Northcentral University

I had a good experience at NCU since I am a motivated self starter. Working full time, having a family to take care of, and everything life throws at you, NCU was a good choice for me because the classes are online, program is accredited, and the cost was doable for me. The advisor that gets assigned to you are generally helpful and try to get you the information that you need. The professors (I feel) work a regular job and this is a side gig. Nothing wrong with that. Just limited contact hours and availability. Of all the professors that I had for each class, only one I thought was out to get me but I passed the class. The others were interested in the student experience and wrote some good feedback on papers turned in. The classes prepare a student in researching and writing scholarly papers so when it comes time to do your dissertation, you are well prepared. I recommend NCU to any prospective self starter student. If you expect everything to be spoon fed to you, this is not the university for you. You need to be able to download the assignment, read required resources, and research your topic areas to gain more information and write about what you have learned.

After staying on track for more than three years into my program, I learned that my completion date did not cover time to do research and complete my dissertation. I have since learned that this tactic is a regular "trick" of advising to "sucker people into registering." The Academic Success Center offers resources that are not available, and they regulate when you can get certain types of help. Many library items are not available in full text. Instructor feedback is vague and rare.

I am a current data scientist looking to advance my career by obtaining a PhD in the field. I currently have a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.S. in Analytics. I wanted to earn a PhD online so I could work full-time while pursuing the degree. There are currently not many options out there for an ONLINE PhD in the field, so I decided to go with Northcentral University, which offers a PhD in Data Science. I began the program in September 2018, and while the course titles and descriptions led me to believe this program's curriculum would be about topics relative to data science and taught by experts in the field, I was gravely disappointed. I have now completed four courses in the program, and none of the professors I had should be teaching about Data Science. They lacked insight on technology and processes used by data scientists, and were merely focused on regurgitating the cookie-cutter curriculum about outdated IT network and infrastructure and collecting their paycheck. I mean, I actually had to take a whole class on distributed systems... Really?? No one even uses distributive computing anymore, nor does it really pertain to data science. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this program.

I recently completed my Ph.D. in Business Administration with specialization in Healthcare Administration. NCU offered exactly what I wanted in a school: a completely online program that did not force me into a residency requirement (because my job would not allow an opportunity to stay in one location long enough to complete a doctoral degree); a regionally accredited school with a regionally accredited business program; and a relevant degree track. Over the years, I have read the comments about NCU on here and intentionally decided to wait until graduating to provide my own opinion as someone who successfully completed a doctoral degree. NCU is good school. You will not be successful in the Ph.D. program if you are not a competent self-starter who actively participates in your own completion of all academic requirements during the courses. The comprehensive exam at the end of your academic courses is not a joke. You must articulate your ability to think and communicate at a doctoral level in order to pass the exam (as is expected in any worthwhile school). The dissertation process is equally as arduous--but for a good reason. You are providing new knowledge to the area of research you chose to conduct your dissertation on. The academic rigor and scientific method are upheld by your committee members, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the academic reviewer who all provide input and direction into your research/dissertation. In the end, I would not want to compromise the quality of my dissertation simply for the sake of obtaining a degree. Likewise, the reputation of the instructors and dissertation committee members are reflected in the quality of a Ph.D. candidate's dissertation efforts. They are all professors at other universities and/or leaders in their respective professional areas of expertise. The teachers (or mentors as they are called) are all doctorate-level instructors--unlike some of the brick and mortar schools that only require Masters-level degrees. Some mentors are excellent and others are not that effective (just like any other school regardless of prestige). The biggest misconception that many new doctoral students tend to make is that they assume everything should be directed and specified in the smallest detail to them-- that is not the point of post-graduate degrees (especially a Ph.D.). You are expected to begin performing as an independent, self-motivated researcher who has the potential to be considered an expert in a particular field of study by the time you graduate. As such, NCU's Ph.D. program provides that opportunity for professional and personal self-development for serious students who also possess the requisite skills to begin and complete such a demanding degree program. NCU is not a "degree mill" whatsoever. The faculty expect a student to perform to the standards that are established in writing. Also, Ph.D. students are only as successful as the effort they make to read, read, read... and read some more on their area of study. This takes practice and it takes dedication over the years you will sacrifice to complete your doctoral degree. My Ph.D. program took me 5 years to complete. It was not easy. It was often very frustrating and I was exhausted weeks and months at a time from the relentless school work; revising of papers, demands of working through every single holiday and weekend without a break, and sacrificing personal time that I could be enjoying with family and friends in order to achieve this goal. But a Ph.D. is never supposed to be easy. You can never fully prepare yourself for the challenges of a doctoral degree. However, I am very proud to say that NCU offered a viable, relevant Ph.D. program that met my expectation as a legitimate degree-producing university. The future is in online classes-- those who make short-sighted comments about the perceived worthiness of a virtual university need to consider the significant shift in how academic programs are being redesigned for those who grew up in a world of quickly-changing technology. I highly recommend NCU for those who are capable and willing to fulfill all the obligations necessary for a doctoral degree. You will not be disappointed (regardless of the numerous frustrations you might face along the way) as you successfully defend your dissertation and your committee members say, “Congratulations, Doctor...”

Have not graduated yet. Reached dissertation phase and am two years into the dissertation. The predissertation classes prepare you and several times a year require that dissertation related prep work be turned in. This includes extensive bibliographies, annotated biblio and essays/term papers related to the dissertation. When Pre-diss was completed, the rules changed and annotated biblio requirement was dropped. Several changes in how to engage in, write, report, assess you work for plagiarism, and hand in your work changed. The grading methods changed twice requiring everything be resubmitted and reworked from scratch. Then the rules for PHD committee changed, from your Chair assessing you most of the way, to all three committee members assess your work. After one year, the second year of the dissertation, my work went back to the need to redo from chapter 1, due to another program admin change and submission of proof of work change. The improvements requested went in circles, and kept changing for to changes in committee members. So, that cost me one year of tuition and related costs; no sufficient services or help were provided. My chair changed three times; they had trouble finding someone with an adequate background to oversee the work. I requested a disability related (brain surgery for epilepsy) reduction in work speed and increases in attendance breaks; they were very hesitant to do this, and my suspicion was the lack of continuity would cost me another Dissertation Chair. This program suffice for younger students; this would be my fifth 4+ year degree program. Compared with most schools, the schools ability is very limited and they don't like to stop the conveyor belt approach they are using. I am surprised this problem hasn't been resolved. They disenroll you if you ask for an extended break or any special needs to be met. Neurosurgery and head injury students take a risk with this school due to administrative actions. There is a total disconnect between advisors, loan officers and enrollment admin. You are forced to enroll even if you don't have your loan money yet. Otherwise you are disenrolled. Once you sign into a vlass, you owe the money regardless. If you don't sign on to a class, you are disenrolled. Administratively, they have major problems. I appreciate very much my teachers/mentors. I don't appreciate the institutions noncompliance with ADA. Trying to continue via a more professionally supporting venue.

I am a couple classes away from completing my MBA through Northcentral University. The university is very affordable and offers flexible scheduling. will definitely recommend this school to others in the future. Thanks NCU for a great experience.

For the past 4 days, I was enrolled in Northcentral University in the Master of Education Program. I have decided to drop my course and officially withdraw from Northcentral University. I have reached the conclusion that Northcentral University's Foundations of Education for Graduate Study is nothing more than busywork. If you want a high-quality university that offers online degrees, I recommend Grand Canyon University. Bye bye Northcentral University

I have been working full time and attending NCU. The course work was rigorous and required a high level of self-discipline. The course work was interesting and could be improved, but any process can always be improved. Many of my instructors were very helpful and I spoke with all of my instructors because I needed more interaction with my faculty. I worked hard and earned every grade, and it was challenging. I had instructors that were knowledgeable and were responsive to my needs. I teach in higher education and have been teaching for 16 years as well as consult and have extensive business experience. My EdD was truly an experience and extremely challenging. I have also worked as an advisor at another educational institution. So, I have been on both sides, serving and supporting students. I cannot speak for others and do not know the extent of their situations. I am sorry for your experience. I had some poor experiences at NCU; however, that comes with any situation, job, or event in life. It is how one navigates through the experience. In one bad situation, I had to go to the NCU leadership for assistance. In the end, it worked out well and I have to admit, the change made a difference whether I completed my degree successfully or not. I give God the glory and thank those who participated in my learning experience at NCU. I have always recommended NCU to my students and will continue. I wish everyone well.

My experience with NCU was positive. The DBA program is very rigorous. The courses are well designed and challenging. You will need to be willing to put the time and effort into the program; be self-motivated; and do well as an independent researcher.

Many years ago, I enrolled in NCU's EdD program in Educational Technology Management. I did not have any issues with the courses per se as I know that you have to be extremely self-directed to complete such courses. I enjoy online learning a lot, and especially enjoyed this program, because it did not have any discussion board posts or silly online activities. Instead, all of the classes were based strictly on writing papers, researching, etc. I truly did learn a lot in the subject area. I also liked that I was able to finish the courses before the official end date. I even finished one of the courses in a span of 10 days (that was hard to do!) The problem came when the University decided to not only change requirements in the middle of my program, but, the constant tuition increases were becoming an on-going issue. It was at this time that the University put into place new attendance policies, increased tuition several times, and changed many of the requirements of the degree program. I know from several other students who were past their course work and into the "research, comp, IRB, dissertation phases" that there were several issues at the university which were severely affecting the reputation of the school. There was even a student (one of the top students at the university) who earned her PhD at the school who, at the time, complained about all of the changes going on and encouraged students to speak up about it. Because of these issues, especially with regard to the constant tuition increases, I decided to earn the certificate of advanced graduate studies instead. When I look back, I am thankful that I made the change for the following reasons below. First, I understand that earning a doctoral degree is a huge goal and undertaking. I also know that the reputation of a school is important. Unfortunately, in today's world, there is still a negative perception of online, for profit universities. I know that it is a controversial subject. However, I made the decision that having a doctoral degree from an online, for profit university would not make sense as I would not want to run the risk of listing this on my resume and being passed over because of the perceptions many people have of such universities. I would prefer to attend an online program at a state university instead. Second, I did not leave NCU in huge amounts of debt. I WOULD have had I stayed in the EdD program as tuition kept increasing overtime. I was able to get the same pay salary increase with my certificate of advanced graduate studies as I would have with the EdD. And third, I did not want to risk having a doctoral degree from a for profit university, since, as we know, they can go out of business over time. I always had in the back of my mind that this university was actually a business, and businesses can go out of business pretty quickly. So, while I may have been disappointed in not continuing with the doctoral program, when I look back all of these years later, I know that I made the right decision and am thankful that I did not blow all my money (that I didn't have) on a doctoral degree that would possibly be laughed at by future employers.

