Kaplan University : Information Technology Reviews

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Vincon (In Progress) on May 11, 2012 (email verified)

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AAS Information Technology Acquiring an education is a two-way street. If you apply yourself, you will succeed at Kaplan. I have one class left and already acquired a position in my field at 50K. I have been to regular brick and mortar schools and my Kaplan experience has been as good or better.

Ashleygreen53 (In Progress) on July 17, 2011 (email verified)

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My experience so far at KU I'm currently attending and tonight I started looking at FaceBook pages about it and suddenly I got worried. There are so many bad reviews out there, and it's kind of ridiculous. I'm going for my Bachelors of Science in IT and honestly, the only time I had an issue was when I first enrolled. The financial aid department kept telling me I needed to fill out the paperwork differently but it was all just a matter of they didn't understand my situation completely. I love the teachers so far and I'm really learning a lot. I'm not far in, but with only one problem to complain of and a 4.0 GPA, I think it's all going great.

Bruce_Fleming (Graduate) on April 28, 2011 (email verified)

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Just Graduated BSIT/Database I found my experience with Kaplan to be a good one. Many of the courses are challenging especially as they are conducted online and will require an extra effort to do well in. I can say that your own personal study habits will be the determining factor in your success or failure at this school, they don't just give away the diplomas(which is a good thing, otherwise the value of your degree would be worthless). While I believe that Kaplan is a good school it is also a business and I have found through the years of my attendance that they are much better at the college end than the business. Keeping that in mind, realize that the business end and dealing with the people in this part of the business can be challenging at times. You need to take responsibility for all of your financial dealings with them and do not rely on them to get it right. There have been many times when I have had to call student accounts daily and work through a problem or misunderstanding until things were corrected to my satisfaction. These things can happen with any school or business for that matter, unless your a kid this is what grown-ups have to learn to deal with. In closing my review I would say that if you do not have the time or the opportunity to attend a traditional college and can make a committed effort to buckle down and work Kaplan is a great alternative.

Anonymous (In Progress) on February 10, 2011

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Lots of Personal Attention, Until You Enroll, Then Good Luck Getting Anyone to Listen to You! This was a horrible experience that I am still paying for. The Guidance Councilor that I was assigned encouraged me to increase my course load without telling me that it would require an additional $4000 out of pocket expenses! From the way she originally explained it, I was under the impression that my financial aid package could be tailored to cover it. Nope, and I also had a Pell Grant reversal that no one told me about, what a great surprise! More money they decided that I had to pay IMMEDIATELY or I'd be locked out of my classes. Well, I couldn't do that and I wasn't comfortable taking out another personal loan, so now I can't get my transcripts to go elsewhere until I ransom them out. Beware of what they promise you, they are out to sell their product, and could care less once they have your signature.

Sthelensbull (In Progress) on January 13, 2011 (email verified)

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AAS IT Web Development @ Kaplan ~ Great School! I have now been attending online courses at Kaplan for a year and it has been a great learning experience. I will recieve my AAS in IT Web Development and I will be re-enrolling to obtain my BAS in IT Web Development after I take a month or two off. The amount of information that I have retained is outstanding and I have gained a great deal of resources while attending at Kaplan. The online atmosphere may not be suited for all, so I have read, and I have seen that a few have been having issues with financial aid. But if you go through the right individuals then it eases any issues that may arise. I have purely enjoyed the online courses and have referred a few individuals to Kaplan.

Six325i (Graduate) on December 20, 2010 (email verified)

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Serious School for IT - Horrible student accounts department The Good – Online courses through Kaplan are nothing to joke about. I've heard many people "putting down" online degrees, but after attending Kaplan University Online, I stand up for online schools. Kaplan has a solid set of instructors, Professors, and Doctors, to teach you what you need to know about IT. Compared with the various numbers of state colleges I've attended, Kaplan U deserves: 10 out of 10. As for the subject matter, it's very pertinent to your field of study. Everything I've learned from Kaplan has lead me in the right direction in my career. The courses can be difficult, as with any college, but the key is to have enough free time to read, study, and understand the concepts and theory you're learning. This isn’t a 2-4 hour a week study program… it’s a full force program designed to make you work your butt off to receive an A. So, make sure you have the free time to attend classes and complete the work load. The Bad – Kaplan’s tuition rates are pretty high. For some reason, they need more and more money by the end of every quarter. You will receive an e-mail that tuition has gone up a certain amount (which hopefully your financial aid can cover.) The Ugly – The only downfall of Kaplan (that I've run into) is their student accounts apartment. Paper billing is not really an option for them at this current point in time. If you need to make a payment, it must be done online or over the phone. Either option is fairly uncomfortable I think. Especially, if you’re speaking with a representative; just because a website or an e-mail listed their number, doesn’t mean it’s the actual place you’re calling. If you’ve dropped, or are no longer a student of Kaplan, your accounts are closed and you can no longer login online to make a payment, so you must call to make the payment. If you owe money on your account due to a lapse in your financial aid, they will automatically take a loan out in your name (without your consent) and call you stating that the balance on your account is overdue. Most of the representatives are pushy and ruthless, and do not care about your financial matters at hand. I may also add that they're ignorant and annoying (calling you multiple times a day regardless of your states creditor laws.) The Conclusion – As long as you do not drop from Kaplan, you should have nothing to worry about. Kaplan offers a solid educational background in IT, plus the ease of accessing your studies online from your own home or office. Remember: This is not an “easy” college; it’s a “serious school of thought”.

