Dossier Ashford

LES ECOLES D’EDUCATION A DISTANCE A LIRE ENTIEREMENT.

J’ai mene ma petite enquete au sujet de Ashford…voila ce que j’ai appris en environs 40 minutes de recherches…c’est peut etre de la deformation professionelle….

En gros, Ashford etait une petite universite locale Franciscaine fondee en 1918 dans l’Iowa qui a ete rachetee par Bridgepoint en 2005 pour en faire une ecole “online”. Les Franciscains n’ont plus rien du tout a voir avec cette institution. Cet achat d’une petite universite accreditee leur a permit d’obtenir leur accreditation regionale.

Les “conseillers d’admission” sont en fait des telemarketers qui ont un quotat d’etudiant a enroller chaque semaine, si ils ne remplissent pas le quotat ils
perdent leur boulot.

Leur point le plus fort est bien le Marketing… C’est la seule chose qu’ils ont de valable. Ils ont des employes qui ne font QUE mettre des commentaires positifs sur internet au sujet de leur universite. Bridgepoint est aussi proprietaire de la University of the Rockies dans le Colorado, certains des commentaires positifs trouves sur internet sont ces copies exactes pour les deux ce qui suggere que ce sont
des employes de Bridgepoint qui les publient…




Voici un site de plaintes sur l’autre univesite proprietee de Bridgepoint:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/university-of-the-rockies-c229168.html

Bridgepoint a fait un chiffre d’affaires de $329.0 millions a la fin du premier semestre 2010 et attendent $691.00 millions de rentrees pour l’annee 2010.

Les livres d’instruction obligatoires d’achat sont des manuels produits par Bridgepoint et sont des versions condensees de livres ecrits par d’autres professeurs, avec des chapitres manquants vendus a des prix oscillant entre $150.00 et $200.00 qui sont in-revendables et inutilisables pour d’autre cours.

Le niveau academique est “non-existant” des lors que n’importe quel devoir rendu meme d’une seule ligne obtient la note maximale…

87% des fonds recus par Ashford proviennent de prets aux etudiants guarantis par le gouvernement federal, c’est cette poule au oeufs d’or apres laquelle Bridgepoint en a….ils font signer des papiers d’autorization aux etudiants leurs donnant l’autorisation de demander plus de fonds au gouvernement federal en leur nom, ce qui leur permet de recevoir plus de sous…lequels l’etudiant doit par la suite rembourser au gouvernement. (Ceci ne s’applique pas aux etudiants etrangers qui ne peuvent recevoir des prets d’etudiants garantis par le gouvernement federal)

Bridgepoint est une companie cotee en bourse, ils doivent donc fournir un rapport annuel a la commission des echanges boursier. Ce rapport est disponible ici:

http://www.kuam.com/story/12915032/bridgepoint-education-reports-second-quarter-2010-results?clienttype=printable&redirected=true

Cette partie du rapport est particulierement interessante:

Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the Company’s inability to influence the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) to change the findings and recommendations in the OIG’s draft audit report; the Company’s inability to address the findings and recommendations in the OIG’s draft audit report or the ultimate findings and recommendations of the OIG’s final audit report; proposed new jurisdiction requirements of the Higher Learning Commission which could affect the accreditation of the Company’s academic institutions; the imposition of fines or other corrective measures against the Company’s academic institutions; the Company’s failure to comply with the extensive regulatory framework applicable to its industry, including Title IV of the Higher Education Act and its regulations, state laws and regulatory requirements and accrediting agency requirements, including new regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Education regarding gainful employment

Ce que dit le rapport en gros c’est que la companie n’a pas ete en mesure d’entrer en conformite avec les recommendations du ministere et qu’ils peuvent perdre leur accreditation.

Article sur l’enquete du ministere de l’education au sujet de Ashford University et de l’entite corporative Bridgepoint qui en est proprietaire.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/financial-crime-politics/2010/aug/03/bridgepoint-didnt-comply-with-us-rules-filing-reve/

Un autre article:
http://www.postalnewsblog.com/2010/02/25/usps-in-alliance-with-another-for-profit-online-university/

MON EVALUATION:
Ashford est une arnaque, leur diplome ne vaut pas le papier sur lequel il est imprime. Des sous jetes a la poubelle. Leur credibilite academique est “0”. (Zero pointe comme on dit a L’education nationale).

Il est TRES dificile de trouver un bon programe en ligne. Seules les universites reconnues qui offrent de tels programmes sont recomandables.
Obtenir un diplome a distance dans une institution reconnue est PLUS difficile que de l’obtenir sur place. Cela requiert une TRES grande discipline personnelle et beaucoup de travail de recherche academique en dehors de ce que chaque professeur va demander. En general les universitees reputees qui ont des programmes a distance le font pour des maitrises qui sont plus des cours a These qui ne requierent pas forcement d’assister a un cours en personne ou des “Certificates” ou certificats qui ne sont pas des diplomes ou equivalents de diplomes mais des “certificats d’etudes” dans une matiere precise.

Il ne faut pas croire RIEN de ce qu’aucune personne ratachee a Ashford ou Bridgepoint raconte cars ils sont payes au systeme de la commission, si ils font enroller des etudiants, ils sont payes si non…ben rien… Il me semble que se serait un bon moyen pour un prof americain qui veuille vivre en vacances a la plage au Costa Rica [Pura Vida] en manque de travail salarie de financer son reve plagiste en faisant enroller des etudiants dans ce programme, commission facile, pas de responsabilite...etc etc.

Il ne faut pas etre naïf et faire TRES attention avec ces ecoles en ligne. Je crois que Julie s’en sortirait mieux d’aller dans une universite privee ou meme publique au CR que de depenser des sous pour rien avec une arnaque du style.

Il est tres connu dans le milieu des resources humaines que les diplomes obtenus d’universites a “but lucratif” ne valent rien. La plupart du temps, ces universites on des accreditations bidons, les cours sont nuls, les profs ne travaillent qu’a temps partiel et doivent donner des bonnes notes parceque c’est le seul moyen de gonfler les rangs des etudiants et donc d’assurer la rentree de fonds….les profs ne font rien de plus que de moderer des discussions de classe en ligne…ce n’est pas obtenir une education. C’est guere plus que de payer pour obtenir un diplome sans valeur. La plupart du temps les professionels des resources humaines jettent a la poubelle les CV de chercheurs d’emplois qui mentionnent des diplomes des ces universites….

Personellement, je ne connais que ces programmes ci-dessous a qui sont reelement accredites:

Celui-ci appartient a l’universite d’etat du Maryland:

http://www.umuc.edu/online_ed.shtml

(Universite publique a but non-lucratif)

Celui-ci appartient a Liberty University (Une universite privee de l’eglise Baptiste a but NON-lucratif et accreditee)

http://www.luonline.com/ (Site d’education a distance)

http://www.liberty.edu/ (Site “normal”)

Un de mes collegues a fait leur programme de licence de criminologie a distance et en a ete content.

