Ashford University

Great school! My experience was great at Ashford! If I was confused by something I simply asked what I wanted and always got an answer for whatever I needed. Each course is 5 weeks and is a little bit faster pace but definitely manageable if your motivated to do the work. Organization is key to success as it is with anything! I got my associates here and am not working on my Bachelors! Best of luck to Everyone!

My experience with Ashford was horrendous. After 3 courses they told me I should have not been accepted because I did my undergrad in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is a USA territory ,I have a doctorate and been living in the USA for 20 years . They felt I needed to take an English language test, again this happened 4 months after I was accepted and completed 3 courses. I do not want anything to do with them. Staff is rude , university is sub par. Do not waste your effort or money here.

Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT attend Ashford University!! They are unprofessional, unresponsive, and are not in the business of assisting students. I was a student and recently received a call from a collection agency that my account was sent to them. I WAS LIVID!! I called the finance department and she verified that someone had reached out to me on April 6 and that I explained to them that I was waiting on my employer to know what portion I was going to be responsible for. Next thing I know I'm getting a call from a collection agency. The woman from the finance department then transferred me to the recovery department and he explained that he could only see that the last communication was in March and that my account was placed in a "follow up" status. I said but there was no follow up, this man had the nerve to say "well it's not a real status, its a protection." I said so you mean to tell me if something is in follow up status you don't really mean to actually follow up on it???? He said "No". I said imagine if a lawyers office or a doctors office or any office for that matter said you were in follow up status but never follows up or actually meant to follow up!!! I also informed that a previous matter with a grade that I received was supposed to be looked into but Aldolfo never followed up. (Well I guess follow up doesn't really mean follow up at Ashford.) I called another number and they informed me that they didn't know who the president or vice presdident of the organization was and therefore couldn't transfer me. (ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE NAME OF THEIR ORGANIZATION'S PRESIDENT???) I just want to pay my bill and be done with them. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY! THERE ARE OTHER AND FAR BETTER ONLINE INSTITUTIONS! Especially one that has a physical office you can go to.

I enjoyed my experience at Ashford and found the school to be challenging and fun. I took classes with many of the same people. Having received a Bachelor's on-line at Troy University I can compare the academics to say that Ashford was just as qualified and challenging as Troy was. The only issue I had at Ashford was that your financial aid doesn't help pay for books and you have to buy them cash.

I've read a lot of the reviews for Ashford and have to say that I don't agree with them at all. I attended Ashford U from 2011-2013 and received a BA in English Literature. For all the people who say that the degree is worthless, this is not true as I have been teaching high school English for 4 years. I got a job within 6 months of finishing my degree. I went in lateral entry, having to take pedagogy classes through U. of Phoenix (a certification, not a degree program) and take the state's tests. Extra things, yes, but my county reimbursed me the whole way. I see it as worth it as I have a job, which was my goal in the first place. When making decisions regarding your future and your money, you have to research, ask questions. Ashford is a for-profit university, which mean you are PAYING for your degree. Essentially, buying it. This is stone one and you should base your expectations off of this. Don't go in thinking that they owe you something. They don't. They can get your money from someone else if needed. And honestly, this is the mindset many colleges and professors have. This isn't high school or below. They don't hand hold. You're an adult. You take care of your own business and do what you need to do. With that being said, I understood the process from the get go. I made sure I read everything on their website, asked questions of the admissions dept before even accepting enrollment. They have a live chat feature on their website and there's no excuse not to use it. If you're worried about being scammed (as with any business) retain records for yourself of communication. I used some of my own money but mostly the Pell grant at Ashford. There were times when we were strapped for money and could have used the reimbursement in a more timely manner, but again, that's not what they're there for. They aren't a bank. They're a college. I had no issues getting my classes paid for before the start date (no different policy with Phoenix by the way!). My admissions and academic advisors called and emailed me frequently to check in, almost to the point where it got annoying. But at least they tried. They would even email me reminders to complete assignments or make sure my weekly attendance was taken care of. They don't HAVE to do that. Again, a business. To me, this exceeds expectations. I was also attending Ashford during my first pregnancy and when I delivered my daughter, Ashford actually gave me a "break" of 3 months before they expected me to continue with my courses before having to take me off of enrollment. I was very grateful for that and it helped my family immensely. The classes are online classes. Be prepared to do everything almost 100% independently. You don't have a teacher in front of you to ask questions of. Be aware, these online teachers have "office hours." They're online at a specific time and that's when you ask questions. Otherwise, don't be upset if they don't answer your email in what you deem as a "timely manner." As a teacher now, I totally understand this. No, I'm not going to answer your email regarding an assignment 3 weeks ago over my weekend. It's not happening. You can ask me during class hours. They have lives and families too and aren't at your beck and call. I only had 1-2 teachers I didn't click with and that's just personality differences and miscommunications. Everyone else was wonderful, knowledgeable, and supportive. I felt challenged in my classes. As it was English, it was almost entirely writing based. The discussion questions were tough and required serious thought and analysis of the works in the textbooks. As far as materials go, I loved them. I thought the texts chosen were well thought out in accordance with the class assignments. I even still have these books in my classroom now for my AP students to use. I loved my British lit. classes. I even use my final papers from these classes to help teach my AP students their course material and how to write college level essays. I will say the 5 week course length was insane and definitely overwhelmed me at times but it was as advertised. It helped push me through my degree program more quickly but it was intense so be prepared to do a lot of work. Overall, I would recommend Ashford to others and have done so in my area. My daughter's 2nd year preschool teacher even had her Early Childhood degree from Ashford. Another example of their degrees not being useless. It's tough, intense, expensive, and you have to stay on top of everything from admissions, to academics, the professors, your assignments, to financial. But, that should be done at any higher level institution. Again, I recommend Ashford and don't regret my decision to go there. My husband will be finishing his history degree there in the next year as well due to my experience.

I agree with the person who said it is up to you. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed and I'm pulling an 3.85 GPA. I'm almost finished with the bachelors program. The financial department is a train wreck and it definitely is a business. The recruiters are kind of misleading, so save all your emails or phone conversations. It costs a little more than other private schools, but has very minimal math requirements and you don't have to take the GRE to get in. These are the reasons I chose Ashford. Their support has been pretty good in my case, which is cool because I have a learning disability. The five week semesters keep you on the run, but generally speaking, the content is not extremely difficult. If you struggle with math and are OK with taking tons of humanities, this is a great school for you, albeit a lot of work and self-discipline. I'm pretty happy overall.