Msw1382 (Graduate) on December 2, 2010 (email verified)

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Kaplan - My Take Right out of college I went to a tech school and obtained my associates at a technical school. This was ok for the time being, but I realized if I am going to make it anywhere a Bachelors would help significantly. So my search began. I looked at schools such as WGU, U of Pheonix, DeVry and others along with Kaplan. Kaplan seemed to have what I was looking for at a premium but I do feel that it is worth it in the end. My experience at Kaplan was a good one for the most part. The financial aid department is a little on the sketchy side. They would (and still do) request documents from me to which I would comply and send in. The problem is there are times when it would take me sending in the document 3-5 times before it was recieved and processed properly. The classes are structured well but one must be aware the ultimately the professors have the say in the general structure of the class. Basically this means that one class may be structured different from another. It can get confusing at times, but just as long as you follow the syllabus you will be fine. The course selection is also great. However keep in mind that there are limits to the number of students in a given class. So registering early and planning out your degree plan is essential. If you attempt to register late you may not get into your next required class and could potentially loose financial aid. Their online interface works. Simple as that. It is not flashy and doesn't try to entice you with pretty graphics. It does what it needs to do and nothing more. If you are concerned with the uptime of the classes and other services don't be. In the 2.5 years I was in attendance the classroom services were down twice aside from the scheduled downtimes which are normally in the early hours of the morning. All in all my experience was a good one. Only downside being fin aid and some perssonal issues with professors (which was handled by admissions)

Ldexter (Graduate) on November 26, 2010 (email verified)

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MSIT Graduate I just finished with my Masters of Science in Information Technology and I must say I was very skeptical of joining an on line school because of all the bad press. However, one of my life goals is having a Masters degree and going to a brick and mortar school was not feasible. Kaplan is just like any school, there are good things and bad things about it and it all depends what you wish to concentrate on; the good or the bad. I will first state what I did not like about it and then what I did like about it. I did not like several of the professors and I did not like the fact that contacting someone at Kaplan in the financial aid department was mostly very difficult. The worst part about my Kaplan experience was dealing with the financial aid department; that department really needs new leadership and a new strategic plan to accommodate the students. Here is what I did like. I did like most of the professors and for the most part they really pushed me to learn. The best professor I had hands down was Diana Dee; if you get her you are really lucky. All the professors I had were at least at the Masters level but most of them had a PhD. I liked the group project aspect of the classes and the discussion portion of the classes. Although they were both a pain in the butt, they force you to learn and to know the subject manner. I enjoyed most of the students but found only a few that were really on the ball and produced work that was acceptable to me. Kaplan has a peer evaluation program for group projects which helped let the professor know who was not up to par with their work. I went to a brick and mortar school (Western Michigan University) for my undergrad and Kaplan was very competitive in the amount of information you learn. I will not say either school was tougher, but I will say I wrote a lot more at Kaplan and the schedule was very tough. My wife took her Masters classes at a brick and mortar school and she tells me I did a lot more work for Kaplan on line than she had to at the brick and mortar school; that made me feel a lot better about going to Kaplan. As a rule of thumb you can figure on at least 15 extra hours a week per class while going to Kaplan (2 hours per night during the week and 5 hours on the weekend), but you get out what you put in and on average that is what I put in. Overall I would highly recommend Kaplan to anyone going for their Masters in IT as I can see myself using and applying what I learned on a daily basis at my current job. For once in my life I actually feel prepared to take on that manager, director, VP, or even CIO position.

Anonymous (Graduate) on November 11, 2010

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Great U, had rough points like all others The problem most people had with financial aid while I was enrolled was the seemingly endless paperwork to get loans and grants. I gave them everything on time, and I had no issues, beginning in 2002, but the school grew by ten-fold by 2006 when I graduated. It's true, if you can't get your stuff in on time by yourself without their reminders, you should not attend an online U. Go to a campus where there are people there to remind you and help you in person.

Anonymous (In Progress) on November 4, 2010 (email verified)

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worst financial aid ever I am almost through my bachelors program in Information technology, and have only had one term that financial aid did what they said they would. In my opinion, if you are paying your own way it is a great school, if you need aid, go somewhere else. I am in the process of getting evicted from my apartment with my 2 young boys because I had surgery and lost my job, applied for expense check, they said it would be here, it's not, they actually received the money several weeks ago, I don't have outstanding documents or anything, and they just say "it should've been handled, it'll be processed soon" and "there isn't a supervisor you can talk to" and, oh, looks like something happened that we did, and we might not be able to process it for another month. The term is over that the check is for. Yet they refuse to cut me a check for money they have received and is earning them interest. Fraudulent is what I would call it. Overall, DON'T BELIEVE THEIR FINANCIAL AID DEPARTMENT, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Jimrsommers (In Progress) on October 22, 2010 (email verified)

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No Problem Here Some of the negative reviews on here a laughable. I have had no issues at all with Kaplan University online. The reason is, I did what they told me too, and submitted everything from admission and financial forms, to my projects on time. If you have any questions about your course, it is alll in the syllabus in plain English, or you can call your advisor. The advisors and professores are there to help you and they do. I often get almost immediate response to my questions when needed. My admissions advisor calls me often to see how I'm doing, so I feel like they really want me to succeed. Just take the negative reviews with a grain of salt and remember you have to be responsible when continuing your education.

Birgitmurphy (In Progress) on October 20, 2010 (email verified)

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Financial Aid HEADACHE! I love the classes, the teachers, and the support. The Financial Department however is horrible. I am not supposed to have any out of pocket expenses and I suddenly received and email from their department that I owe them almost $900. The Financial Aid department told me that the Pell Grant would not pay for it so I was responsible. Not only that, the attached promissory note gives me 14 DAYS! to pay.

Gene.beierle (In Progress) on October 11, 2010 (email verified)

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IT Programming is Great! I have had no troubles at all with Financial aid from the get go. I was kinda sad that we only had 2 hours per class and most of IT was going to be online where it is only 1 hour of class time. Now though we are going to 4 hours per class and all of programming for the most part will be on campus. The professors are amazing as is the rest of the staff. I am about to start my second term of Information Tech Programming. And with this week off between terms i am very excited to start classes again. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to go back to school as it is very nice as there is only 3 classes a week for 4 hours each.