Il faut ABSOLUMENT lire cet article il est de 2007, mais tout ce qui y est dit est VALABLE aujourd’hui
http://oedb.org/library/features/diploma-mills


Ce site du ministere de l’education est tres utile pour determiner si une ecole est accreditee:
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html

Il faut savoir que meme une ecole a distance acreditee peut ne pas etre valable, tout comme Ashford qui a une accreditation regionale douteuse acquise par le biais de leur achat de l’universite franciscaine…

Ce lien contient de tres bonnes informations au sujet des ecoles online a distance:
http://knol.google.com/k/fraud-alert-how-to-protect-yourself-from-college-diploma-mills-degree-mills

A voir absolument:
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/columbaro121.html

Pourquoi Julie ne s’inscrit pas dans une universite normale qui a aussi des cours en ligne, comme ca elle pourrait faire un semestre aux USA et un autre au Costa Rica en prenant les cours en lignes offerts par l’universite??

Si Julie veut travailler dans un hotel au CR, il faudrait qu’elle aille se renseigner aupres des resources humaines de plusieurs hotels pour qu’ils lui disent ce qu’ils desirent chez un demandeur d’emploi en matiere d’education et
d’experience professionelle non?

Aller a l’universite, ce n’est pas etre en vacances…c’est un sacrifice que l’on fait. On y va pour obtenir une education, et pas par ce que l’endroit ou elle est situee “nous plait”… On peut aller vivre ou ca nous chante APRES avoir obtenu son diplome…

La meilleure maniere de choisir un programme a distance c’est de suivre les criteres suivants:
1) Choisir une universite a but NON-LUCRATIF
2) Choisir un programme affilie a une VRAIE universite, avec un VRAI campus reconnu dans tout le pays.
3) Choisir un programme reconnu par le ministere de l’education
4) Faire des recherches poussees et receuillir des temoignages d’etudiants qui y sont inscrits
5) Choisir un programme ou les credits d’education sont transferable dans les universites traditionnelles reputees. (Il faut avoir en general 120 credits pour obtenir une license) (CECI EST UN POINT CRUCIAL, SEUL UN PROGRAMME VALABLE PEUT AVOIR DES CREDITS TRANSFERABLES). Il ne faut pas croire ce que dit l’ecole a distance sur ce point, mais demander a une universite reconnue si ils acceptant les credits du programme a distance…)
6) Choisir un programme qui ne soit PAS IDENTIFIE comme une ecole bidon dans la base de donnee des programmes bidons sur ce site: http://www.geteducated.com/diploma-mill-police

En conclusion si vous avez encore des doutes, voila 28 pages de temoignages et plaintes sur Ahsford:

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/ashford-university-c215731.html


Ashford University - Ashford University : Organizational Management
The Truth about Ashford University
By: landof8 (In Progress) on December 22, 2010
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Ashford University is merely a greed fed money making company. They do not care about students only the bottom line. Thats why they keep raising prices and other fees to get as much money from students as possible. I will touch on all the grading categories to show why i have ranked them where I have.

MAterials: The books are scaled down versions of books written by professors at other institutions around the company. The titles will be the same as the original works but they will normally be short several chapters. This prevents you from selling them after you are done with them unless you sale them to another AU studnet. You will also have to buy books you will never use for course. I took 4 classes there. In two of the casses (the last 2) the required books were ordered in a set however I only was ever required to use the primary textbook, the other book that came with each primary text were never opened however, there was never an option to just buy the one book.

The price also reflected the two books ($150 & $200) and the cost of the actually used book would have been about half of what I paid. So I paid for books i never used. These two primary books also were missinge the final 5 and 7 chapters. I know this because the glossary and index conatain references to chapters that are not in the book. One communicatons book was right at 300 pages and when I looked up the book on amazon the actuall book had 700 pages.

Teacher: hmm... Bridgepoint education execs create the curriculum in all the classes and the "teachers" are merely forum moderators. In the 4 classes I took I never received one correspondace that wasn't a canned email or unsolicited. Each week you are required to address a question and post a written response in a classroom forum, then within a few days respond to 2 or 3 of your classmates. All the teachers do is respond to 2 or 3 people per assignment. I got the majority of the credit for my work but never had any interaction with the teachers about my work or why credit was given or not given.

The teachers have guidelines on how to grade work and are bound by those guidelines. If a student posts their work they will recieve credit for it.

They have no control over the class. In one class I answered one question with the exact answer from the text and got it wrong. I wrote the teacher to see why I got it wrong and included the page for where I got the answer. The response was that the quizes are programmed with the appropriate answer and that he had no control over the quizes. If I thought it was graded inproperly I had to send in a grade appeal to the company. Also the teachers sometimes don't even know what is in the text. I asked if he thought my answer was correct and he was not authorized to debate correct or incorrect answers. One was unemployed until halfway through the course when they sent out an email saying they were happy because they finally found a regular job. ??? WTF???

The classes were full of illiterate people that could not write in proper English. I would say the average was about %50 at least. There were assignments that were supposed to be 150 to 200 words and only about 5 out of 30 got to this amount. Most were 30 to 60 words. There would be posts that would be 15 - 20 sentences, about several topics so they should have been in seperate paragraphs but, they would just be one long paragraph of run on sentences with no punctuation between them. These were students that would say they had been going there 1,2, even 3 years and cannot write in english.

Institution all about the money. classes cost over $1100 and are a joke. I have taken classes at my local jr. college that cost less than $100 and are 20 times the quality. BPI employs over 5000 employees 3500 of which are telemarketers (enrolment advisors)

Support is OK.

Value save over $900 and go to a JR college if you can where the classes are of a far better value. My 11 year old sister could pass these classes.

Its online so I guess technology wise they are good.

I would tell anyone thinking of going there to not go!!!


Ashford is a joke in everyway

Reviewer: hunniebearr (Degree In Progress) on October 14, 2010
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Ashford University does not have the students best interest at heart. Instead they want to keep your hard earned dollars flowing through the university.My name is Lakisha, I have been a student at Ashford for 8 months, during this time I have found the teachers to be inconsistent with course material. The books to be manufactured by the school an Lacking in a lot of important information.Ashford also expects you to write research papers in the hardest format available(APA)with little guidance.If you are experienced in this format I am sure you will do ok. But if you are not skilled. I dont advise you to attend Ashford. The Instructors are not willing to elaborate on the proper technique. They rather you teach yourself.They also require different concepts of the format. Each instructor will want something unique and complicated in the assignment.To make matters worse, I was a accused of plagirism without even knowing what I plagirized. The instuctor gave me know feedback. Submitted my paper to a review board, the review gave me no feedback but told me I would be flagged in my file for plagirism and still I have not a clue what it was I plagirized because I am teaching myself the format. since I am learning on my own through A study guide Ashford themselves wrote. I am constantly confused on what each insructor wants. the worst part is they failed me for the entire course and want me to retake the calss again.As if I have cash on hand to retake classes, when I am supporting four kids. And finacial aid and loans, what a JOKE. Every dollar you get they hold on to it, an send you pennies here and there when they feel necesarry. But dont count on it improving your finacial outcome. believe me, you will barely be able to buy books and materials at the same time. They will always hold on to 80 percent and give you the student 20.I am highly disatisfied. I cant believe that this is legal. The student has no say in the matter. The board found me guilty without even giving me a chance to defend myself. I was not allowed to even rewrite my paper or given a second oppurtunity to fix a confusing problem. Now I am flagged as a plagirist and have no clue how to keep this from occuring again.I recieved no feed back, and a decision was made on my behalf without any input from me. Now I am faced with the delima of where do I go from here. Wherever I go Ashford wont be a part of it.Please think long and hard before choosing Ashford University.
good enough but room for improvement
Ashford is a joke in everyway