NCU is the worst university you can possibly attend. I've been there for over three years and have had seven different academic advisors. Currently I am in the internship phase and have received NO support. When I complain, I get ignored and yesterday spoke with the chair of the department and he basically verbally harassed me. It takes a week to a month for a supervisor to return emails/calls, if they ever do. They do not care about the students. My mentors were average and a few were great. Overall, it has been a horrible experience. Stay away from NCU!

It's too bad that this school treated me badly - I went through a life and death struggle with cancer while attending this program. Now I have my DBA degree - 30 years hands on experience - and I can't find one online teaching job. Crazy. I know I have better skills than any professor out there. 5 yrs and 50K later - Nothing

I just graduated from the EdD program. NCU was my first experience with a 100% online degree program. The foundational courses were great. The readings were current and to the point, assignments aligned with course objectives and instructors provided prompt and thoughtful feedback. At the dissertation level, working alone as an independent researcher is tough. I think, as in any school, getting a supportive Chair is critical. The dissertation process includes a concept paper, research proposal, IRB review and, finally, acceptance of the dissertation and the defense. Based on the schools I attended as part of my post-secondary education, I found the level of academic rigor at NCU comparable to the others. For an adult in the midst of a demanding career, taking on a degree program is a real challenge. It takes a lot of perseverance to stick with the program but, given all my time commitments, the online option was the only choice for me.

I recently obtained my PhD in education from NCU. It was a wonderful educational experience and exceeded my expectations. The process was rigorous; NCU is not for the faint of heart. If one is not highly motivated, self-initiated, and willing to sacrifice to the demands of a PhD program, success will not be likely. It took 5 years to complete my degree, with no less than a 40-hour per week commitment. Northcentral provided an extremely challenging educational experience, but I expected nothing less for a terminal degree. Contrary to many of the reviewers, I completed my concept paper in my first dissertation course, found staff and mentors to be engaged, knowledgeable, and supportive, and never encountered the "for profit" mentality suggested by some. I highly recommend this university.

Classic Bait and Switch. The sales staff promise you the world. The operations staff fail to deliver. So.... Northcentral University apparently got sick of me badmouthing their school and my continuous public requests for an 8 year old refund for my first doctorate course that I never began because my dad became very ill suddenly. They have blocked me from posting on their FB advertisements. But apparently, by sharing their advertisement onto my FB page I can continue to make disparaging comments about the money grubbing, diploma mill that is Northcentral University. This seems like yet another viable venue to warn the masses that NCU is unethical and reprehensible in their business dealings. Beward! Hey NCU - consider this a pseudo petition for a very past due refund!

Overall, the dissertation sequence of courses were no joke, it is an extremely challenging program. I recently completed this program and successfully defended my dissertation. I might add that the Doctoral program at NCU is challenging and requires you to be truly disciplined as an independent researcher and scholar.

For those like "Anonymous" who say that the complainers of NCU are the ones who couldn't make it, how and why do you presume to know what others have gone through and what level of knowledge, ability, and expertise they have? It's that kind of arrogance that causes people to misjudge others when they may have a legitimate complaint. I, for one, was scammed out of a Doctorate Degree from NCU. After sailing along with ALL A GRADES, I got into the research phase and was suddenly dismissed from the program, without warning or clear explanation. I don't have the time or space here to tell of the events that followed, but here are a few of the highlights: My adviser changed at least 5 times over the years; my doctorate committee chair changed twice; before I was dismissed, I had followed everything my chair had told me; my chair was "surprised" and did not understand why I was dismissed; NCU violated their own protocol for dismissal (guidelines stated that the student should be able to finish their existing class and they didn't allow me to do that); NCU did not tell me at the time of dismissal the options available; NCU did not refund money I had already paid for graduation. I'm not disputing your experience at NCU - but you should not dispute mine as well. You may have had a great experience. I'm glad for you. Mine was going well, and then it all fell out from under me - and NCU ditched me without much correspondence at all. I even wrote the University President - and was basically told by him that it was tough luck. So, enjoy your experience at NCU if you choose to go there. But don't make ridiculous statements about others' experiences which you know nothing about.

Northcentral University is a quality school that prepares students for academic research and clinical practice. I graduated with a doctoral degree in Psychology and teach full time at a nationally ranked University. Students who are complaining about NCU are the one's who most likely failed out of the school!

For those of you thinking of obtaining a graduate degree, online programs seem to be a convenience solution for working adults. However, not all online schools are alike. Most are private institutions that are about making money rather than providing a quality education. Northcentral University (NCU) is one such case. NCU is a for profit business owned by a private equity firm. The focus of NCU is revenue generation derived from continuous enrollment and high retention numbers. For high enrollment, NCU will admit anyone with the required degree for the graduate program even if they cannot write a grammatically correct sentence. For student retention, NCU faculty engages in grade inflation. NCU used to have a policy where if a student did not pass a course the instructor would not get paid, which means a lot of undeserving students passed courses. But a focus on revenue generation, easy enrollment, and retention are not main reasons to shun NCU and select a more reputable university. The following are 10 reasons why pursuing a graduate degree at NCU is a waste of your time and money. 1. Unfortunately, “As” and “Bs” given at NCU will not take you far. Rampant grade inflation ends when you enter the comprehensive exam (comps) phase. In most cases you will not be able to successfully complete comps, as you have not been properly prepared by your prior course work. 2. One reason you will not be prepared to pass comps and complete your dissertation is because most instructors (a/k/a mentors) are not academically qualified to teach the courses they have been assigned. Although NCU markets that all faculty hold doctorates, faculty are assigned courses where they have limited professional experience and little or no academic qualifications. I personally know of 12 instructors who teach courses where they have zero academic or practical training in the subject. I know several more who have never published a peer-reviewed article. Most of the faculty from NCU graduated from inferior schools. For instance, you probably will notice that Harvard and Yale graduates aren’t teaching and designing courses at NCU. Few faculty members graduated from state colleges either. Most faculty members come from other online universities and degree mills. I knew of one “doctor” who obtained his degree from an unaccredited school located in Costa Rica. I knew of another “doctor” who actually bought his degree and obtained transcripts from an online service. Because instructors at NCU are not familiar with the material they grade, faculty serve as mere graders. 3. Another reason you will not be prepared to pass comps or complete your dissertation is because students are not prepared for the rigor of completing their dissertation during the coursework phase. Statistics indicate only 2% to 3% of all business doctoral candidates will receive their doctorate. If you do not graduate you’ve blown thousands of dollars for absolutely nothing. 4. If being unprepared by unqualified faculty was not bad enough, these same instructors hold students in contempt and distain and do not care about student success in spite of what you’re told. Many NCU students who enter a doctoral program cannot write or read English even at a grammar school level. Management has told me they are fully aware of the problem but do not care -- after all NCU is about profit. If faculty cared about student success they would not placate students by giving undeserved “As” and “Bs” rather adhere to minimal academic standards of writing and critical analysis skills. 5. The reason most students want to obtain a degree is to get a better job. The challenge is no value exists to a NCU degree in private industry. Your degree will not impress employers and could negatively affect your ability to secure a job especially if you do not have professional experience in your field. Because NCU is an electronic correspondence school, employers do not consider the degree on par with state schools. NCU has earned a bad reputation among many employers. I am familiar with 8 instances where employers refused to accept candidates who hold NCU degrees. 6. Many NCU courses are using course materials that are outdated, irrelevant to the subject, and or do not provide the student with a base of knowledge to successfully complete the weekly assignment. 7. Most courses are poorly designed, likely because the course designers are not subject matter experts either academically or through work experience. Most course content in the business programs are not even appropriate for the specific degree program. 8. Each course is set up so students can earn a maximum of 100 points. I taught a doctoral level accounting course where the total points a student could earn was five points less than the NCU requirement. No instructor noticed or bothered to report the discrepancy until I came along. The mistake had continued for five years – in an accounting class where the instructors are supposed to be detail oriented and able to add. Either the instructors did not notice or simply didn’t care -- another commentary on the attitude instructors have toward student learning. 9. Do not be fooled by the Teaching Through Feedback method at NCU. Faculty is supposed to provide you feedback on your work and instill in you what you need to do to improve on your next assignment. Although the Teaching Through Feedback method is part of instructor training, few instructors adhere to the teaching method and do not give useful and actionable feedback. Considering faculty is paid $25 per week per student, you can’t really blame them. 10. Through the grapevine I was aware of at least one case where NCU did not abide by state labor laws. I know the preceding because I was a faculty member in the School of Business and Technology Management at NCU. I have also worked at other online universities and the differences between NCU and those schools were phenomenal and striking. You will be treated as a revenue source not as a student. You will have instructors who often will know less about the subject matter than you. You will be held in contempt and distain. If you still want to attend NCU, you have been warned.

My learning experience at NCU was very positive. As with all online programs, you have to be very self-motivated and driven. You need to be willing to devote time to your studies every week, and you need to be willing to work hard for your degree. If you do that, you will be fine. The NCU professors and supporting staff were accessible and helpful. The weekly assignments were meaningful, the expectations were stated clearly, and the grading was fair. Working with my dissertation chair on my research project was a wonderful experience which prepared me well for my "life after dissertation".

I fully agree with the remarks by “Danamariebrace.” NCU was a pioneer in on-line PhD program and as a result had some significant learning curves; however, they have a proactive team that continues to improve the process. They have moved-on non-performing chairs and have well organized alignment with subject matter and methods experts. The now late Dean of PSU IST, in comparing the two programs, stated to me that the range of dissertation chair quality and experience is no different from that of in-resentence programs. Ultimately the PhD candidate is responsible for their own research. If things are not progressing administratively well, then waiting will not make that issue improve. As with our careers, as professionals, it is our own responsibility to take ownership for our learning experience. Academia is not a vocational monkey see monkey do environment. Even though a professor could tell you how to do something, instead they direct you to expand or look into xyz in guiding you to improve as a professional researcher. It is up to you to comb through everything and flip all assumptions to facts. As for coursework, the same applies. If a person does not apply the information to their life experiences within their individual courses and papers then they are wasting their time. It is not just a degree or paper or title, it is you and a professional having the opportunity to expand your topic awareness within the course and beyond the boundaries of the course. If simply doing what is required to get a grade is the objective then the opportunity is lost. Complaints on motivation speak for themselves. It is not the job of a professor to motivate a student. We are either self-motivated in everything we do or we are not. As with everything, NCU is an opportunity. As an Air Force retiree, it provided me an opportunity that otherwise would not have been possible. Enough crying. Take ownership and responsibility for oneself. If aspects of your educational process could be improved…be part of the solution. Best of luck.

I have completed my MA in Education and am currently working on my PhD in Education here at Northcentral University. The programs are geared for independent learners. If you have the ability to research, read, and write high quality authentic work you should be successful. Navigating the website requires a learner that has a comprehensive base in technology. Programs are systematically designed to challenge learners to explore and learn about their field in an inquiry approach to learning. Mentors are available and facilitate a learning experience that is based on open communication. As prior military and an educator for 10 years, I find Northcentral an important and viable educational tool.