Phukphasbuk (Graduate) on October 5, 2010 (email verified)

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Tired of reading bad reviews? I am Kaplan University graduate. I put in the time, work, effort and did what was expected of me and then some. I graduated from Kaplan with a 4.0 GPA. I am self motivated and made my education a priority in my life and the entire process was easy and I have not one single complaint. Kaplan University is one of the most advertised online universities in existence. Their TV ads mostly appear during daytime and late night TV programming that slackers will watch. For example, during exploitative talk shows (Maury, Jerry Springer), court shows (Judge Judy, Eye for an Eye) and other reality programs (COPS and Cheaters.) Having said that, who will most likely respond to these ads? Slackers. Now, I ask you to take a look at the the majority of the negative reviews about Kaplan. Did the person withdraw, quit, or fail? Next, Proofread their posts. Can they write a paragraph using complete sentences, proper grammar, and without punctuation errors? Is the negative review mostly about their difficulties with the financial aid department? Honestly, most of the people writing the negative reviews do not have what it takes to make it at Kaplan or any other university for that matter. Most of Financial Aid problems arise when the person has not submitted the proper paper work or have not completed it correctly. From admission to graduation is a very simple process. Everything that is expected from you is clearly outlined. Support for any issue that may arise throughout the process and beyond is abundant. I would absolutely recommend Kaplan University to anyone I know that is self motivated and has made getting an education a priority.

Starlaboda (In Progress) on October 5, 2010 (email verified)

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Perfect for my busy life!! I graduated from Kaplan with a Website and Internet Development Certificate in 9 months. Loved it so much I returned to Kaplan to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Every part of the enrollment process was easy. Obtaining Financial aid was simple. Using their online system was simple. Support has always been top rate. Ample career guidance services available. Tutoring, math and reading centers, and a full service library are also available at no charge. Books are included in tuition costs. The way the entire process works is very simple. Just follow the instructions. Do what you are told to do when you are suppose to do it. Most professors are very understanding when something arises that doesn't allow you to complete the course work on time. I have made the President's List all 7 terms at Kaplan and have a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Because I have received an A in every course I have taken at Kaplan I often find myself wondering, are they just passing me and taking my money? Is everyone at Kaplan a 4.0 student? Am I really learning all that I could for the money I am paying? I have no idea what the course work is like at traditional brick and mortar university, or other online school so I have nothing to compare it to. I was previously employed as a web developer without a formal education many years ago and left to be a stay at home mom. It took me several years to educate myself with the knowledge needed to land that job. While earning my certificate degree at Kaplan (which only took 9 months) I learned so much more than I ever could have learned on my own or on the job. Some professors can recognize when a student is familiar with the course material and will find other ways to challenge the student. I am happy at Kaplan but sometimes I do wish I was challenged a bit more.

Anonymous (In Progress) on September 16, 2010 (email verified)

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A Paper Mill In general, classes at Kaplan are a joke. The evaluations of students are based primarily on meaningless criteria such as format and submitting work on time. Assignments have no rigor, so there can be no real evaluation of someone's knowledge. Compounding the lack of rigor is the fact that faculty are only retained if they manage to maintain above average student evaluations. Any faculty member who evaluates students honestly (and not just assigns 100% for turning in work) will soon be driven out because they will not receive high enough student evaluations. It should be clear to everyone that Kaplan is a for-profit institution that is far more interested in keeping students happy so that students stay enrolled and Kaplan continues to reap the federal funds those students are eligible for. The best way to keep those students happy is to ensure they get high grades for meaningless work. No student would actually pay such high tuition for such mediocre education unless someone else (i.e. Federal aid) is paying for it.

Anonymous (In Progress) on July 26, 2010 (email verified)

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The worst experience I wanted to be able to study from home and was contacted by Kaplan. It sounded promising and seemed to be the ideal solution for my situation...that is, until I actually started classes. From day one I had problems from financial aid. They seemed overwhelmingly incompetent. I filled out and faxed the same paperwork 5 times, I even refaxed the same paper, called the financial aid office to ask if they had received it, they informed me they had, but I was still locked out of classes. I received 4 e-mails regarding that same paperwork, I called again the next morning, and they said that they had not received it. I was so angry and frustrated and I had already missed almost 3 weeks of classes. I immediately requested that I be unenrolled, that took another 2 weeks. I received a letter from Sallie Mae informing me that my financial aid had gone through and payment had been received by the university, and even today, I got a letter from a collection agency stating that I owed $2400 to Kaplan. 2 semesters, one of which I couldn't complete because of the incompetence of financial aid and the second semester which I was locked out of for 3 weeks. This "university" is nothing more than a scam, no better than spam e-mails, no better than the door-to-door scam artists.

Anonymous (In Progress) on July 8, 2010 (email verified)

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You get out what you put in I am curently still attending Kaplan University. I have many classmates that have problems with Kaplan. Typically they think the problem is with their Instructor. In reality, many of these students expect passing grades while making excuses, no doing homework, and wanting their education "spoon fed" to them. When they dont get the grades they "think" they deserve, then they start whining about Kaplan not giving them what they paid for...a degree. Kaplan provides an high standard of education but still requires self motivation from the student. If you want a degree...go find a "degree mill". If you want an education, then Kaplan might be right for you.

Anonymous (In Progress) on June 15, 2010

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Go somewhere else I graduated with an IT degree with an emphasis in computer programming. Some of the instructors were just horrible, and others were hostile when asking them questions. We managed as a class to get one of the instructors thrown out because he just monitored the online sessions, and did not teach at all. Well to make a long story short, I would choose a more effective college with instructors that are there at all times (phone or online), because of the amount of money you are paying.