Reviewer: hunniebearr (Degree In Progress) on October 14, 2010
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Ashford University does not have the students best interest at heart. Instead they want to keep your hard earned dollars flowing through the university.My name is Lakisha, I have been a student at Ashford for 8 months, during this time I have found the teachers to be inconsistent with course material. The books to be manufactured by the school an Lacking in a lot of important information.Ashford also expects you to write research papers in the hardest format available(APA)with little guidance.If you are experienced in this format I am sure you will do ok. But if you are not skilled. I dont advise you to attend Ashford. The Instructors are not willing to elaborate on the proper technique. They rather you teach yourself.They also require different concepts of the format. Each instructor will want something unique and complicated in the assignment.To make matters worse, I was a accused of plagirism without even knowing what I plagirized. The instuctor gave me know feedback. Submitted my paper to a review board, the review gave me no feedback but told me I would be flagged in my file for plagirism and still I have not a clue what it was I plagirized because I am teaching myself the format. since I am learning on my own through A study guide Ashford themselves wrote. I am constantly confused on what each insructor wants. the worst part is they failed me for the entire course and want me to retake the calss again.As if I have cash on hand to retake classes, when I am supporting four kids. And finacial aid and loans, what a JOKE. Every dollar you get they hold on to it, an send you pennies here and there when they feel necesarry. But dont count on it improving your finacial outcome. believe me, you will barely be able to buy books and materials at the same time. They will always hold on to 80 percent and give you the student 20.I am highly disatisfied. I cant believe that this is legal. The student has no say in the matter. The board found me guilty without even giving me a chance to defend myself. I was not allowed to even rewrite my paper or given a second oppurtunity to fix a confusing problem. Now I am flagged as a plagirist and have no clue how to keep this from occuring again.I recieved no feed back, and a decision was made on my behalf without any input from me. Now I am faced with the delima of where do I go from here. Wherever I go Ashford wont be a part of it.Please think long and hard before choosing Ashford University.


DO NOT GO HERE

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 2, 2010
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SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM.
I have had nothing but trouble since day 1. I should have dropped out before my first course but I decided to overlook the first problem. Now I am up to 3 lies I have been told. They are refusing to disburse MY student loan money that is in MY name. I have no idea who my lender is, the college tells me they are giving me a receipt to show proof of my loan paying my class but now they are telling me there is no receipt. I can't get tuition reimbursement from work until the school generates a receipt for me. I am livid with this college. They financial advisor assigned to me doesn't call or email me back. I am dropping this class I am in now before I can't get my money back and before I am charged the technology fee. I am done with this place.
The course material for the first class was $75. NOT WORTH IT. The class was EXP105. The material was published without being proofread. There are so many mistakes with spelling and run on sentences. I can go on and on and on. JUST DON'T ATTEND THIS COLLEGE! IT'S A SCAM!

Jump ship now!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 1, 2010
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If you are thinking of doing the MBA program at Ashford because 1)requires no GMAT 2)you think it's cheap, think again! I highly recommend that you look into other online programs, and one of my favorites is the Florida International Online-MBA program, not only will you be at a better school but it is AACSB! Get that AACSB with no GMAT required as long as you have work experience.

So if your already enrolled in the MBA program at Ashford, here's what you should do, STOP now! The program here is a joke, I was getting A's without owning the textbooks! I am so glad I transferred out! Not only have I enrolled myself in a better MBA program but I am truly learning something!
Dishonested School

Reviewer: nperkins36 (Degree In Progress) on August 28, 2010
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This school has a great sales pitch to get you into the school but do not tell you the fine prints. The enrollment counslers gave me false information and I was very upset the didn't tell you you had to maintain a C average they did not tell you that the classes fee change and you have to take an additional loan to pay for classes when you have pell grants and student loans avaliable. Financial Aid sucks also you pay for classes. Listen very carefully to salea pitch. I got SCAMMED!!!!Hate the School!!!!

Stay away!!

Reviewer: jnjpatches (Degree In Progress) on August 13, 2010
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Stay clear of this college! Do your research! They are under investigation by the OIG. Look it up, or do better and call the Department of Education in Kansas City.. I am currently transferring to another college and have many people in the same boat as I am, including my husband who is a veteran and had to wait nearly nine months for Ashford to disburse his finanical aid because they kept losing his information. I have been going to college here for over two years and in the past year this school has gone down hill. There are a few good helpful people but they are very few and far between.. We had to threaten to get our money disbursed to us. This is money that is due to us. We owed the college nothing. Not sure if this will be the case when my husband and I start the withdraw process. Again, please do your homework and check with college locally. Online colleges are for profit, not for your benefit.

the school preys on your financial aid

Reviewer: ron.forney (Degree In Progress) on August 12, 2010
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I attended Ashford until I wised Up This school is a joke they prey on your financial aid I am now attending a real college as soon as i told Ashford i was transferring to a real college i started flunking every other school i get straight A's Don't let there enrollment advisors fool you they get paid for you to Sign up they will tell you exactly what you want to here I hope you don't make the same mistake as me and attend this joke of a school.


Not happy now

Reviewer: broncsbaby (Graduate) on July 26, 2010
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I graduated from this school last September and after reading many other reviews, I agree with several past students. this school is not worth the money. My advisers kept changing on me as well as financial advisers. When I had questions for some of my instructors, it would take several days to get a response. As far as what I learned, I feel like I learned nothing but how to cut and paste my papers and get a 100% even after it was 2 days late. Finally, the financial side was horrible! When I was close to graduating I looked at my account and noticed I had a balance due...I called the school only to be informed that the rated had gone up and they didn't get enough money from the govt to cover them so I had to pay, which I am but not before fighting it and even telling them I would take it to the dean but it did no good so I am making the monthly payments. When I looked at my statement a few months back I saw a late fee so I called the school asking about it...turns out that when you make payment arrangements for this outstanding bill and not pay the entire thing upfront, they charge a late fee. Oh and by the way, you can find MUCH cheaper books online that you can rent. Please look around, there are far better schools, oh yeah, even people that live in Iowa have never heard of this school when I ask..hmm makes u wonder????
BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer: jon13_14_casey (Degree In Progress) on July 26, 2010
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This school is a JOKE! I was attending Ashford's online program, and when I decided that it wasn't for me, they made it impossible for me to withdraw. My academic counselors did not answer their phone, return phone calls or e-mails. They signed me up for another class, and I just did not log into the class at all. When I did finally hear back from them, they were demanding money for the class that I never took. I also had a student loan (and Pell Grant) and they had all the rights to take more money from the loan, yet they were still coming after me for over $1,000. And now that I am ready to go back to school, they will not release my transcripts because they are still claiming this non-legit charge. Basically, Ashford has screwed me over because without my transcripts, I cannot attend school anywhere! THANK YOU ASHFORD!!!!

