can finish that when he is 20 and get accustomed to student life. If you have him do his whole schooling from home his social development will be stunted... I know as I too was homeschooled. College straightened me out though. Just think about it...

Disappointed March 25, 2008 at 2:13 a.m.

CTU Online is not the first college I have attended and will not be my last. Yes, I am moving on. I was not impressed with the curriculum at all. Often times it was vague, had typos, and contained numerous spelling errors. After submitting an email to the instructor requesting clarification of the assignments, often it would take several days to get a response. Half of the instructors I had lacked professionalism, to say the least. My ENG115 instructor spoke street slang most the time during live chat sessions and would close the class session with "Love, Peace, and Hair Grease". He didn't know some of the basic functions of the instructor/student communication capabilities available through the school site, for example, how to read a comment that a student provides with the submission of an assignment. I didn't bail after the first few strange experiences, thinking that maybe it was just one in the bunch that was strange. Now 6 months into it, I have had enough experience to realize these instructors are a direct reflection of the caliber of this "service".

Non-Traditional April 27, 2008 at 12:41 a.m.

It is amazing how many folks out there just wish to cast their doubt and bad judgements on on-line education or For-Profit institutions. I am a DeVry and Keller graduate who has experienced many industry individuals saying great things about the DeVry brand. The education I received on both the undergraduate and graduate levels was extremely challenging and the projects really engage the learner in practical "hands-on" education. As for CTU not being accredited by ABET, well just check out this link. http://www.abet.org/schools.asp. CTU's Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering programs are both accredited by ABET. The point that I am making is that it is not the school you attend, it is what you do with that education. Education extends outside of the classroom, and those who feel that a "NAME" will sell them, well, maybe it does. However, in the long term you still have to demonstrate that you can do the work. A Harvard, Yale, Duke, MIT, or Wharton degree guarantees you a job because of the "name" association. However, once hired, you have to prove yourself. Theory vs. practicality, this is where schools like DeVry previls. As for AACSB, well, I know folks who attended AACSB schools. Let me tell you something. Many of them can't begin to write a business plan or think strategically when it comes to business. They studied theory, and can't practice it well. To each is own, but it is all up to the aptitude of the learner, regardless if the school is traditional or non-traditional. Long live the non-traditional school models!!!!