I'm working on my EdD and just completed my second class at NCU. Thus far I am very happy with the program. Actually, I am VERY satisfied with the 2 instructors I've had. They have been very helpful and bombard me with information even when I haven't asked for it. Their critiques are VERY thorough but they do it in such a way that it isn't demoralizing. It's certainly tough putting in the necessary hours after a pond day's work, but it is the ONLY way to be successful. Lastly, and most importantly, I am learning a lot of very useful information much of which I have already incorporated into my profession. I have no regrets selecting NCU. P.S. I will keep everyone updated as I move closer to my dissertation.

I completed the PhD in BA and one thing that might help people is that the course work and comprehensive exams should not be the focus of your career at a Doctoral program. You should try to finish that as quickly as possible and just worry about getting a passing grade. The real work is in the Dissertation. Don't think that traditional school is all that much better either. You should prepare yourself for the Dissertation by reading around a dozen research quality books on your topic and have at least 50-100 peer reviewed papers read before you start. You need to write a 200-300 page thesis of original work and ideally have 1-3 papers distilled from your thesis. That's my advice, pick your topic carefully so you know a lot about it and can write extensively on it. Most of the problems noted seem related to the PhD process in general. Although I think the online format may make things harder. After graduating, I found NCU PhD marketable and helpful in my job search.

I hear what folks say when they state, "not everyone is cut out for a doctorate." That is in many respects true. The issue I have/had with NCU is the apathy I found with the professors and especially my dissertation chair and committee. The committee members kept changing because of turnover and I had to nearly start from new when that happened. In a bricks n' mortar university you have a chair who is accessible and who gets to know you and invest in you. Not so with NCU. It is far too easy to write people off when you don't see their faces or listen to the ideas and concepts of the dissertation. I've a friend that went through a doctoral program at U of Texas and I saw him interact daily with his chair. I found attending NCU to be a monumental mistake that I will pay for until my mid-sixties. Not a great way to treat people. And, NCU, we are people.

When I first inquired about NCU and expressed my concerns about being able to find supervision during my practicum, I was told not to worry and that they would help me every step to ensure placement. They also told me that MFT's are constantly entering the field, so it shouldn't be a problem finding a supervisor for my clinicals. I also expressed to the academic supervisor that I am not able to quit my job; my job has to come first and again, was told this would not be a problem, students work full time while completing their degree. What they didn't tell me is that the students who are working full time are also asking for extensions to complete their hours and paying extra to ensure they have the extra time. I enjoyed my classes; however, when it came to practicum, I had no support and was told, "why weren't you looking before now?" I explained that I made it very clear when I started the program that my job was very demanding. I was never made aware at any point that I only had so long before I was being "dismissed" from the program. I did reach out for help, but was told I could sort through the 600 MFT's in Oklahoma and call and see if someone would be willing to become a supervisor. The closest I could find is 2 1/2 hours away from me. I feel they lied to me about the availability of MFT's in my area. I also feel they did not have adequate data to support their claims about MFT's coming into the field every day in my area. I am at 36 hours and no chance at a degree at this point. I feel they mislead students (of course it's money driven) into thinking there are many opportunities, when in fact, they have no data about a student's location.

Many instances of poor writing are evident that was produced by the faculty, including the dissertation chair. The writing does not meet upper-division and graduate-University writing requirements--the composition consists of short choppy sentences that are of the same sentence style, and that frequently contain modification and predication problems. Much about subordination and coordination should be important to the administrators and faculty of NCU. Their awkward wording conveys problems--readers are bound to misinterpret passages such as, "With the increasing turnover rates, the specific problem was to investigate..." Please notice that the introductory phrase incoherently modifies its subject in this case. As an introductory phrase, it illogically relates to its subject. Comprehensive and logical wording should be, for example, "the...turnover rates caused the specific problem..." Furthermore, the specific problem cannot investigate--only an individual or group of individuals can investigate. The problem in this case was the effect of increasing turnover rates on the emotional intelligence of the leader; and, the related loss of profitability. As this passage is worded in the Best Practices for the Concept Paper example, no distinct cause-and-effect relationship is conveyed between the subject and predicate, and the absence of a fully logical connection between the subject and predicate leads to confusion. Even more trying are the oxymoronic passages such as, "If you turn in a revised milestone document, you do not need to turn in a status update", and, "Please update me each week by the due date with your progress for the week"--"it is very important to NCU policy that you turn in a weekly progress report." The first clause in this case obviously is contradicted by the 2nd and 3rd clauses. Awkward wording such as this is common in the NCU Syllabi and Welcome Letters. Furthermore, my objectively worded questions about such awkward wording were ignored by the Chair, mentors, and advisors. These mentors and Chairs have not diligently pursued the subject that they are intending to instruct; nor have they prepared their syllabi. They have not read what I've submitted, and the feedback from my Chair is poorly written. Is such incoherent writing common in America today? She is not knowledgeable in language education. Wherever I have edited and revised reports and assignments for students, and as I have worked avidly in class, my faculty members have expressed gratitude for my contributions. Avid reading and writing skills clearly are not appreciated by the highly paid Department Chairs at NCU who do not understand that many students today graduate with their first degree only to discover that their senior parental figures sold their home and moved to another community. Private-interest groups are dominating financial outlets so unjustly that the literary standards of the U.S. are declining. Scholarly writing should be void of faulty expletives--poorly focused sentences that use "it" and "there" with no reference to what "it" and "there" mean. Sentences with "there" are existential sentences that should mean "there exists." However, such expletive patterns, including "it [+ a conjugation of the infinitive 'to be']" are commonly overused and misused. Conscientious University instructors do not boast steadily about their achievements as they ignore the need to answer critical questions and to improve their wording. Learning institutions must include a faculty of instructors who are concerned about proficient communicative interaction between instructor and student; and, they must convey a sense of responsibility and accountability for their actions. If NCU representatives sincerely were concerned about achieving educational goals, they would offer valid feedback with each assignment that they return to their students. Appallingly, they have been intensely offended that I posed concern about their contradictory and awkward wording. Yes, I passed the Comps and DIS1, and my GPA is 3.97; yet, the NCU system abounds in incoherent wording, communication gaps, and superiority complexes that are not evident in the most highly accredited learning institutions; consequently, I must report my observations and experiences about inevitable misunderstandings that are inherent in the Chair-Committee-student scenario. The mentors and chair do not converse or relate interactively with students about textbook assignments and milestone projects. The consequences will be severe now that I have complained to my advisor and the BBB about my NCU Chair. I complained because she is not knowledgeable in the areas of English and language instruction, which are the topics of my research in the instruction of English as a second language. In fact, I have learned that NCU maintains no English Department or English-credentialed instructor whatsoever. The salesmen who enrolled me did not reveal this issue to me. Since then, I have offered to edit/revise their literature. However, neither my Advisor nor Chair have responded conscientiously about the issues that I have shared here--these being but a couple of many more communication problems that are inherent in the operations of NCU. Of course, subversion is occurring throughout our nation today. Our academic standards are being compromised as we must interact with strangers who after all may advocate for war rather than for peaceful resolve. One may read and report about what one has read at NCU, but that may render naught as the NCU mentors and Chair are not supporting an active learning agenda. Neither are they accounting for the original promises that their sales people promised their perspective students. They should be willing to work with me; however, they are predisposed in their own agenda and private interests to respond appropriately with any hint even that they have read my work or the assigned textbooks. One would hope for improved attitudes and performance levels. Overwhelming is the quest of the faculty and staff for thousands of dollars and more, with no regard for the quality of their product. Without a doubt, active-duty military members and governmental employees are an asset for NCU's reputation, credibility, and financial portfolio. Remember, though, that these students are working from a business orientation that does not parallel the high literary standards of upper-division and graduate academia. Profit-mindedness is causing a deterioration of our national academic standards and excellent verbal skills that include critical and analytical reading and writing proficiencies. English majors who represent Cambridge and Oxford Universities and other Universities throughout the world would not approve of the practices to which I have referred here.

I have one more course to complete a MA in psychology. I have been happy with most instructors and material. I think some of the books were written for BA level however. What I really want to know is if my degree is going to be worth the paper it is written on. Is it going to be accepted as proper credentials to teach?

I am active duty in the military and I used tuition assistance to fund my MBA, CAGS, and PhD through NCU. The price is very reasonable since the school offers a scholarship for active duty military. I only had to pay an extra $175/per class, so compared to other online universities (Capella, University of Phoenix, Walden), the cost of this school is definitely more reasonable. I have another doctorate degree from a brick and mortar school, and it is definitely better than an online format. I would have probably learned more if I received my MBA and PhD if I also went to a traditional setting again. Unfortunately, I could not afford to do that because of family and because of my full time job. An online school school was the next best thing for me. I was able to get my degrees, spend time with the family, and also be effective at work. More importantly, I do not have any student loans. Compared to other accredited online schools, I don't think NCU is better or worse but it is definitely more affordable. I also learned some and made me more competitive for advancement. Overall, I recommend this school to active duty personnel who are using TA. If you are AD, do not waste your hard-earned money or GI bill on other online schools. By the way, I do not understand how some people on the reviews can spend 12 dissertation courses and not even finish their concept paper. Prior to your dissertation, you spend every class on the different phases of the dissertation, so you should almost have a completed dissertation prior to even starting your dissertation. I completed my dissertation a little over my 5th dissertation course. I am glad that people are complaining about low graduation rates for PhD. It just shows that the school is not just a diploma mill. It makes me feel better about completing my degree.

Northcentral University was the WORST educational experience of my life. The practices were unfair,unreasonable; they employed some of the most awful teachers ever, who should not even be allowed to teach; they don't care about the students; and they wasted my time and money. Do NOT go there!

I have a masters already.I my program at inch the first CLASS required 5 texts. They charged me for 5 I received only 2. The next course required only 1 guess what out of stock. Their advice was go on Amazon. They gave me a refund course 2 one text required of course their bookstores does not have it Now I am.being penalized for not doing the assignment.I went a step ahead to my next course to buy a book from their store it was out of stock. My advice to them open a used car lot sell the car tell the buyer after you got the money oh get your keys down the block and the person who bought and paid finds out the keys are out of stock?and by the way the will be towed in seven day's if you can't drive it out!!

I have completed all the coursework and my comps and can't get past the concept paper. This is my second dissertation course and was told by my chair it would take numerous courses before it's approved. I requested a change in chair since my questions are never answered preventing me from making satisfactory progress. I have asked my chair numerous questions in the weekly checkins and never receive an answer. She makes comments in her response that indicates she hasn't even read what I posted. I finally called, had a 20 minute conversation where I was told I was rude and would receive a warning for student misconduct if I didn't act more respectfully. I asked why my questions were never answered and why I still hadn't received a copy of her specific Change Matrix and I was told I acknowledge receipt of it. When I pointed out that my first week checkin stated I had not received it and requested she send another copy she said she would. I received it 12 days later after I requested it for a third time. The I received a letter from the dean that a permanent letter of student misconduct was in my records. Everything cited in the letter was a lie and I was never even given a chance to refute the allegation. This after 8 years of stellar performance and a 3.9 GPA. My advice - stay away.