Naughtyncrzy (Graduate) on June 10, 2010 (email verified)

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people shouldn't lie Just to let everybody know, when you graduate it doesn't say on the diploma that you completed it online. It shows as if you went to the school on-campus. And it is just as meaningful as another diploma you receive from any other college. I went from making 13K a year to 50K with benefits. Go to KU, it's the best choice you'll ever make!

Anonymous (In Progress) on May 24, 2010 (email verified)

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Anything would be better I now work in IT haveing gotten my credentials elsewhere. My brief experince with Kaplan was disappointing. I see Kaplan as a liberal diploma mill. Materials are out of date, and the standards are slack. I can say for sure that when our recruiters see the Kaplan University or College credentials on a candidate's resume, that application goes into the trash bin. I think there are many good schools in Kaplan's price range that would be a better investment for people entering the IT field. I would recommend DeVry, Westwood, Potomac College, or ITT over Kaplan for a return on investment, unless your goal is to work for low pay somewhere.

Anonymous (In Progress) on April 21, 2010 (email verified)

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Good Experience Hello, Well I have been in Kaplan now for 3 years and so far everything has gone pretty good. I work hard at keeping up my grades and pay my tuition portion on time. I have not had any problems with applying for my student loans and getting reimbursed. My only concern with some of the classes is that they are given by some lazy professors. Some not all are helpful and respond right away to questions and others make you feel dumb in class. My online experience is that I feel that I am being self taught because there are no real hands on lessons...Everything is simulated. I hope that when I do graduate I learned as much as I would have attending a physical standing university?

Anonymous (In Progress) on April 16, 2010 (email verified)

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Kaplan Man I have been a student with Kaplan since 2007 and preparing to graduate in the winter. I contribute my academic success to the seminars, communication with fellow students and instructors/professors. I have read a number of reviews on this site, I agree with some and others I do not. Financial aid has not been a problem for me because I am a retired senior noncommissioned officer of the USAF, so I cannot comment on those issues. Quite a number of the instructors/professors have PHD's something that is not given away, but earned over a period of 4 to 5 years and most are experienced in their areas of responsibly. If we lived in a perfect world then I would understand many of the complaints; however, that is not the case. All of us had/have a choice about what university we want to attend, the only advice I am offering is accomplish your research before you jump into something you cannot handle. I am not a lover of math; however, my professors have ensured that my end results were successful. Those of you who like Kaplan, I am with you, those who do not, I recommend you find a university that meets your expectations…I’m a Kaplan Man!

Anonymous (In Progress) on April 16, 2010 (email verified)

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Poor excuse for professors/poor billing department While going to Kaplan in the field of networking, I found that the professor, specifically the one for some of the lower level courses didn't have a clue of what she was teaching. I have 16 industry certifications and found that I was teaching more than the professor. To have a Masters Degree in IT does not mean anything unless you have up to date real world experience which I found some of the professors not to have. I found thier billing department made a few mistakes that I had to get corrected which delayed me in transferring to another school. They stated on their website if you have an A+ or Net+ certification that you could get credit for some classes. I got no credit because mine was over 10 years old but I have 14 others that are higher certifications because I stayed in the industry and worked in the field. I have been lied to and feel that I learned very little from the school. I highly recommend not attending this class until they get professors that have up to date real world experience. Even one of their course books was out of date and had to be thrown out. Very poor department.

Anonymous (In Progress) on April 14, 2010 (email verified)

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KAPLAN SUCKS I have never gone to school at Kaplan but You should understand about what I learned during the hiring process!!! I have a graduate degree in business which led me to pursue a position as a program chair for their IT program at the W. Des Moines Iowa campus. After a month of interviews and run arounds, and a powerpoint presentation, I received a voice message on my answering machine (by an assistant)telling me they were going in a different direction. How professional is that? I'm not overly concerned I didn't get the position, what I do have a problem with however is the lack of communication with me about the position status, and their overall professionalism. Some of the things they asked me in the interviews was how I would keep students in school because they are losing a high percentage of them in the IT program? I replied that it depended on the situation and the student. They replied that instead of trying to understand the situation, I needed to sell, sell, sell the program to the student and refuse their wishes (I later discovered that program chairs are fired for not meeting student enrollment quotas. Not graduation quotas. If you have 25 in a class, you are in danger of being terminated if more than 3 drop).This struck me as funny but I didn't think of it any further. Now I realize the kind of atmosphere I would have been working in (after doing more research on Kaplan) had I been hired. It seems they are more concerned with bringing in the money, and less about the students well-being. I'm also happy I didn't make the choice of ever going to school there. I'm not sure the degree would mean anything in the long run and I'd probably be deep in debt. I feel extremely sorry for the students that are going to enroll, and the students that are in the middle of the program. I hope anyone thinking of going to school at Kaplan or pursuing employment with them will read this message before they make a decision.

Nirlagn (In Progress) on April 8, 2010 (email verified)

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Duped by Kaplan Admissions Advisor Here's a new one for you. I first started attenting Kaplan Online University in September 2009 pursuing a Bachelor in IT - Information Security and Computer Forensics. I did not like taking technical courses online because the instructors were not utilizing the workbooks for labs, were not responsive, were not helpful and I felt this was an ineffective way to learn. I needed hands on experience. I didn't feel I was getting my money's worth so I went onto their website and found they offered computer forensic courses on campus in Hagerstown, MD. I told the admissions advisor (John Nicklas) THREE TIMES which degree program I wanted to sign up for and also why I didn't want to take online courses. He said come on down and we'll get you enrolled. I sell everything I own, pack up and move to Hagerstown, MD from New Hampshire. Two weeks into my coursework I find out they do not offer computer forensic courses on campus - that I can only take them online!!!!!! WTF!!!!!! I turned my whole life upside down only to find out it was all for NOT. Their website still states the computer forensics courses are available on campus in Hagerstown as of this date. I'm planning on moving back to New Hampshire where my family and friends are and attend a college where I can get an IT degree on campus. It just won't be a Bachelors with a concentration in Computer Forensics. Take this review for what it's worth. Someday I hope to be laughing about this, but I doubt it.

