Penn Foster

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That is good! And yes people are talking so negative about penn foster I'm like I'm enrolled I need this I hope it's not a scam. My state is VA I hope colleges except it in my state. I see it is accredited and regionally also so I dont know. And I want to go for nursing as well can we talk more. I need to find out this process and how it is if you don't mind.

Thanks
Tia (trustedt30@yahoo.com)

I have signed-up for Dressmaking course and it is my opinion that this course is ABSOLUTE WASTE OF MONEY! You will not learn sewing doing this course! I actually ended up taking private lessons instead to learn sewing. Please, stay away and save yourself some hard earn dollars! I wish I never signed up! 

Rule 1) don't read comments or pay attention to comments that are not grammatically correct. 
2) if you can't spell at least 50% of the words correctly, don't bash on a school. 
I'm enrolled at Penn Foster studying for my Bachelors in criminal justice and I have nothing but positive feelings. The staff has been nothing but informative and helpful. At first I was enrolling in the substance abuse counseling course but after calling the licensing board (yes, they recognize Penn Foster and made it clear they're legit) they informed me I must finish my BA before getting my license. I called Penn Foster back and the man I spoke to was a retired police officer and had his BA in criminal justice as well. He was very informative about the course and answered all 50 questions I had to ease my apprehension from enrolling. I have read so many negative reviews on here and you have to understand one thing, in all things in life- not everyone can be pleased. There will always be someone that wants to take the easy road and if they have to work for it, they quit and leave mad. These reviews seem to be written by my five year old, which by the way, has much better grammar skills. My opinion-if you can't write out a review and use SPELLCHECK, then maybe college isn't for you. Go back to high school and get a decent education then try some form of college. I can understand why people are mad and bashing the school...obviously it was too hard. 
Thank you. 

im a penn foster graduate, and am in their collage right now, its very real

I really need someone to tell me the truth.... IS IT REAL OR NOT!!!! Cause I have been searching and majority of the people say its a scam and that you will not be able to get in college and that's my goal so someone PLEAE HELP!!!!

Thinking about enrolling in pen fosters optical program. So far I've seen 
Not so impressive feedback from students. Can anyone tell
Me about their optical program and how functional and helpful it
Is if so?? Thanks

hey has anyone ever taken the medical assisting program here. what are their thoughts and opinions about that?

The school differs, depending who you speak to. I lost my job, so I was forced to quit school. The lady I spoke to, told me since I only owed a balance of 80 dollars, to pay what I can a month. Well, apparently not. I get 4 calls a day, harassing me to no end. I send money every month, yet they still call, fill up my mailbox, and call me all the dang time demanding their money. It's getting to the point of harassment, and I'm seriously close to reporting them to whoever I need to. Do NOT attend this school. One person will say one thing, yet another will say the complete opposite. Unless you want your phone blown up, and your mailbox stuffed with letters, even after sending a montly payment, then DO NOT ATTEND. I learned this the hard way.

Hi again,
I just wanted to give you my email: mpchavez31@gmail.com

Hi,
Your post is helping me to decide on PF for the interior decorating program.  Can you  tell me how it's helped ( if at all). Also, how long did this course take? What impressed you? Look forward to hearing from you.

Best ,
Mateo

I'm contemplating programs for some people around me and myself but with lots of negative reviews here, i'm having second thoughts. Also wondering how can a school as old as this, founded 1890, if it is true, be this bad. Especially with complaints on their grammar and IT education as backward as win95! Unbelievable!

I think the school needs people who can manage its PR.
Having read comments here, i want to say that most of these people are either lazy, indecisive or didnt get a good grasp of what online study is about. You need to study extra hard, like ten times, on your own. That s why it should be cheaper than  class taught cos you are not paying for teacher's support. It is self taught. And the customer care person is not a teacher, not a technical person. However, they should be courteous in saying this.
I would like to have reviews of graduates, especially international students, who are using their certificates in their career or otherwise. Pls state your country, year of graduation, course of study and how useful or wasteful the study was, present and past employer or position
Email me pls: coniconmail@yahoo.com

The school is without a doubt a joke of a school when compared to a traditional 4 years college.  It's cheap and you get what you pay for.  A person could probably earn a certification in just a few days if they were really determined.  The material is crap, it was written by non-experts.  The degree doesn't really hold any weight, it's not all that impressive.  But the one good thing about it is that it's easy and cheap, and a potential employer will be like "ok, he at least tried."  I finished about 1/3 of a 7 month program in 1 week.  Now I'm going to try to withdraw and get half my money back because I haven't learned a damn thing.  I suggest you try to find another school.

A lot of yea and nay going on with all these comments.  I have seen enough good comments to want to enroll with Penn Foster.  I will be acquiring a skill, that of Dressmaking and Design.  Has anyone ever done this course?  If so drop me a line at ceb_spla@yahoo.com.  I want to make my own clothes and also for my daughter. 

Don't forget to turn your caps off and to spell 'forget' correctly.

Ha! I was thinking the same thing.

Complete and total joke.  Waste of time.  Took the gunsmithing course and did 50% of the course in one day without the books and materials.  The certificate is worthless.  Unable to cancel after 7 days or 50% so I am stuck with a $1000 tuition to a joke course.  If you are one day past due on tuition they will call you 3 times a day until you make a payment.

Actually they are only accredited in certain fields. I was going to go through them and get my liscense to be a dental assistant right after I graduated , I ended up calling my state board and they said Penn foster was a scam and a waste of money. All I have to do is finish my radiology course and pass my CDA exams and I will be certified. Plus the guy I talked to on Penn foster said that no school can certify you to be a DA, which was a load of crap. All they cared about was there money and are continuing to harass me about not going ahead and sending in an enrollment fee. I would not recommend the dental assistant program to anyone unless they check with there state board of examiners first. Total cost of what I'm going through now-$319. How much was Penn foster?-like $894 and they wouldn't have even accepted it 

I did High school through Penn foster for 2,1/2yrs. I HATE their program 1.you never meet any teachers ,when an exam comes back in the mail it says "graded by "LS". 2.you get NO HELP. 3they seem bent on flunking anything you send them for grading [I.E. an essay] I got 2 marks on mine and they gave me 40% [f-] when it should have been a minimum out an 80. [b-]  I'm getting out NOW and into connections academy .I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND PENN FOSTER TO ANYONE  

I absolutely never write reviews, but I feel I need to after my experience with the "Enrollment Advisor" at Penn Foster. In calling the school, which they suggest you do by putting the "Call an Enrollment Advisor," button on their website, I learned just how rude people can actually be. 

The woman that I spoke with was short, mean, uninformed and refused to give me information. When I specifically asked questions about Career Services, which she brought up, she said she could not tell me. She continually directed me to the website, and then would angrily sigh each time I asked a follow-up question. 

Here's a tip to Penn Foster, if you hire someone who is suppose to work in Customer Service, try to get someone who is both knowledable and able to fake some service for a 5 minute call. If this woman is a representation of the school, I will take my money to Ashworth, Phoenix or somewhere else. Unfortunate.

I have taken 3 courses at Pennfoster. I have had no problems receiving my books, and have enjoyed everyone of my professors. If you take the time and research this school (as anyone should) you will learn how Pennfoster works. You receive shipments, read the books, and take tests online. It shocks me that many people don't take the time and effort to research a school before they start their education. Penn foster is not expensive. Just because their books are not hard covered doesn't mean their not professional. Every course I have read is very well written. Penn Foster is not for everyone. If you are independent, self motivated, and determined, then this is the school for you. If not then consider a traditional teacher taught school. I have completed my high school diploma at the age of 18 from Pennfoster and weeks later I had not one but two jobs. I made 20,000 my first year after graduating just high school. Then I received my bachelors degree in Business Management and am now making 48,000 a year. I in fact just graduated from that 3 months ago and I am only 21. I am currently studying the Vet Tech course, and would have to say the only downfall is the professor. That being said, Pennfoster's diplomas are respected. It is unfortunate that Pennfoster did not work out for all those people.

I AGREE 100% WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID!!!!!!

I went to this school for vet tech. I wish I would have done much more research on this school before signing up. Its VERY over priced and the  material the send you in the mail is cheap and I can say I only learned a few things from this. I was more than willing to do the work and actually was getting good scores on all my exams BUT I didn't feel like I was learning anything!!! When I was talking to a few of my friends that work in vet offices and asked if they would actually hire me after completing the course through this school (just doing research I should have done before I signed up) they all said most likely not. I couldn't believe I was wasting my time and money!!! So I quit the school and after paying hundreds of dollars I still owed them $500. I'm taken back on how I owe this school money. They should be paying me for wasting my time! DON'T GO HERE!!! PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE. You wont have any different experience than myself or most of these people on writing reviews. If you do go...Good luck! (you'll need it)

This school is not worth the price. You're better off going to your local community college. I have been in the diploma program for a year to gain a professional certification. At first, the courses are just secretarial. The tests were pen and paper and I was not scammed. Now, at the end and the last two units, the tests are online. I practiced the take-home prep quizzes and did very well. They did not prepare me for the online tests, which I am starting to fail because they are too difficult. You should never pay for an education that you cannot succeed in. I am complaining, and the staff just keep insisting I'm capable without dealing with the issues I present. The tests cover more material then in the prep books that state what will be on the test-which is a misinformation and misleading. For instance, one prep book written by Penn Foster staff stated the test would cover the first 4 chapters. When I took the test online, I had questions from chapters 9 and 10. The online test is timed. It asks the toughest questions for a textbook that is 1000 pages where you have to flip through to assign a correct answer since it is not a test on generalized knowledge and you need to research the answer. Furthermore, there are two additional texts that are required that are both over 1000 pages. Therefore, there is no pen and paper version to a test based on 3000 pages and the prep doesn't even tell you what's really going to be on the test. That school needs to go back to pen and paper, it is also biased against people who do not test well online and cannot read the information online especially quick enough.

I was thinking of taking a course for either personal enrichment or to start a small business. Some of the people who are complaining should have did an in-depth search to see what schools would take Penn Foster Credits. I'm no gramma nazi, but some of you who are complaining about the H.S. diploma from Penn Foster, should really invest in attending your local GED class to spell properly, & don't start a program you can't finish! If you did this at a local college or community college you'd still have to pay off your bill/tuition!