Please, stay away from this school!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on July 9, 2010
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At first I was very excited to being my adult education at Ashford. Now, I am kicking myself wishing I had researched a bit more.

I knew about the sales pressure. I knew about the financial complications. I knew about the technical fee. I thought to myself, "I know it is more money, I know I may not get my funds on time, but I will be able to have a full time job, and graduate in a shorter time." So, I went for it.

What a joke. I am not learning anything. All of the material I am reading has been written by the Ashford faculty. I have checked out the books for the next classes and the same applies to all materials. Some of these so called teachers are very young, and have no teaching degree.

In one of the books it has a word in bold, and then it gives a definition for it. Words like, "Profession, Craft, and Fictional writing." This is sad. If you don't know simple words such as these you shouldn't begin college, you should be in pre-course classes to help you prepare for regular college courses.

I tested a theory. I have been skimming for the last three weeks, and completing my writing discussions in less than five minutes. My grade did not change, it remained at one-hundred percent. I'm not learning anything.

The books are also filled with page fillers. Material we have covered already, and have to re-read for a second, third, and sometimes fourth time. I am so sick of repeats. If I stay at Ashford there is no way I will be able to use this information in a career field, because I will have learned nothing.

Oh, and I was right about not receiving funds on time. I am still waiting...

A single class costs over one thousand dollars. These are five week classes, you do the math! A course at a city college? The average runs a little under three thousand per semester. Do yourself a favor, get a part time job go to a regular school and live off grants and loans. I am convinced through my research that there is no safe, and sane online college.

I'm transferring, wish me luck. I know there will be complications.

DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!

Reviewer: briantwigg86 (Degree In Progress) on July 1, 2010
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Hi, My co-worker and I were attending this school, everything sounded great when we were talking to the recruiter. I was told my work Verizon Wireless would cover most of the cost the school charges minus the books. This made me very excited to attend this online college. I ask my advisor/recruiter about any other fees, he said there was this technology fee which is $1000 that he has never had a problem waiving this fee for employees of Verizon Wireless. Well 2 months into the school they hit me with this $1000 dollar fee I can't afford to pay. I call them and they say this fee is impossible to waive, so the cut me off in the middle of my class because of non payment for the tech fee. Remember this is an online school, how bogus is a tech fee I am not even physically attending a school. Long story short I was cut from classes and now threatened to get thrown into collections. I will never attend this school and my co-worker and I will continue to demote this school to everyone we know. Please do not feed into this schools lies, make sure you do your research and deal over email instead of the phone just to leave a paper trail.

Graduating in 6 weeks

Reviewer: RJKersey1 (Degree In Progress) on June 23, 2010
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I began this supposedly asynchronous program a year ago, and to date, I have not seen the value for my money. In the beginning, I put forth maximum effort and received high grades. As time went on, I put forth little effort and received high grades. I'm in classes with people who cannot grasp the basic concepts of grammar, yet they are making straight A's. I do not understand that. I am a teacher, and what I have rated as "A" level, graduate work is a joke. I have learned to use some new technological tools, but I could have taught myself to use them. If had had to go back, I would NEVER have gone here, nor will I recommend it to anyone. After battling the school over its false advertising of asynchronous classes that turned into group/cohorts, the school removed that piece from their advertising. Thankfully, I am employed and I know my subject area. I just needed an advanced degree. If I were to teach others based on what I learned at Ashford, I fear we'd all be lost.

the worse school ever

Reviewer: lanidahampton86 (Degree In Progress) on June 9, 2010
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the whole reason why I deceied to go to this school in the first place was because of all the great things I heard about it. Then once i got into the school it became a nightmare. The financeal aid department in is horriable they say all this stuff to get in to sign up for the school then its like nobody cares once you are there. You will never get your money that you deserved because they gonna give you a run around about it.

An HONEST Review of my experience so far

Reviewer: ryanmourer (Degree In Progress) on June 9, 2010
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This is an honest review of my experience at Ashford. I have been attending for almost 2 years and will complete my AA in business very soon. 1st of all, you have to realize that no 2 people will have the exact same advisors and instructors, so experiences will vary. That sounded like a disclaimer if I've ever heard one!
My enrollment advisor was excellent, as she should be! They want you to enroll in their college and bring your money to them -- right?! I have had 3 different academic advisors and they have all responded promptly to any questions and concerns when they came up. These 2 departments were sufficient and deserve an "A" for their support and effort.
The financial aid dept is a completely different animal! I have had numerous financial aid advisors (too many to count!) and they were all inept. They (as in all of them) DO NOT respond to any questions asked and if they do it will be weeks, if not months, when they get back to you. Your academic advisor seems to not be able to help either when you voice your concerns on this issue. So beware of this fact... they are a FOR PROFIT institution and are owned by Bridgepointe Education and based in San Diego, CA. This is certainly more about business and money than education. If you apply for financial aid expect to receive it - if you don't want any more you will keep getting it and it is difficult to give it back, because the financial aid dept will never get back with you! They act like you are trying to run a scam or something when you want to discuss your finances with them. I have the money to pay out of pocket for my tuition and only wanted 1 disbursement of student loans. I now have 2 times the amount I originally wanted. I'm bummed -- I don't have the time to deal with trying to resolve these financial issues constantly.
The quality of education varies. I have learned things in some classes, and not a thing in others. I really had to concentrate in the math and accounting courses, because if you cannot teach yourself the material -- good luck! Most of my instructors were prompt with answering questions, but I feel that a lot of them replied to discussion posts and assignments with "canned" or pre-prepared responses that were not even pertinent to what you or a classmate wrote. Not all of them, mind you, but most of them! Disscusion post plagarism happens often! I cannot tell you if it is addressed, because I am not privy to correspondence between other students and the instructor. Some students do not possess college level writing skills, or high school for that matter, yet they seem to show up in other classes on down the road -- what does that tell you?! I tried hard at 1st, but have loosened up as time goes by. I still have a 3.9 GPA and sometimes even skip whole assignments. I make the Dean's List every time it comes out. I thought this was a great accomplishment at 1st. Now it's not so great because I hardly try at all (apparently I don't have to) and still make it no problem!
The tuition is reasonable if you are a military vet like myself, but if I had to pay full price plus the cost of books, I would definitely go to another school. Try buying your books on eBay instead of new -- then resale them there. I get my books for free, since I am military, and then sell them there for whatever I can get after each class. College textbooks become obsolete after so long, so there isn't much use in holding on to all of them. Some are good to keep and reference though. My tuition rate stays the same, $750 fixed per course (military), but the regular students often see tuition increases -- at least once or twice per year. This may happen at every university, though, so be prepared for this. Is the degree worth anything to potential employers? I'm not sure, but it is an accredited university, so I would hope so.
If you want to get that piece of paper saying you have a degree from an accredited university, then Ashford is okay for you. If you are going to pay $1100 plus per class, and want a more quality educational experience, then I would research a higher ranked, NON PROFIT university to spend your hard earned money at.
I hope my review and time spent writing it helps someone out.
I am looking into Liberty University for pursuing my bachelors -- does anyone have any knowledge of this school they can