Caweiss.carl (In Progress) on February 22, 2010 (email verified)

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Do Not Trust Kaplan!!! Attended with the thought that I had financing until I aquired an Associates Degree. Exactly half way through, Financial Aid continually harrassed and lost important documents, until financing was dropped. Have over 50+ correspondences with FinAid, but always someone that never heard of the other FinAid employees, and cannot find documents that were submitted. The University staff is inefficient and indifferent, and will attempt to coerce student into illegal document submissions. They lost my financing through their lack professionalism, and then told me I owed them monies. This Unisversity is a travity.

Anonymous (In Progress) on November 15, 2009 (email verified)

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Would not do it again This university is not worth the money. I am most disappointed in my academic advisor who has been almost incapable of returning important phone calls or emails. I have had to hunt her down at every turn. The financial aid department has been confusing, difficult to reach, and generally avoided direct questions. I have decided to withdraw from the university - I have made all A's so it's not a question of sour grapes. I will not throw good money after bad and consider enrolling at Kaplan to be the worst mistake of my life.

Ritterml (In Progress) on October 29, 2009 (email verified)

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Cost of Convenience I enrolled in KU because I have a BA in Psychology and wanted to change careers. KU offered a BS in IT in Web Multimedia and Animation. It is not the most challenging coursework. I could have gone through a traditional design or IT program and received the deeper artistic or technical training. The convenience of the courses and the relevance of the material are worth it to me. I needed the structure this program provides. For technical degree / certification, I recommend going through each cert. program on your own if you are good at that. Sure is less expensive! (BTW, KU offers a certificate program too, but I'm not in a place to comment on it). I'm sticking it out because I made the commitment. Courses seem to be more rewarding if I put more into it. It's an expensive option, but will pay off for me in a few years' work.

Jd.cook (In Progress) on October 18, 2009 (email verified)

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Kaplan University-Excellent I find the courses challenging, the professors are knowledgeable and accessible, and my advisor is always prompt in responding to my inquiries and often calls just to check on me. I have little contact with the financial department at Kaplan because there is no need, they have been extremely helpful with my student loans, and I pay my part of the tuition on time each month and have no problems. Books are included in the tuition and are mailed to me the week before classes start. These books are new in the wrapper and are the latest versions containing current material. The web site is always up and running and I love the class room interface. I attend a live class every week and interact with the other students and the instructor. Tutoring sessions are available, I have access to the University of Alabama online library, and professors have regular office hours and are available to chat with you on AIM or talk live via online conferencing. As a business professional that travels three weeks out of the month, I needed the convenience of an online education. If you are serious about earning your college degree online, look no further than Kaplan University!

Anonymous (In Progress) on October 14, 2009 (email verified)

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Kaplan University I am in my fourth term at Kaplan for a Bachelors of Science in IT. I have a pretty good average, about a 3.7 right now. Sometimes I wonder if the teachers are just giving me good grades, but I've always been rather smart. I find the material challenging sometimes, but some of it throws me off. However, I think it is perfect for Computer Programming. I don't think I would be able to teach myself this type of material, as I have tried when learning HTML from W3C. Also, speaking with anyone is always a challenge, but I think you will have that anywhere. It is expensive, but when I think about the fact that my local community college only offers an associates, it seems like a good option.

Ebay_convert (In Progress) on September 19, 2009

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XX. Master of Science in Information Technology I'm attending the Master's degree program for IT, the program only touches the very top of the area. Classes claim to teach you how to use servers, create databases and create security blocks for servers. There is no showing anything of this nature. The courses have quizzes but they are on a Bachelor's Degree level, not a Master's Level. Students attending in the Master's program have a severe lack of writing abilities, are unable to communicate properly and wait until the last possible second before turning in their group work. Kaplan needs to screen students better!

Anonymous (Graduate) on August 13, 2009

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Look out for Financial Aid and Student Accounts I was impressed with the teachings and the training, but the Financial Aid department 2 weeks before my final graduation informed me that they paid me too much financial aid (their mix up) and now I owe $12,600. They were nice and said we will cut it in half. After a year of paying on the account since I had not other recourse, now they are turning me into collection at 300 days past due even through I have been paying. So now they are going to get MORE MONEY out of me when in the beginning they said I was covered. Don't expect any help or understanding from student accounts...they are just as bad as collection agencies.

Jlittelma (Graduate) on July 17, 2009 (email verified)

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Kaplan - Decent School for the Self-Motivated Positives: -Online classes are convenient -Excellent faculty -Excellent website -Excellent technology -Good choice of classes relevant to my field -Audio seminars -Textbooks are included in tuition Negatives: -Terrible financial aid -Easy classes for the most part On the plus side, Kaplan has excellent faculty. Each professor has either a PHD or a Master's degree in their field with many years of experience. You have weekly seminars with the professors where you can ask questions and they lecture just like an in-person class. The seminars now also feature audio which is far superior to the old chat method. Their web site is well designed and makes turning in assignments easy. Also, you can take the classes on your own terms. You can do the assignments and post to the discussions when it is convenient for you. Working full time and being hours away from a traditional university made this form of education the best choice for me. One difficulty that I faced with Kaplan was their financial aid department. I did not experience the horror stories that some others have had, but I can confirm that they did not have their act together. I would receive calls stating that my payments were late and my classes could be suspended if a payment was not made. I would have to call them and explain to them that my student loans are paid in something called disbursements and they would get the check from the bank in a couple weeks sent directly to them. I have also received calls recently that my next semester classes were going to be put on hold because they did not receive a FAFSA for 2010. I had to explain to them that I was graduating in a week and was not going to be attending classes the next school year. This would not be so bad, but you have to sit on hold for 30-60 minutes before getting through to their FA department. The only other complaint that I do have is that with some of their classes, the grading standards were very laxed. In my Project Managemnt class, I was pressed for time once and knowingly turned in a rushed paper that I felt deserved a "C" at best. I was surprised the next week to get a grade of 100% for the paper! This seems to be true with many of their classes. However, I did have two classes, Discrete Math and Data Structures where this was not the case. The classes were rough and you had to work hard to get an "A". Overall, I am happy with Kaplan. I would recommend it to anyone seeking a degree without the means to attend a traditional university. Keep in mind that you must be highly motivated. You are not required to be in a classroom at any particular time. It is entirely up to you to do the reading, do the assignments and get them turned in on time. If you require someone to hold your hand and walk you step by step through your degree, Kaplan is not for you. If you are a self-starter and highly self-motivated, give Kaplan a try. You won't regret it.