I've taken courses from Penn Foster and I had no problems with the learning process nor with any of the faculty or staff. Their modular books are very well written. And their accessory books are the same that are employed in any college. This kind of learning takes a great deal of motivation and discipline. In my earlier years when I attended B&M schools, if you wanted to learn you had to study and follow through on the posted assignments. The purpose of attending classes is to gather notes, notes that you later study, so I find little to no difference. If someone really wants to learn, they will learn, even if it means picking up a book, taking action or the like. I've taught myself many things without teachers, classes or schools. Penn Foster is very affordable and I'm about ready to take on some more course. I give it Five Stars.

SO MANY FOOLS BOUGHT INTO THE LIES OF FAKE TRAINING AND THEY WILL NOT GET RECOGNIZED IN THE LEAST FOR THE HOPES AND EFFORTS .. 

DONT FOR GET DE VRY AND ITT AND THE MANY OTHERS OUT THERE JUST WAITING TO LIE TO YOU ..

I agree with some comments that he school is slow to send materials. I paid the entire fee up front and still had to wait for shippments. As for the quality of the course, I think it is very dependent on the course. PC repair is outdated and has not kept up with present technology. They're teaching you about floppy discs in the age of flash drives and smart cards. I took the course for my own use so I did get something from it but if you really want to get into the buisness of pc repair I'd try a local community college, unless you work somewhere that will allow you to actually do the excercises on their equipment. 
You can't really  assess the course ahead of time by looking at their outline, so you have to take your chances.

THIS IS A GREAT SCHOOL,THE COURSES ARE FUN AND CHALLENGING, IF YOU WANT TO STUDY HARD AND LEARN THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST, NOT ONLY THEY SEND YOU THE PRINTED MATERIAL TO YOUR HOUSE, THEY ALSO OFFER YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE EXAMS ONLINE, THE HAVE A GREAT WEB PAGE.

If you are interested in a real education and don't want to deal with ridiculous people and ridiculous, meaningless expectations...then avoid the vet tech program at this college. It is NOT applicable to the field, Dr. Margi is as evil and unhelpful as everyone says she is...and they LIE...LIE...LIE. You are far better off going to a brick and mortar institution no matter what challenges you face then you are attempting to do this online disaster of a course. And they blame all of this ridiculousness on the AVMA! WRONG...none of that is true. The webinars you have to attend are so haphazard that it draws your classes out so that you are forced to take extension after extension...at a cost of $75 each on top of your tuition. And for people who work its nearly impossible. AVOID THIS COLLEGE!!!!! Do yourself a favor.

I'm almost half-way through the Medical Coding and Billing diploma program. They aren't terrible, but not great if you need help or work through it at a rapid pace.
Here are my feelings so far:
1. They break everything up in tiny, bite-size chunks so it's easy to learn on your own - I like that (even if the easy stuff is boring, it's better than jumping in over your head).
2. The materials (textbooks) are available online. This is a good thing because they can't keep up with me and I'm always waiting on my next shipment. I'm not too crabby about this because I'm guessing most people don't get 2/3 of the way through their program in one month. 
3. I have spotted some errors in the textbooks (that I know of). This makes me nervous. I'm working on Business English (my last gen-ed) and the answers to the self checks are so inconsistent it's bordering on ridiculous. Is the word "state" (as in state championship) a conjunction? Because there is NOTHING in the textbook that indicates that it should be. According to the answers to their self-checks that word IS a conjunction. 
In one question they indicate that the word "This" at the start of a sentence is a pronoun. Two questions later it is not considered a Pronoun (used in exactly the same way). ?????  I'm 37, I'm rusty on my grammar. This means I am confused and very nervous I won't pass the exam on this section.
Because it is Sunday I can't get a hold of anyone. I can't use the student forums because I didn't sign up for them earlier (I'm guessing the person who approves this is off today too). I can't get so much as an voice mail service on the student help line via phone. Emails take a few days to a week to be answered.
So I guess I can't continue for now. I'm not confident the info in the text is reliable now.
This wasn't crazy expensive, but not a drop in the bucket either. I'm starting to get nervous that my education is going to be worthless when I try to apply for certification/work.
I guess this is why I decided to do the diploma program first, before committing to the longer/more expensive associate's degree program.
I'll have a better idea when I'm done. I'll review again then.

To answer your question, Penn Foster School/Colleges are certainly not fake. My grandmother was the one who first introduced me to ( Penn Foster ) and I decided to sign up with them.

Yes, I got my books, and other materials. However, I gave up on the classes I was taking. My point is, the school/college is certainly not a scam, due to popular belief.

Based on just about every post here, YOU ALL need to go to some type of school. I would start off by learning ENGLISH and GRAMMAR, then worry about a career path.

I'm noticing a lot of people saying that they were scammed and drop out and still owe and are pissed about it.  ANY college you go to has strict deadlines for dropping classes to where if you don't drop by a certain date, you can drop the course, but you still owe the tuition.

Being that it's self paced and self teaching, you are only going to get out of it what you put into it.  If you are expecting a quick and easy degree, I'm sure you can make this as easy as you want by cheating on all the tests, flying through the homework to get them done, and so forth.  What happens next?  Well, by doing this, you probably aren't learning much, and that's your fault, not the school's for "lack of material."  Any school you go to, they want you to take tests and quizzes and not use any material to answer questions.  Why?  Because they want you to have studied the material beforehand and actually LEARN the material.  Sure you could just memorize, but that means you won't remember it for very long.  From most of the comments I've read, it sounds more like people are just very poor at learning on their own and would rather not blame themselves for not learning anything.  A self teaching school can't force you to learn anything, but they do give you what you need to learn (at least the majority of them do).

If you want to take a cheaper route, rather than going to school, make a list of subjects to study, go to your public library and find some school books and pretend like you are in school.  They have all the information you need plus tests throughout and help.  That's mostly what online schools are anyway, so if you can't do it that way then you are wasting your time with online schools and the only way you'll get a solid education is through a live school.

WE TOOK BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COURSE. THIS IS A NOT A GOOD ONLINE REVIEW COURSE. YOU CAN NOT LEARN ANYTHING AND DID NOT GET ANY INFORMATION. WE TOOK THIS COURSE AND END UP WITH LOTS OF MONEY IN WHICH WE CAN DO COLLEGE AND IT'S MORE WORTH IT. THE DEGREE FROM ONLINE COURSE IS NOT VALUABLE AT ALL. IT IS JUST WASTE PAPER DEGREE. YOU CAN NOT FIND ANY JOB FROM THIS DEGREE. WE DO NOT RECOMMENDED THIS COURSE AT ALL. 

it is not a scam, but a group of greedy individuals who are like leeches sucking money from you.  i enrolled then decided to cancell because of financial difficulties. instead of sympathy i received a threatening letter to destroy my credit record and i am not sure if they did that or not, what i know is that they are nothing but a pack of wolves.  if one decides not to continue, they should allow, so be it. maybe the person is going through tough times that changed his plan.  but no.  the lady i communicated with is a really unprofessional piece of work.  

thanks
mario
jeddah, saudi arabia

I'm currently and have been a student at 2 community colleges. Last term I took online classes since I moved to a different city, I love it. I aced all of them. I was planning on going through the vet tech program there, but its expensive ($10,000) and I've already acquired a few thousand in debt through school loans. The price seems to good to be true, I've been doing some reserach and the majority of it isn't good. Especially about all the people that work there. I understand that it's self paced and thats what I like about it, I also understand that you don't have the convienence to talk to someone right away, but my real question is, has anyone taken the vet tech program? was it worth it in the long wrong? is it a pointless waste of time? did you have a hard time finding a job afterward? If someone who actually goes to the school or has completed the program, if they could answer my questions I'd really apprecaite it! trying not to waste a year of my life and a few thousand dollars on a piece of paper that isn't going to work anywhere.

so i started at pennfoster and i read the review, and thought well all schools have some kind of bad reviews. it's too bad i didn't listen cause i've lost out on a year of paying for the schooling and now i have to change schools. ms. margi doesn't answer one single question i throw at her, she is so utterly rude it's unreal. i took my finals the other day just to find at i had to write nothing but essays for every question and all the stuff they say it be on the test or to study all the test you've done before...over half that stuff isn't on the test, now if they say you don't need to know somethings cause vet techs don't go into it that far(and we don't) but it'll be on that test. it was by far the worst test i've ever had. i'm not mad that i just wasted a year of my time and money...thats my fault but i ask that others who want to go to this school...please don't. teachers have stopped working that cause of her and how they teach...just do your self a favor. the money you save and the great payment plan is just to suck you in.

got mine is 05 and have went to college with it - two out of state and three in state - it works - you just have to push it but you can get in to college with it. 

My diploma work in South Dakota - and I've enrolled in two out of state colleges, one in state college and a tech school - it is a working diploma - you just have to push it down admissions throughts sometimes - it IS accepted. 

I received my High school diploma from Penn Foster when they were education direct - I got into college - no questions asked! My Husband took the PC repair diploma course and started his own side business and a friend took the PC Repair Technology Associates degree - got a very good job two months ago as a business systems network tech at Wells Fargo here in town - She makes $35 per hour and has time to pick up her kids from school - nice! Ashford University in Clinton Iowa and Colorado Tech online are also legit - Associates degree in General studies from CTU and got my Bachelors degree in English this year from Ashford. I am also taking the Teachers Aid diploma from Penn Foster and got an offer from a catholic school - nice benefits and pay and I too will be able to pick my son up  from school as well - do not know what you people are complaining about. My Ashford Degree will be accepted by USD for the Masters Program. 

Penn Foster College has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) in Washington, D.C. The DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

Licensing

Penn Foster College is licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education and is authorized to award Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science Degrees. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF PENN FOSTER IS REAL OR FAKE? IS IT 100% ACCEPTED BY COLLEGES/ UNIVERSITIES? PLEASE ANYONE GIVE ME SOME ADVICES IF I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR IT OR NOT! I DONT WANT TO WASTE MY TIME AND MONEY FOR IT... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

How is it not a scam??? can you approve it to us? alot people are complaining about it! 