This is my second graduate level degree with Ashford University. I graduated with my MAOM in 2013 and returned for my MBA. The MBA program was challenging and at often times really hard. Online programs have this stigma that they are somehow easier. Technology has made it easier to ACCESS learning opportunities. The cirrculium is just as challenging as a traditional in- classroom learning institution. You must be self motivated and be prepared to show off and improve your writing skills. Yes there are exams and tests, and deadlines. The online library is an outstanding resource at your fingertips 24/7. I believe they've won awards for the vast and in-depth availability of periodicals and scholarly journals. The instructors are incredible. Yes, I've had a couple duds, but I've also had the opportunity to learn from professors who graduated from top schools such as Stanford or Cornell and former CEOs and CIOs of top firms. The virtual classroom experience is incredible and focused on learning. All I see is a name when interacting with other students in the discussion boards. This is important because in an in-classroom environment we, as humans, tend to judge others, and then filter our interpretation of their discussion based on frivolous attributes such as their posture, outward appearance or voice. In an online environment those factors are removed and are not influincing how I'm perceiving their discussion or response. Instead I'm focusing on what they have written in accordance with the topic. Lastly - distance learning is not for everyone, but if you want the flexibility to work full time and/or raise a family and earn a degree then consider AU. It will not be "easy" the programs are accelerated. Be prepared to dedicate several hours a week to your studies and assignments. It will be worth it. It will go fast and it will help you advance as a person and in your career. Yes I've studied theories but each degree program is designed to help you understand how to turn theory into practice. I can say with full certainty that earning my degrees with AU have helped me excel in my career and helped me showcase my skills and earn promotions and salary increases. You get out of it what you put into it. If you think 6-10 hours a week sounds like a lot ask yourself how much time you spend on social media, playing games on your phone and watching TV. Sacrifice that for a couple years and make the time you spend in front of a "screen" worth it. Good luck and congratulations in advance for choosing to better yourself!

I really like this school, but I do not like the way they handle student's financial aid & disbursements. It seems like every time I have a stipend due, I go through these same issues. They want to ensure we turn our work in on time and ensure we have no outstanding financial holds, yet you take your time with issuing refunds when they are due. My thing is, if I don't owe you any money then why should it take so long to release the excess funds?? Then with the new company they use, there is no consistency as to when they decide to process & release your stipend. I am upset because it seems like I am "begging" them to release money that is rightfully mine, and it seems like they try to patronize me by sending me the same email about 7-14 days... They never give a straight answer. They keep sending the same generated email. And when I call I get the runaround.

My Degree from this school is no longer even recognized in my state. All that money for a useless degree which is essentially toilet paper. This school boasts about its excellent education degrees. Not one education degree is N.C.A.T.E accredited or recognized by the Department of Education. None of them lead to certification either. Total waste of time and money. RUN DO NOT JUST WALK. Keep googling there are some good schools out there.

I have nearly completed my BA in psychology with Ashford and as a military student I will graduate debt free with the help of Pell Grant. I have three classes left and I am considering a MA of Psychology with Ashford. I will say that online course are challenging because it is much easier for professors to express expectations verbally than with a few paragraphs online. Some professors at Ashford will express their expectations by docking your grade on an assignment and telling you what you should have done as if you should have already known. Most professors that I have worked with are fare and offer valuable feedback though. I will say the one negative I find in Ashford is the accelerated 5 week courses. Many courses will have two discussions, a quiz, and an assignment (some have two assignments) that are due each week whilst also requiring the student to read two or three chapters in the text book, and recommended articles or watch recommended videos. On top of this the student is required to do research for papers. This is might be okay for someone working part-time. I work full time, have three kids, and a Air Force Reserve commitment making it difficult to read all that is required and complete all of the work, whilst absorbing all of the information. I feel like if the classes were longer and less congested I could get more out of each class. Despite that I have a 3.95 GPA on a 4.0 scale and feel like I have a much better understanding of psychology.

One of the best decisions I ever made was deciding 8 years ago to get my college degree. For those that believe that an online education is easy, think again! You don't have professors holding your hand. You have deadlines to meet, multiple assignments at once, lots of research, just like you would have on a job! I completed an Associate's, Bachelor's and Master's degree from Ashford. There are weekly discussions, papers, and tests (mostly during undergrad). You have a course syllabus and due dates for assignments. A typical (Bachelor's program) week would include two disussions, a short paper and perhaps a test. At the end of five weeks, a final paper is due. The Master's programs are six weeks with mostly research. APA format is required and like any college/university, there is a grading rubric for papers. Also like any college/university, you'll have tough and easy going professors. Most of my professors were experts in their respective fields and most were pretty fair graders. I only had one bad experience with an English professor during my freshman year (glad I'm done with him). The library is not the best and you'll have to use online resources, but the library does automatically format the resource for you. And yes, Ashford hours will transfer to other colleges. They've transferred to four other universities for me (three brick and mortar, two of them major universities). Ashford is regionally accredited, which is better than national accreditation. Because of my Bachelor's, I was able to become a teacher, and because of my Master's, I will be getting a pay raise this year. I could have gone into the private sector, but I'm enjoying the benefits of education *wink*.

I am starting my last class at Ashford University. I think people forget it is also part of a brick and mortar school that has been in existence for many years(only the name changed). My aunt used to teach there when I was a little girl. Anyways, I like school. I found the classes engaging,interesting and sometimes difficult. This was not an easy degree,but I worked hard and did my work. You have homework every week that has to be done in a specific allotted time. Every week you have from Tues-Thurs to get your discussions posted,then everything else done by Monday. The norm is a few papers every 5 weeks, with a 8-10 page at the end of the 5 weeks. You need to be efficient with APA format and knowing how to research primary and secondary sources. In the last 3 years I have never had issues with my advisors or financial aid. With financial aid, if you pay attention, go to your portal and click the financial aid tab, it tells your financial aid breakdown. You also receive an award letter that get in email form and it's online. I am confused about all the people complaining about money on these boards. Read and pay attention to what is on your portal. Ashford is accredited and accepted everywhere. I learned a lot and will get my Master's Degree here. People who are reading these comments to decide, avoid disgruntled employees, bad grammar comments and people complaining about money. Great University, I would recommend this school :)

I and am new to the online degree program and college. I am 47 and had a very easy FAFSA process but right before my first course my computer was used to download a few undesirable programs. Long story short my computer was infected with terminal MALWARE and Trojans which equals a laptop that was trash and not salvageable. Course drop. I buy a new computer, purchase Microsoft Office again and I have everything downloaded as far as required technology for Ashford and I opt for Mozilla Firefox instead of Google Chrome, MALWARE-TROJANS, second course drop. Through all of this disappointment my Student Counselor was wonderfully supportive and had great advice. He went above and beyond, with nothing less than impeccable phone etiquette and friendliness, we formed a friendship that has been very comforting. I am now in my third course and love it. If the cost is an issue pay attention to the paperwork. I am here for quality and you get what you pay for. I have read far too many reviews by individuals who seem to complain about credit transfers and/or Ashford not being accredited, Instructors are not competent, too expensive, and these people seem disgruntled, angry, unhappy, miserable, and/or not getting the grades THEY feel they deserve. I want to say TRANSFER and stop trying to make your complaining the authority on Ashford's credibility, ruin others chance to attend a fabulous college. I did my research and find nothing lacking in my expectations, in fact Ashford has exceeded my expectations. I am very happy and enjoy every minute of my Online Degree Program. I am here to learn and build a career outside of my lifestyle career. I wish luck to all who want to learn from the best.

