University of Phoenix

I love how they take full advantage of the online portal. Books, software, and programs are all available to utilize through their site. Most instructors are very personable and make themselves available to students day or night. The curriculum is informative and of extreme value. Financial and Academic counselors are vested in your success every step of the way. They call you to check on you every now and then. Most importantly, they return your calls promptly. I highly recommend University of Phoenix for continued education. It is a flexible way to change your life goals and put you on the path to success. The commitment to getting there belongs to you.

First off, UoP is a for profit school. When the government raised the amount a student could borrow, it was no surprise that UoP raised their tuition/yr to the same amount. I went in to my program with a good understanding of IT, I came out of it none the wiser. I feel like I paid for my degree. I do not recommend.

I should have do a good research before I apply to UOP….this is a big mistake of my life. My first mistake is letting UOP to hold on to my Student loan, because I’m afraid I might spend it and they take advantage of me, by just misusing my fund. Get drop from class (over 1 grand) for not checking in (got drop 3x), just like that even submitting an assignment that day (assignment show you logged in for that day). Second mistake is going to UOP, and my third mistake is not suing them yet and I am, because they only care about your money, even with the loan, they still come up with some stuff to get money from you, by saying that the fund did not cover it, or by sending you a surprise bill…I went back to school to be taught, not to teach or solving solution by myself. This is the worst experience of my life….11k down the drain for nothing. I had to stop because I am paying to teach myself with little understanding, also because I don’t understand what the money they asking me are for. Any UOP rep reading this, thank you for wasting my money and time, also for ruining people's career, because I know what 11k can do for me (karma).

I was not impressed with the quality of the instructors, peers, nor the texts used for the courses I took. I currently hold a bachelor degree, but am returning to school to obtain an associate degree in IT. I chose to get an associate degree to save time and money. My previous employer partnered with The University of Phoenix and would they would cover the cost of tuition. The problems began with my first course. It was an ethnic studies course. The instructor did not have a good understanding of the material and often made comments that read as prejudice and racist. The instructor’s posts were often riddled with poor grammar and spelling errors. The posts from fellow students were written like they were meant for a text message. During the first course another student copy and pasted one of my posts and then she posted it as her own work. The instructor did not notice this until I called her attention to it. After that nothing was ever done regarding the blatant plagiarism. I continued through the courses under the assumption that my experience with my first course was just an anomaly. Things actually got worse. In the next class, a critical thinking course, the instructor’s understanding of the text was horrific. The instructor was also too busy to respond to any of inquiries. I asked her for more specific feedback on an assignment, she responded to let me know that she was busy and that she would get back to me; she never did get back to me. Half-way through this course I lost my job. I immediately informed my financial adviser. I informed her that I needed to change my method of payment to financial aid. At that time she was very understanding and she sent me a detailed email with links for all the forms I needed to complete. I completed all of the forms. She sent an email that she would be in contact with me the next week. When I did not hear from her a week and half later I sent her and email and attempted to call her. There was no response from either the voice-mail I left or the email I sent. A month later she called me to talk about the upcoming courses. She had no idea what we had been talking about previously. She directed me to speak to my employer (I am currently unemployed and she should have known this) three times during that conversation. At the end of that call I thought she finally understood what we needed to do. She said that she had some paper work to do and would follow up with me in a few days. This time it took 5 emails, and three calls to get her to call me. Again, when I spoke with her she had no idea what my situation was, who I was, I seriously wonder if she knew where she was. She stated that she needed for me to fill out a new set of forms and said she would send me an email. I received the email three days later. I filled out the forms and waited for to call. It took three weeks for her to call me back and again she had no recollection of anything and insisted on directing me to speak with my employer about tuition assistance. The only good thing I can say about The University of Phoenix is that the resourced provided are pretty good. Despite the fact that the IT degree does not prepare you for the certifications that will be needed in order to find employment. The instructors are mostly incompetent, as are the majority of the students, and the support staff.