I JUST CALLED PENN FOSTER YESTERDAY AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS MY PROBLEM AND THEY TRANSFERED ME TO THE H.S DEPT.  THEIR GOING TO SEND ME A LETTER TO TAKE TO THE SCHOOLS SO THEY NEED TO ACCEPT IT ! YOU SHOULD CALL THEM UP AND LET THEM KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND THEY WILL SEND U THE LETTER SO U CAN START COLLEGE :) 

&& another thing is how they have it on the commerical making it seem like every college accepts it !! smh now ima just have to go for my GED and i wasted money on stupid penn foster ! i swear ima tell em to refund my money or ima try to sue they asses cause its false advertisment

omg the same thing happened to me i got my dip in 07 tried to enroll myself into school and they dont accept the penn foster dip. like seriously im mad as hell... so only p.A accepts it??? 

I would like to advise anyone who is looking for a positive review and thinking about enrolling into Penn Foster High School, please! do your research, I finished the program 1,225 dollars and 2 years later to find out my collage doesn't accept the diploma which they did when i started! so now today I look at my wall to this piece of paper that doesn't mean anything. Some days I wanna burn it! I think of how i WISH I stayed in school. Its not a bad program for learning I still refer back to some of my books, BUT wherever you are make sure that where you wanna go in the future, college, employment ect.. please ask them before you enroll. I made the mistake and now I am paying for it. The only place where I live that accepts it is in PA and i cant afford to travel there. So just be cautious 

If you don't think too good, don't think too much.

so ..I just registered and noticed a few things that ppl's been complaining about fee which is all written in fine print so that I dont understand. Besides that, I'm going to keep ppl update specifically Penn Foster on twitter.com/moe_vang if anyone is interested. I havent encountered talking to a customer service rep but I have been hearing negative comments on that so..yeah. Wish me luck! ^^ to Good luck to all ^_~

I am enrolled in Penn Fosters Child Development Associate course and it is really good so far.  For those of you who are having problems with customer service that is with almost any company.  Those of you who are paying extra mony b/c you have not finished on time it states that in your enrollment agreement.  The credits are transferrable to many colleges you just have to check.  I know for a fact that the credits are transferrable to the University of Oklahoma near where I live. They are accredited and i will be able to recieve my CDA after graduating.  I checked into everything BEFORE I enrolled in the course.  Do your homework people.

THIS SCHOOLS CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS!!! I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO GET REMOVED FROM THIER PROGRAM AND THEY GAVE ME THE RUN AROUND THEY WOULDNT STOP TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY ACCOUNT. THEN THEY HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME THAT IT WASNT THEIR PROBLEM THAT I DIDNT HAVE TIME I WORK 80-90 HOURS A WEEK THIRD SHIFT I DONT HAVE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I graduated from Penn foster today and will be starting college at a 4 year university JCSU!!!! Thanks pf

I absolutley Love Penn Foster. I have had losts of problems in regular schooling and was able to finish my high school diploma wayy fatser than i could imagine. It is a pain in the ass to get a hold of anyone but if you just do the work and look online for help I don't see why I would wanna call them. I am doing monthly payments and it works great for me. :)

I WAS E-MAILED INFORMATION ON PRIVATE INVESTIGATION COURSES AND DIPLOMAS. I AGREED TO REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. NEVER HEARD FROM THEM AGAIN. IT'S SAID THAT ON-LINE CANNOT PROTECT THE CONSUMER WHO NEEDS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ADDITIONAL EDUCATION! BE CAREFUL.

Hello, has anyone taken the BA in Criminal Justice from this school? I like the fact that they are self paced.... but I think that is it. I called to get answers and the lady who was talking to me did not know the answers to my questions. The only information she gave me was from a script she was reading. This makes me feel not to good about this school. What if I enroll and have questions down the road? This lady should not be answering phone calls.... I want a degree in Criminal Justice I already have an associates does anyone know a better self paced school?

It's an independent study program. It's great for people who can handle learning on their own.
I've been enrolled for a little over 3 months, and i'm satisfied so far. As far as I can see, people are getting pissed because they didn't read the contract and all the other information before enrolling. If you can't learn to read before you sign a contract, then you don't deserve a degree.

complete joke, its one thing to not do your job, its another to have a joke of an accounting firm, but to do it all with the rudest a-hole receptionist/billing dept/ customer service group ever gets a standing ovation to world class awful.

2 year of sending the same material in week after week to get half ass responses making me do it again.  No one can do their job or give an answer when you call.  There is no way this is a legit company, I bet the people with anything to say decent are paid spammers by this "school"

AVOID 

I enrolled in the web design course in 2006, it turned out to be a waste of money, unrelated information in the books that came with the course, never really got to actual web designing, I went and called to complain and they only agreed to cancel, they never offered a refund, and I had a blemish on my credit report from this.

has any1 completed the dental assistant course and how was the experience?

@Andy, I also have a similar problem. I enrolled in their Java Programming course (24 lessons) last September 2010. I was only able to pay $29 as downpayment. Total price is $989. I received my first set of materials, and completed 3 exams (I wasn't able to finish the last 2 exams). Around October, I got very depressed, lost focus and interest in a lot of things including this online course.

Yes, it was my fault for not telling them immediately. I received a letter from them yesterday and I was completely surprised to see that my past due amount has ballooned to $240! I emailed them immediately and asked for consideration. I told them I can no longer finish the course as I am having problems until now (financial difficulties included). 

Here is their reply:
That is the past due amount. If you cancel the program, you owe $414.00 .  After you are enrolled 30 days , you owe for exams completed, shipping and registration.

Do I really have to pay that amount? To those with similar experiences, were you given other options? I haven't submitted the Enrollment Form because they sent it late.

bunnygucci@gmail.com

k so a year ago i enrolled in this online g.e.d program by a school called penn foster.i had lost my job and had to drop the program.they had originally told me it was o.k.but months later,i'd get phone calls and letters asking for payment of the remainder of the tuition($700.00).a couple of months ago,i started getting phone calls by the schools' creditors,they were trying to workout a deal so that they get their money and i continue with the program.i want to enroll into a trade school or community college instead.do i have to go through with penn fosters program or can i go ahead and enroll into another school?will i still have to pay penn foster?what can i do?

So far I am not thrilled.I did the second unit on basic computers.Its way outdated.Even talks about floppy discs.I have not even seen those in a long time.It also talks about windows 95 as being the newest.I could not find a publish date on any thing.I am waiting on the first shipment to see if there is a date on that.Hope the rest is better than that.It does not make me want to take any thing else that could be outdated.No computer programs for shure!

I decided to enroll in the Computer Graphics program at Pen Foster. My time has expired, but I planned to pay $75.00 for the extension. My problem is that the Photo Shop packet (valued, they say, at $300.) got lost by United Parcel Service. Although United Parcel wanted to find the package, Penn Foster refused to request that they trace it. I have been calling Penn Foster for three weeks now to request a replacement necessary to complete my studies. So far, the employees do not believe my package was lost. They keep on promising to send the materials, but they did not send them on a Monday as promised. Rather, they insisted I have received the materials. However, they cannot produce anything showing I signed for the Photoshop. If they cannot resolve this matter, I hope to take Penn Foster to small claims court since the course costs $1700. and I do not have my materials. When and if this matter is resolved, I will let you know. Dealing with them has been too much trouble as Penn Foster does not believe me to be truthful.

This is a pure money mill. I've fallen behind on payments because of their paper error. Now I get threatening phone calls atleast twice a day from them and it has been 2 months and my bank is still having problems from them. I can't believe how rude and disrespectful even their call people are. Crappy customer service and very unhelpful service!!! 
Extremely disappointed !!
Save your money do a better school for cheaper!

I really want t0 knw if any 0ne c0mpleted the vet tech? I really i want t0 help animals and i read pf but i s0und t0 g00d t0 be true. S0 i dnt knw if i sh0uld d0 this 0r g0 t0 a c0ummunity c0llege . I really need help. S0 plz if any has c0mpleted the c0urse plz tell me! My email is briceno.cynthia@yahoo.com. Thanks a milli0n! ! ! 

PENNFOSTER IS FAKE FAKE FAKE THE ARE NOT PROPERLY ACCREDITED THEY HAVE TO BE REGIONAL ACCREDITED DONT WAIST YOUR TIME YOU WILL NOT GET INTO A GOOD SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THEM TRUST ME.....I KNOW PERSONALLY..... THE ONLY OTHER SCHOOL YOU COULD GET INTO IS A NOTHER FALSELY ACCREDITED SCHOOL... I NEVER WAIST MY TIME POSTING COMMENTS NOT DO I READ THEM BIG MISTAKE DONT DO IT GET YOUR GED

I am enrolled in the computer graphics program at PF and I have been in the process of moving. During this time I have lost my yellow  and blue textbook and all my study units... Does anyone who is/has taken computer graphics know where I can get the books Im missing so that I dont have to pay $240 to PF? If so please email me at pnkx_r_us@yahoo.com

i just graduate from Penn Foster got my High School Diploma Great school A+A+ 100%. Jan 18,2011 Thanks Penn Foster thanks ...

I took the floral certification, and it does give you a start and the basics to job hunt at floral shops, but the entire industry is now going downhill, and most floral jobs are assembly line work, banging out a "picture page" piece every 10 mins.  I thought the course was very helpful, though.

i work for PF ,and you should always check with your state and call around to see who in your area would accept the diploma..Do your homework and read everything carefully (common sense). These courses are not "easy" or "hard" but they do require you to study and put the time in....i am also enrolled in a program myself and I am very satisfied

i'm currently enrolled with penn foster and when it came to one of the proctored exams i needed a little extra help and i didn't get it, i failed the test 2 times now. now i'm paying an extra $385.00 to reake the test...i think it's a waste of time and my money if the teachers at this school are not willing to step up their game to help out the students. 

Obviously, you did not excel in English.

Every school charges a drop fee once you are enrolled.  Reading contracts is "Adult 101."

Great research here (or copy n paste).  Which of these schools take low monthly payments?  I think that's a big point here. I'd venture to say less than 5% of them.

Penn Foster High School Program proctored exam? I am almost done with Penn Fosters high school program, a few classes away. well Penn Foster says proctored exams are for Degree students only but today its showing at the end of all my classes a proctored exam box.
Why if its only for degree students its asking me to take it?

Penn Foster College has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) in Washington, D.C. The DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

Licensing

Penn Foster College is licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education and is authorized to award Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science Degrees. 