I entered into getting my degree with Ashford in the Summer of 2012. I went to two vocational area schools and found that they wasted my time and my good money one of those institution is now being looked at for misleading students into entering their institution. I had read some of the reviews of Ashford and those that appeared negative seemed to only be concerned about the finances of attending the University. I myself only really care about the quality of my educational experience and thus far it has been a good one. I have had some difficulty I did not fair well when it came to my Algebra requirement and must take the second one over again but that is just a set back and not the fault of the University it is the fault of myself not getting the right tools to help me enhance the learning. As I said I read the reviews and when you want something of value to you cost should not be a factor what you put into your education is what you will get out of that education. Although I had little or no success in the vocational schools that I entered and completed I did get something out of it I learned even if it did not land me a job in the field that I wanted then but I have learned from all the experiences of this. The key to online education is time management if you don't have discipline then you should not attend an online learning institute if you are disciplined then this is the way to go. I can only speak of my experiences with Ashford but I can assure all that are considering in attending this institution you won't be disappointed in the education process that is if you are willing to put your time and talent into it will make always what you get out of it.

I am reading some of those reviews and is having a hard time comprehending exactly what they are saying. Most of the complains are about money and some services. Those who complain about the education if you read through the complains its easy to understand why. I have been attending AU from 2012 and is presently completing my last class. My experience have been great and I cannot really complain beside once having an advisor who if you ask me was inexperience for the job. I was assign a new advisor and she is wonderful. Ashford is accredited and the tuition is affordable. The students who complain most of them do not put the necessary effort into they studies. I am a BA major with a 3.63 GPA, I spend plenty of hours studying and doing research. I take it one day at a time and manage my time wisely. If I am to give anyone any advice it would be; before deciding to attend AU be sure that you are ready to be committed to your studies. People with half a brain should have some sense in that half to know that if you're getting an education online it will be challenging in one way or another. I know this for sure, if you read the text and follow the directions it is possible to get passing grades. I am trying to decide whether or not to pursue my MBA at AU and most likely I will. I have and will recommend Ashford University to anyone who want to further their education. ASHFORD UNIVERSITY IS A GREAT UNIVERSITY AND I LOVE THE EXPERIENCE. We get what we put into it.

I am an active duty member that has been attending AU since 2011, I am majoring in Criminal Justice, and I graduate next year. This review is based on what I know and what I have experienced and some might relate to what I have to put on here. When I started to attend the school I was welcomed very well and the student support was there and they even checked on me like a baby in ICU. Through the years I have had about two instructors that were worthless and cared less what you had to tell them and one actually gave me an "F" for one of my classes, Julius Moses (POL 303), steer clear from this guy, funny that after retaking the class with the same material I received a "B". Some would ask, "Did you submit a grade appeal?" Oh, I sure did and it was as good as not submitting anything at all. The grade appeal did nothing and at the end of the day they have made their decision and they will just tell you to retake the class--more money for them. Finance department is just as bad as the Social Security office for people collecting social security. These guys are rude and disrespectful and will talk to you like you work for them and they own you since you were born--trust me I am far from a sensitive individual. My recent issue is my current stipend that I received a few weeks ago (Oct 2014). A few months ago I asked them if they had any stipend and they said NO and they gave me some back woods excuse and I left it at that. A few weeks ago I received my stipend which was weird, after receiving the stipend it even got weirder. My stipend was dated for school year 2012-2013 and I am currently sitting on school year 2014, but they told me I had no stipend. This is one of a few more incidents that I have come across with the finance dept. Student advisors are hit and miss. I have actually come across some that are super and they work with you like a good lawyer willing to fight for their client. At the same time you will get some rotten apple advisors that will not even answer your emails, they will not return your phone calls, etc. I have also noticed that the school likes to change advisors without notifying you and it sucks when you have a good advisor. Re-entry depart is the latest department that I have come to deal with. So I was out of class for more than 45 days due to military requirements and when I came back, which wasn't a problem (thank God), but I was later met with some D-bags. Classes begin on Tuesdays in AU and they open the class on Monday. So I posted my introduction on Monday and the two discussions are due on Thursday. So on Tuesday I receive a phone call stating that I need to login. One Wednesday I returned their call and the guy on the other end is no so polite and I told him it's not my first class and I have already logged in Thank you!! An hour later I receive yet another phone call from the same retarded dept. requesting the same thing. Yes, my patience is running low here, I called back and I spoke to (Eunice Perkins) who I thought would help me, but not surprising at all she didn't and she actually told me"...I can't promise you that we won't stop calling" remember folks, these phone calls were not to remind me to pay or I am overdue for tuition, these were phone calls to harass me about logging in to the class. Wait there is more, yesterday 30 Oct I receive yet another phone call from Retard Dept. aka Re-entry; same script, different rep, and no patience on my end. I understand the guy was doing his job, but he can use some common sense, I finally requested to talk to a supervisor. Erin Walter comes to the phone and she is worse than I expected, you have a better chance talking to a dead cow than talking to her. She was rude, not willing to accept my request not to call me anymore, she refused to email me per my request, and lastly she hanged up the phone on me. This is what the school has down too these days folks. CONCLUSION: Since Ashford has gone mainstream (TV ads, YouTube, bill boards, etc.) they have taken the trend of big corporate companies; to not care anymore and worry about money. The school is ok if you want to complete your degree fast. However, you have to put in work to get results. You have to have discipline for online classes; meaning you have to manage your time accordingly and complete your assignments. The school is accredited (Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission) and you can verify with the Dept. of Education (federal) websites. Most employers and even the federal government hire people with degrees, but most importantly from schools that are accredited. Ashford needs to clean themselves up and start treating the students like humans not like we are nothing to the. Lastly I would recommend that you conduct all discussions on email and not on the phone, if you need to conduct anything through the phone make sure you ask for a follow up email.