Anonymous (In Progress) on June 29, 2009

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Turn the other way If you are looking at a possible choice for a college dont waste your time. i am currently looking into switching school to AMU. Kaplan and my student advisor (who i believe has no idea what a degree even initials) has given me the run around for the last 7 months. I am a huge amount of debt that the school said i would not be in AND they upped the charge per credit hour from 275 to NOW 375 and for what? You receive less help and attention than before. so if you can, CHOICE another college and save yourself an pocket book.

Anonymous (In Progress) on May 29, 2009

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Excellent School, Hard Work Kaplan University is an excellent school. Its challenging, up to date curriculum is sometimes tough due to the shortness of a term (10 weeks.) The school of IT has been a great experience in the year and a half that I have been attending. Every single time I have asked for some flexibility on due dates or assistance in understanding a complex concept I have always been given immediate (within 24 hours) responses and lots of room to succeed. I had one issue in a class with a professor and my Academic Advisor was very helpful. I was even given personal attention from the Dean of the entire IT school over the matter!!! Now that is excellent. Like any school, its different strokes for different folks, and that works both ways. Some students are happy and some are not. Some professors are great teachers and some have no business being educators. Thats life. Every school deals with these issues. Kaplan has an oustanding process and is very flexible on working with you. I am happy to be on hold waiting to speak to someone rather than standing in some admissions office for an hour just trying to register. Books are up to speed with current trends in the IT world. Every book I have is Copywrite 2008 or newer (some have even been 2009.) Its not easy street. Don't expect to be handed your "A" because that won't happen. The workload will challenge most full time working adults with a family like mine but still be reasonable. Worth the money if you have the tenacity and discipline. Weak character and poor organization need not apply.

Msheehan (In Progress) on May 19, 2009 (email verified)

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Huge Rip-Off This was by far the worst experience I ever have had. Do yourselves all a favor and pick another school. Kaplan is a complete waste of money.

Anonymous (In Progress) on April 6, 2009 (email verified)

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Great school for intelligent people! I am a current (Spring 2009) student at Kaplan University. My experience has been excellent. Every staff member I have had contact with has been very responsive and knowledgeable. This is my first online college experience and I am impressed with the structure and content. I have access to the University of Alabama Library System, the Atomic learning system, live math and writing tutors, and numerous other resources’. When I need to speak to my Academic Advisor I just send an email and I receive a call or response within two days. If I need to speak to an advisor sooner, I call the 800 number and if my advisor is not available I have the option to speak to the next available person. I have never waited more than a few minutes. Notes are posted for my advisor and she always follows up to make sure my needs were met. If you are considering attending Kaplan University and the negative reviews are giving you an uneasy feeling. I suggest you look at the spelling and grammar of most of the reviews. This will give you some indication as to why they are having difficulty in college level studies. If you are prepared to be a dedicated student, willing to spend the time needed studying, pay your tuition on time, attend class and be a responsible adult/student, give Kaplan University a strong consideration.

Anonymous (Graduate) on March 24, 2009 (email verified)

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Kaplan University is nothing but a joke I would not recommend this university to anyone. Their commercials are fraud. Yes they are an online institution but they are worthless to deal with. I graduated in August of 2008 and I am still having to deal with them to receive my degree certificate. I am being told that I owe them money when my financial aid and grants should have paid for everything. I don't feel as though I learned any more than what I could have taught myself on computers or anything else for that matter. The academic advisors there are also a joke. If you can actually speak to one they do nothing but give the run around and financial aid will hound you over something that was their mistake to begin with. They lose paperwork and information and lock you out of classes and then when you call them to find out what the problem is they say " Oh there is no problem we see that we have all the paper work". I would strongly advise against going to this university. They are crooks and liars and not worth the hassle in the long run. The sad thing is is that my brother and I attended this university at the same time and he had more problems with them than I did and I did not think that was possible. The whole experience was a joke.

Anonymous (In Progress) on March 4, 2009 (email verified)

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Stay away from Kaplan!!!! Kaplan is excellent with the original sale and getting you to sign up. They use slippery sales techniques and very misleading. Unfortunately that is where the education seems to end. Some of the teachers are pretty good but I think you can do just as well from a good book from Amazon or Barnes. Advisors never return phone calls or emails and Kaplan personnel keep calling day and night for no apparent reason. I signed up for IT program and Kaplan has nothing but technology problems galore. Very poor. That seems to be widespread througout Kaplan. I got a partial refund after many months of fighting with Kaplan for my money back. Beware also that many of their programs are not accredited. You have to do a lot of homework first. My advice is to stay away from Kaplan. Something just doesn't seem right with it. Overall a very negative experience like most others from what I am reading.