Must be kidding...
Penn Foster Career School is accredited for non-degree granting postsecondary diploma programs by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA. 215-662-5603 www.css-msa.org.

Penn Foster High School is accredited for grades 9 through adult by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA. 215-662-5603 www.css-msa.org.

Penn Foster Career School and Penn Foster High School are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is also a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Penn Foster Career School and Penn Foster High School are licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

School is a diploma mill for sure.  Is not accredited by anywhere who matters, so getting a job with this qualification is a joke.  Save your time and spend your money at a real school.

How  is there vet tech program?

I want to get certified in floral design. I am considering penn foster, has anyone completed this online floral design course with this school? Also is there a better online school for floral design? I want to make sure the course is not out dated and will be very beneficial for what I need to learn in this work field. Any feed back about this paticular penn foster course would be much appreciated! Thanks

I am interested in taking the Occupational Therapy courses. I am currently attending a community college and have just decided to change my major and my school doesn't offer courses for OTA. I just found this school tonight and quickly became interested. I would love to take the classes that I need and be done with it. After reading these comments, I am on the fence about the school. I know it's an accredited school, but my concern is being able to get a job. Is there anyone who has graduated through the OTA program and has found a job?

Sorry guys,  I wrote that last comment on my iphone. I ment to say Early Childhood Education. I just got back on to add that my mother recently took the program for Medical Office Assistant and she was hired in a doctors office a few months later. She put it in her resume that she had the certificate. I guess they asked her about it in her interview and "seemed impressed" but didn't ask to acually see it. So who knows if it really helped her get the job or not. She has said that even if thats not what landed her the job, she is thankful she completed the program because it taught her alot. Anyways, just wanted to add some information for those questions about getting jobs with credentials from Penn Foster.

I am enrolled in the early education assoiates degree program. So far I have completes two semesters. At the end of each semester they send you your official transcipts. I was able to use them to become an administrator at a child care center. Alaska state child care licesing requires only 12 credits in ece to be an admin. But my point is that my credits were accepted. It gave me alot of hope because I to had been worried about how my credits from penn foster would be looked at. I plan to transfer my credits to American public university to get a bachelors in child and family development. APU is regionally accredited so I know my bachelors degree will be recognized. Penn foster has been great for me so far. The books are not photocopies. They are real textbooks and are not outdated at all, atleast for ece. I took three courses at the university of Fairbanks Alaska and actually had the same book for the nutrition course. They do send one course in the mail at a time but usually each course has about five exams and after you finish three of them, your next course is shipped out. I really have never had to wait around for shipments they seem to arrive in good time. Customer service has been good everytime I've had to call except for once. The lady I talked to that day was just rude in general but usually everyone is friendly and helpful. Proctored exams are timed and mostly essay questions so even though they are open book, you do need to know the material. All in all Penn foster is working for me. My husband is military so it's convienient to do schooling online and make low monthly payments.

I got a high school diploma through penn foster and I didn't have any problems. There were no proctored exams....(to answer a previous post) My diploma has worked  just fine as far as getting a job. I also went on to beauty school with no problems. :-)

I am currently attending penn foster for my HS Diploma, and it's great. It only takes them about a week and a half to get my next set of books, I can do it whenever I want which is good because i work full time and have a young child. The price is a little high, but they will work with you on payments if you call and ask for help! So far so good!

Has anyone taken the carpentry program.

Ashworth College accept Penn foster credits and they are valid in the state of Florida.

Nice info there.

I am currently enrolled in The Vet Tech Program. I just finished my first semester and I am waiting on my proctor exams to arrive in the mail. I AM NOT A PENN FOSTER REP AND I AM A REAL STUDENT!

I have not had any problems with the school, or getting books, all of my books are up to date, or with payments. 
I HAVE had problems with the extremely rude Director of the Vet Tech program. She clearly does not care about the students and always answers your questions with a snide remark or makes you feel like you are an idiot. 
Other than that my experience has been great. I have a 3.0 grade point average and the school is AVMA Accredited, which is why I choose Penn Foster. Very few schools offer the Veterinary Technicians program, there are no schools in my area to "attend" live classes and to receive a license as a Technician the school has to be AVMA.

Of all the negative reviews I read, I was appalled at the lack of grammar, unable to put complete sentences together and the spelling was horrific. So if you THINK for a minute I would ever consider your review a valid one, think again. Maybe the people who have written these reviews should go back and attend high school before trying to be a college student, because you obviously did not grasp the concept the first time around.

Those you of you looking into Penn Foster, do your research and make sure it is a good fit before signing up. That is what I did and I am a very happy student!!

This school is garbage. Dont waste your time or money. Any local community college will offer you online classes and with credits and a degree that accepted virtually anywhere. If you dont think so, how many people on here are posted as either future students or current students? All of them! There are no posts from GRADUATES who has a real job landed from PF Crappy degrees. I go into a job interview with one of their "graduates" and you know who their gonna look at, not the guy with the mail order degree! Remember you get what you pay for and if its too good to be true it usually is. And for all the people who come behind negative posters, THIS IS A REVIEW SITE! IT IS FOR POSTING REVIEWS! NOT POSTING INFORMATION THAT IS AGREEABLE WITH WHAT YOU PERSONALLY AGREE! So Suck it.

I'm currently enrolled into Penn Foster college. I think it's a great online school. They explain things well. The instructions are easy to understand if you listen well. I've emailed them with alot of questions and I always got an answer the very next day. The books take more than a couple days to ship.I've never had a problem with Penn Foster and enrollment with them is faster online!

I have question about the high school diplmoma from penn foster that im currently enrolled in, if anyone can aswers plase email me @ babiediamond23@yahoo.com

I got my high school diploma through PF. I found the courses very intersting. Got all my materials quickly. I just finished my first semester in Early Childhood and am currently finishing up the course in daycare management. I have had no problems with this school. All my e-mails were answered promptly as well as a couple times I had to call the school. As for the question Hannah had, when you take the proctored exam, be prepared to write!!!!! By the time I finished, my hand was cramping from all the writing. Yes they are open book exams but you HAVE to know your stuff because they are timed tests... not always allowing a lot of time to look up answers. I found the proctored exam challenging but passed all my courses. I am currently awaiting my courses for my second semester. Again, I have had NO problems with this school.

I recently enrolled my son in the high school diploma program.  I'm just wondering, after reading all of the negative comments on here, will his diploma be accepted by colleges?

Im one happy PF graduate. I had finish HVAC course in 2007. Got my HVAC Technician Diploma. It took me about 1.5 to finish the course. Done it all while working as a Industrial Food Equipment Mechanic / Building Maintenance Technician. Had a lot of hand-on experience as helper to repair and maintain refrigeration systems. Have learn a lot in this course. Thinking about taking Electrician Technician course. 
In my opinion PF is good choice for someone who can get a hand-on experience as a helper or volunteer while taking classes at PF. Without the experience it will be tough.

I began the BS Criminal Justice program the end of May 2010.  Already I am close to finishing my second semester.  I find no problem with the coursework and or materials.  I am also a Liberty University on-line student and I can honestly say that the coursework is pretty much the same.  The ONLY problem I am having is that because I am finishing so quickly, I have to pay a very high monthly payment since the prior semester is not paid off prior to me moving on to the next.  My advice to anyone thinking of taking this program and wants to graduate in a hurry is to look over your finances and expect to pay $300.00 or more a month once you are into the program.  Other than that, great school.  I have spoken to our county's probation office and a HR rep for the State of PA Department of Corrections and both assured me that a Penn Foster College degree is as good as any other in their eyes.  Liberty University will also accept credits for transfer from Penn Foster as well as Penn State University and Lancaster Bible College.  All 3 schools are regionally accredited and VERY strict about transferance of credits.

Has anyone taken there hvac program? If so how was it and did you get a job?

I have a question regarding the associates program in graphic design.  Is anyone currently in this program and how do you feel about it?  I have a BS in Education and teach but want a career change very badly due to all of the No Child Left Behind laws which are leaving all children behind.  I am interested in this program but as a single parent in a field that doesn't pay much, I can't afford a traditional on line college.  Any thoughts on the program would be appreciated.

Some people here said that the positive opinions could be Penn Foster employees doing their part for damage control.
Does anyone think that the negative reports could be the work of other rival schools? I personally think that many of these negative comments are posted by rival school employees.And no, I am not an employee of the school, but a student of Penn Foster.

Can anyone tell me if PF's high school program requires proctored exams? Seems like that could get spendy and time consuming. 

Thanks!

I got a Penn foster High School Diploma. The material is great. If you study the material the way you should, it is equal to any good high school. I am retired and took the course to be doing something. The school has a lot of history. The original school,ICS, wrote most of their text for home study and they were great. I took an architectural course with them when I was in the Air Force. Ater I was discharged I got a degree from an engineering school. Engineers are required to serve 4 years of practice before taking the professional engineer exam to be registered. To refresh my memory on a lot of the engineering subjects, I found myself reading ICS texts. Since the text had a lot of practical problems in them, the material fit right in with some of the exams on the test. I needed commputer aided drafting during my working years. I turned to Penn Foster for the Autocad drafting program. It was a well written text and not hard to grasp. I completed the course in about 6 weeks and never looked back when it came time to design by autocad. I took the high school course to be doing something, since I have a lot of time on my hands. Let me say that you will get out of the course--depending what you put in to it. It is there, if you want to learn. You can also just look up the answers to the questions. This will get you nothing.

Some People here complain way too much and are scaring lots of people away. I have gotten my highschool diploma from PF and went into a real college same for my brother, but sadly i have dropped out, i hate real schools and i'm about to start college with PF's help. shipping takes 3 days after you finished a course so to people that don't appreciate the easiest cheapest thing then don't get your hopes up high later in life on nothing.

Obviously, this is just the South, so just imagine how many non-profit schools across the country offer online courses and/or programs.
Post a Public Comment:

Even more traditional schools with online courses and/or programs.