It is hard to understand a person who indicates his/ her PhD program was at the bachelors level but they kept going for 7 years and paid thousands of dollars. Why did they not stop before all that. Seems suspicious to me someone would keep putting themselves through such torture and then complain later. Makes no sense to me. NCU is a good school that offers you the opportunity to move forward. If you cannot hack it do not go. I found them to be supportive and the instructor met with me in person and showed genuine concern. I'm sorry it did not work out for some but I certainly found the school to be outstanding.

I completed all pre-dissertation coursework with a 3.9 GPA and passed my comprehensive exam on the first try with over a 98%. I am a great student and have been successful in all of my classes at NCU. Keep in mind I have been at this for over 7 years, and I have paid tens of thousands out of my own pocket for my PhD at NCU. But, as others have said, the dissertation process is next-to-impossible to complete. I never got past the concept paper phase. My dissertation chair was changed over 4 times, and all of the chairs were incompetent, unavailable, unhelpful, and unprofessional. As others have said, the classes did not even exceed a bachelors level of difficulty. And, instructor help was not even present in the coursework portion of the degree. But, they HANG YOU OUT TO DRY in the dissertation portion of the degree. This may serve as a WARNING to those who may follow. DO NOT GIVE NCU one penny of your hard-earned money. It is a SCAM school. I am not happy to have spent $30K+ and 7+ years of my life for nothing. I personally know a handful of people who are having the same experience. They take your money and provide nothing in return. I wonder how they are even able to stay in business. Let's unite and put an end to the madness. NCU needs to cease to exist. It is time the truth about this school be made known.

Just like you, I was interested in reading current and former students' opinions of their experience at NCU. I can tell you that you will hear a TON of negative reviews. Yes, the graduation rate is lower in general for PhD programs than the national standard (37% versus 57% in 2005). But just keep in mind that not everyone is cut out to earn a PhD. It is supposed to be hard! Don't let that deter you from choosing this school. If you are looking for a solid education with amazing support staff and mentors (that is what the professors are called) that provide valuable feedback, then this is the place to go. When I was researching schools to attend (online because it wasn't possible with my schedule to go to a traditional B&M school), what really swayed me was the "no residency" requirement and the one-on-one classroom model. The thing I hated about my MBA was half my grade resulted from group work. The classes at NCU run for either 8 weeks or 12 weeks, and you really have the chance to start exploring and doing research on your chosen dissertation topic early in the process. Your coursework makes up the first two years of your studies, then you take a 12 week comprehensive exam. Once you pass that, you are deemed a doctoral candidate. It is at that point you start your concept paper. The concept paper is a 9 page paper that explores your chosen topic. Once that is accepted, you are able to start on your dissertation. Unlike many other PhD programs where you pretty much have to write your dissertation and then find out if it is accepted or not, if your concept paper doesn't pass then you didn't just waste years of writing. The biggest complaint I hear from other students further in the program is the lack of valuable feedback or mentors that take way too long to comment on work. The school has a 21 day feedback policy once you get into the dissertation phase and a 4 day policy with regular coursework. The program is challenging, especially if you are not good at managing your time. It was suggested to me that hiring an editor as early as the comprehensive exam is smart because they are able to pinpoint issues with your writing and identify grammatical/APA formatting mistakes so you don't have to keep rewriting your work. The mentors are not there to teach you, but more to guide you. In a PhD program, there shouldn't be anything new to teach since you have already gone through at least seven years of college prior to your acceptance into the program. The support staff at the school have been excellent in my opinion, from the initial advisers signing you up for your classes, to financial aid, down to the academic support center they have. If you need help with any of your classes, you can utilize their tutoring services, which they provide twice a week for free. I used it for my Stats course and it helped me tremendously. The books for this program are so much lower than any other school I have gone to, even when compared to my undergraduate degree at a state university. And they reuse some of the books in future classes! Do yourself a favor and disregard the negativity that comes from some of the comments here on this site and others. That's what I did because I read a few reviews that said just what I am saying to you. It doesn't matter what school you go to, online or B&M, you will get people that aren't satisfied with their experience. Just think about it, are you more likely to fill out a survey if you have a negative or positive experience? Most people would say negative. This is why I wrote this response to educate prospective students out there. Don't listen to the noise! If you are looking for a challenge in an independent home environment where the only person that can fail you is you, then consider NCU. The grades I have received are not easy to get so I really feel like I worked for those grades. I am much more satisfied with my education at this school than in either of my Master degree programs or my undergraduate program.

I was able to learn about business admin and finance by performing the readings. I was disappointed in the low engagement of the faculty. The dissertation phase seems to be about dragging out the process rather than fostering progress, this is frustrating to a business person. I worked in high level positions for 20 years, and have an MBA from an AA accredited university. Ask them about their graduation rate. In a student only conference call, they seemed to brag about their low graduation rate, implying it indicates rigor, rather than failure. You decide.

This is one of the worst schools for quality of instructors and support for the Doctoral degree. There was no guidance about course selection and very little communication either from the school or my so-called Advisor. Their lack of written communication was shown to me as being my fault since I did not give them a change of address nor new email address. When I specifically showed them on their database that they had my correct email and home address, they did not respond. I had completed all the course work and comprehensive exams and was in the Dissertation phase when they supposedly dropped me from their program as non-responsive. When I requested re-activation, I was then told that I needed two new courses plus the Dissertation and that I would have to basically start the program over again. I was not happy. I wasted a lot of time and money.

My experience with NC thus far has been extremely positive. I study anywhere from 40 to 80 hours per week, working on my doctoral degree. If you are not willing to work for your degree, you will not like the high academic standards at NC. But if you are sincere about your education, I dare say you will love it like I do. I researched online schools for six years before deciding on NC. Did you know the school is highly rated and becoming known as the "Harvard online school?" And, mentors have always answered my questions within 24 hours. I highly recommend this school. True, a lot drop out, but if you are willing to put in the necessary work, you will be happy. Also, the price for this school is average in comparison to other doctoral degree programs. Good luck and study hard for the degree!

The core curiculum will tak a couple of years, cost $20,000 or so. You will get good grades, and then take a "comprehensive" exam, which will cover nothing which you have covered in the previous couple of years. The chances are high that you will fail, and then (for another $2,500), you will take it again, and you will pass. Then you will be assigned a "Dissertation Committee Chairperson", who will most likely be an expert in a discipline other than yours. You will then be required to write a concept paper, and the only issues reviewed will be citation format, whether it is in the NCU library data base (God forbid that it's not...no matter how important it is..."peer reviewed"), the age of your references, your justification for using them (annotated bibliography... why, strength, weaknesses, etc.), and whether you quoted the authors too closely (not whether you've cited them). The chances are high that you will never finish your concept paper. Each "Disertation Research" course requires 10 sbmissions, whereby your "Dissertation Committee Chairperson" will review part of your work, and request that you revise it. You will probably receive no suggestions or explanations. The submissions are to be made by Sunday evening, and you will usually receive the correction on Friday. Your weekends will be no longer yours. It's impossible to work on your paper during the week, because of the slow turnaround by the "Dissertation Committee Chairperson". By the way...Yyou will never speak to, or even know the names of the other committee members, or the Dean of your school. The school will change your "Dissertation Committee Chairperson" without your consent, which will, of course, require you to revise your "Introduction", "Problem" and "Purpose" statements, as well as your "Theoretical Framework" review. Remember...your Chairperson will also likely be from a discipline other than yours, so you will basically have to convince a layperson of the legitimacy of your concept...in the strict arbitrary format which the school proscribes...difficult, if not impossible. My personal discipline was international business I'm a CPA in Germany), and my Chairpersons were from the school of education somewhere on the east coast. Each 10 week course will cost $2,540 for the first year, and then $950 every 10 weeks thereafter. The part-time professors (often in other parts or time-zones in the US) really only want to keep you in the program as long as possible, so that the school can keep collecting tuition. Finally, if and when you ever have your concep paper approved, you can start on your dissertation an dissertation research, and can expect to spend another couple of years and another $10,000 researching and writing your paper. In the end, you will probably spend $50,000 to $60,000 getting a Doctorate from a school with a poor reputation, regional accreditation (only) and with professors who do not come from your field...ergo, they will not be able to help you through their relationships in your profession or academia. One more thing. It's almost impossible to contact your "Dissertation Committee Chairpersons" by telephone or Skype, so you will probabl have no personal relationship with them, just as the administration is difficult to contact (Dean, Academic Advisor, etc.).

I enrolled in Northcentral University in 2010 with hopes to have a good academic experience but most of all to earn my DBA in Business Management. Instructors are referred to as "Mentors" but they really don't help much. If you have a question, you send an e-mail and keep your fingers crossed that you receive a response before your assignment is due. You are paying only to be able to submit your work online. All prior universities I attended you were given an school e-mail, not at NCU, your personal e-mail is used for communication. Out of the four years I have attended, I've always experience issues with communicating with instructors in a timely manner. They pretty much set you up for failure. I did well in all my classes, accumulated tons of loans, only to get to the last three classes and did not do good with my COMP exam according to the instructor, after failing the class I appealed the grade but my academic advisor was no help, actually she encouraged me not to appeal, her advice was "there's a slim chance that you will be granted another try". I asked to speak with the dean no one would allow me to speak with the dean, it was like everyone I called was instructed to tell me the same thing. My advisor as well as the re-entry coordinator both stated they could offer me a Masters Degree versus allowing me to remain in the doctoral program. I already have two Masters what did I need with another one. This school is a huge RIP Off, I wouldn't advise anyone to go here unless you have $$$$ to give away. I feel that I just wasted four years of my life and paying for it dearly. Something needs to be done to stop schools like NCU from taking students money and giving them nothing in return.

I was treated with respect the entire time I was enrolled from 2/03 to 10/08. I completed the PhD program and will tell you this took tremendous work on my part. If you get past yourself and get out of the way you can most likely make it. No one will hold your hand and the faculty will expect you to perform as an adult. This is not suppose to be easy as a obtaining a PhD should not be a an small task. NCU does care and will work with you if you apply yourself and are not acting like an adolescent. Apply, work hard and it will happen for you. If you do not like putting in the time and effort that on-line requires then don't apply. Applying and then complaining makes no sense. Being lazy will catch up with you in this program. I'm glad the underachievers are weeded out. I think NCU offers a lot for those hungry enough to go to work. The complainers want an easy ride but will not find it at this university. I recommend those wanting to attend NCU have a sincere commitment to personal perseverance, aptitude and attitude. Couple all this with adult behavior then you can make it at NCU. I am glad I graduated from NCU. When I am testifying in the court room, which I do frequently as an expert, no one questions my credentials and often stipulate to my PhD from NCU.