Ok, where do I begin. Number one, most of there BA programs require specific certifications (which they do not offer), therefore even if you do graduate from this school, you may not be able to get a job in your field anyway! Secondly, they are not respected at all! Good luck getting a job with a degree from Ashford! But ok, lets be fair any human being with even a smidge of intelligence knows that the classes are so pathetically easy and your not in any way learning anything of use. So you cant be too surprised to find out your education is going to be criticized and your degree unwelcomed! The only real job you can get with a degree from Ashford is a teaching position, at Ashford! lmao. If thats not bad enough, the staff is horrible. This school is a business for sure, they dont care about you, and if you thought they did, you got played! They make a nice ass commission on every student thats enrolled and stays enrolled at least past the third week so they can charge you! You will be lied to from the start about pretty much everything! They rarely take credits from other schools even though they claim they do and will. I wonder why that is? Well lets see, for every credit they let you transfer in, they lose money. Again people, they dont care about you its a business! And lets not forget that Ashford claims to be accredited. They dont have the same accreditation as other schools. In fact, they lost even the most basic accreditation and had to do a total revamp to get it back (not that they are any better now, just had to "look" better). They will lie and say you didnt complete courses you did, or change your grade suddenly if you drop out or transfer schools! They couldnt keep my stipends because I knew enough to sign that permission away from them, no ashford promise here! Theres no real learning going on, people plagiarize constantly without any repercussions, and my favorite thing is how there is a class action lawsuit against this school with millions of people already signed up to sue them. If you want an actual education you can be proud of, at a price thats reasonable, from a respected school, try Kaplan University! they are one of the only online schools that have actual teaching going on. Yes actual teaching where you communicate in real-time with your professor and classmates! There courses are 10 weeks long apposed to 5 weeks, you take two at a time, and they are worth 5 credits each instead of only 3. They are fully accredited in every way, and you can get the certifications through them at the end of your degree as well as job placement! I wish I had done more research about Ashford before I wasted my time and tons of money, but at least it caused me to do serious research before attending an online learning institution again! If you are an Ashford student, run away as fast as you can! Do your research about a school before you sign up and save yourself the hassle of getting sstuck in a pathetic excuse for a college!

I attended Ashford for three years and finished my BA. It was a wonderful experience. I had no issues with Financial Department, with admissions, nothing. I never had a teacher not respond, only had one that didn't respond in a timely manner and had only two instructors that I felt were 'jerks', but was able to get through the courses with good grades. I attended a Public University for online classes and my feeling of it was those instructors took to online classes for extra cash. There were times I never got responses from them, and rarely were the responses timely. The flexibility of Ashford fit my over-whelming schedule and was perfect. The school was not perfect. Some of the classes seemed silly, but I was never once graded on my opinion like some of my friends who attended U of I. If the teacher was a liberal, and one wrote a paper form a conservative stance, regardless of the research and quality of citations and resources, their instructors graded on principles and not content and presentation. I had a female instructor, and was writing a compare and contrast paper on a topic that could be considered chauvinistic. Prior to writing my paper, I sent an email to the instructor to see if I was going to be graded on research etc., or if I would lose points because it could be construed as offensive to the instructor. She said it would not be graded on her personal feelings or beliefs. I got a near perfect grade on. I also get tired of hearing how it's a "for profit school." These schools do not have the power of the NCAA. The billions of dollars these schools make off of their sports, especially football and basketball. Those kids work their butts off and get none of the millions of dollars that are brought in from TV, Radio and ticket sales, as well as licensed product sales. This TV coverage is also free advertising to attract and draw applicants, athletes etc to their schools. The money made off of the backs of these student athletes is disgusting. Then there are the countless fees that are nothing less than a joke. For profit colleges do not get this free publicity, or money, their only focus is on education. Public Universities also have nearly unlimited numbers of labs with undergrads to help professors research subjects which can lead to the discovery of major advancements or products, which brings much more money to the university. A prime example is when members at the University of Florida developed Gatorade for the Football team. The school still receives royalties from this product and it is used by all Division 1 schools. Another funny thing is, my buddy got his masters degree as an Athletic Trainer. If he wanted to be an Athletic Trainer for the NFL, MLB, NHL, that only requires a Bachelor's Degree, but he wanted to focus on being a trainer for a D-1 University. That required a Masters Degree. So Multi-million dollar athletes should settle for a Bachelor Degree holder, but college athletes require a Masters... MMMMMM I wrote all of that just to show that public university isn't as squeaky clean, pure, innocent, or being maligned by for profit universities, but the public universities are feeling a pinch and loss of revenue from hundreds of thousands who attend on-line, for profit students. Ashford is NOT perfect, but from what I heard from friends at major universities, I believe my education was much more pure. Ashford, I believe is thought of as a diploma mill, and I believe that many who are disgruntled could not formulate a complete thought, write a properly structured sentence, or wanted to put in the amount of time and research to submit successful papers. Once it was discovered to NOT be a paper mill, students flee away. I started many classes with 40 or 50 students. I'd read some of the posts, and yes, there were some real humdingers out there, but by week three, they were pretty much gone. There was a lot of hard work, a lot of hours, dedication and strict timelines/schedules, but sticking through it, is well worth it. I really, really liked it and would do it all over again.

My second review for this university. This is relevant in that everyone knows if you make the finance department angry they will drop your grade for no reason and thats what happened in my case. I'm an all A and B student and in my last class I passed the final exam and had a grade point average of 85%. The final paper I did was accurate and correct as well in correct format and the instructor gave me a 0% and my grade point average dropped from a B to a C. My instructor didn't even bother grading the paper and at that same time the finance department called several times to harass me about money I owed. I have a tuition that pays for college but, the university refused to accept the tuition and instead have me apply for financial aid which I was not interested in. The financial aid department basically demanded I use financial aid instead of my tuition. I called my tuition and they confirmed they would pay the full cost and I finally after several phone calls and telling them I would file a lawsuit, the finance manager gave me a copy of my invoice. You have no idea how hard it is to get a copy of an invoice if your account is placed on hold you can't view files online. I asked if I could access my account after the tuition was paid and they still said they would determine if I could which makes no sense at all. I wasted 6 months of studying and improving my GPA for nothing if I can't even get a copy of the transcripts. I worked so hard and I put in so much effort with this university and they treated me like an outcast once I had a bill that I was able to pay but, again they refused to accept my tuition as payment and wanted hard cash instead. Just doesn't make sense. I told my advisor Benjamin Eddington that I was upset and thinking of leaving the university because of all this and instead of him advising me and being an inspiring and helpful academic advisor like he should be, he tells me he already started the dis-enrollment process and will be removing me from the university. It's like he couldn't wait to get rid of me. Never work with this advisor because if he treated me this way then hes sure to treat more people this way. At this point I had no one helping me. My military advisor refused to answer the phone calls or emials, my other advisor same issue there, and the finance department kept forwarding my calls and placing me on hold. No one was helpful at all.