Texas
Alvin Community College
Amberton University
Central Texas College
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas TeleCollege
Grayson County College
Lamar University
Midwestern State University
Northwest Vista College
Odessa College
Palo Alto College
Panola College
Prairie View A&M University
Sam Houston State University
St. Philip's College
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University
Texas A&M University, College Station
Texas A&M University, Commerce
Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Texas Wesleyan University
University of Houston, Clear Lake
University of Houston, Victoria
University of North Texas
University of Texas, Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
University of Texas, Dallas
University of Texas, El Paso
University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston
University of Texas, Permian Basin
University of Texas, San Antonio
Wayland Baptist University
West Texas A & M University
Western Texas College

Virginia
Blue Ridge Community College, Virginia
Central Virginia Community College
Dabney Lancaster Community College
Danville Community College
Eastern Shore Community College
Germanna Community College
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
John Tyler Community College
Longwood University
Lord Fairfax Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
New River Community College (Virginia)
Northern Virginia Community College
Old Dominion University
Patrick Henry Community College
Paul D. Camp Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southside Virginia Community College
Southwest Virginia Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Highlands Community College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Virginia Western Community College
Wytheville Community College

West Virginia
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College (West Virginia)
Bluefield State College (West Virginia)
Bridgemont Community & Technical College (previously Community & Technical College at WVU Tech)
Concord University
Eastern WV Community and Technical College
Fairmont State University
Marshall University
Mountwest Community & Technical College
West Liberty University
West Virginia Northern Community College
West Virginia University
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
West Virginia University Institute of Technology

More traditional schools with online courses and/or programs.

Louisiana
Baton Rouge Community College
Bossier Parish Community College
CALL
Delgado Community College
Grambling State University
Louisiana State University and A & M College
Louisiana State University, Alexandria
Louisiana State University, Eunice
Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center, New Orleans
Louisiana State University, Shreveport
Louisiana Tech University
McNeese State University
Nicholls State University
Northwestern State University
Nunez Community College
River Parishes Community College
South Louisiana Community College
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southern University and A&M College
Southern University at New Orleans
Southern University at Shreveport
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of New Orleans

Maryland
Anne Arundel Community College
Capitol College
College of Southern Maryland
Morgan State University
Towson University
University of Baltimore
University of Maryland Baltimore
University of Maryland Baltimore County

Mississippi
Alcorn State University, Natchez Campus
Coahoma Community College
Mississippi State University
Mississippi University for Women
Mississippi Valley State University
University of Southern Mississippi

North Carolina
Alamance Community College
Central Carolina Community College
Cleveland Community College
Coastal Carolina Community College, NC
Durham Technical Community College
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Haywood Community College
North Carolina State University
Pitt Community College
Randolph Community College
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
University of North Carolina, Pembroke
Western Carolina University

Oklahoma
Cameron University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Rogers State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
University of Central Oklahoma

South Carolina
Clemson University
Limestone College
Medical University of South Carolina
Piedmont Technical College
University of South Carolina, Aiken
University of South Carolina, Columbia
University of South Carolina, Upstate
York Technical College

Tennessee
Austin Peay State University
East Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Pellissippi State Community College
Tennessee Regents Online Degree Programs
Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
The University of Memphis
University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, Memphis
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Tennessee, Martin
University of Tennessee, Space Institute

All of these tradition schools offer online degree courses and/or programs.

Alabama
Amridge University
Auburn University
Calhoun Community College
Enterprise State Community College
Jacksonville State University (Alabama)
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College
Northwest-Shoals Community College
Troy University
Troy University, Montgomery Campus
United States Sports Academy
University of Alabama
University of Alabama, Birmingham
University of Alabama, Huntsville
University of North Alabama

Arkansas
Arkansas State University, Beebe
Arkansas State University, Jonesboro
Arkansas State University, Mountain Home
Arkansas State University, Newport
Arkansas Tech University
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
East Arkansas Community College
Henderson State University
North Arkansas College
NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Ozarka College
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Pulaski Technical College
Southeast Arkansas College
Southern Arkansas University
Southern Arkansas University Tech
University of Arkansas, Community College Hope
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
University of Arkansas, Monticello
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
University of Central Arkansas

Delaware
Delaware Technical & Community College
University of Delaware

Florida
Brevard Community College
Broward College
Daytona State College
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Florida State University
Gulf Coast Community College
Indian River State College
Northwest Florida State College
Nova Southeastern University
Palm Beach Community College
Pensacola Junior College
Saint Leo University
Santa Fe College
St. Johns River Community College
St. Petersburg College
Tallahassee Community College
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
University of South Florida
University of West Florida

Georgia
Albany State University
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Brenau University
Columbus State University
Darton College
Georgia College & State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southwestern State University
Georgia State University
Georgia Virtual Technical College
Gwinnett Technical College
Kennesaw State University
Middle Georgia College
North Georgia College & State University
Southern Polytechnic State University
Southwest Georgia Technical College
University of Georgia
University of West Georgia
Valdosta State University

Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky University
Midway College
Morehead State University
Murray State University, Kentucky
University of Louisville
Western Kentucky University

I was thinking about taking a vet assIstant Course
How is it ?? Is it any good ??

I have completed my Teacher Aide course with Penn foster. It is a recognised and accredited college with DETC. My certificate was attested at the US being a foreign student. I got all my materials on time, and they were most helpful. I suppose you cannot please everybody. Good Luck to Penn Foster.

I encountered difficulties with Penn Foster about shipping of necessary learning aids, but its understandable because I am an student from South East Asia--Thailand. Like others, I also failed for an English pre-requisite exam for home study. But, Penn Foster gave me a chance--they sent me books to review and study in order to pass the exam. Right after passing the exam, they qualify me to start my Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering and now, here I am!!!!...I am ready for my 3rd semester final exam. :] 

It's quite difficult to believe on the comments that has been posted here--no one knows its genuine or just trying to put down or boost up others reputation. If you guys wanted more information email them directly or visit their website. Good luck. :]

Does anyone else believe "Terry" "Peru Student" and "Dina" work for Penn Foster?

I enrolled in the Pharmacy tech program two weeks ago. I got the books but no student ID card or any other info in the packages. So I called them yesterday to get my student ID number and they put me on hold about a dozen times then came back and the lady said here is your student ID number and by thw way we have a bankruptcy on file for you in 2008 so your program is put on hold and you have to pay the entire program in full. I said are you kidding me. I asked what about the $29.00 enrollment fee that I paid and she said oh well is there another account you want is applied to I said no. She said well then you owe us another $75.00 per your enrollment agreement and if you pay the entire balance due of $503.00 you can continue in the program otherwise you have to pay the additional money. I said you all are the ones that put my program on hold and she did not even do that until yesterday when I called to get my student ID number. Now they want to keep my $29.00, me pay them $75.00 to quit the program or pay them $503.00 in full to continue. She said that is their “new” policy. I think they are crazy and they can put the account on hold forever if they want but I am not paying them $75.00. I have sent a letter to every accrediting agency that they use, the Dean of the school, and the US Dept of Education. Either they are going to allow me to continue the program or they are going to give me back the $29.00 I paid them for nothing and cancel the $75.00 they claim I owe them for them cancelling my program. Who ever heard of such, that is fraud.

Hi, I just wanted to say that I graduated with a High School diploma in 2004 with Thompson Education Direct before they changed to Penn Foster.  I have never had a problem getting a job or getting into college with this diploma.  I am in the university of Milwaukee and am graduating soon with my BSA in Nursing.  This school is legit and I wish people would quit bad mouthing it.  I also had credits transfer over as I attended regular high school before dropping out.

I was searching and searching  on cappex.com which is an awesome college search website. and I didn't see Penn foster on there! I searched and I found it, and it doesn't seem legit at all. I would suggest baker college online, it's awesome! But this place is a bust, who seriously puts "save $90 now!" on a college ad? CRAZY PEOPLE!

I am currently taking the Penn Foster High School program. I finished 3 years of high school through the public system so most of my credits  transferred. I have seen a lot of complaints about the school as far as money and payment issues, taking too long to grade papers and not being able to get ahold of anyone at the school. I have been a student for a couple months and so far I have always been able to speak to someone on the phone and my exams are graded instantly. Shipping of my materials are generally very prompt. This program is not very challenging. Its designed for people who ended up in different circumstances and for whatever reason didn't finnish through public school and need a high school diploma. I have seen students post that they were dropped from the school because they went through the program too fast. Yes, its not difficult to finish quickly but duh!!! If you never went to high school and you finish the entire program in 4 months of course!!! they don't want people finishing an entire program for a High school diploma in 4 months.  That doesn't look good on the school and they are trying to stay accredited so if they are handing out high school diplomas after 4 months....they just might loose their accreditation because high school is generally 4 years. So relax, take your time.

Penn Foster is regionally and nationally accreddited, they are legit and have over 400,000 active students taking their courses.  I would not listen to many of the posts if you are interested, online classes are not for everyone you have to be motivated and eager to succeed in order to be successful.

I also found you can take PenN Foster classes at actual colleges like Queens college in NY, Miami Dade College in FL and more.  I would recommend PF education is what you make of it.  How many people drop out of college each year.

Also for people interested in PF High School many colleges do accept their diploma b/c they are regionally accreditted.  They even have a list of college on their website who accept their dipolma.

I went threw the HS course just fine got my diploma and got in  
to SEMO (South East State University) with it and had no problem's also into the police acc. just fine never had any problems it is a national accredited school

I applied for a travel agent course, but when money problems grew I quit and let them know in the first month.

NO WHERE DOES IT SAY YOU ONLY HAVE 7 DAYS!  It has been over a year and they are hurting my credit, hounding me via a collections agency and demanding that I pay $500 for a course I never took (I didn't get any materials)!!!!

Even one of the collections agents said she had the same thing happen to her.  Thankfully she felt my pain and made a note to leave me alone, but other agents apparently did not get the memo.......

NO ONE SHOULD EVER PAY FOR SOMETHING THEY DID NOT RECEIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Cathy:
Obviously Penn Foster didn't teach you anything, your not supposed to type in all caps. Also your grammar and punctuation sucks, you have all run-on-sentences & misspelled words in your comment.

