Penn Foster Comments

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.

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.

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. 

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 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!

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. :-)

Has anyone taken the carpentry program.

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

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!!

If this college isn't so awful then why all of the negative reviews?

So I'm applyin for pennfoster right now for vet tech I just want to know if it really was successful and if it was easy to find a job? I haven't sent my payment yet but my mom is having doubts and thinks its a scam..I'm 18 an I love animals I just want to know if this is good for me

I attended Penn Foster when they were ICS. I actually thought ICS went out of business for many years until I found on Wiki that they are now Penn Foster. I graduated with my High School diploma in 1998 and have had zero problems with employers questioning it. 

I attending Western Governors University with my diploma from ICS without a single problem. This was to get a Bachelor in Business Management. I had an A average in WGU. I took a break because I was expecting our 4th baby and I was extremely sick and could not keep up with my classes. When I thought about going back to continue my education after our 5th baby was born I decided the cost was just too much. We are already paying on my husbands student loans. I managed to pay my student loans off in full, thank God! Penn Foster is very affordable - the cost without any student loans is a bit much but you just have to remind yourself it will pay for itself in time. $10,000 for a Bachelor of Science in Business Management? Good luck finding that at another school. I have also found that employers don't care where you went to school, but they do care that you have an education! I love that I will not have a single loan as I dedicate myself to fully pay off each semester. 

Best wishes in your study! Believe you can succeed and you WILL!

I'm a Penn foster high school student and I believe this school is very real I made sure i did all my research before I might have got myself into a scam. Idk what kind of people you guys spoke to but the teachers are always there when I need them. I did a college essay which I didn't understand and my teacher sent me everything on bowing supposed to do it and I passed with a 100. My only problem is I finished all my classes but failed 2 subjects I got a letter from my counselor 2 weeks ago saying I had to pay 50 dollars for the courses and o have yet to get my classes and they haven't took my money cause its still on ky card. Has this happened to anybody if so how long does it take for them to get back to you ???

Penn Foster gives you a career certificate and it's not a replacement for a legitimate associates or bachelors degree. The education you get there is more of an intro to the field you want to study. Any education you get should not always be seen in a paper diploma or certificate you receive but from the perspective of what you get out of it, in other words do you feel more knowledgeable about the subject after the experience. If you want a legit degree go to a accredited two or four year school in your area. If you're not sure of a potential field then maybe an intro training class at Penn Foster may be the answer. Education is only worth what you yourself put into it. Remember too that the state run and private colleges and universities can't guarantee you a job either. That's on you.

I am checking out two different kinds of pet grooming programs. The first is distance learning or online- Animal Behavior College. At end of the 9 book and video learning, they set you up with mentor in a groom shop to do hands on training.
Show Time Pet grooming program is a traditional program, it costs a lot more than the long distance one. Why. It is also located in Macon, GA, about 2 hrs from where I live. I would have to drive there 4 days per wk to attend classes.

Wow I never thought I would be writing a bad review but I should have known after reading all the bad reviewe & tried it anyway. What attracted me was the cost of tuition but it is definitely not worth it!!! I haven't learned ***! They give you ridiculous material to read & expect for you to test. No interaction with professors or students what so ever. When you pass their easy exams they send you an automatically generated email saying good job. I been to online schools & this has to be the worst!!! I should have just paid the money for a better school. I really haven't learned anything I actually feel dumber. Not recommended

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. 

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!!!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

Ha! I was thinking the same thing.

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 ..

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

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

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.

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. 

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!!

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 

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 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??? 

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. 

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. 

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!

Nice info there.

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.

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?

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