Anonymous (Graduate) on February 18, 2009 (email verified)

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It Is What You Make Of It Yes, I had my share of problems with Kaplan, starting with the technology and ending with unaccommodating academic advisors. So what? People who expect others to take care of them will always complain. I spent hours on the phone making sure that all parties involved understood what I wanted / needed. Once I thought I got the point across I made sure it was done. This is true for every school I attended or job I’ve held and it’s true in life – get used to it. Granted sometimes I got stonewalled (like asking to switch instructors) but by making a sound, sane and reasonable arguments I managed to get that done as well. My advice for all of those who have financial problems, talk to one person and one person only (this is true for any financial problem you might have regardless of the institution) about your issues, don’t get too many people involved. On-line learning is difficult and needs discipline, it’s not for everybody. The classes are harder than brick & mortar schools because you actually have to (gasp) … participate. There is lots of reading and lots of essays (average 2 a week plus a project), but you do learn and I found the instructors very accommodating and the response time was short. Most of the negative reviews I read seem to be written by younger folks out of high school or the military – this is all well and good. I think the shock of real-life where nobody cares if you do your projects and no one is going to call your parents might be too much to handle at once. If you’re out of high-school and want the “college experience” this is not for you, but for a busy professional that needs a degree – this is the right place!

Anonymous (In Progress) on January 2, 2009 (email verified)

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Kaplan Wants Your Money Kaplan's curriculum is very poor. You could learn a wealth more of information simply buying books off Amazon. The way they treated me after a hospitalization was they expected me to pay the full price for the course and wanted me to stay in a class where the hospitalization would have negatively affected my GPA of 4.0. All they care about is collecting your money, even if that means stealing it. Furthermore, my financial advisor has not done her job and I am getting bills instead of them being deferred. Like every other college I have attended Kaplan is no different, they might as well be in bed with lawyers. They do only one thing well, and that is give you a run around for your money. They have no respect for persons with disabilities either, and their web site is always having issues.

Rugger808 (In Progress) on November 17, 2008

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Not Worth It The classrooms are nothing more than a big chat room. Most of the times the classes are not really covering anything more than you could pick up from just reading the book. Most of the class work you do is read the book and then write a paper on it. My biggest issue is one that I have heard time and time again, there is no time with the teachers and the “office hours” really don’t exist. It takes them, days sometimes an entire week to get back to you and by that time it’s to late. Also when they do get back to you more often then not the feedback means nothing and provides no real details. You're not getting a well rounded education as there are no electives (outside the program) and there are no real choices in the courses you pick. I have moved on to a widely known state university with an excellent academic program and I couldn't be happier.

Methodical65 (In Progress) on September 24, 2008 (email verified)

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Another Honest Review Ultimately you get out of it what you put in. If you’re not a good self learner this is probably not a good choice for you. You will have to buckle down and pretty much teach yourself. Instructors are available to help but mostly they direct you to a different source to get help. Sometimes while in class the professor doesn't seem to have control over the class. Students tend to type in a lot of comments that have nothing to do with the class and can waste time. They also can take up too much time asking questions they should already know the answer. I find most of the time at least 25 minutes of class time is wasted due to these interruptions. Time will tell if employers consider a degree at Kaplan U. legitimate. Considering how much money I am spending, this is a big concern of mine. Either I'm rather smart or a good percentage of my fellow students are running on low wattage bulbs. I wonder what kind of grades they are receiving. If they are getting good grades, I would have to wonder what a degree here is worth.

Anonymous (Graduate) on April 17, 2008 (email verified)

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Not too great I have recently finished at Kaplan with my Associates degree in information technology. I have had many problems with financial aid many times they tried to rip me off they add 100 dollars here and 50 dollars there and hope you don't notice. Also several books I had paid for I had never received its nuts I cant believe they get away with it most of the time.

Anonymous (In Progress) on March 17, 2008 (email verified)

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Better be motivated!!! I have been attending classes at Kaplan University since September of 2006. I am enrolled in the B.S. degree program for Information Technology. I have found most of the classes here are challenging, the student portal is for the most part easy to use, most of the Instructors seem well qualified and eager to help, the support system and Financial Aid is terrible, and you switch Acedemic Advisors like dirty socks. The thing that has bothered me thus far are the rediculous and almost next to impossible assignments that you get every once in a while. Also, some of the courses are outdated and you are expected to get certain "really expensive" software at the drop of a dime. Another peave I have is that my emphasis is web design, but I had to completely rearrange my electives so that I would get the knowledge that I was seeking. I was assigned to four programming classes and three networking classes. I suggest that if you decide to attend Kaplan,you have money set aside for programs and motivation to complete the writing classes. Other than that, I am happy with the college and the knowledge that I am recieving.

Pringle.brian (In Progress) on February 14, 2008 (email verified)

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Great Experience So Far I am in my first term with Kaplan and have recently left University of Phoenix. I was completely aggravated at UOP and I almost let that stop me from attending any online college! Kaplan pulled through for me so far. Although I have to admit I was a 4.0 student at UOP, not so at Kaplan, they have a lot more challenging classes. Without a challenge one doesn’t learn much. I have a couple small glitches along the way, but they were straightened out immediately and I am off to earn my degree. This school is a little less expensive than UOP was, and a lot more inexpensive than a local brick and mortar college, so I do not understand the whole price argument thing that I am reading here. Before I left UOP I did my homework and researched around 15 colleges, 10 of which were online colleges. I nick picked and bothered the poor enrollment people to death, but was adamant that I was not going through another experience like what I was wanting out of. I seen where people said Kaplan dose not supply real books, One of the reasons I chose Kaplan was the fact that they do send you out real books. For the people here that said they could not navigate around the classes and the web site never worked, get a life, I bet you’re the same people that cannot get an email to work either! I just picture someone setting there with an old HP 75mhz, 64 meg ram with dial up and wondering why nothing ever works….lol..So far I feel a person would have to go a long way to find a better online college! Good luck everyone!