I enrolled a decade ago and received my degree six years ago, so I can only speak from my experience of NCU as it was. Seems like the new owner is profit oriented versus the original founders and management actually cared about education. Regardless, I now teach online college courses in another institution, and I can definitely say that NCU overall is a good online school. It is up to the students to find instructors that are responsive and good with encouraging student interaction. This is true for both online as well as face-to-face class. I cannot speak about the tuition issue as I never ran into that. However, I think if you find a good dissertation chair that cares about your topic, and put together a committee that supports your research, you can get a lot out of your educational experience. Online means you must be self-motivated and persistent in chasing down your instructors. Like with all colleges, there will be professors that you tell yourself "never again" as well as those you say "I need to take more classes from this professor". I also found the tech support and library were so wonderful in helping me to solve all my problems so quickly. I have nothing but respect for my dissertation committee. I hope the current owners is able to sell this great institution to someone who can build and expand this great learning place that it was.

You'll undoubtedly see many reviews on sites like this that laud or lament NCU's online degree programs. The truth about NCU's program is that it's nothing special and mired in lagging technology and a frustrating lack of quality control. But any prospective NCU student should understand the following before enrolling at NCU: 1) Course drop policy: Dropping a course means you can exit the course without being on the hook for any tuition. Understanding the course drop deadline and how a student requests a drop are critical factors in assessing how flexible the program actually is. NCU has a seven day drop policy. Not totally unreasonable for eight week courses. But the devil is in the details. Consider that NCU starts all courses on Monday. That means the drop deadline is always the first Sunday night. The net effect of this policy is that NCU students have no access to any academic advisors from Friday evening at about 6pm MT until after the course drop deadline. Students can request a drop by email right up to the Sunday midnight deadline. But if you need advice, there’s nobody on the other end to help. Not exactly flexible or convenient. There are countless other online schools of equal or better value and reputation that offer a more student-friendly course drop policy and procedure. 2) Course refund policy: Once you’re past the course drop period—-the period when you can exit the course without any financial obligation—-exiting a course is most often a course withdrawal. Withdrawing from a course means you’re going to spend some cash. Many schools will offer a pro-rata refund based upon the number of weeks you attended a course before withdrawing. For example, withdrawing from a course in the second week might mean you’re obligated to pay 20% of the course tuition. If you withdraw in week 3, you’re on the hook for 30% and so on. Unfortunately, that’s not how they do it at NCU. I have seen countless students get ensnared in this devili$h trap. At NCU, students are obligated to pay the full course tuition even if they withdraw in week two. This could well seem to not be a big deal. Many students think they'll never need to be concerned about withdrawing from a course. Trust me, it happens to most students. And not always for academic reasons. Life happens. Spouse, kids, in-laws, car accidents, illness, death…you name it. At NCU, that’s really just too bad. If any such event occurs after the 7th day of your course and you need to withdraw from your course, NCU requires full tuition be paid. This is extremely inequitable, even predatory. My advice is to find a school with an equitable refund policy that doesn’t penalize life events. After all, you're probably going to school online precisely because you need flexibility. You don't have to choose a school that locks you in for full tuition on the 8th day. Many schools of greater value and prominence will credit you tuition on the "unused" portion of the course. This can add up to big money!!! If you attend a school like NCU with no pro-rata refund policy, you may as well add a 15%-20% contingency to your budget above the stated tuition. Chances are good you'll pay considerably more than you think. 3) Graduation Rate: Not only does NCU refuse to disclose its graduation rate, but they go out of their way to present alternative statistics about "completion rates" which exclude students who by definition don't complete their programs. It's extremely misrepresentative and a bit diabolical, to be frank. If you want to assure yourself that your degree is a worthwhile investment, consider having to tell a future employer or colleague that your degree was granted by a school that refuses to disclose fundamental statistics about its ability to enroll and graduate qualified students. If you get a degree online, you'll inevitably face those who (often rightly so) do not regard online degrees as comparable to traditional schools. So why make it worse by attending a lesser of the online schools? 4) NCU failed it 2011-2012 financial solvency test For the second time, NCU failed its solvency test, scoring in the bottom 1% of the over 3,300 schools tested. In addition, NCU's CFO just recently jumped ship. This really is reason enough to consider other schools instead. There could be no worse a fate for a masters or doctoral student than to learn half way through their degree program that the school has lost it's ability to accept financial aid or just plain goes out of business. Transferring credits at this level is extremely murky and limited....meaning you'd nearly be starting over. You can see the financial solvency composites scores reported by the federal government here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/about/data-center/school/composite-scores The best advice for any prospective online student is to do your research. Seriously, do your own due diligence and consider it the first research project of your program. These ratings forums are littered with smart people who didn't know what they were getting into until it was too late. Especially online, it can happen fast. If you do a good job researching your options, you'll have a much better chance to succeed. Best of luck!

Before reading my review, realize that I was doing well in their program. I took three classes with NCU and had a 3.8 GPA in their PhD of BA program. I decided to leave the school for the reasons below. To put it bluntly, NCU is a scam. The classes are nothing more than busy work and hardly on a graduate level. The assignments you're required to turn in each week can be nearly devoid of useful content, just as long as they're in proper APA format and you cite the required number of references. I don't think the instructors actually read anything I turned in, because the feedback I received was 99% about the paper's format and 1 % on the content. But if the paper I turned in was in good format, cited the minimum number of references and met the minimum length I was given a good grade, regardless of the mindless drivel contained within. To pass the classes I quickly learned to take a simple answer to a simple question and drag it out four 5 - 7 pages while quoting a few loosely related articles from academic journals. If this is what passes for higher education these days, then I think I'll stop at my master's degree. My "academic advisor" was a salesman, and a bad one at that. When I tried to address my concerns about the content and the focus of the courses he tried to convince me to stick it out for another year or two until I got to the point where the "real learning" would begin. Additionally, he was completely unaware of what course I was in, or even what level the course was on. When I called him out on it, he tried, again, to convince me to stick around longer and keep paying. It was not only a useless conversation, but one of the worst examples of bad salesmanship I've ever experienced, to include used car dealers. Additionally, the required textbooks for each class can only be bought from NCU's bookstore. Not even Amazon carried them. On top of that, they charged $200 for a used textbook for one class. I can only imagine how much profit they're raking in from book sales alone. On top of that their tuition rates are the highest of anything out there, nearly $3000 a class. You would think for that kind of money they'd run a quality institution of higher learning. NCU's education model is to make the students' turn in papers weekly, but the constant work is just a method of keeping the students' heads down and keeping them too busy to realize that they're not really learning anything. To put it bluntly, don't waste your time. A degree from NCU is completely worthless. I'm not sure who they bribed to get accredited, but it must have been a hefty amount of cash. If your goal is to waste thousands and thousands of dollars learning nothing more than how to write in APA format, then this is the school for you. If you want an actual education, I highly recommend going somewhere else.

All NCU (ncu.edu) negative reviews are correct. I hope and pray students united sue NCU for all the wrong doings. As an NCU PhD student (yes, almost 4.0 GPA so far!) who is progressing towards the comprehensive/dissertation stage, I can attest that NCU is all bogus. I know in the beginning, you might be getting good grades in the courses but when you are stuck in the middle of the program, or working towards the end of your program (if you are the lucky one!), then NCU will sure bite you hard. Overall NCU ranks low in everything. NCU has a clever way of stealing students money and no regards to academic excellence. My frank advice to everyone: stay away from NCU and if you can find a good school on-campus, then go for it. Of-course, one or two students who are reaching towards their PhD goals or have graduated with a PhD degree will defend NCU because of their degree's reputation, but the majority of NCU students or ex-students will not have a favorable opinion about NCU.

Academic Advisor was the greatest; however he was limited to how helpful he could be. The University's policies were for the purpose of serving the school. Student were treated like puppets and mentors were not held accountable!!!!

NCU provides an amazing lerining environment and opportunity for the motivated learner. Attending classes through NCU allows me to work full time while pursuing my doctorate and the reading and material is very relevant. I have been very pleased and in attendance since March of 2013. Online learning is not for everybody but if you are motivated and online learning does work for you...you will not be disappointed. The financial aid and advising have been helpful and my questions have always been answered in a timely manner.

NCU is about charging their students monthly for as long as possible. Enrolled in a PhD program (after completing 2 masters) with a 4.0 GPA and they strung me along for as long as they possible could. Instructors know little about the courses they are teaching and the administration is high and mighty not willing to speak to you if you request. If there was a class action against this school I would be all over it.

I applied and was accepted to two traditional brick and mortar universities right out of undergrad and I chose to attend NCU instead because I could do the work around my full time job and the cost was much lower than either of the other schools I considered. I am a very independent learner and have no problem completing the assignments on time and find the assignments clear and the course materials very helpful for every assignment. I have 3 classes left before I finish my master's degree in health psychology. I have been very please with my academic advisers as well. I have had three of them in the last year that I have been taking classes but each of them were very helpful and responsive. A lot of the bad reviews I have read seem to focus on the cost, unfair grades, or bad mentors. The cost is very reasonable compared to most universities, both online and traditional. It is not only normal for tuition to increase each year, but expected. This happens everywhere. I have only had one bad mentor experience, but I just kept in contact with my adviser and gave the mentor exactly what she requested in the feedback and comments. I would say that NCU requires more work than a traditional university each week because you are required to produce something every week to show your understanding of the material instead of simply showing up and having a discussion or completing three assignments over the course of a semester. I will say that the mentor is not a professor. They are there for questions regarding the assignment and to assess your knowledge of a given topic. They are not there to present the material to you each week. I would not recommend NCU to anyone who has trouble learning on their own or who is not familiar with word processing and presentations. For me, this was exactly what I was looking for.

After I finished my bachelor degree at California State Northridge, I continued working full-time at an international company. Four years later, I started looking for an online school since my work always make me travel and it is time consuming. I found NCU located in Arizona. I can say that some professors are very good, while others are newbies. It is ACBSP accredited and not ACBSB like most brick and mortars. Initially, instructors focused on citing APA and grammar. Then, they will give you resources, articles, and books to read and study. Here is the thing, you have to do all the work on your own. You have to motivate yourself for every single assignment, and reward yourself for every good work. I have friends who said they can't study on their own, and they prefer going to brick and mortar university to meet people. To me, meeting people and networking is not as important as retaining information and focus. If you are up to the challenge, and are discipline to work on your own, NCU can be good for you. If you want a teacher and drive to a classroom, obviously you can decide to go to a regular university. What I like about this school is the flexible schedule and great materials to learn from. I also like the good grades I have received for all of the assignments. It is EGO BOOSTING. I like the silence and the ability to choose my own schedule. I like the way I can bug the professors when I don't understand their topics and don't have to worry about seeing their faces in person. LOL. Remember that you will save in gas and not worry about driving. I am almost halfway through my program, and I will finish this in less than a year. My best advice for most assignments is read it thrice. Then start reading the textbook thinking on the assignment. Write an outline. Outlines are great because you can then fill in the blanks with sources, and paraphrases, or quotes from the book. You can also ask a professional in your family for help. All the best to you!