I have been a student at UoP for 1 1/2 yrs and am seriously considering transferring (if I can). I have had good and bad experiences with them. The instructors that I have had are great and you really do have to do the work in order to pass. My son-in-law failed a class even though he was doing his homework so they do fail people. Many of the assignments are written (1,200- to 5,800 words) but there are labs that are required to take. They have free workshops which help in areas where you might have a problem. The major complaint that I have with them is their Fin Aid department. There are thousands of people that hare having a hard time getting the disbursements due to them although the school seems to make sure they get their money. As of now, the major complaint seems to be with Pell grants. I haven't heard a single person say that they've gotten their 10-11 pell grant yet. When you call the FA department you get a complete run-around, if you even get an answer at all. It took me 2 months along with a call to the FA manager and a serious threat to drop their school just to get a simple response to my voicemails or e-mails. Overall, I guess it would be a good school if they didn't keep messing with people's funds. I'm seriously considering transferring because the fear is raising with all the complaints I read about them, but then I constantly hear horror stories about them keeping all your money even if you drop out. At this point I don't know what to do.

Materials: Copied and pasted from the internet. Could improve with "real" courses (the first two are train-to-learn courses) Teachers: One was slow with grades, and gave 100% to idiots, other was reasonable. Typical school. Institution: Mixed feelings, so they luck out. Support: At least half of my questions were ignored / unanswered. They pretended not to understand questions like "Why did you enroll me in class after I specifically said not to?" answering with, "I'm sure you'll do great. Have a nice weekend." Value: UoP is one of the most expensive online degrees. I found the same online degree at another Regionally Accredited school (same as my current uni)for about $20,000 less. Tech: Okay, but they make it painful to switch between classes or to materials. I needed dozens of windows open to do my homework when they could have made it two or 3. To each their own .. I am a veteran who researched before applying to UoP; I felt most of the complaints typical of any school, so contacted them. I told them I didn't want enrolled until I knew what credits they would accept, and until I had a ballpark estimate of out of pocket expense. They said they needed info, fafsa, etc, which I gave. Red Flag #1: "AXIA COLLEGE" Red Flag #2: They immediately signed me up for classes, which I had to force them to remove me from. Red Flag #3: They were continuously giving me more paperwork. Red Flag #4: "Oh, you know the GI Bill? well your program isn't approved yet, so we're changing your degree temporarily for undetermined amount of time." Red Flag #5: You have to enroll in classes NOW because... Red Flag #6: Submitted "Official Withdrawl Form" apparently was misspelled from: "Request for skilled Retention Officer contact ASAP" This isn't football, it's school. I paid like $150, which is reasonable for their efforts on paperwork, etc, but what about mine?

Before I signed up for UOP, I did my research. I knew what to expect from an online school, what not to expect from an online school, and also the praise and complaints that have been raised online in regards to most of the major online schools. I then contacted not one but five different online schools for more information on various programs (at the time I wasn't really quite sure which program I wanted to go with, as there were several that I knew I would enjoy and be good at). I figured since I couldn't make up my mind about which program to go with I might as well try requesting information for a different program with each online school so I'm not only checking all these programs out but am also checking out the schools. UOP stood out above the rest, as the "adviser" that contacted me was very professional and honest about what exactly I was getting myself into. The fact that UOP was probably the least complained about school had me interested, but the representative had me sold. The other schools I had contacted all had pushy, salesperson-like representatives, and I have always preferred that a person like that just be straight with me about what they're selling. I have been rather pleased with my UOP experience - it has turned out to be more challenging, more educational, and overall has had more quality than I ever expected it to. You take two classes per "block". Each block is nine weeks long. You average about five assignments each week. It usually takes about 1-2 hours to read the material and do the corresponding assignment. The material is very targeted towards working adults, not only in what it talks about but also in how it approaches what it talks about. There is no breezing through classes. The assignments are usually essay format, and the assignments are designed in a way that you actually have to think about them and can't just grab stuff from the reading material. The instructors and staff are actually more supportive and attentive than I expected them to be. I have seen no indication of my work not actually being reviewed - the instructors give feedback specific to my work and my grades reflect any mistakes or failures in understanding the material that I may have. I expected my online education to simply consist of standard college material, standard college assignments, and no hand holding or support. I expected the instructor's expectations of me to be low, therefore making it a lot easier for me to get an A. I've well been proven wrong. While I seriously doubt I will be returning for my BA, I do think I have made the best choice in regards to my AS.