If you want a piece of paper for $17,000+ go here!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on June 2, 2010
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Lets see I was currently in Ashfords Masters program. The school is online and I yet to see the value of such a degree in the business world. The classes are easy and in fact you can pretty much write two sentences in the discussion and receive an A the professors are simply not that they are facilitators as anyone can download the course guide on their homepage and complete the entire class before it begins. High school students could complete this degree. I understand you get what you make of it but truly this school needs more work. Financial Aid is another issue and trying to get a hold of someone is next to impossible, yes they are there when you first sign up but once you complete that first class its almost like the are non existent. For those of you you want numbers try asking on of the enrollment couselors the average number of people that graduate from Ashford and with that the starting salary of Ashford graduates simply put they wont know!
Buying your degree vs. an Education

Reviewer: kallygos (Degree In Progress) on May 31, 2010
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Just get ALL your ducks in a row BEFORE you begin, despite the smiles, sweetness, promises and pressure. Get all questions answered, such as teacher student ratio, how many credits will be accepted, etc. As with me, rarely are 99 credits accepted, but a fraction of that is the norm (even from a nearby Top Ten University as mine were from), 90% of promises of people to do their job will be blown off, you will get about a 15% return call rate except for initial sales person /'advisor' - at first. Handle or track your own financial aid if possible. A large faceless corp. bought this school so buyer beware and know what you are dealing with. You can extract a degree but it won't be a learning experience with live professors, in fact you probably will never be able to talk with them, their teacher student ratios are probably astronomical, TA's as well. This is business folks not academia!


Horrible Expierence

Reviewer: fireplay81 (Degree In Progress) on May 10, 2010
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I transfered to Ashford from University of Phoenix. I have had nothing but problems with the administration at Ashford University. The financial aid department mistakenly denied my application and no one told me for nearly a month. Now I have a bill the school is trying to collect. It has been two months and I am still trying to get this issue resolved. My financial aid advisor didn't contact me about the issue and hasn't contacted me yet. I've been dealing with the available financial aid advisors, each one recognizes the problem and takes action to fix it and when I call back it's like it never happened and I have to start all over again. This has happened no less than three times.

In addition to the problems with the administration the classes are geared toward lower level students. I came in with 60 credits and was put into 100 level classes. I have only taken 2 classes and the instructors for each class had degrees outside of the field of psychology, one of them was an engineering major. The enrollment counselor completely misrepresented the program and when I started classes they were nothing like I was lead to expect. They make you buy "Ashford" versions of text books which are nearly impossible to resell. I would not recoment ANYONE attend this university. The administrative hassle itself is enough to send you packing. My roommate attempted to attend Ashford as well and met similiar problems.

Ashford Univ., Run Forrest Run!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 8, 2010
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WARNING! Ashford University, RUN FORREST RUN!
If you are a plagiarism scholar, then Ashford University is the school for you.
If you lack integrity, honesty and fail to follow rules and policies then Ashford Univer. is the school for you.
If you support bigotry, discrimination and racism through their advisors, and you don't want to asks questions, then Ashford University is the school for you.
If you don't want to learn anything, or you/staff can't comprehend any of the books they recommend, or you support lazy instructors (not teachers) that don't return phone calls, then Ashford University is the school for you.
Ashford U policy is: It's OK to plagarized anyone's work or not learn anything, because we want your MONEY, HONEY!
WARNING!
1. You better not asks any questions or they will 'blacklist' you and throw their ridiculous 'student code of conduct' fake book at you. They will also tell you we are there for the monies, we don't care if you haven't learned anything from us or the instructors.
2. Don't forget, their Advisors are allowed to misinform, demean, twist your words and disrespect you. Ashford Univ. advisors have rights, NOT Principles.
3. Try contacting the CEO and President of the School, you will get NO WHERE. She cares nothing about any of the students, ONLY 'Where's the MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.'
4. There is NO support or respect for students at all.
So those students who are currently attending Ashford Univ. will complete with a degree of "knowing nothing", a "total Degree of Ignorance" and brag about a Grade Point Average of 4.0. with alot of student loans.


Ashford U: Degrees for the Dumb or Lazy

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on April 30, 2010
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At this point of my life, I just want a degree. Any degree will do. Ashford should adopt that as their slogan: "Any degree will do." Even a degree from a 4th-rate school like Ashford is better than nothing; not by much, but better than nothing. I feel I'm not learning anything. The classes are so watered down, a moron can get a degree here. I just hope the degree is worth the paper it's printed on when I do graduate. However, I strongly suspect that most employers are going to know that I went to a crap school and got a crap education. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Disappointed

Reviewer: pobrienhazlett (Graduate) on April 29, 2010
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Like any other online institution; the learning is up to you. You get out of it what you put into it. I have two problems. One; many of the teachers give complete credit to anyone who does the online discussion, even if it was two sentences long and did not meet the requirements. I found that many of the teachers hardly participated in the dicussions or provided helpful feedback. I felt like I put so much effort in my work but other students who put in 10% received the same grade. That was frustrating. The other problem was when I graduated I needed some career counseling and help with resumes and cover letters. They have no such help. For someone who has been a stay at home mom for many years I need that help. This school will be fine for you if you are already working and do not need career help and if you don't care if you get the same credit for doing 90% more work than some others. Oh and plaigarism runs rampant. People blatantly cut and paste and the instructors are oblivious.
CAUTION

Reviewer: lilbecca (Degree In Progress) on April 24, 2010
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Caution to all the honest har-working people out there trying to Though the staff at Ashford may seem like the nicest people on earth, they are only out for your money. They have no real concern for your well-being. As long as you are sending them money they are great. But as soon as a financial problem arises, they do a 180. To start the $55 fee that they assure you won't be charged to your account, will be charged to your account the very next day. Don't believe me.... check your account. In the beginning of the process I was contacted on a daily(some times several times a day) basis to see if I had any more questions or concerns. They had an answer for every question I had. But when I had my doubts and brought up that I had found a better option to get my degree, EVERYTHING CHANGED! They no longer had any answers for any questions I had. When I informed them that I no longer wished to continue with Ashford, the games started. They refused to hear what I was saying. All they did was talk me in circles and pass me to the next person on the phone. They are just out to get your money and meet their quotas, nothing else. They became down right rude with me over the phone. They are not paid to support you, they are paid to reel you in and take in as much of your money as possible. I am a honest, hard working women, just trying to better my life. All I got in return was disappointment. Please don't let them get you! There are other options out there. Look for other goverment programs. T.E.A.C.H is amazing program that actually cares about childcare workers, and they will go out of their way to help you. Save your time and money and tell Ashford to shove it. You can get the same or a better degree through T.E.A.C.H for a fourth of the prices, and with alot more rewards. I hope that this helps whoever comes across it. I don't think anyone should be taken adantage of(especially those who are trying to further their education and help teach the youth of our world), and that is all Ashford is about. So run! Best wishes!