I REALLY CANT COMPLAIN I LIKED IT ALOT I FOUNDED TO BE REALLY COMPREHENSIVE AND UNDERSTANDING BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO READ, AND THE STAFF IS REALLY NICE AS WELL EVERY TIME I CALLED THEY ALWAYS HELPED ME AND THE PRICING ITS PRETTY GOOD COMPARE TO THOSE OTHER CRAZY LOANS OUT THERE  IN OTHER SCHOOLS ,AND THEY ALSO GIVE YOU AS MUCH TIME AS YOU WANT SO YOU NEVER GET TO LOSE YOUR MONEY EVEN IF THE TIME IS UP.THEY ALWAYS TRY TO ENTENDED FOR YOU. SO TO ME IT WAS REALLY HELPFULL.              CATHY,FL

I am enrolled in the Medical Billing Diploma and have had nothing but a pleasant experience with Penn Foster.  My emails are responded to immediately and I receive my next set of books, etc., within a week of completing a section.

Is anyone out there taking the Early Childhood Education AA degree course?  If so, I'd like to hear about the Proctor Exam.

I don't know about you guys but I received my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, Mayor in Science at Penn Foster College and I have no problem enroll into Medical School and they do accept my Bachelor's Degree with no problem. Now I'm in the 3 year of Medical School with no problem. If you do some research Penn Foster College is listed as a Acredited School by the Department of Education in the United States. So please people don't talk s---- and get a degree.

I'm interested in the Motor cycle courses. Can someone tell me if this is just a leisure course thing. Or a great school, that gives me a great education so I can be fully trained to get a great job afterwords. I'm also concerned about the On line thing. Meaning, ill need hands on exp. in the mechanics area. How does a online course enable you in this way?
Anyone who did this course out there? Please email me ..deanmvw@hotmail.com  thanks

Do not attend this school. I am a Veteran and when I signed up for this college they said the GI BILL would pay for it. Little did I know, it's not 100% paid for only 40% and to make it even more of a pain. My actual college aka Cerritos College has to approve of it for me to get a refund. Dont waste ur time with THIS online college

Hi, I have graduated from Penn Foster's High School program without any issues. I have read a lot of comments on this site about how some people had to wait along time to get their materials or how some graduated within 4 months. Both of those are bogus in my opinion. It does not take almost a month to get your materials once you are done with one course, it takes about a week to a week and a half depending on the mail. I call bull on the people who graduated in 4 months, because not only is in not possible to study 24/7 and complete it in that amount of time, but you have to wait for your tests to be graded and, again, once you complete one course THEN they send you the next courses material. You may have to wait for a little bit to talk to some one on the phone, but there will always be someone to help you if you are stuck or do not understand the materials. You can also email them with your questions as well. I have had no problems getting a job with my high school diploma, nor advancing in my career, you just have to have a good work ethic. I am now trying to get into the military and that is where I am having a few issues. The recruiters really have no idea whether or not my high school diploma will be accepted (at this time they are not accepting GEDs except for maybe one a month and there is a long wait list for those) or if they will consider it an equivalent to a GED. There is so much conflicting information on the internet that I cannot get a straight answer. I just know I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and am fighting to prove it is a high school diploma (not GED) from an accredited school (which it is). My question to everyone is this- has anyone else been able to join the military with a Penn Foster High School diploma this year?

hi everyone. im currently enrolled in the high school course. it is exactly the same ones we have at school. fyi if u live more then ten miles away from their location in scranton pa its gonna take a while to get your materials. i reccommend the high school but as for the degrees and such, visit the website's career center to see what places take their certificates

I'm enrolled in the pharmacy tech program and I'm concerned about getting a job after I grad. And how will I actually learn how to count meds without the material, if u hav graduated from this course can u respnd plz

I am pursuing the Mechanical Engineering Technology program and have found it to be a good pre-requisite for further studies in engineering. I do however have some issues with the final exam not being representative of the class work. My major is mechanical engineering but all the sections of the final only briefly touch on what you have learned and there is more emphasis placed on computer knowledge than anything else. This is fine but the same emphasis needs to be placed on other areas of the program. The computer section of my final was worth more than the manufacturing, machining, math, and materials section. Unfortunately, I ran out of time (which wasn't enough) and will probably fail the computer section of the test. I feel that the exams should be configured to better represent the engineering aspects of the program.

Hello all!!!! Hope you are not getting discouraged about Pennfoster because you do not have to be. To each its own. I come to found out that you cannot please the world even if you want to because there will always be someone talking about you. So people do your own homework and make sure you are not investing money into something that will cause you pain tomorrow.Look i just graduated with Pennfoster this past month in criminal justice administration and i"am very proud to have done that. I did my research correctly and made the decision and now here i'am writing to you to encourage you. I know there has been a lot here to swallow but like is said there will always something to say about someone or about a school so you know you cannot win for losing. I'am a living testimony about this school and there are a lot of Ra Colleges and universities that will take your credits with no problem as long as you have your associate in something. Uof phoenix, Moutain State Universitu, Bellevue Un, Excelsior College, AIU, montgomery College, univeristy of Maryland, charleston UN, columbia college , you name it there are all ready to transfer  you with no problem. The reason why i know these people will transfer you is because i've called them right before my graduation and they told me they will transfer as long as they are ACE and Pennfoster has over 154 credits you can transfer to other institution. i transfered to one of these university  i have mentionned there on top. I know people write bad post but please do not listen to them. Now if you are going for a diploma program it will not transfer because diploma program  even in colleges or universities will not transfer but if you are doing a degree program please have faith and you will pull thru. I want to encourage somebody and let you know that you can do it and also pennfoster is cheap and affordable and you can get your whole Associate and bachelor degree in less then 3year unexpensive. Take care everyone and just focus and do the work and you will see the fruit of your labor.

I have recently requested for PFC to send a letter to my employor stating how many more classes I have until completion. They would not present a letter stating this even though my job is on the line. Their reason is I haven't paid the total on my account, even though I am current on my payments. Soooo, there goes my job of seven years. After failing a course at PFC and having to retake it at Ashford University I am so unhappy with my poor choice of judgement.

Has anybody taken the drafting with autocad career diploma program. If so, how is it?

Hi I am very much interested  in graphic designing certificate course from Penn Foster. Is it worth to take this course from Penn foster and what about there portfolio???

HELLO ALL, HAPPY TO TELL EVERYONE THAT I JUST FINALLY FINISHED MY EDUCATION WITH PENNFOSTER COLLEGE. I JUST PAID THE LAST OF MY TUITION TODAY SO MY DEGREE SHOULD BE IN THE MAIL ABOUT THREE WEEKS. ANYWAY IT WAS A LONG ROUTE BUT I'm TRILLED THAT IT IS FINALLY OVER SO I CAN CONTINUE. PENNFOSTER'S COLLEGE DEGREE IS TREANSFERABLE TO A LOT OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ON THEIR WEBSITE, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK. I HAVE AND I'M TRANSFERING WITH NO PROBLEM TO BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY ONLINE. THEY ARE TRANSFERING ME INTO THEIR BACHELOR DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM WITH NO PROBLEM. TO TALK NEGATIVE ABOUT PENNFOSTER IS NOT RIGHT BUT THEN AGAIN,I REALIZE THAT YOU CANNOT PLEASE EVERYONE. IF YOU PLANNED TO ENROLL YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND MAKE SURE THAT ONLINE CLASSES ARE GOOD FOR  YOU OTHERWISE YOU WILL FAIL. JUST BECAUSE YOU WORK YOUR OWN PACE DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS EASY BECAUSE IT IS NOT. BEC YOU STILL HAVE TO READ,MAKE NOTES AND MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE STUDYING. MY FIRST SEMESTER WAS NOT PEACHES AND CREAM BECAUSE I DID NOT GET THE CONCEPT,BUT ONCE I GOT HOLD OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING THAT WAS IT, I SAID TO MYSELF THAT I WILL COME UP ON TOP AND THATS WHAT I'VE
 DONE FOR MYSELF." GOT A COLLEGE DEGREE ".DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOUR COLLEGE DEGREE FROM PEENFOSTER WOULDN'T TRANSFER BECAUSE IT WILL AND IT IS YOUR DIPLOMA THAT WOULD NOT TRANSFER. I"M A LIVING PROOF OF THAT AND CONTINUE TO STUDY SOMEBODY. YOU ARE NOT WASTING TIME AND IF I WERE YOU I WILL DO MY WORK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND PAY UP SO WHEN YOU FINISH YOU CAN TRANSFER AND MOVE UP THE LADDER. IT IS WORTH IT AND I'M VERY HAPPY THAT I INVESTED MY MONEY,YOU SHOULD BE TOO BUT DONT WORRY ABOUT WHT PEOPLE SAY... GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AND STAY FOCUS....KALINJOUJOU@YAHOO.COM

I did the research on Penn Foster College prior to committing. They are accepted by the Department of Education through the Distance Learning and Training Council-which has some great information on how to get your credits transferred into one of those "physical" institutions. Penn Foster  has been around since the 1800's - must be doing something right! Here is some food for thought-due to the recent downturn in the economy, the University of Reno just cut several degree programs that students were already enrolled in-tough-too bad-so sad- change your degree. Can you imagine? So you have to ask yourself how much are the credits going to be worth if I transfer to another university-how much extra is that going to cost-and when I get there - will that university also cut degree programs because of a budget crunch. I see online/virtual education institutions the way of the future. You lose your job and have to move to another state (this is reality folks!)-you get to take your "college" with you and continue your education and your life.

I would like some feed back , at present i work Head Start
 would like to get my CDA has anyone received there CDA
from Penn Foster.

DO NOT DO IT ...once your close to being done they fail your exams this school is a RIP OFF

I have had nothing but good experiences with Penn Foster. I am in the Medical Transcription program and I am almost finished. It is a great program and all information is current and up to date. I am so glad there are programs out there like this because I don't have time to do traditional classes and there are no campus colleges in my area anyway. This is the only way I was able to go to school. I love the payment plan. And so the previous poster knows you don't always need your actual diploma to get a job. There are employers that will hire you without it. They know you have finished the course and that's what matters

i graduated from their high school program in 1994 and i got accepted to comm.college with it.

Hi, Thinking of pursuing the Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. Would need the following advice. 
1. How good is the curriculum?
2. Any pre-requisite to the degree?
3. What is the graduation rate of distance learning?
4. Will I miss out on practical experience?
5. Is the degree recognised internationally?

Appreciate if someone could share your experiences.

Pennfoster is not a good school for anyone. The only good comments on any website about pennfoster is made from a pennfoster team member. If I knew then the crap I would be going through with them, I would have not looked at them in any way. To thouse of you thinking about pennfoster run away from them as fast as you can, just run and don't look back.