This is my third year attending the online degree program through Ashford. The concept behind the unique education process really turned me on to the school. I was in the Armed Forces (journalist in the Army) and wanted to make the most of my education from the military. Maintaining a full time job and family is hard enough, so an online focused curriculum was essential for me. From the beginning I had issues with their finance department (i.e losing paperwork, holding excess funds for more than 14 days (which is against the law), and a poorly organized staff). Despite the flaws with their finance department I was committed to getting my degree. Over the 3 years I have had 4 student advisors. I was forced to request student loans from my first advisor and when I told her she was wrong she threatened to kick me out of school. So, like anyone in my position would do, I requested to speak with her supervisor. She then stopped returning my calls, hung up on me and refused to give me any information about who he was (seriously!). That didn't stop me, about 5 weeks after I finally spoke with him after emailing him several times and leaving multiple messages. He changed my advisor and my experience started to look up again. Until my advisor changed again without my knowledge and they started double charging me for classes. Their financial department is a mess. Their advisors are uninformed and it seems as though they read a script when speaking with you. Most of your classes are pre-chosen. Although I got a random email yesterday saying I needed to pick 8 credit hours of electives so I could finish up my degree. All the classes I chose, were unavailable. All their material is online and written by a professor through the University. The professors seem to have a respectable education background, but most of them honestly don't care. My current instructor can't even spell my name right, and it is right in front of her when she is grading my work. You are basically paying for a degree and it is a very self motivated program. Some of my fellow classmates should not be passing classes. I have provided an excerpt from a discussion post as an example, "I believe for the benefit of the people, the citizens should have the only right to make the decisions concerning certain decisions. Remember, this would be the President that would make decisions for the benefit of the people". The assigned discussion was "explain the Electoral College, discuss pros and cons of the system and explain how you believe this affects contemporary America." She had no in-text citations, her APA formatting was not used and she ended the discussion with essentially, a signature. The following quote is the response from our instructor, "I enjoyed reading your discussion about the electoral college. Your discussion is also well written and well organized. You also have a good discussion about why the electoral college is needed and how it works." Seriously? Well organized? Her post was 4 sentences of something that makes no sense, nor does it meet the expectations of the instructions. If you want to pay for a degree, this is the program for you, but if you want to be challenged and earn your education, you should not waste your time.

I am having a few problems with Ashford University for the simple fact over matter. If I have a scholarship that offers to pay for my materials then why can I not receive my material by mail. I know that I am an online student and the College and personnel may think that it is good to read our assignments online but three to four chapters then testing without the book? Please when a student pays for their college of decision then why can't they have their books? Doesn't the students goals of academics mean anything? Elma D Smith BA Social and Criminal Justice

Let me start out by saying, I have been to four different colleges. I have attended two traditional colleges and two online colleges. From my previous experiences, this is the worst college I have been to. I immediately began with intermediate Algebra where I had several issues, the math system they used was not user freindly, nor was their math examples very good. In order to figure out how to complete the equation I had to go to Khan Academy or youtube videos. In the homework section, you could not move from one week to another without completing the previous week. That means if you were late completing your assignments in week 1, you could not start week 2 until week 1 was finished. My next class was psycology 202, which every student has to complete. I do not hav any complaints, that class was pretty good. After that class, things get stupid. It takes 2 months for them to finally get me into a degree plan. My academic advisor double books me in classes, and acts like I did something wrong (only advisors can book classes). Two weeks after I start my history class, I was dropped from the college. I call them up to ask what is going on and they have no answers, it takes them about three weeks for them to find out I was dropped because my degree finally went into effect. They told me it was an isolated case and they have never experienced this issue before. Because of that issue I am still waitng for my transcripts to be evaluated. Remarks per catagory: Materials: Most of the material is online. If you want the paper copy then you would have to pay the difference. Teachers: I have had one horrible teacher. He did not listen or read my emails, he formed an opinion without paying attention to what was said. I ended up having to get me academic advisor in on it an he could not figure out what was going on with the professor. Institution: You have to work very hard here. They are condensing eight weeks worth of work into five. So you have to oput in a lot of effort. Support: Support was amazing. I never had to wait long and were able to answer my question. Value: I have not attended this college long enough to comment Use of technology: This is the best college for technology. They have apps for the iPhone and iPad which includes your class, grades, degree plan, and degree progress. In all fairness, my fiance also goes to this college and not had any of the issues I have had.

I was mislead from the start. Financial Aid does not cover all fees like they stated. I only attended four weeks of classes at Ashford. I stopped going the day I found out I had a balance with the school after only attending 4 weeks (Hundreds of dollars I now owe them, so they say). They did receive some money for me, however, not enough to cover all the fees. They lied about obtaining my transcripts from my old college that I told them was closed before enrolling. Overall, I attended for weeks of classes and now I owe them hundreds of dollars. I would have never enrolled knowing I would have another bill to pay being a single parent today.

First things first... Read the negative reviews with a critical eye. How are the communication skills of the reviewer? If the person posting a review cannot communicate with decent grammar, spelling or syntax, there is a reason they are angry. They don't have the skills required for higher education. You are going to get out of your education exactly what you put into it. You have to have a working knowledge of Microsoft word, basic web navigation skills, and a mastery of basic communication skills. Online education is structured, you have deadlines to meet and you will be required to write a research paper at the end of every class to assess how much you learned. If you can't type an e-mail without typing in BINGO (B4 instead of Before for example) or chatspeak (LOL, FTW, LOL, :) ;), etc...), then you are going to struggle in the discussions every week and your final paper. If you don't know the difference between You, Your, You're, There, Their and They're do not bother to enroll yourself until you have educated yourself on your own and brush up your communication skills. Early on in my education I would cringe at what people were posting on the discussion forums! Pathetic grasp of English grammar being the worst offender. Nobody cares how my you love Jesus, your kids, your pets, etc... This is not social media it is a school. Keep your religion, politics and helicopter parenting offline. However, if you can self-manage yourself, stick to deadlines, communicate well and have great time management skills you will get a decent education. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA (The highest you can achieve at Ashford. They do not use A+ (5.0) as part of their grading rubric. Again, you are going to get out Ashford as much effort you put into your education. Now that the people not qualified to be in higher education have been thinned out of the herd, my classes are far more enjoyable and educational. It's really hard to take feedback seriously when you cannot understand what people are saying to you because their English skills are abysmal. I am now dealing with serious students with great communication skills as a senior and it is refreshing. I've not had any issues whatsoever. However, I knew what was expected of me before I went back to college for my second BA. I know what student loans are like, I have no illusions that I am going to be in debt when I graduate. You'd be surprised how many people think Student loans from the government are "free money". Apply for grants and scholarships if you are concerned about financing your education and remember you not NOT guaranteed a JOB after you graduate. Be prepared to apply to several companies before you are hired. Ashford is not going to find you a job, they only give you the opportunity to increase your salary potential through education. Don't go in with the mindset you are going to be handed a degree and a job. Be realistic. Nothing in life is ever guaranteed. Use your critical thinking skills, go in with full understanding and work. Getting a degree will require a lot of work. Work hard and you will do well.

I've been going to Ashford for over a year now and only have about 10 months left until I'm done. For the most part it's a great school. I really can't complain. Technology, support, everything. I will be proud to have earned my degree from Ashford University. My only complaint has been some of the teachers. They have an attitude problem. Not all, but two of my teachers right now and a couple in the past. Some have a problem accepting a discussion post for what it is, and try to pick a part your discussion. I read through tons of discussions and that's all the teachers responses can be, trying to pick apart. Asking too many questions about your post, like, "well what do you mean it had a dark undertone"? It means it has a dark undertone. Would you like me to write a novel to explain everything? "Well what did you mean the color is blue"? It means the color is blue. There is no need to discuss what is said further or snarky remarks needed. Just read it, accept it, and drive on. Things like this I see all over posts from some teachers to everyone in class. They are forgetting, a lot of us have more life experience than them. Most of us are grown, have families, in the military, or other aspects. You will most likely encounter a teacher like this at Ashford. That's the only downside. There are great teachers as well, so don't get me wrong.