REELED IN..THEN FORGOTTEN

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on April 18, 2010
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Ashford reels you in with all this good talk, and constant communication until after you start the class and then all of a sudden you post or email a question about your asignment and the teacher aide nor the instruction gets back to you for 2 days, that is after several attempts to get an answer from them. First class they require is a $1200 joke and 5 weeks long wasted. You are better looking somewhere else for your education. Their only interest is MONEY!

False Advertising

Reviewer: CompuGk1AB (Degree In Progress) on January 26, 2010
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I am very disappointed with Ashford. I was sold an online program that was supposed to be asynchronous-students working on their own. Everything was fine for my first 5 classes. Then, the 6th class suddenly has team/group work and projects every week! It was very unorganized, the teacher wasn't ready, was not responding to emails or posts and nobody knew what to do. We organized ourselves, worked into the wee hours of the morning to meet the due date and had a project to turn in already when the teacher emailed us the day before it's due to say she will be putting us in teams by area code and extending the due date! It has been one painful experience after another with many people complaining to advisors. They all have different answers, mine acknowledged that we shouldn't have team work and it is STATED ON THEIR WEBSITE!! Talk about bait and switch! It is very difficult to find any names of anyone in administration to complain to. They don't seem to be listed on the website. I feel that the school is letting us down and in fact I can't imagine that this is even legal! If you are thinking of going to this school, think again. The stress this is putting on me and my classmates is enormous. I am very disappointed.
Not a School

Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on September 12, 2009
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It's true. I could probably learn as much about business a daily dose of Facebook. The Blackboard system works okay, but whew! the caliber of students-as well as instructors became a source of resentment over the course of the 2 years it took me to complete this program.
I believe the instructors are told to hand out A grades liberally. I never received anything less than an A.
Instructors often posted some impressive resumes, but were not involved with the class/Blackboard posts; except for a bunch of one-liners.
I have a complete library of business texts now: haven't sold them yet...I could just as easily reread these texts and complete the exercises at the end of each Chapter and learn more than I did through the program.
How could I not mention the lack of credible academic rigor?
I recommend that one might better go to a REAL school.

I am registered for my second Master's Degree now; at a school with real people and real interaction.
A Big Disappointment

Reviewer: gretchen1112 (Degree In Progress) on September 8, 2009
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The admissions representative gives a RaRaRa! speech and is available all the time. Once you start classes, all staff disappears. Be aware that you cannot take off in between classes - not even a week. The advisor will tell you that you can, but the school automatically enrolls you in the next class. I was told that I would be able to take my pre-planned and paid-for vacation after my 1st class was over. WRONG! The 1st class ended on Monday and the 2nd class began Tuesday. When I asked why I was enrolled in the 2nd class on that date, I was told that if I took 1 day off, I would loose my funding. Bye bye Ashford.
Just about Finished
Not a School

Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on September 12, 2009
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It's true. I could probably learn as much about business a daily dose of Facebook. The Blackboard system works okay, but whew! the caliber of students-as well as instructors became a source of resentment over the course of the 2 years it took me to complete this program.
I believe the instructors are told to hand out A grades liberally. I never received anything less than an A.
Instructors often posted some impressive resumes, but were not involved with the class/Blackboard posts; except for a bunch of one-liners.
I have a complete library of business texts now: haven't sold them yet...I could just as easily reread these texts and complete the exercises at the end of each Chapter and learn more than I did through the program.
How could I not mention the lack of credible academic rigor?
I recommend that one might better go to a REAL school.

I am registered for my second Master's Degree now; at a school with real people and real interaction.
A Big Disappointment

Reviewer: gretchen1112 (Degree In Progress) on September 8, 2009
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The admissions representative gives a RaRaRa! speech and is available all the time. Once you start classes, all staff disappears. Be aware that you cannot take off in between classes - not even a week. The advisor will tell you that you can, but the school automatically enrolls you in the next class. I was told that I would be able to take my pre-planned and paid-for vacation after my 1st class was over. WRONG! The 1st class ended on Monday and the 2nd class began Tuesday. When I asked why I was enrolled in the 2nd class on that date, I was told that if I took 1 day off, I would loose my funding. Bye bye Ashford.




Never In my life have I been so shocked

Reviewer: bharmon_71 (Degree In Progress) on July 16, 2009
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I have never in my life been so disgusted with a so called university. getting enrolled was no problem whatsoever, just like everyone before me has attested to. Once in my class (ADULT DEVELOPMENT) I was first shocked at a few of the students that couldnt even put a sentance together or spell the simplist of words. I have no problem with that, however How can they be enrolled in a course like that.
the next thing that shocked me was the fact that they wanted us to do a paper in APA format. Well that is fine but ashford's APA guidelines are not the same as the NATIONAL APA guidelines. I kept bringing this to everyone's attention, I.e. teacher, teachers assistant and my enrollment advisor. I know I am abviously anal about it, however it sends up red flags when a University can not even get the APA guidelines right. Ashford specifies left margin at 1 1/2 inches. where APA clearly states every margin is 1 inch. APA used to be 1 1/2 but changed to 1 inch. anyway after this it just went down hill. I thought to google ashford reviews and I was mortified, in my class everytime a student asked a question, the instructor would say I really don't know. I mean gosh shouldnt you know? your teaching the course.

well anyway so I spoke to my so called academic advisor and the person over my student loan. oh my gosh I have had better customer service at a fast food drive through.
they are downright rude etc. anyway I told my advisor that I was quitting to attend a real university like ASU and he said "im excited to not to have to deal with you anymore".

Please do your homework and dont go with this school.. a complete and utter rip off, and they treat you like crap to boot as an added bonus.




absolutely not worth the time

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 31, 2009
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I am writing this on behalf of my step-sister. She separated from the US Navy last year and wanted to get her college degree. When she asked me for my input, I suggested she research her options very carefully. Nearly one week later, she informed me a local online consortium had contacted her and offered to accept her military training as a substitute for nearly ALL of her prerequisite 100 and 200-level credentials. Having spent several years working alongside a colleague who later became the president of a very well reputed corporation, I decided to inquire about the bona fides of an online university in today's business world. Sadly, her response was what I feared most-she told me to tell my sibling, "absolutely not worth her time." Unfortunately, my sister did not listen. She paid her enrollment fee and expected classes to provide her the necessary instruction to permit her to find suitable employment in the business community. Almost six months later, my sister had her BBA in marketing. To date, she is yet to find a job paying more than $28,650. Her total bill for materials and instruction: more than $50,000. Several potential employers have suggested she transfer her units to an accredited university, like USD or National. To my sister's disgust, these schools will NOT accept any of her upper division work, and few of her accredited transfer credits from the US Navy. SDSU told her she would likely have to start at the Freshman level, if they admitted her at all in lieu of her attendance/degree completion at another university.