Upsidedowntictac (In Progress) on January 14, 2008

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Difficult when studying IT I started Kaplan in April of 2007. The first few courses were okay. I had a few writing classes and academic strategies classes. I thought this was a good thing, since it had been ten years since I had been in an academic environment. I have managed to hold down a 4.0 for almost the entire first year. In the last two semesters, however, I have started taking the core claases that are supposed be directly related to my degree. When studying something like network administration, it is really difficult to read two to three chapters a week, with no hands on learning. The seminars are one hour long, and there is a lot of info to cover. Most of the time there is so much info and students have so many questions, that the class is spent before all of the material is reviewed. Some of the instructors would be better off not teaching. I have had instructors that do not respond to questions, emails, etc. I also recieved a notice saying that they were sorry that I had decided to drop out of Kaplan when I had not. They said it was a mistake, but how does domething like that happen. In a nutshell, I don't know about other areas of study, but for IT, online education is a bad idea.

Anonymous (Graduate) on January 14, 2008 (email verified)

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About the same as a physical college I didn't find Kaplan that different from my first two years at a brick-and-mortar school. Some teachers rock, others make you wonder how they keep their jobs. Some classes have a book, others just have articles you read online. The financial aid offices and advisers may or may not know your name when you have a problem, but it all works out eventually. Anyone who has been to a real college knows that they are not perfect either. If you think Kaplan is expensive, try going to a physical school. I thought the classes were generally on-target and the teachers were OK.

Mammasix (Graduate) on September 18, 2007 (email verified)

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Challenging classes, poor structure I completed my AASCIS in June of 2006. I graduated with a 4.0. It took me 1 month short of 2 years to complete my Associate. The classes were quite challenging but many were tedious. Material for a school that prides itself in being technically advanced is way behind current and future tech. Seminars are live and inconvienent or you do extra work to miss them. Portal page (virtual desktop) uses Java which is not supported by portable devices meaning that the flexibility to work anywhere is limited. Class week is very inconvenient and means you must work through the weekend to get work completed before turn-in on Tuesdays. Finals week is cut short and there is no break in the 10 week schedule. 90% of the Professors are competent and eager to aid students with quick answers to questions. Administration and financial aid are poorly run, student counselors change constantly leaving issues unresolved and not forwarded. Classes were pricy and if your IT, your software comes out of your pocket, mandatory Microsoft software is expensive even with student discount. You also end up buying reference books not provided in the courses. Material for these courses are substandard. You need to take the good with the bad. Kaplan has gotten huge in the past 3 years, now branching into business colleges. Students are lost and you begin to feel like your tuition is the only thing they care about.

Anonymous (In Progress) on August 28, 2007

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Kaplan a big MESS I was not going to say anything, but enough is enough! First of all, it is just a frustration trying to get a hold of Kaplan personel and when you do, it seems those guys are just anxious to get rid of you. Today, in an attempt to take a break from school and spend time with my kids, I spoke with my advisor who tells me I cannot drop the class although it is within the due date. She tells me the only option is to actually withdraw from the class since all Leave of Abscence requests have been processed. I told her that I will be returning, but don't seem to care. She indicated management won't approve the Leave of Abscence since it's a little late. That just shows how flexible the school is and how sensitive they are to the students needs. Although the courses and teachers aren't so bad, but the whole school organization and overall personnel is a huge mess. What really frustrated me the most was communicating with personnel. My advise; if you can avoid Kaplan, please do so at all costs. Online classes at Kaplan can be stressful!

Tunnrok (In Progress) on August 1, 2007 (email verified)

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Not Too Bad My overall experience with Kaplan University has been decent I suppose. It started out with some pushy sales person trying to get me to sign up right then. According to them there wasn't time to think about it. ACT NOW! I felt like I was buying a car. The instructors so far have been alright. I've only had one that I felt didn't really care. My Effective Writing I Instructor was wrong on many occasions and I corrected her. She wanted it done her way regardless of what the book and other materials said. I sent an e-mail hoping to get some input so that other classes weren't effected by writing incorrectly and there was no response. The financial aid office seems to be a bit unorganized. I have been selected for verification every term. So I of course have to fax in the independent verification worksheet along with my tax returns for that year. So far they haven't gotten the paperwork the first time yet. It's usually a process of faxing the documents in several times. To several different people as well. They'll continue to call you about it like bill collectors. They called me everyday until someone finally imputted it in the system. I even had several different reps. e-mail me saying they received it but, as always I'd still be locked out and have to call. The curriculum is fantastic and very challenging though. The instructors expect a lot. I am not finished yet so I don't know if my degree will hold up in the real world but, I hope I didn't waste any money here.

Anonymous (In Progress) on June 24, 2007 (email verified)

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Kaplan University I figured I would write a review on Kaplan to let my voice be heard. One good thing about the school is that the education you receive is up to par with a traditional brick and mortal school. The teachers are pretty good and appear to know what they are talking about. Now for the bad, the school is very expensive, the advisor's and support faculty are incompetent, and their PTK scholarship sucks. I was told when I signed up for Kaplan that I would get a scholarship because I was a PTK member. I submitted the appropriate paperwork and was told that I would be receiving the money at the end of each semester. I am currently in my fourth semester and I have not seen one dime from the college. I have tried working with the college and it appears they don't care. Most the books are about 3-4 years old. It is really annoying to read a text book that says "One day USB2 will be available". When I inquire about my transfer credits I get no answer, and yes I have waited way beyond the 10 weeks that the school say it will take. When I need help, people shove me off onto someone else, and I never feel satisfied with the way I am treated. At damn near 2000 dollars a semester, the treatment you receive at this school is terrible. For the treatment alone I would recommend going to another school. I am not a disgruntled student, in fact I have pulled straight A's while I have been at Kaplan. I just want others to realize what they are jumping into before joining Kaplan. Thank you.

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