I have read many of the reviews that seem to be saying that an education from Ashford University is not worth the paper that it is written on, I totally disagree with this in every way. I graduated with my Masters degree on May 5th, 2014. As with anything that is worth while the education you get from Ashford is what you are willing to put into it. I started my educational journey at traditional community college and then graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors in Communication Studies. It is true that any online program experience will be different then the traditional classroom, and for some people an online program is not the program for them. I will say having gone to 3 traditional schools and then Ashford, their online classroom experience rates right up their with online classes from my State University. As a matter of fact I might even say that the online experience from Ashford is better, then taking an online class from my more traditional schools. I am presently taken an online class from a local school here, and in comparison to the quality from Ashford, it is a joke. As it is very difficult to work through in comparison. I add this to my review because so many are saying negative comments. I choose Ashford University because my son and daughter in law were going to school at the time, since then both of them have graduated and have no complaints. My son received an education degree, in which he was able to get a job in local school system, and is finishing local requirements for his teaching license. Even those getting this kind of education locally must do extra work to get your teaching license. He would not even been given his present job without Ashford education. I hear many of the students feeling as if the education did not get them their desired results. The truth is that any degree is only a piece of paper and the rest of the opportunities that come your way is up to you. I am satisfied with the degree I recieved from Ashford. In order to be successful you must be willing to be disciplined and willing to keep up with your classes. I found the advisors helpful, and the teachers willing to work with you when challenges came. Yes the classes are extremely pricey, and make sure you are getting the degree you want, because the loans add up, and you will not be able to do another program most likely. Best advice to you after graduation is loan consolidation, and income contingent, especially if it takes a while to find work. As the job market is not easy right now. In my case my education was in a field different from my work experience. I would recommend finding experience in that field. Volunteering, and Interships are often helpful. As in my case I still have wound up taking other classes in order to get Practicum experience in field to get the job I really want. This is not Ashfords fault, but it is the one draw back I see for their programs. As employers want experience. A degree without experience is difficult to get the job you want. All in all I still feel that my education at Ashford was more than worth it, in the long run. I also personally attended the graduation ceremony, I would recommend it to everyone, as this is your time to celebrate your accomplishment. I found the graduation ceremony very wonderfully done, and when they sent the degree, it arrived in a wonderful frame with school logo. I did not pay extra for this. I would recommend Ashford to a student that needed a degree, that could not attend the more tradtional classroom. However, if you are able to attend a more traditonal school that includes Practical experience in your field of choice, you might want to consider this instead. As employers look for experience.

I began my quest for a college degree in 1972. After receiving my Bachelors in Social Science in 2011, my wife urged me to continue my educational pursuit. Consequently, I received my MAED from Ashford On October 7. 2013. Howbeit, there were times I wanted to quit; but at my age, you don't get many chances for academic success. I salute the professors and academic advisors that made my transition into online schooling a smooth flow. When I began this quest over 40 years ago, I did not have technological advances students experience today in the classroom. Nevertheless, the Ashford staff was very patient with me; answering questions I did not understand and assisting me when crucial challenges arose. After all these years of attending various schools, I found the right one to fit my learning style and preference. It was the ride of my life; and a fun and educational one I might add. I want to personally thank all the professors, academic advisors, and untiring staff at Ashford University for helping me fulfill my academic dream; I'm a graduate...and a happy one indeed. I must admit, the work was challenging; but what could I expect...it was college. And after all is said and done, it was up to me to perform. Ashford gave me the knowledge and tools, but I had to do the work. Thus, I give the highest regard for an excellent university; and am proud to call Ashford my alma mater. And great appreciation to my wife for not letting me quit.

I graduated from AU in 2012 with a bachelor's in Social & Criminal Justice with a minor in Organizational Management. I have had a few bumps with one or two admissions people, but overall, I have to say that my education is top notch, my experience was great and I learned what I needed to and expected. As with anything else, its all in what you put into it. People who complain about support etc., I've read some reviews where the complaint is that they didn't give them a second chance after they broke the rules etc. I am currently enrolled in a master's program and I have the same great things to say about their program, school, professors and experience at Ashford...it is a great institution.

I graduated Summa cum Laude in March 2013 with a BA in Sociology with a minor in Public Administration. Since I applied and was accepted for SmartTrack, my last 3 classes were at the Masters level and qualified me for dual credit. I rolled right into their MPA program with 9 credits out of 36 already completed. An alumni scholarship also reimbursed the cost of the 4th completed course. I will graduate in April 2014 with my MPA.

I enrolled in Ashford University online because I was a single parent who had to work full time but desired an education in order to find a job to help ends meet. I was mislead by advisors, had a financial representative who changed my fafsa information that caused me to lose my grant and constantly double charged me among other terrible issues. I worked hard for my grades and degrees only to find out that my Master's degree would get me nowhere. In fact, I was led by advisors to take this master's degree program because it would allow me to teach college (I did not have an educational degree). Now, the degree says you must have a teaching degree to be in the program. After finding out (by applying for a job at many colleges) that my degree was bogus I automatically notified the college advisor ect. The college Reps. have ignored and not gotten back to me except for an email that said I signed up for the degree even though I was not a teacher or qualified and that makes me liable. Since when does a college allow you into a program that you are not qualified for? They don't! Which says that I was mislead and fooled. I owe alot of money for a degree that did not get anywhere. BEWARE! BTW, they never took off the extra charges either (over 10,000). I should have forgone the degree and paid more attention to my children. Precious time lost and a debt of 75000 for bogus degrees that has caused me much heartache.

I am currently completing the final core course in my Master's program (MAOM) and over the past months I have been able to apply what I've learned at Ashford and it has made a significant difference in my career. Executive staff have taken notice of the changes in how I interact with people, how I understand the organization, and the contributions and suggestions I've made, as a result of my learning experience, to the organization. For the most part I've found the quality of instruction to be extremely high (Over the past 4 decades, I've accumulated hundreds of units at Cal State Universities and Community Colleges) and the coursework is both challenging and relevant. There have been exceptions -- one instructor wasn't very responsive and was a little formulaic in her responses and comments -- but the majority have been helpful and encouraging. I've found a few MINOR goofs in some of the assignment information, but nothing of a significant nature and the issues were promptly addressed by both the instructor and the administration as soon as they were raised. As with anything in life, you only get out of something what you put into it. If you work hard, follow instructions, exercise some common sense and critical thinking, you will do well. No one is going to hole your hand (at least in the Master's program), so you have to be self-motivated and prepared to perform. After reading a number of comments regarding the quality of student writing, I can agree that there a a significant number of people who don't write well -- but as a professional technical writer with more than 25 years experience, I can say from personal experience that this doesn't significantly differ from what you find in industry. Every day, I read materials prepared by graduates with advanced and terminal degrees from big name universities (Berkeley, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, etc.) that don't write very well, so I can't blame the university for a lack of personal writing discipline. Overall, I rate Ashford very high and would recommend it to anyone who has the drive and discipline to stay the course and apply themselves. I only wish they had a doctoral program!!