At the risk of sounding redundant of other learners, I offer my review of NCU. I am currently in my 8th class with NCU. My experience has been a positive one. I have engaged with my mentors at some level for every course: sometimes with a phone call, sometimes e-mail, and sometimes just through comments back and forth as I am completing assignments. I've done very well navigating through course requirements and maintain a 4.0 at this point. However, if I were not a teacher, or at minimum a linguistic and intrapersonal learner (multiple intelligence terms), I could see where is program would be painful. I am definitely challenged by the course content and put forth a great deal of effort in every assignment. Perhaps one could breeze right through the courses with much less effort, but this is MY education, and I intend to come out of this program proficient in my content area. I need for my education to align with my career path. That being the case, I accept that it is my responsibility, as an online learner, to take ownership of my learning, to make the most of every course, and to engage in articles, dissertations, etc. that are relevant to my field. Yes, I find some of the required reading to be outdated. Because of this, I generally find a book or two that is on the recommended list or that has been referenced in articles pertaining to the class to grab and use as I write my papers. You get out what you put into this university. If you are looking for a degree program that will be highly structured with an online forum where a professor will engage with you to help you make meaning of the material, this is probably not the university for you. I needed a program that would not require me to show up several days/ week, that allowed me to work at a steady pace, and honestly, preferred a program where I was NOT told what to think, but free to make my own assumptions. I find NCU fits this bill nicely. I am terrified, yet looking forward to my upcoming dissertation process. I expect it to be demanding and invigorating. It will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I've ever encountered academically, AS IT SHOULD BE! If the program were easy and the dissertation process a cake walk, a majority of people would hold a doctoral degree, which would diminish it's value as a whole. Regarding dealing with my academic advisor, she has been awesome! In dealing with financials, again- it's been fairly painless, even though a tad redundant. My mentors-- I've had awesome mentors and one or two that were just alright. As for the isolation, this is an independent study. It's all on you. If you can't learn like that, do not do ANY online course. If you are self-disciplined, highly motivated, and can self-teach, this university is as good, and I'm sure sometimes better, than others like it. Good luck in your pursuits!

I am half way through my MBA at NCU. I selected this school because I wanted my degree to have business accreditation and NCU has Global Business Accreditation from ACBSP. It is a solid program and has a very competitive curriculum. It requires one to invest a lot of time to do research on the topics everyweek and write business papers as assignments.The teachers and advisors are very helpful and supportive. I am working full time at a highly reputed organization and my employer is reimbursing for my degree from NCU. I would definitely recommend NCU for aspiraing MBA students.

When I complained about the unfair grading practice I was told to just live with it. The second time I complained I threatened to withdraw from school if the matter was not investigated. The investigation took an entire semester and I was told I had to register for another semester if I wanted to get the results, which I did. The results came in saying "we've never heard of such a problem, live with it". I went online and found others with same complains. I refused to register for another semester. My school was being paid by the loan. After I withdrew, I got a call and an email saying I owe NCU over one and a half thousand dollars and that I better set up a repayment schedule or else. I asked for an invoice but was told that I will not be getting one and that NCU telling me I owe them money should be sufficient. I was threatened by their financial counselor with all sorts of dire consequences for refusing to set up a repayment schedule. It has been over three months and I still have not seen a bill.

This school is fine if you ca teach yourself. Everything is writing,writing, writing. Little real human contact. Mentors are paper corrector and advisors are mail carriers. You breeze through coursework and then all heck breaks when you get the dissertation stage because you are really not prepared. The school claims flexibility but the real flex is when you decide to complet your assignments. If you can stomach the school's constant changes, increases in tuition then get the degree...it is accredited. Don't expect much from the administration or anyone on the inside. Don't worry you will never really get a chance to know them anyway. When you have problem they treat you worse than elementary school children and many of the students in the doctoral program are afraid to say anything for fear of repercusions. It is so sad. Everything is done by writing which means things take a lot longer than it should. In the dissertation stage, they can keep your papers as long as three weeks. It used to be two. I would never recommend this school to my enemy, let alone a friend.

I completed the PhD in Business. I found the program to be rigorous and challenging. Especially in the Dissertation phase. There was a lot of work in getting the concept paper approved. Overall it was highly rewarding and I would recommend the program to others. It is difficult and time consuming but worth it.

I started by MS in 2013 and I am embarrassed to admit as an older student I was not familiar with something so basic as Power Point. The ironic part of the event was the class I was taking spoke about how learners must be accepted at different points of technology comfort and accommodations should be used. I contacted my "mentor" and when I discussed my need to have an accommodation he told me "NO, google for assistance." I contacted student support and was told I could drop the class if I wanted to and hope for another mentor. I explained all I wanted was assistance with the assignment and how could I access resources. I had a 4.0 at that time. Student support explained there was no services for this and researching how to complete the task on my own was my best solution. I explained I would be withdrawing from the college and attending on which offers actual educators and resources. I spoke with FA and they explained I would be leaving with a zero balance. I am a Director of Admissions for a college which only offers undergraduate degrees so I am well aware of the ramifications. Jump forward, I am being harassed by a collection agency daily about my unpaid balance of over $1600.00 and it appears I have no recourse. Run from this school as fast as you can. If you are looking for an institution that actually educates students and offers resources and tools to succeed, this is not it.

I enrolled in the DBA in Information Security in 2011 - I finished all the classes in 1 year with a 3.9 grade average - I took the comprehensive exam and finished in less than half the time - Now I am 9 months, thats right 9 months into writing a concept paper that seems to never get approved. You spend a week making revisions, then 3 weeks waiting for feedback - meanwhile you pay 860 a month tuition. I can honestly say no matter what - I would not recommend this school to anyone - even if I got my degree today. The whole program is a scam, the teachers are useless, and they are not pushing anyone to a degree

I enrolled at NCU so excited to start my EdD degree. I am in my third class and I am working on a transfer to another university. The school is not horrible but it is definitely not "teaching" me anything other than handing in papers by the due date and using APA format correctly. There is absolutely no teaching at this school and no critical discussion about topics that you should be a doctor on eventually. How is that possible? I write papers every week without guidance (unless I ask for it) and really let the research teach me (which means I'm using other "doctors" material instead of understanding the true foundation of the course). I am a master at citing work and putting in just the right amount of wording to make it my own but have I really stepped away with any additional knowledge that will stick? No. Now, I started looking to the student boards and reading what other students thought and when i tell you that there are SO many students complaining about the dissertation phase being long and drawn out (as a way for the school to make more money), I cringe. Going all this way with straight A's to get the end and all of sudden it takes 8 DIS courses or more to get approved?? How can you claim that you prepared the students? I grew scared of the growing numbers of complaints and how people were stuck in the program and could not transfer for fear of losing credits and money...so I initiated a transfer before I got in too deep. I really value world of mouth when it comes to education and NCU has been noted for having an exceptionally poor DIS process. I don't have the money to play that game. And I second the idea that the student portal looks like it was built in Excel about twenty years ago. It's maddening to look at the jumble of words every few days. Where is all the money going??? On the bright side, my advisors were very professional and nice.

it's hard to extract that NCU is a program they throw papers into the lesson tell you to read them, forget it if you might have a question or need more information. Someone had mentioned they are a correspondence school, it's only a one way communication... You ask they don't answer anything! I withdrew from the class they have very creative billing. The total for the class was $128 less than the total student loan. They sent a 125 dollar refund. Then told me I didn't attend enough days and they had to return 758 to the lender. Interesting then they said they want the 758 + the 125 overage!! Really. SCAM + don't go to this place. Terrible terrible terrible

NCU has become a correspondence school...after being taken over by a private equity firm, they are ALL about money. Changes (and there have been a TON of them) are all geared to keep you paying. Continious enrollment, for example. Purported to be for your own good, you are ALWAYS in a class, enrolled before you current one is completed. If you want a break, you have to ask permisson to not attend school. Awful. The dissertation process has been a nightmare. Each iteration finds new and expensive things wrong, designed to keep you there and keep you paying. Don't believe the fanboys who say "complainers just can't handle self study"...this place has ZERO quality control and is looking for a buyer as I write this. They needed to get the cash flow up so they could plump up for a buyer. Be smart, don't start at NCU.

All classes taken were okay and worth the expense of a non-residence, accredited degree. I passed all classes and passed the comps. Then came the dissertation phase. This is really where they stick it to you. The chair works with you by providing suggestions for your concept paper. You get it approved by your chair and the OAR rejects it and has you write it over again. This happened four times to me. Each time you have to re-enroll in the dissertation class and continue to pay for more classes. After the concept paper, you get to do the same game with your dissertation proposal. They will continue to find reasons to reject your paper and keep you paying for more classes. I wonder what their actually doctoral completion rate is.

As a purely online university, NCU is not the worst in private education. That said, their main objective is to drive up enrollment, revenues, and profits to elevate valuation the company in order to sell to the highest bidder within the next 2 to 3 years. The university is owned by a couple of private equity firms (Rockbridge and Falcon) wanting to cash in on their rapid growth over the past 4 years. Several of the executives have equity positions which will reward them accordingly. These execs come from institutions such as Education Management Corporation and Quicken Loans. This profit centric model does not necessarily cause poor academic quality. Remember, persistence equals longer cash flow per customer and a higher student population, very important financial metrics for investors. However, the senior leadership lacks the appropriate focus on academic quality and is far more focused on spending more and more money on acquiring leads to contact and convert to new students while increasing their profit margins through higher tuition to ultimately increase the university's valuation for sale. Accreditation is critical as it gives a sense of validation of academic quality. As front line employees, many of us are frustrated with the rhetoric at NCU highlighting academic quality when we know they will let in doctoral level students from countries like Vietnam at very low English proficiency levels and then fail them after collecting some revenue.

I have had only great experiences with my mentors and academic advisor at NCU. It is sad to see former students try to injure a schools' reputation because they did not get their own way. Online learning is not for everyone and the requirements are more difficult...especially in a doctorate program. I have completed my MBA with NCU in 2009, and decided to complete my DBA with them. NCU is like every other quality university, there will be glitches and everyone will not be happy but, I have been with NCU as a student throughout the glitches and I'm a witness to the wonderful improvements to overall course structure, mentor quality, and streamlining that has been done. I highly recommend NCU for those who's learning style fit with online learning.

The HLC placed NCU on probation early in 2013 and the senior management is attempting to hide it from students, employees, and the general public. These folks are slimy at best.