Continuing Post below:

Reviewer: miagirllost (Degree In Progress) on May 22, 2009
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I’ve since transferred to the local university, who accepted all my credits EXCEPT Ashford’s. I’ll be graduating this fall rather than summer because of this. However, I do agree with the University’s decision that the classes at Ashford are just not at the same level as most US Universities. Now, I have been receiving calls and letters saying, I owe $2011.00. I spoke to a Financial Aid officer at Ashford, who refused to send me an invoice. When I said I would not speak to her without one, she hung up. I called her again and once I questioned her as to why the Academic Advisor registered me for a course if I owed money, she hung up. I was never informed about the first balance. It clearly states in the student handbook, students are not allowed to register if there is a balance. Please note: Your academic advisor is the only person who can register or drop you. You yourself can’t do this, which makes it possible for your Academic Advisor to register you for courses without consent as well as driving up balances you may not know exist.
I have called Ashford University 20 times in last two days and no one is willing to send me the exact date and courses. I have emails stating I would be receiving financial aid. I do not know why I owe these people money. I have already made a report with the Better Business Bureau, as well as the US Dept. of Education’s Office of Inspector. I hope something will be done to stop Ashford from taking advantage of people who just want an education, while misrepresenting and lying about Federal Aid. I for one believe Federal Aid for this school should stop in hopes of steering people far away from this school.
Please Read....

Reviewer: miagirllost (Degree In Progress) on May 22, 2009
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This school is a total scam. I was told Financial Aid would cover my classes; I even received a disbursement check from the school. I decided to leave the school. The information in all courses I took was very vague and not at a university level. Every course is formatted the same: 6 discussion posts a week, a quiz, a 2-3 page essay due in the 2nd week, a draft of research paper due in week 3 and the final 8-10 page research paper at the end of each 5 week course. The lack of individuality in the courses will get to you. I didn’t find class discussions to be thought provoking. I ended up appreciating and missing the “traditional” classroom settings. I found the research papers to be a total waste of time since 5 weeks is not enough time to gather research and write a real scholarly work of substance. If Ashford thinks writing a research makes them a University, they are sadly mistaken.
I transferred to Ashford with 90 credits, just so I could work full time and help my parents during this recession. I was three classes away from graduating, when I made the decision to pursue a Master’s degree once I was done. After sitting with an advisor at my local university and showing them the course syllabuses, it was apparent my courses at Ashford had no academic merit and admission into the graduate program was unlikely.
ASHFORD UNIVERSITY SCAM

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 20, 2009
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Ashford University is a moneymaking scams university. The faculty and staff members call you 24/7 until they get you to sign up for all of these courses and apply for loans that you know nothing about. Then they stop being concern. The help and phone calls stop. They drop you like a bad habit. Stay away from that school.

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 19, 2009
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CAREFULL I TRIED TO CANCEL MY CLASSES AS OF THE THIRD WEEK BY LOGGING IN AND AND SEEING HOW TO DO IT DUE TO I DIDN'T WANT TO ATTEND THAT SCHOOL IN I GOT STUCK PAYING 801.00 SO THEN I SET UP A PAYMENT PLAIN WITH THEM AND WOW THE TOOK MY CHECKS AT ASHFROD AND CASHED THEM , BUT THEY ALSO TURNED ME IN TO A COLLECTION AGENCY'S.. SO BE CARE FULL THEY REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU JUST YOUR MONEY OVERPRICED ON LINE SCHOOL.!!!!!!!THESE PEOPLE ARE BAD

Looking for more information about Ashford University? Complete an information request form and their admissions office will contact you to answer any questions you may have.

In debt with a useless degree

Reviewer: drachefyre (Degree In Progress) on May 16, 2009
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Financial Aid: Haven't had much trouble with them. They have been more than helpful in assisting me open several high-interest college loans to pay for these courses, forcing me to find a high-paying job after graduation or watch my hard-earned credit score plummet as the loans default.

The B.A. Degree: I was facing a tenuous situation and my newly-appointed Ashford advisor said all the right things to me, that my nearly-completed B.A. in Cell Biology would transfer and within a year I would be graduating with a strong degree in leadership and biology. He lied. An academic advisor with the institution I am planning to enroll for my M.S. degree has said that my degree is worthless in the sciences, and only a small miracle on the GRE General and GRE Biology can save me if I want to pursue a M.S. degree in Cell Biology. He suggested I drop out and take courses at the local Community College as they would be more relevant. Just Great.
Think carefully before wasting your student loan $

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 16, 2009
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I made the choice to enroll at Ashford to complete my degree in Business. My first class was great but my second class was taught by a professor who ruled with an iron fist, had control issues, didn't communicate clearly unless it benefited him, and quite frankly was terse with words and rude. I got my first grade from him and I immediately withdrew. In state tuition here costs 1/3 of what Ashford was charging me for an overrated professor who didn't care "1" ounce about me. I hope they enjoy the thousand bucks I spent because it will be the last dime they ever get from me.
Stay away...

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 13, 2009
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I wanted to finish of my degree I had started in the 80's and decided on Ashford. My enrollment guy was as nice as they came. Very supportive, told me everything I wanted the hear. Promised me they would transfer 60 of my credis and add potentially 33 more for extra work I had completed. They did a pre-evaluation on my transcripts and said I'm accepted and in the program. They then said it would take a couple of weeks to finalize the credit transfer. Funny enough the calls stopped from the enrollment guy as did the emails. I might further add I had started a course and had invested many hours into reading and other assesments not to mention books and shipping costs. Then I get a call from the matriculation officer only to find out the pre-evaluation was done incorrectly and I had on 56 credits to transfer and that made me not meet the standards for acceptance to Ashford. So, they basically kicked me out. I asked if they would accept my HS transcript along with my 56 credits and they refused due to it being from Canada. They said I needed to send my HS transcript to a outside evaluation service (at a cost of $300) for them to approve it was real. The enrollolment guy never bothered to call to apologize or discuss the problem. They had no interest in trying to resolve the issue and cast me aside with nothing more than a "sorry about that" from the matriculation officer. The net net for anyone considering Ashford is this...they will tell you what you are looking to hear and promise you everything. They are your best friends calling twice a day and emailing supportive comments etc. They promised me the moon and delivered the sky. Total over promise and under deliver group of people. The courses are expensive and the online department is based in California making it hard to talk to them before 11am if you live on the east coast. Finally, they owe me money for books and shipping I now cant use and have not had any refund or promise of a refund. If you are looking for a school that will help or admit when they have made a mistake Ashford is not for you. Be very careful on what school you funally decide on. Once trust is broken and they lie to you its hard to ever take them seriously on anything.