I originally looked for a school that offered history as an online degree. I was originally told I could take History and organizational management so this is what I started with. I can say that although I have seen some reviews and people say that after they are initially enrolled the advisors just drop them. My advisor was a student herself and not only could I contact her with any academic problems such as having trouble with research, but I could contact her with personal problems too. She is still a friend and is a good person. I had planned on becoming an archaeologist. When I became pregnant there were complications with the pregnancy resulting in a change of career choices. I switched to the BA in psychology and BS in social and criminal justice. In that there was no problem. I enjoyed all of my courses but some of the teachers were not so good. Although they may have been experienced or knowledgeable some were rude to the point where even knowing I am a good student I had to wonder. Others encouraged me to continue and even suggested career options because of how well I wrote and understood things. I never had a problem changing degrees or specializations. I changed several times, to include a minor in sociology, add a specialization in corrections and again to drop those. That was due to financial aid, which I did not realize would not cover the course. The big problems I had occurred here. My advisor must have been ignorant or something. He told me that I could not graduate because I still had more classes to take. When I questioned him and mentioned the minor and specialization he informed me that the minor was available but I would still have to pay for the one additional course needed. However, he also told me the specialization for corrections was not available because I switched my degree to psychology. I was pissed and told him that he needed to check his information because I was supposed to be receiving a dual major. So after all that, he checked and apologized and said that I was basically done with my courses. If I wanted to do the minor or specialization I could but they would be out of pocket. For the minor one more course and for the specialization 5 more. He said my options were to do the minor for sociology, the minor and specialization in corrections or I could be done and graduate. Of course the last part was contradictory to his original statements. All in all, I enjoyed the classes and they helped me to evaluate things I didn't normally do. One example is you have to take a film course or there is another option but I went with the film. I find myself analyzing things in films all of the time now, but this is not bad. Having worked 3rd shift to begin with, the online option was really good. When I became pregnant and was still working it was even better. I found the materials relevant to the classwork. Most courses, maybe all, required a paper at the end, so if you don't like researching and writing that isn't for you. Some courses also had tests at the end and most had quizzes throughout the course. The capstone for both my psychology and social and criminal justice required an extensive 20 page paper. For me I learned most through the research. I had a good experience for most of the part but there were teachers that weren't so friendly and some problems with financial aid, only towards the end. I have heard some people have problems with collections from them; I still have to pay my graduation fee; yes there is one just so you know, $150. I still haven't paid it because we don't have the money. I haven't heard anything collection wise, but transcripts and degrees cannot be given until you pay that fee.

Let me start off by saying that there are several things that Ashford does very well. First, Ashford has an amazingly intuitive user interface. I am concurrently taking classes at a Cal State University and have yet to have had one online class be comparable in general ease of use. Second, Ashford's Constellation program (basically a better version of nook and kindle for desktop) is designed to make studying and note-taking a breeze. Third, the structure of the classes (clear course objectives and predictable assignment dates) makes learning while working simple. All that aside, Ashford is by far the worst scam I have ever seen. The classes are expensive, teachers are lacking in ability, and students are often on par with remedial-class high school freshman. Competent students truly can learn from their classes--the course materials are well written and the pre-approved assignments and discussion topics do lend themselves to creative thought and analysis--if the students are willing to put in the time and effort to teach themselves and monitor their own progress against learning objectives. However, the grading, interaction amongst students, and instructional feedback is a joke. I am so very disappointed with the caliber of writing that is accepted and praised by the staff. Discussions are often plagued with run-on sentences, half formed ideas, consistent misspellings; and that's just from the teachers. I know this is harsh and there are teachers who appear to be decent writers with respectable backgrounds and students who are legitimately attempting to learn, but the majority of the time, I just feel like I'm learning on my own. I know why I'm using Ashford; I need a fast degree to satisfy a job requirement. However, I wouldn't recommend Ashford to anyone else as a legitimate way to earn a respectable degree. If anyone from Ashford's administrative staff is reading this, please implement serious policies about quality of work and require more from your teaching staff. Quality over quantity; remember that short sighted planning equals failure in the long-run. Ashford has so much potential; the focus just needs to be shifted to improving quality of education rather than improving the size of profits.

I transferred about 2 years' worth of credits to Ashford and (not counting over a year spent deployed overseas) took a little over 2 years more to finish my Bachelor's degree. A few things to note: 1. Their accreditation is regional, not national. Some businesses and schools will care a great deal about this, but many will not. Check out a school's current standing as far as their accreditation goes before you commit to pursuing a degree through them. 2. Unless you're transferring to a school in the same university system or community college system, you will almost never see all of your credits transfer over. Sometimes this is because of differences in accreditation, but more so it it because of profit motives. Ashford has a residency requirement of 30 credits, meaning 30 of them must be completed at Ashford regardless of how many you have. Yes, they're a legitimate university, but they're also a business. 3. They're very military-friendly, and most of my courses cost no more than my military tuition assistance. It might seem like they're taking a loss on that, but they more than make up for it in volume. It's a guaranteed revenue stream. 4. In the past couple of years the coursework has gotten more difficult, but there are standards which must be met to maintain accreditation. 5. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your assignments are turned in on time and your records are straight. Check your financial stats and degree progress regularly, and be proactive if you think there is a problem. Likewise, have a backup plan for times when you find yourself without Internet access or your computer suddenly crashes. Communicate regularly with your instructors, and let one of your advisors know if there is a problem such as instructors not responding to your questions. 6. When it comes to education, you get out of it what you put into it. You don't have to like every single course (I barely skated through two or three, but passed) but you'll see at the end how they all tie together. Plan ahead and think about how you can build on each experience and each course. You will need to be computer-literate, and take extra effort to stay afloat, such as online tutoring sites, if you're struggling in a course. 7. Overall, I'd rate my experience as mostly good, and would recommend Ashford University to my friends with the above-mentioned caveats.

An education like all else in life is what you as an individual make of it. Bridgpoint, (which own's Ashford) has plenty of issues/growing pains, but the instructors are by and large very good. Dealing with Bridgepoint is infuriating, I beleive mainly because they have many unqualified people working there, students perhaps? Remember also that Bridgepoint is a business first and foremost, which obviously means that profits come before anything else; (including your education or stipened check). Being able to get a degree online as opposed to having to go to a traditional "brick and morter" school is a convienence, and for every convienence there is surely a price to be paid. Ashford, and it's instructors are fine; Bridgepoint is a nightmare, I am almost done and am eager to put Bridgepoint behind me.

