Kaplan University

I really wanted to put out an accurate perspective on Kaplan as many people think Kaplan is a scam. It is true that the school has had legal difficulties in the past, and that can leave a bad taste in the mouth for some. Another poster mentioned that the classes are all the same, in the communications program this has been true thus far. I have taken 2 major classes and both have covered the exact same materials. The Intro course is rather boring as it focuses mainly on the workplace as opposed to real life skills. Kaplan students tend to be older so it is a safe assumption that most know how to dress and act during an interview. My biggest pet peeve as far as coursework goes are the 2 English Composition core courses. Comp 1 uses the KU writing guide which covers things like how to structure a paragraph and APA, while it does not cover things like grammar or punctuation. Comp 2 (I am taking now) links to podcasts and articles to the KU writing center and "Ted Talks" videos. I had hoped that these classes would focus more on the mechanics of writing as opposed to learning how to create an outline or draft. The Professors I have had have been fair (my GPA is 3.75) and have been very helpful when I had questions or concerns. I have not had too many problems with financial aid however I have heard from others who have attended Kent State and other B&M schools FA is always a nightmare. They tend to put off sending out stipends as long as they possibly can (at least in my case) and only sending a check as opposed to direct deposit is a bit "old school". The advisers are great and will help you if you can actually catch them. However I am not a fan of the policy that has recently gone into effect that a student must follow a specific sequence of their degree plan. I understand the reasoning behind this but I really would have preferred to finish the core requirements before getting too far into the program. Another "complaint" I have is that many students do not use Standard American English, and post dbs in "text talk". This can be extremely difficult to respond to. Lastly, the school is extremely expensive. I have read many reviews where folks got into the last few terms and were not able to finish due to maxing out student loans. This is very possible and a major concern for anyone who does not have a nest egg or family to fall back on for support. With the recent news of Pell grant funding being cut by 303 mil (about 1k per student per year if it stands) I did quite a bit of number crunching and realized that I will not be able to finish as I will have maxed out my loans by the last two terms and I do qualify for the max that the government offers. Because of this I have decided to leave Kaplan and pursue an online degree at a less expensive nonprofit school. Having said all that, I do believe that Kaplan is a good school that has a lot of potential. The Professors are in general great, the coursework can be a bit repetitive but most of us learn by repetition. The live lectures can be great or overwhelming depending on how busy you are in your own life. The students are just like people everywhere, some are awesome people and some suck. My advice would be to do your homework and research all of your options before committing to anything. Make sure to figure out the complete costs of your program including the $200 technology fee per term to ensure you will have enough money to complete whatever degree you are pursuing.

Like several students have posted before me; I had major communication issues w/ the Financial Aide and Student Acct depts. I think most of the confusion started when Kaplan restructured their depts (from personally assigned advisors, to team assignments). I enrolled at Kaplan in May of 2009 and graduated their undergradutae program in April 2011; so I've seen alot of changes in their level of service. MY 2 CENTS: 1) I am pleased w/ their new website design, but I would advise them not to impliment major website updates IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEMESTER!! lol It caused mass confusion for both the professors and students. (ie. lost assignments, unable to post, missing grades, etc) 2) If you find an Advisor who is experienced and able to assist you with an issue, be sure to continue to follow up w/ him/her until the issue is resolved. If not - you'll be re-explaining the situation EVERYTIME a new individual assists you (comments should be added to your acct, but most of the time - they aren't). 3) Something that one of my Professors taught me; In college, there is no totally wrong or right answer - as long as you have supportive references. During my journey at Kaplan; I was faced w/ hidden Financial Balances that were "Overlooked" by Student's Accts, prerequisite courses that were added to my degree plan...after I had already completed the respective courses, and the case of the disappearing "Promisary Note" which caused me to be locked out of my classes and possibly not graduate on time. ALL of these issues were resolved because I maintained a paper trail and kept copies off all my communications & Kaplan documents. I also sent emails to my professors and the Director of my degree program, seeking assistance...when I was met w/ a brick wall. Even though Kaplan should be held accountable, we (the students) are ultimately responsible for making sure that everything meets OUR LEVEL OF SATISFACTION! Hold them accountable and fight back - if you feel you're being done unjustly. If not, you have no room to complain.