PENNFOSTER SUCKS IN EVERY WAY THERE. They lie and their hand book says you can go at your own speed, but when you finish your all your subjects a few months before your 3rd year, they come at you saying that you did a few test to fast. Also when you take test before you test books arrive they say you cheated. Well you are able to see and print the exam questions right there, so you can use those as a study guide and use other things to study with. Most of their books are very outdated and most questions on the exams you have to find the answers somewhere else. I would NEVER AGAIN go with them or tell anyone to go with them. All I can say is print out the hand book and give it to your lawyer, tell your lawyer the issues. Your lawyer then can type up a letter stateing issues and high light pennfosters hand book comments and then things are set and all is on your side. Their handbook really needs to be changed if they are going to try to come at someone about their exams. PENNFOSTER SUCKS....

how is penn foster jewelry repair and design program?

Im looking into attending Penn Foster for Veterinary Technician and i spoke to someone with the school. She was very nice and extremely helpful. She explained alot to me and explained that i should contact local vet clinics to research on what the requirements are in PA but i would like to hear from a graduate about job availibility and placement please. E-mail me if you could twaldor@aol.com

Thanks guys.

I am currently doing research on Penn Foster, I want to do the appliance repair program. I haven't been to a sight yet that didn't have bad reviews. and just after those bad reviews a good one from a so called student. YA RIGHT...i beleive it to be a staff member of some sort. I am a very pestamistic person, but i haven't been able to find anyone yet that has gaind a degree from this school. i will keep looking and if there is anyone out there thats not currently a student and has a degree already, that has any kind of for real info (KEEP IT REAL PEOPLE)on this school i would like to know... Thank you all for your time.

Stay away. Think about this... I enroll in penn foster and everything was fine... at first. I currently have completed 39 out of 40 exams and projects, and have a 97% in the course. Here is where the stupid part comes to play. Every school i have ever been to would agree that if i have a 97% out of 39 different tests, then even a grade of 0 (on te final remaining test) would still allow me to pass. I knew that my course was nearing its completion date and so I sent in a project that was completed to the best of my knowledge and without double checking. Funny how my project would not be graded, and shortly after then refusing to grade my project they hit me with and extension fee. Now i have to pay $75 extra because the stupid instructors won't give me a grade. I think that if i turn in a 20% done project, then logic says that i should get a 20%. Unfortunately Penn Foster instructor do not think logically and cannot give me reason as to why they won't grade it, besides "We ain't gonna grade it." And the instructors are so nice that upon asking for the a**holes name...he say's "it's Bob" CLICK! Trust me, Penn Foster is not interested in advancing your life at all, but instead looking to advance their stinky,fat pockets! Go to University of Phoenix! Much better.

Wow!!!!!!   some commments make me nervous about Penn Fosters. I just enroll yesterday n graphic design but now I fell like I have to stay away from Penn Fosters.

I am taking penn foster and evrything is going good all my books come on time and the staff are good to me to so i dont know what some of you people are talking about

Has anyone chosen to do the medical transcription courses? I will have my degree next month and am worried that i will not be able to get a job with this degree or AAMT certified. Any insight?

I've been enrolled in the PC Repair certificate. I have some experience with pcs, having built three (two for myself, one for a friend) in the past. I've also had to fix computers for friends and family before. Generally working with pcs comes down to messing with it until you fix it or replacing bad parts with good.

That being said I figured maybe getting a certificate would help me to actually make money from fixing or building computers for people. I'm not sure if it will help any but I want to say: WAY OUTDATED MATERIAL! The computer books are from 2004, a lifetime in computer technology. They go on and on about windows 95 for christsake. I doubt anyone who still uses windows 9x will be paying me any decent sum of money to fix their ancient computer. Also Vista and 7 are not even covered and you still have to learn all about floppy drives (something I haven't used since at least 2004). Some of the material is so old its laughable, such as discussions on DVDs one day becoming as common as CDs or 30mb programs taking a long time to download or the emphasis on dial up modems. Why you'd almost think it was 2004. 

Anyway the good is that the program is cheap, I've had no problem receiving responses from customer service or teachers, no problems with shipments of payments. I was told straight up in response to a question that they were not going to include Vista and Windows 7 anytime soon (was hoping for some uptodate info, but oh well). 

Doubt this will help me get a job but the best thing it did was let me know that what I really need is the A+ certificate which you can study for and take for about $160 from CompTIA. So if you're looking to work with pc repair or IT I'd skip Penn Foster and head straight to that. I'm almost finished (just need to read some books on obsolete Operating Systems like Windows 9x) so I figure I might as well complete it.

I'm enrolling into PFHS and I was wondering I'm making the right choice?

I'm thinking of going to Penn Foster Medical Billing and Coding program. I'd like to hear reviews about this program. thanks

I need help on information about this program,and so far I've been disappointed with EVERY THING!!!I have tried calling and looking it up on the Internet.can somebody please give me answers!?

Hello All,
Questions: Is anyone taking the Health Information Technology AA Degree courses? What has been the biggest challenge if any so far? Can all tests be taken online? I noticed that some study material have notations at the bottom instructing students to "mail the completed exam to the school" I may be reading too much into it. I took the exams online and did not feel a need to mail them to the school, I hope I was I right in not sending the exams in so??? Are there any tests other than the proctored exams that need to be mailed directly to them? how long do it take for a shipment to ship once the shipment is placed? I live in Cali:)

wow some pf you all make me very nerves i had been with them for a month now and am going for my associates degree in medical assistant and so far everything is great im still in 1st semester so hopefully all the bull s**t don't wait to happen after i get in deep. buy hey i pray for those that are in the program like me and myself as well.

I intend to enroll in Bookkeeping because there is NO WAY this school could get materials from Organizations like AIPB (AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BOOKKEEPERS ) TO HAND OUT as course material if they were not a legitimate course. I believe there are persons who are naive in believing that a profit-making institution would hand out their diploma without the person completing their payment - how would the school claim back their money if the person headed off with the Diploma and didn't complete payment.

I have also seen the Facebook Page of the Penn Foster Students both past and present, and New - Somehow they all seem happy.

Maybe people could look at that page and even find study partners.

Like joya (post of February 16, 2010 at 8:02 p.m.), I am very interested in the civil engineering program at Penn Foster. Any feedback from current or past civil (or other engineering) students would be appreciated. 

Thanks for your help.

You should know before you spend your time and hard earned money that they send materials for one class at a time, holding your materials until you pass one class to send materials for the next (never mind that you have already paid ahead for ALL of the materials!!).  Now, since you are required to attend scheduled class discussions (once a week!), if you have a two minute time discrepancy, you have to sit on your hands for an additional week plus to attend two minutes of class then wait another week for the two minutes to be recorded, then wait another week for more materials to be sent so that you can continue your studies.  Seriously??!!  I understand requirements but if this were a "real" college, I am sure something could be worked out for a student who is trying to do what is right!!  Wow!!!!!!  

I am very interested in the Optician program with PFC but I'm a little leary about the college itself. I would love to hear your feedback about the college and it would really help if you are enrolled or have been enrolled in the Optician program. I also would like to try the Medical Office Assistant program when I complete the Optician program (as long as I'm satisfied with the college yet). If you could help me out...that would be MUCH appreciated! Contact me at cberth7@gmail.com. I'd love to hear what you think. =)

I am a Penn Foster Student.
The  experience   is great for me.I have never had any
problem's with the School.I do recommend this school.

I have graduated A few class's I took.They are a great school.

I love this school.They are great.

i really interested in the civil engineering course at PF... can anyone who graduated from Pf... 
email me: empress_jj@hotmail.com
and let me know about their experiences at PF... thx much

Wow reading all these negative comments have made me change my mind about enrolling. We definitely want a school that would allow yout to transfer credits and to stand up against real college grads....

Has anyone completed the dressmaking program? I'm not necessarily concerned about finding a job in that field, I just don't want to waste my money if it's not worth it...

I am thinking about enrolling in the the Plumbing program at PF. Anyone have any reviews on this degree?

i have enrolled in the bookkeeping program...anyone else take this? i hope i'm not throwimg away money i don't have, especially the way the economy is. can anyone tell me how to find out if the "coupon" to take the test to get certified is accepted. i hope to get cetified as a bookkeeper once completed. i understand that i have to have two years of experience BEFORE taking the test for certification. i HOPE these fu(kers didn't scam me!

Just so people know, a CDA for Early Childhood is not an actual Associates degree, it's a certificate.

do guys by any chance think penn fosters high school is a good program to gett a diploma

I read through most of all comments but didn't see much of actual graduates post on here.

Where is everyone? I'm interested in the Health Information Technology associates degree program here.  I'm still debating though if this self-study type deal is for me. I indeed work 40+ hours a week..

Email me? kalilathu@gmail.com

Anyone in Orange County,CA area interested in this program too and wanna be study buddies? (just thought I'd put that out here...you never know!) =)

Hello all,
    I have been enrolled in Penn foster for about 2 years(my fault, NOT theirs) I am on my third semester and can absolutely say that I had no problems with it. The books come fast and are updated  and any help that I needed was answered in a timely manner. I am enrolled in the ECE classes. I have a full time job in a child care center and now have my Head teacher certificate in CT because of the credits Penn foster has given me. If this wasnt a legit college the department of public health would NOT have given me the certificate!

I can't beleive some people try to discourage this school with all of their negative aspects. They need to realize that most of them probably did not take the proper steps after they received their degree to fulfill any needs taht they wanted as do a certain percentage of ALL graduates from any school/university. ALL SCHOOLS HAVE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF GRADUATES THAT DO NOT USE THEIR DEGREE AFTER IT IS COMPLETED!!! That is a known fact and I am sure that you can search it on the web..

Hi Tony,
I was kind of in the same boat as you. Looking for theory but with the heavy math too.  Preferably using conventional current flow as it would make it easier to communicate with the engineers I work with. Not looking for the piece of paper. The course was good on the theory, light on the math.  At least it was as far as I made it (1 semester). I did not sign up for a 2nd semester. 

Seeing as you are going to be studying on your own anyway, and if you have a good pier group for questions, I would look to see what kind of text books you can buy.  Make your own course or maybe try and find a syllabus at a local college and get those books. Another option is Cleveland Institute of electronics for a structured distance course.