I think there are a few students in the doctoral programs who have not had problems, but that is not my situation. Those that have no problem moving through the dissertation process, usually have one of the better Chairs. Even the new revised templates are a joke with so many errors and when it is brought to the attention of administration, no one cares. It is too bad that the public cannot read what students post on the NCU student boards and the NCU yahoo site for students and alum. One to one mentoring at NCU is via email, unless the Chair or mentor chooses to engage. Even in their revised guidelines (2013), there is no requirement for Chairs to have a conversation with the student. Everything is emails with a one week turn around. No one should expect a Chair to teach them, but everything via email? The majority of doctoral students have graduated from NCU without ever speaking to their chair or committee members and, that speaks volumes.

I started my PhD in education at NCU in 2006, but only completed 12 hours. I had to withdraw due to personal reasons, but was thinking of reapplying. My professors were great overall. I did have to wait a day or two to get my questions or concerns answered, but I did get the challenge and support I needed. What I didn't like was the problem with getting transcripts and other official documents from the university after I left the school. Now, I don't have a problem, but during the first year after withdrawing I had to be very persistent about having official documents mailed to me or to another institution. During the first year after I withdrew it was difficult to get in touch with my professors when I needed references/recommendations. Now I do not have a problem because I have their personal emails. What I am most concerned about is the value of the PhD degree after graduation when seeking employment. Are online PhD's seen as having the same value as the others received at a campus? Is there anyone out there who has graduated with an online PhD who can shed light on this matter? Does anyone know of a professor with an online PhD who is teaching at a traditional university or do all online PhD alumni have to seek employment at only online universities? Thanks.

Very challenging dissertation process

I am completing my third year at NCU. The experience has been very rewarding. As I am now completing my EdD degree the program is designed for independent learning. Part of the process is developing the skills of analyzing and responding in-depth not just completing an assignment for a grade. After all if you are working on a doctorate degree you need to be ready to use these skills. I have experienced a mentor that was unfair in my view and my concept paper completion was challenging. On the positive side I learned to deal with difficult people and jumping the hoops is part of the process of becoming a doctor. This is not elementary school where you just need to turn your homework in on time. You can complete the program if you engage the process.

It's a mixed bag. For the most part good, but when it comes to the dissertation they don't seem to know what they are doing. My impression is the faculty all have other day jobs, so when it comes to your research, you are not their first thought or objective. But I would take into consideration that many of the very negative reviews are written by students who cannot study independently [which you will need to do and you must be self-driven]. And many reviews written by disgruntled students who obviously cannot write, therefore did not meet the NCU rubrics for papers and scholarly writing.

I have taken 3 classes so far with this school. I am now on my 4th class. I really do not have anything to complain about. The program is what I expected it to be. You will need to make your education your own. Do not expect to hand held. There were points of frustration, but the financial aid and course work is on par. If you currently work in Higher Education, the course work aligns up and makes the program easier to work with.

I was at NCU and passed the comps first time (the part that gets most people) I was in DIS II...but they had changed my chairs three times. None of which had ANY knowledge of my field. The latest simply refused to give any real answers. Simply told me to 'check the university documents' or 'review successful dissertations'. So I complained and requested a new chair. As soon as I received notice that my request had been declined, my chair and advisor filed a complaint claiming I had violated the student code of conduct. I had not used any insults, denigrating comments, slurs, etc. I had been exceedingly polite. But had pointed out the grounds for my complaint. Now I have filed a counter complaint for student intimidation. The internet is replete with dissatisfied former NCU students. Now NCU would have you believe that all of these are just people who could not cut it. But that is simply not true. I personally know retired military officers, published authors, inventors with patents...all with masters degrees from prestigous universities who left NCU in disgust. People who frankly have more accomplishments than most NCU faculty. But what can we do? Well do complain to the Better Business Bureau and to the accrediting bodies. No your single complaint won't have any effect, but dozens or hundreds will. Write letters to the department of education. You and I may have moved on, but we owe it to the next student to pressure NCU into improving...or to deter students from attending.

When you get to the dissertation phase they make you take the same courses over and over and over...Why? Did you suddenly become stupid? No, they know you already have poured a ton of money into the program and to protect your investment you will keep pouring it in. They don't care if you ever finish, and in fact they like it better if you don't. Avoid this place like the plague. Even if you should somehow manage to finish people who know better will be laughing at your bottom tier joke degree. Pay a little more and go to a real school that won't jerk you around as much.

The school is probably fine unless you are attempting to complete a doctorate, which is difficult at a brick and mortar school. Sadly the school's motivation appears to be money. Tuition is increased every year and staff turnover is constant. You don't really see the issues until you have a problem and you soon discover that their favorite word is "no". There is no teaching, but paper correcting. Nearly all flexibility is lost. Many students are afraid to discuss serious problems for fear of repercussions. Even when you get to the doctoral process, you have absolutely no say on who your chair will be and if perchance there are issues, you are stuck and unhappy. Be wise and take notice of the reviews that are not positive. Most who have already graduated are under the old system where there was more flexibility and more choice. JUST BEWARE! They can become quite unethical

This University is a waste of time and money. They moved me around to so many instructors, once three times in a course. I finally dropped out.

I've just successfully finished 6 years working on my Ph.D. at NCU. I'm a professional already working in the field and just needed the letters after my name. The PROS: no residency (perfect for a full time career & family), locked-in tuition rates, flexible teachers, set expectations in course requirements. If you can synthesize materials and write well, you'll do fine. My mentor was great, my teachers were responsive and thoughtful. I never had an issue tailoring assignments to my specific research or job-related interests. I had no issues with changing program requirements, management, or tuition and fees. I just kept on working and the changes really were transparent. Costs were on par with other universities - I paid for the convenience of online in a field I wanted and I'm okay with that. The CONS: courses are what you think of from a traditional mail-in distance ed. course back in the 1920s - send in an pre-determined assignment and get feedback, the only difference is that it's online. There's talk of changing this. I hope they do because there is so much out there for online ed now. Minimal teacher/student and student/student interaction. You have to make the effort to seek out those interactions. Don't be fooled by not needing a GRE to get admitted, this is not a program to figure out that your writing and critical thinking skills aren't up to the graduate level. It will be a painful and expensive experience for you and you probably won't find this out until you get to the dissertation (see other comments on this board). That being said, I've spoken with many many colleagues and they have all said the same thing of their traditional graduate school experiences: It's not the coursework that weeds people out, it's the dissertation (from Harvard to NCU - same/same). Basically, the expectation is that you'll bring the skills needed to the program, the program will not give you the skills needed, just the information. I planned on 5 years, it took me 6.5 years - 9 months of that was data collection for my dissertation and not NCU's fault. If you don't mind working alone, are highly driven and organized, and are fine with reading and writing a lot - you'll do well in the program. Good luck!

Syllabi and reference material outdated for many courses. All seems ok, and then you start the dissertation courses. If you are looking for an experience that is more like a correspondence course, then NCU is for you. You are on your own. Unless you are one of the lucky ones, typically Chair guidance is via email and comments on your paper. Easy money for dissertation chairs. Administration could care less, it is a for-profit, and there is very little interaction. Now of course it should be difficult and, of course, you should be self directed, that goes without saying. If you could read the boards where students can post comments, you would run! I do have a lot of respect for the graduates of NCUs doctorate programs, because it is really writing a dissertation without any guidance and/or an advisor. Know that I now, it is too late to transfer into another program.

I have taken two classes with this University, and I am now taking my third. So far, it has not been so bad. The work load is what I expected for an online university. However, there are a couple of concerns though. The textbooks seem a little outdated. The information is good, but outdated by a couple of years. The second issue is that the syllabus can at times not be clear. I have been confused on more than one occasion. However, if you have a good mentor, then He will explain it to you. The school might not be for everyone, but it works for me. I am taking 1 class at a time, and I am able to keep up so far. Be prepared to write papers every week with an average length of 5-7 pages though.

Northcentral is NOT military friendly! Beware! In 2012, just as I was finishing up a class, a closer family member passed away and our home experienced extreme water damage (causing us to relocate our home's contents), I asked for an extension. The school of education turned me down flat, no explanation!!! When I signed up to retake the course, they stated that financial aid would not cover the class and that I would not be able to take another class until I covered the $2260 for the cost of the course. Beware if you are effected by the economy.

Northcentral University is a quality academic institution. This university is highly competitive in obtaining a doctoral degree as it should be. The graduate curriculum is absolutely more rigorous than the graduate programs at some of the more traditional bricks and mortar schools. I am speaking from experience. When I sat for my licensure examination, I passed first time around while others from traditional universities had failed it. The pass rate of the examination was 48% for first time takers and 23% for retakes. Suffice to say, I am very happy with my education here at NCU. If anyone is contemplating initiating a doctoral program here at NCU, BE PREPARED TO STUDY, RESEARCH, WRITE, AND PUBLISH like you've never had before!!

This school is a money pit. Their mentors and administration do not communicate with the students. I think they feel they are too good to return emails or voicemails. It is a money pit, they will continue to fail you to collect more money. Waste of time, go to a University that is more money as you will save money by not attending this University. I am currently in my fourth class and plan to transfer to Walden or a legitimate University. This one is a joke!

I am lucky I withdrew from NCU when I was in My last course...I wasted my money and I had no option apart from running away. The University reviews were horrible...contradictions all over.The chairperson of the university review lied and went contrary to literature...though I appealed and she resigned immediately afterward, the Dean was not kind out of the shame i had brought to one of his faculty member....I dropped immediately after I won my appeals and luckily, I was accepted in European University and completed by studies there in addition to being offered a double doctorates. Dont even go near NCU!!!

Go to the NCU website and just read the student blog and you will see the number of unhappy students. Money is being taken with little to no results and no one is helping. Students are writing to government officials and the accrediting organization but no results so far. The NCU administration is just interested in money and doesn't care what happens to students. Hope someone in authority will read this and take action to help students including a number of veterans being abused by NCU.

I have attended NCU since Feb 2012. So far, I have completed five courses. I am pleased overall with the school, and really have nothing negative to say. My only concern is with the long term value of completing my education at NCU, as it relates to employment opportunities and reputation. I am and IT Professional and Educator. I have taken traditional as well as online courses previously. I have also taught using both methods. I have attended small schools, CC's, as well as completed one of my Masters degrees from a major institution (Go Blue). NCU so far has provided the best online experience of any school that I have attended. I believe they have the right formula for non-traditional students. I am not sure why some have commented negatively about the school, but can say, my personal experience has been the complete opposite. The admin staff has been great, and the academic staff outstanding. I strongly recommend that you consider NCU, if you are looking at attending online. NCU does not waste your time, nor does the faculty (Mentors) give you busy work to complete. They are also responsive, and their comments and the work provide value. You should also plan to spend about 15-20 hours per week for each class. Again, so far, I am pretty pleased with NCU. --- Kerry Sanders, PhD Candidate

No writing center and writing tutoring non existent. Some professors care and help while most are casually involved reflecting their paltry compensation. The military students mostly hook up with with service officers who nurse then along to graduation. No recommended id you expect good mentoring. Suspect school will be bought and renaned in near future. A poor education at for profit school with high tuitions

I attended this school thinking I will be getting a my Ph.D online back in May 2012. Well my first class was great but I kept having issues with financial aid and kept getting bills and the run around.Well my second class started I could not ever get my professor to email me back pertaining to assisgnments. Well as you know I kept contacting my advisor/mentor which he was no help at all. So ended up withdrawing from that class because I was struggling and was asking for assistace from the professor but never got a response. When I finished the first course I went on and withdrew from the University overall. My experience with this university was terrible and if anyone was to ask me what do I think about attending this University I would tell them to pick another school PLEASE. Well a month later I got a $3000 bill saying that I owe them for the class I withdrew from. I never got follow ups regarding this matter and plus I wanted them to clear this bill because this was not fault. As a student I went over and beyond to prevent myself from withdrawling from the course but I could not get no assistance from my professor, the student PROVOST, and my advisor/mentor. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY TO NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ITS NOT A REAL UNIVERSITY.