AS many have stated in their own reviews, the professors are for the most part excellent! They are well educated, credible, helpful and friendly. Advising was a good experience as well. I had the fortunate pleasure of working with the same advisor for 2 years. She was extremely helpful and kind. The financial aid, department is a mess. This body of the school is what gives people the ammo needed to fuel their rage in these reviews. They are unorganized, they have extremely poor to no communication at all and often times appear to be trying to ripp off students by forcing them to pay tuition that has already been approved and paid for via federal aid programs. This happened to me as well upon graduating in June of 2010. I received a bill for over 2 grand despite the fact that I was awarded scholarships and federal aid...the problem was resolved but only after my persistancy of repeated phone calls. Some are not so knowledgable and persistant. This is a travesty because the University is a good one. I recieved a quality eduation...this needs to be corrected.

I found that just like anything else, you have to work hard for something worthwhile. The classes were not easy so if you are a bad student in general, then you should know what to expect. The education was great but the support staff does need some improvement.

Kaplan is really good. It is like any school that you are looking into. The only advice I will give is this: Check out your options, find out what you are willing to personally commit to. Any school you attend, there are going to be challenges with enrollment, challenges with Financial Aid, challenges with the course work, etc. Stay on top of things. My own personal experience is with the Financial Aid department. I recently got hit with a $1,338.81 bill 1 week before the end of my term. This is because I had taken on a third additional class. Here is what is important and what I did. 1) Whenever you talk with someone, write down their name, extension, the date and time you called. Keep a log of every time you speak with someone because of a need that they contacted you about, and a need that you have to call them about. 2) Make sure you understand exactly what they are saying. Ask specific questions, if they are not wanting to help you, ask to speak with a supervisor, you have that right. 3) If you have to escalate, remain as professional and respectful as you possibly can. Now, regarding my situation - I had a significant change between my 2007 and 2008 tax year. I made more money in 2008 than I had in 2007. Therefore, I legitimately did not receive any federal pell grant. Had I qualified for the Federal Pell grant, I would have not had any issue. After this was explained to me, and I understood, my issue was not in the reason why I owed the money, but the way a Financial Aid representative communicated to me that there were enough funds available for me to take on the third additional class. There was no discussion as to any possible changes, any possible aspect that my verification had not gone through yet and that his decision was based on information he had and that if something changes, I may be held financially responsible. After speaking with my financial aid advisor, academic advisor and my admissions advisor, this issue was escalated. End result, Kaplan paid the amount I owed because of what was initially communicated with me. All involved understood where I was coming from, and took the time to listen to my concerns. Outside of this, I have some good classes, classmates, the instructors are very good (and for those who do not know, some instructors actually teach at real universities as well and have some good education backing them up). Again, check out all your options, make sure you are very clear on what you want to do, what it is going to cost and get all your information and questions specifically resolved and in order.

When I first enrolled at Kaplan I found out after 2 terms and $6000 later that I had been enrolled in the wrong program. It took a few months to get it all straightened out financially. The compliance manager got involved and she was terrific. The teachers that I have had so far are great! The downside of the college is their financial aid advisors and academic advisors. I have had several of each and I started in in August 2007. If you are not motivated to do the assignments and projects then an online atmosphere is not for you. I had a hard time getting up to speed and I had to repeat several classes. This past term, which ended Nov. 25, 2008, I kept up with all of the discussions, seminars and assignments and I got good grades and learned some helpful things. If you fall behind it is difficult to catch up. The instructors are very helpful but if you don't do the work you won't pass. I saw someone had mentioned that all of the books were e-books and this has not been true for me. I think it depends on the program because I have had several books sent to me for my courses. I think that my degree will be valuable. It doesn't matter where you get the degree from, what matters is if you can demonstrate skills in what you earned your degree in. I would recommend Kaplan to others but advise them to keep documentation of emails, etc. in case financial aid messes up something.

I really hated this school. They are terribly overpriced and the support staff is horrible. You can never get through to people and they don't return calls. I feel that they are greedy and dishonest when it comes to the financia aid and money. Horrible University!!!