Good luck!

Pablo, 
How was the theory good at least?  I don't need the peice of paper, I'm already a Senior Level Electronics Technician, but what I do need is some refresher on the theory.  Let me know, if you can, about the theory bro.  I appreciate it.

IM IN PF HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA PROGRAM, ITS TAKES FOREVER FOR THEM TO SEND OUT NEW BOOKS!!!

I am actually looking into Penn Foster for their computer technician courses, and I can see many different reviews(good and bad) about other courses. So I want to ask, can anyone tell me what course should I be looking at for computer technician, and has anyone been able to get a job with it? Is it an accredited course? I am a newbie about online schooling. So any advice and details will be great. I will keep looking for information until I can get the money for it.

Any information will be appreciated thank you in advance.

I graduated from PF in 2001 . Hired 3 months later . Make 256 k a year . It is what you make it .

i am currently enrolled in penn foster and i think it is really good. I am taking up medical transcription classes and the text books are very informative.

Now I'm scared. I'm in the Medical Assistant program at Penn Foster and since talking to my friend who is taking classes through another online school. Her course seem more legit than what I am doing. After reading these posts, I have a feeling I'm just getting ripped off. How do I go about getting out of this school?

I graduated from Penn Foster High School. I loved it, They were nice, A little steep on the price, But with any school you get what you put in. It's all open Book exams which maybe for slackers is great, But if you spend the time to learn it and apply it then you'll do great. As for no one excepting penn foster diploma. Of course they do, I'm currently researching colleges, Including technical schools, Community colleges and so forth, Every school has told me thus far, that yes penn foster diploma is a diploma it's accredited there for excepted.

to assauge some fears, the princeton review,  test prep center in my town of massachusetts has just purchased penn foster for 170 million. Penn Foster has strong expertise and leadership in both online learning and career education -- two primary drivers of the education market, and great complements to our existing business," said Michael Perik, President and CEO of The Princeton Review. "While the traditional college enrollment targeted by our Test Prep business remains healthy, the addition of Penn Foster will enable The Princeton Review to efficiently expand our education footprint, develop new partnerships with a variety of organizations, and immediately take advantage of favorable market dynamics."

Hi, I live in CA and I am interested in taking the BS in criminal justice... Is it going to help me get a good job in CA?? I also want to take the Veterinary tech course (AS) and I know this is accredited. would appreciate any responce

Well.
I completed a PC repait technitian course back in 2002 i think, when they were calle Harcourt Learning, It took me about 2 years to cmpplete it (sue to my job), but when i graduated, I'm so happy to say that the sklills i learned helped me have a position in the company where i work that no one else could have, I can say that im the "untouchable of the company, i became the main IT guy and my income and lifestyle are at a good level, and i can say it's due to the skills I aquared, Now, about 8 years later, i will get a visual basic programming course from the same school.

Lauren:
your comment horrified me :S
You mean that their High School program  is useless??
Im currently their student and I guess Im quite too slow as Ive only finished around 32  courses in 5 months now (not to be exact).
But I just hope I will get a job with their certificate.
I live in Middle East.
ooh and about thee books and responses, never had problem with it!! I usually pay them 3 months advance and get at least 3- 4 subjects books and get response withing 48 hours :)

I am currently enrolled in the Electrical Engineering AST degree and I love it, I am a Master Electrician / Electrical Contractor here in Texas and I tell you the info. that the course has is up to date and relevent.

Just completed the HVAC program. I rate it as very good. Either you can learn from a book or you can't. I happen to be a person who comprehends what I read. I've already repaired my own system, though minor.
If you forget things you've read, go get a teacher somewhere to teach you. For those like me, you will love Penn Foster.

is the civil engineering program  any count

Carolyn, if you are interested in receiving your early childhood education associcates, try getting hired at a daycare. Most of them have courses you can take to earn your CDA. (child development associates

I regret my decision to enroll at PFC for Electronics Tech.  Student services are prompt in their replies and so was the instructor. The books came relatively quickly and you could read the pdf's online while waiting for the printed stuff to show up.

The course mat'l/exams seamed too heavy on the trivia versus practical experience troubleshooting/calculating. No hands on lab kits either. The material/exams also had errors in it and it always seamed a battle to get the intructor to admit it. Last straw for me was his reluctance to admit to an obvious dead short in one circuit.

Hind sight is 20/20.  If I had a do-over though, I would have used some of that $850 and bought a bunch of books from Amazon and various hands on electronics kits available around the web.

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEND OR WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON PENN FOSTERS. 

THE AA DEGREE PROGRAM IS A WORTHLESS ALTHOUGH, ALL THE CREDITS THAT YOU HAVE EARNED ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY RESPECTED COMMUNITY COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES. NON TRANSFER ABLE CREDITS. 

MOST LAW FIRMS DO NOT HIRE PARALEGALS WITH AN ONLINE CLASS DEGREE IT MUST BE ABA APPROVED. PENN FOSTER'S IS NOT ABA COURSE NOR CONSIDERED KNOWLEDGEMENT BY THE STATE BAR. 

PLEASE, DO NOT BE A DUM ASS LIKE ONE SELF AND PAY FOR PENN FOSTER'S.

THEY ARE IDOITS AND BLOOD SUCKERS FOR YOUR MONEY AND CONN YOU FOR FALSE HOPE OF A FUTURE. 

RIP ME OFF BY SENDING ME THE SAME BOOKS OVER AND OVER AND CHARGING MY CARD AND WILL NOT GIVE ME A REFUND. THEY STILL HAVEN'T SENT ME THE CORRECT BOOKS TO TAKE THEIR PROCTOR EXAM

PENN FOSTER WILL BE SHAKING DOWN SOONER OR LATER BY DATELINE TO PROVE WHAT A CON ARTIST AND SCAMMING PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN TOO FULL FILL THEIR DREAMS TO A CAREER..

I am interested in taking my associates in early childhood education! I want to kno wut people think of the program! Are the learning materials up to date or are they outdated?
After i finish my schooling from pennfoster and want to get my bachelors will they transfer my credits to a real college because i heard that they give people the run around with that!

penn forster sucks

Hello I understand there are different opinions on Penn Foster. I am interested in the Human Resources Management program but am still trying to do my research on this school. What has the school done for you? Do they offer financial aid? Any feedback is great. Please email me as well. I want to make sure this program is okay to get my certificate in that way i can also transfer to another college to receive my BA. Thanks. 

bianca21strength@yahoo.com

i was looking at penn fosters website i want to do retail mgt program does anyone know if it is worth it

To Sandra who posted on 10/29:  if you have signed an enrollment form Penn Foster can only charge you the amount that is specified in the agreement.  They cannot charge you a "liability fee" unless that is part of your original agreement.  I am having a similar situation with P/F.

I tried to start Penn Foster's Business Management course in 2003. Sent in my down payment and that was the last I heard of them. I didn't receive a welcome letter, books, information, nothing. I let it go not thinking that 6 years later they will harass me telling me I signed a contract and owe them $739. I ask the rude collectors why would I pay $739 for a course I never even received material for? Their only answer to me was I signed a contract and that I was in breach of the contract. If that isn't a scam I don't know what is. Now this crap is on my credit rating and I either have to put out more money to get a lawyer or pay them for a course I never started. Is that fair?

PFC is alright with me. I think it is a wonderful investment and now days if you think about the money you will spend to do anything you will not be able to do it.. Look everyone PFC is not easy like everyone thinks. First when you start the reading and the work make you think that ooohhhh this is the way it will be but the more you advance the harder it gets... I'm getting to start my last semester to get my AS in criminal justice but I will tell you that it was not easy at all. The only easy part is when you are excelling but other than that it is not easy... What I have learned at PFC is that to try to do good on the study guide and so if you do not do as well on the final proctor exam you can still pass with no problem... I know it has been a whole lot of negativity but let me tell you something.. Can't make everyone happy at all and not every institution will accept PFC credits, but some will.. Now PFC has an agreement with Mountain State University and so you can check that out for yourself and guess what they are regionally accredited. So you have to do your own homework and stop blaming someone else... PFC is also ACE and that is a plus for everyone because you should be able to transfer to RA institution with no problem and go to their WEb and check it out... Look i have done a whole lot of research before I started and I'm almost to the end and I'm so happy i made that decision to take classes there...If you look at some of the other UN, you can see that our curriculum matches theirs... People stop talking if you have no facts and UNof Phoenix also take their credits... Talk to you all soon... And do not let anyone tell you not to go to PFC

I tried to see if the medical assistant program at Penn Foster was any good. Paid the 19.00 deposit, and then all of a sudden within less then a month about 10 lessons were shipped to me two of them within a week apart!? Low and behold, because Penn Foster said "I completed and received" 10 lessons, I owe them "Liability of 333.00?! How convenient for them huh? They are nothing but a scam and they will turn blue like their payment envelopes because I am not paying that ridiculous amount? They have been reported to the better business bureau of investigation and if i have to get a lawyer I will do that too! Penn Foster is NO GOOD!!!

Response to RichieS:  I would have to agree with some of the other posters on this page such as Christine. You must do your research. Find out which State agency in your state does the licensing/certification for Electricians. Read the information on their website about training requirements. Call them and ask questions, they are there to help you. This statement also applies to other career fields as well such as auto technician, Home Inspector, Home Appraiser. I know that for Auto Tech you would need to have the ASE certification to find a decent job. Here in Texas the agency that certifies electricians is the Texas department of licensing and regulation. If I wanted to be an Electician, I would go to the nearest community college and get into their program. I know that here in Houston at Houston Community College they have a great apprenticeship program. You attend classes and you work on actual jobsites under the guidance of a licensed Electrician for your hands on training. You actually get a paycheck as well. 

As far as the distance learning schools: My opinion is that these are meant to be an alternative to traditional schools.
Traditional schools being the best choice, distance learning offers people who otherwise could not go to school the opportunity to earn a credential. For example: You already have a career and you are just too busy to attend class (OR) You live in an area where there is no Community College. I believe this was original intent of distance learning. So if you can't attend traditional on campus school then a distance learning degree is better than NO degree. That is my commentary, have a good day.
{Keith in Houston, Texas}

Vet tech program director is a b****, and unfortunately the only person to go to about grades.  Worst excuse for an instructor Ive ever seen.