Something is wrong with NCU, their class ivory tower they seem to believe they have does not fit the model of an online adult education. For one, they really look down on faculty who have DBA's or other types of doctorate - you have to have a PhD, if you read their emails and faculty announcements, they really believe only PhD's have the higher ground - bizarre from an online university. Second, this ego has transitioned to mentoring learners - it’s almost impossible to get a PhD there, you have to fight and struggle so hard, and you are constantly corrected on your submissions - many times they repeat the same things – one mentor will say something, only to have the school review board say something else, and after you correct that, the school review board again will say something new. I've seen and talked to learners who have cried because of this, and there really is no help. In my years there, I know of six people who have completed their degrees. The leadership there has forgotten that a PhD only shows you now know how to do basic research. A new PhD grad is not a researcher with years of service or many published articles, but somehow they think they should be. From observations, they want to be an online Harvard or Stanford, it is not a business model that can sustain – and its interesting reading the academic leadership – the cross of experiences would tell them they are following a faulty business model. Finally, they are instituting some kind of faculty cleansing – many good and caring faculty are being let go, the mentor I had for the last two years is being let go, and he is a much published academic with a number of successful dissertations under his belt. NCUs reasons are constantly changing as to why this is happening, seems to be hush hush… I don’t want to say anymore as I am finishing up, but if I had to do this again – I would really take to heart the many reviews written so far.

I am about to start Core classes 10 and 11 - So far the program has been ok - I had 2 bad classes - one was statistics - I got a B, but teacher gave me a 60 on my final - I also had a research class that I dropped and retook - because the teacher had no clue on my topic and kept rejecting it I will keep you posted

Its been a year now since I graduated from NCU with a PhD in Business Administration. The degree has helped me gain a better job than I previously had and has opened up new opportunities for me that I did not have before. It was a good program. I am very much appreciative of how rigorous the Dissertation process was as it allowed me to produce a thesis that I can be proud of.

NCU is big on profit but not on engaging the student and teaching you anything. The “Mentors” are a huge joke. If, you want to pay outrageous tuition for a self -taught education this is the school for you. NCU what a joke, they give all online schools a bad name.

I am a huge fan of education and of all the online programs I took, the University of Cincinnati's Criminal Justice (graduate) program was THE BEST!!! I'm usually deployed, so I've basically forced to take my degree programs online. I understand that there is a huge market for online degree now and I assure you these online-only schools are taking full advantage. I was elated when I found that NCU had no residency requirement and had a Criminal Justice program. But wait, NCU is a BUSINESS SCHOOL, so how can they offer Criminal Justice, right? Oh well, I figured it marketable for me to have a Business PhD that I can market as a Criminal Justice PhD as well. Win-win... I hope. We'll see. One chancellor understand my reason to earn a PhD online, but shuns online-only doctorate programs. Hey, he is a chancellor of a big name university in Indiana and since I was interviewing to teach there, it pays for me to take note of this. Unfortunately, the school (and many others) don't offer doctoral programs in Criminal Justice :( Oh and at the time, NCU was reasonably inexpensive at around $1700-$1800 per course. Better than Capella's $4500 per quarter whether you take one or up to three courses (who does that anyway... three online doctoral courses per quarter is suicide, but I'm sure some are strong enough to do it... I'm not. However, NCU has raised the tuition rate THREE TIMES since I've been a student here! Really, three times and Now I'm paying damn near $2400 per course! Now, I expect phD programs to cost more. I expect online programs to cost more. However, TEACH ME SOMETHING!!! The mentors at NCU do not mentor at all. I even had one that told me that my reference page wasn't on its own page. He refused to accept that he moved the text down when he input his comments in my paper (not mentoring on business or anything mind you, but APA-related comments). It moved the text down as if you were inserting lines or paragraphs. Yet, he would not even go back to look at the original submissions that clearly showed the references page was separate from the text (as was the cover page, title page, and even the table of contents. I escaped that course with a B (oh, and only 3-4 points from an A, but the points he deducted from the reference page issue could have put me at a low A, but an A nonetheless. I'm still wondering why I had to take that course (SKS7000) because it didn't seem to have ANYTHING to do with my status as a doctoral learner nor my degree specialization. Other than no instructor assistance and the one [bad] instructor, my main issue is that the instructors don't teach anything... literally. I'm not exaggerating here. I mean, no lecture notes, no mentor input, nothing except almost worthless comments AFTER you've written the paper. WTF does my $2400 pay for here??? I can't transfer to Walden or Capella because they have residency requirements that I can't meet because I'm overseas a lot and I need the PhD so i can be eligible to teach at most universities, which is my goal (conduct research and teach). Always do your due diligence with online schools and read the comments that students post. By the way, I'm not whining because I received poor grades, I've a 3.7 GPA and I'm fine with that. However, I want to actually LEARN something if I'm going to spend $2400 per course and write papers every week! I'm desperately seeking another school and trying to be careful about taking more classes, because ultimately, I'll reach a point where they all won't transfer to the new program, but I can't waste time getting this degree, which I'm just not very proud that I'm earning because I'm getting my knowledge from the textbook and scholarly research that I (not the mentor) found for myself. Granted, as a doctoral student, I'm supposed to learn how to conduct my own research and all, but shouldn't the mentor (that's what NCU calls them, instead of instructors or professors) teach me some of what he or she knows? If they can't or won't, then why not just accept my $50,000, I'll write the dissertation, and accept my diploma. NCU is worse than a diploma mill. I'm beyond frustrated. Demand much more from your school; after all, you ARE the paying customer!

I'm back to offer a second review as promised, with the intent of elaborating on the previous review. There's been over a year's gap in time since my last review, and a few things have changed both within my life, as well as with the university. First of all, the mere prospect of attempting a PhD, and subsequently noting this on my resume, has landed me a new job as a Director of Information Security for a top private organization in my local state. This isn't to suggest the degree alone landed me this role, but the flexibility provided by the university to allow my attendance while still working full time has obviously delivered some advantages. Secondly, I've changed my degree focus within the University from International Business to Computer and Information Security. In working with some of the professors and academic advisers at the university, I deduced this focus to be a much better use of my skill set; along with providing a better focus on my immediate and long term career goals. Relating back to my original review, and agreeing with several other reviews on this site, there's been a high degree of administrative turnover within the ranks of NCU. The Dean has announced his retirement, I've had a couple more academic advisers, and some of the notable professors I preferred working with have left the ranks of academia , or at least as far as NCU is concern. Additional changes include a full commitment by the university to offer 8 week course options within all fields of study. This offers students a shorter path to graduation. While this may provide a way for the university to acquire more federal financial aid funds at a faster rate, the university's accreditation, federal financial aid qualifications, and overall course quality don't seem to have suffered. Tuition has gone up a couple hundred dollars per course, as you would expect in a for-profit institution. However, as noted earlier, Uncle Sam seems to have no issues with footing the bill for federal financial aid students attending this institution. My ideologies regarding self-guided study are still holding true. I continue to read all materials required by NCU, as well as additional scholarly publications, in preparation for the course activities and the looming glooming dooming dissertation process. As I mentioned in my previous review, the mentors at NCU are hit and miss, as with any university. I've identified a few of the winners along the way. These individuals tend to stay in closer contact than those more detached from their duties, allowing for the development of a preferred dissertation board when the time comes. Finally, I'll deliver a quick note regarding the administration at NCU. Things don't seem to have gotten much better... What with all their talk of reorganizing the university's processes to better the student experience... However, things certainly haven't gotten any worse. Does that count for anything? As the institution evolves their dissertation process, I maintain, perhaps naively, that NCU just might be able to iron out the creases in the dissertation process by the time I make it there next summer. Barring this miracle of educational evolution, I may have no other choice than to suck up the political bull that is rumored to center around this process. In summation, not much has changed in the last year of attendance at NCU. I still maintain that you get out of this education, a reciprocal of what you put into it. Doctoral degrees in general are not an easy task, and they are certainly not to be taken lightly. Your ability to get a 4.0 in a Master's program speaks nothing to your ability to obtain a doctoral degree. It's a special breed that is capable of this feat. There's a reason less than 1% of the world's population lead their name with "Dr.", and that reason is NOT "... because it seemed like the next logical step." Sooner than later, I hope to count myself among the select few. When registering for your first class in this program, keep in mind NCU is a fairly new organization, and is expanding rapidly. The lack of policy and structured, coupled with rapid expansion, is going to result in some bumps in the road; likely taking their toll on you, your wallet, and your patience level. If you're already registered and are working through the degree, hang tight... you're almost there. If you on the fence about attending, this school is as good as the next institution. If you want the best educational experience possible, expect the responsibility of progress to rest on your shoulders. This isn't preschool, and you aren't four years old. You're a grown adult, and are expected to take responsibility for your own success. Go get 'em. :)

The instructors were excellent especially my dissertation committee. This is really a "you're on your own" kind of program which was great for me. No discussion, no team work, just get a syllabus and do the work. The support from the admins / counselors was horrible and worst then non-existent - they sometimes pretended to help you but did not! I would rather know they would not help and adjust accordingly. I understand they are now hiring FT faculty to work the dissertation committees which is certainly a step in the right direction. I would recommend them with caution. Check with their continuous enrollment policy and things like that before you start and be sure they are offering what you want. As far as degree quality - it has served me very well and I have increased my adjunct options and income.

I am a doctoral student at NCU and I wish I had transferred when I became concerned about NCU's bad business practices and ethics. I have been stuck in the CP stage for months for very questionable reasons. Each time there is a rejection another course must be paid for. The new full-time dissertation chair model is a joke and has only been done to support the upcoming accreditation. Doctoral students are stuck because no other colleges will take them when they are this far along and NCU knows this. So you either keep paying the money or you will never receive your degree. NCU also dismisses students and keeps their money with no degree. Write to your attorneys, legislators, and the accrediting organizations if you are currently enrolled. If you are not enrolled - Run!