Ashford Advisors pfft!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on March 15, 2009
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First I'll start by saying Ashford advisors are a joke! The classes are OK, so far. The financial advisor is rude, will not return emails, answer phone, or give call backs. By the way her name is Erin Murphy, if you eroll request someone else or you will be unsatisfied. The enrollment advisor, calls you almost daily, sends emails like a spammer, and lies. I was looking for a degree in Natural Health. This college doesn't even offer it. The enrollment advisor told me, since they are "cheapest", I should possibly get my general education done then transfer. Well a load of crap in itself, they enroll me in classes that are, well, a 5th grader can get straight A's in. Then a "Film" class, stating that is an English class. I requested that I not take it and get something else.. She was then rude saying it was mandatory for a degree... Since then, she stopped the email spamming, won't answer her phone, etc. Finally I got through to her. She had the nerve to say, she seen me calling but was on the phone with other students. OK, so that verifies they have caller ID. The 3 days I tried calling practically every hour on the hour, she was on the other line? I doubt it.. I believe her and the enrollment advisor was laughing at me for obviously making a fool of myself calling so much. The classes are not that challenging! If you want an easy 3.5-4.0 this would be the school. Make sure you have extra funds for tylenol, you will need it.

All I have to say, if you have another option, PLEASE TAKE IT!
Environmental Engineering SCAM

Reviewer: mylabelles (Degree In Progress) on March 10, 2009
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I have worked in Environmental Engineering for more than 22 years. When I started there was no degree in this field. Now I would like to have a piece of paper saying what I know.
It only took one course to find out this is nothing more than a milking house. My initial adviser was excellent. He hunted me down for weeks and said everything I needed to hear in regards to finishing college. He was able to squeeze me into a class that had already started. This is when the problems started. I couldn't order books because the deadline was passed. So I had no books. They redid their website and it gave me several problems. Here is a quick list:
I could not easily long into classes.
I could not find a password from my professor to log into a writing lab center. Emails and phone calls were ignored. Bad professor. There are several logins through out the school. I would have to say that I needed help on every set up of login, because it was hard and changed for each login area. They say it is that way for safety reasons. You can email fellow students and find out that several of them have the same problems. We helped each other out because our professor was only a screen name and not a touchable responsive person.
They said I would have to pay ZERO for school and grants or fee waivers would be given to cover costs. Sounds to good to be true. It was. They sell you this program of free and send a big dog collection agency after you are locked out college for not continuing courses. Mind you that they lock you out.
I was told by my financial adviser on several occasions that FASFA would pick up the bill. This adviser is very slow in returning calls, but will respond to emails same day. This is good if you are online 24/7. To get my information for financial papers he would call like clock work. Once enrolled that all stopped.

DON"T BE FOOLED BY some of these posts. There is a good chance that some of these positive posts are employees. They require employees to take courses of study from their University.

My degree is not available from the college. Once again, they will say anything to sell you on college. I need to stop there because I have on touched the tip of an iceberg.

My suggestions would be to seek local State Colleges and Universities before using Ashford. Even with out books and an absent professor I got a "B" or better on Quizes. It is easy, but requires time. To bad they are dishonest and put some of that blame back on you as a student.
ADVISORS ARE CRAP

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on March 9, 2009
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They told my stepdaughter (with a D- Average in High School) that she could get her B.A. in health care administration and could be a CEO of a Hospital in just 4 years.

That is total Bull S__T. The advisors there need to be a little more careful in advising ANYONE that they could achieve this lofty goal in so little a time frame, especially with someone who has no education in the first place to achieve ANYTHING like this.


GO ELSEWHERE!!!!!

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on January 10, 2009
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I have had the worst experience with Ashford!!! PLEASE do your research on this fake diploma mill before giving them your money!!!! I have two degrees already and had simply enrolled for my MBA. I decided to withdrawal the first week of class because of such miscommunication with Ashford!

ONCE THEY GET YOUR MONEY THEY ARE DONE WITH YOU!!! Sure they are very proactive BEFORE they get your money but once you enroll and sign the papers---don't let the door hit you on the way out. They won't return phone calls, answer e-mails or anything! Horrible horrible horrible. My advisor was Ryan Castro, enrollment advisor Bridget. Don't recommend these people at all!!!!!!

Go elsewhere--to a program that requires the GMAT or GRE--for a good education. This diploma mill hopefully will soon be shut down. Another thing, EVERYONE you speak with at Ashford tells you they are "working" on their degree at Ashford. Well they don't tell you that "working" on their degree simply means getting experience by working at Ashford--they aren't enrolled taking courses at Ashford!!!


Ashford is a rip-off

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on January 7, 2009
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It is important to know that Ashford will never EVER do what they say they will- your transcripts will take months to get reviewed, you will never know how much financial aid you have to borrow until it is too late. They stole $2000.00 of my financial aid and I am now responsible for that loan when I never even got to finish a class! They don't return your calls in financial aid and they are very rude.

I advise you strongly do not enroll in this program! There are other reputable schools that actually communicate with their students in a timely manner. By the way, the blackboard is always going down, but they hold you accountable for your work, even though you can't log in.

They are doing unethical things with financial aid, they tell you the first class is free (online program) as well as the books and then they charge you.

Don't fall for it!
The Surprise

Reviewer: adhelms2000 (Degree In Progress) on October 22, 2008
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This school is a joke. A week after receiving my award letter for financial aid, I received an email from the financial aid office at Ashford saying that effective immediately, they would not disburse refunds until 7 weeks after the original disbursement date. In the meanwhile, I inquired about my books, I asked if they could be credited to my account and was told that they couldn't. I withdrew quickly. That's what I get for not doing research first.
Ashford University

Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on October 20, 2008
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An Ashford education is a joke. The classes are designed so that anyone with a junior high education can pass. Their so-called "Enrollment Advisors" are actually telemarketers, many of whom are NOT college grads. Their job is to get you in school at all costs. If they don't enroll a specific number of students per week, they get fired. So as you can imagine, Ashford's bottom line is more important than your education; they are a for-profit school.

The quality of your education there is questionable. If they are condensing an entire semester into five weeks, how much are you really learning? Or better yet, how much are you NOT learning? They make the classes easy so you won't drop out and take your student loan dollars with you.

Once you are in, expect to be treated like royalty...during your first class. The Enrollment Advisor doesn't get credit for enrolling you until you finish your first class, so they check in with you constantly to see how you are, help you with problems, etc. After you finish your first class, don't expect to hear from her again. Now you're on your own.

Their support system sucks. It takes weeks to get an answer to any questions. And they will bug you to DEATH for referrals. They don't want to spend any money on marketing or advertising, so they ask you constantly for names and numbers for your friends so they can be put on the call list.