I have read the reviews listed here and agree with a few but disagree with the majority. Yes, nothing is perfect and Ashford is considered the same--not perfect. Have I had problems and issues arise? Yes. However, I have ALWAYS had great support from the staff; my advisor is a GODSEND!! NO JOKE! Palmer, is his nickname, has been a tremendous help to me throughout the years--not just the first 5 weeks. He still after 3 years sends me emails to check in on me and see how I am doing, how things are going etc. The staff that represents Ashford may not all be this way; it is what that specific individual that represents Ashford wants to be. If you do not like your advisor CHANGE it and work with someone else--after all, you are spending all that money why not make it good for you?! I have also dealt with the financial aid department SEVERAL times and have ALWAYS been treated with the highest regard; they have gotten back to me sooner rather than later or not at all & have always provided me with the answers that I seek. I am 1/2 way through my Bach. Degree and have had a wide range of professors, instructors, and even Doctors for "teachers". Most have been very beneficial to me and my educational goals and only 1 or 2 I have not liked but still were good. I cannot imagine going somewhere else or giving up my dream. The world has become a different place of hard roads and difficult times where you need credentials to help get you anywhere worth going. I whole heartedly believe that ASHFORD IS ONE OF THE BEST, and stand by my decision to attend this school from start to finish. I have just over a year left and look forward to being able to start the next chapter in my life--my career. I recommend this university to everyone.

I have read the reviews several times over, in the last almost 4 years that I have been at Ashford, Ive even met (just in casual conversation) several other students and I seem to be the only one I know that is having an amazing experience. But the truth is that while the complaints I have heard all seem valid, I have not experienced any of the issues others have. My Student advisor changed a few times the first year but the last several have been the same amazing guy,(thanks David Hewitt!) he is quick to respond always helps out in a matter of minutes and is quite reassuring when I have a freak out. Ive been on the deans list the entire time Ive been here and am about to graduate in Sept (2013) summa cum laude. Ive never had technical difficulties that were not immediately remedied and for the most part Ive really enjoyed learning each new class. I like that it is short intense sessions and that there are several people that have been in other classes. Overall I think school like ANYTHING you do in life, you are going to get OUT of it what you PUT into it. I would absolutely recommend it to others.

I have read all of the horror stories written here and on other misc websites. However, I am here to say that I am receiving a good quality education at Ashford and I will be graduating with my Associates degree in business in just over a month...a fact that I am very proud of, along with my family and close friends. I was forced out of a long standing position and had no luck finding any other work even though I had plenty of experience, due to the fact that I did not possess a degree. I signed up with this school after PLENTY of research and I am not the slightest bit sorry that did. I had been at Ashford 1 1/2 years when I was hired for a wonderful job due to the fact that I was about to obtain my degree and they were impressed that I had a 3.9 GPA, was a member of Phi Theta Kappa through the school and have been on the Deans list since I began...ALL things that traditional schools offer. I have also received a raise because of my additional education and been informed that when I graduate I will receive another. I will also receive special consideration over my co-workers for promotion if I continue on to obtain my bachelors degree, which I am considering. I have never been harassed by Ashfords student advisers and as a matter of fact, they have been invaluable to me! The worst problem that I have had in two years was a temporary difficulty accessing my next class and my student adviser had the problem corrected before the end of the day and I started the class on time. All in all, I highly recommend Ashford University and advise anyone reading the negative posts on the web to consider that every school is going to have people who have had problems and although some of them are very real, many of them are completely unjustified due to the student themselves causing problems. Many of them do not like to write and believe me, if you attend online school there is A LOT of writing...there has to be! Just do your own research and don't be afraid to call and ask questions...I did it two years ago and now I am graduating! Woohoo!

I chose to go to Ashford 1. because the school where I live does not offer the program I want and 2. Because I have a lot of friends who are still active duty or who are out and using their GI Bill. The idea of a 5 week class was appealing to me and the advisors were GREAT at giving information and making the enrollment process easy for me. First of all, after enrolling, I had to redo my VONAPP form twice due to FA losing my stuff or not understanding it. When I tried to contact them, it took days, until finally I called my admissions advisor. Which is also when I asked him when they are going to send my verification in to the VA so I can get payed. The day I enrolled, they told me they would send it in after the 3rd week. As the first 3 weeks was like a trial period...whatever. THEN, they told me they don't send anything to the VA until after the class is complete. So that's 5 weeks, then the 3 weeks it takes the VA to process it. I'm sorry but waiting 8 weeks to recieve the online BAH rate is just rediculous. And the fact that they lied to me just pisses me off. They are money hungry and yes, of course they "work with military." They love taking our money. Another note, the first class, PSY 202 is honestly a joke. I feel like higher education is great anyway you chose to do it. However, I am worth more. I know I deserve a great education, not just a piece of paper. And for all you Vets, you deserve more as well. A lot of state colleges have distance learning programs and they are well worth it. I think sometimes with active duty and veterans we get ahead of ourselves. We take the route commonly traveled by our military peers, but I really think we owe it to ourselves to do the research and go somewhere worth it.

I went to Ashford for one year in 2009-2010, then took a break when my child was born, and I am now attending again (2012-2013). Every day I regret ever taking any classes at this school and wish that I had gone to a local school instead. I am too far into my degree to switch now, I will have my BA in the next half year. The first year my academic and financial advisors were constantly changing. It was difficult to get ahold of an advisor, and even more difficult to get any follow through. When I returned more than half of my classes were missing from Ashford's copy of my transcripts. None of my advisors would order new ones, even though I filled out the application to do so when I reapplied. My academic advisor advised me that I had to get the transcripts myself, and write an email to her listing every missing class and describe why I think it should be applied to my degree. Thanks for all the help! I finally, after a month, got it resolved. I have had more trouble after that mostly because my advisors don't want to do any advising and still have a high turn over rate. The classes are a joke. All that is needed for an "A" is to open the book to the appropriate chapter, pick any sentence, quote it, and give a summary of the paragraph it came from; do this twice a week for five weeks. I am a sociology major, I find that I am repeating the same discussion over and over again class after class. The school is far too expensive to justify this low quality degree and all the trouble in dealing with the advisors. I could have gone to a state school for half the cost and probably would have learned something useful.

I enrolled in this institution thinking I was actually making a good choice. After I figured out that I'd be better off at a traditional campus getting hands on experience, they enrolled me in more classes. Used up the little extra financial aid I had left over. The day after I requested my transcripts outrageous fees were on my account. Tried to get it fixed, but I was told in order to get my transcripts I had to pay any holds on my account until I could recieve my requested Transcript. I feel that was an attempt to force me to remain taking classes. Ashford isn't for everyone. I'm done with it!

The online component of the place is run by a business and is not a real academic institution run by academics. The faculty don't really have much of a say in what goes on outside of just doing their jobs of grading for the online classes. I noticed that most of the students in my classes can barely put a decent sentence together and seem to be borderline illiterate. If these are the people getting degrees, then a degree from this so-called school is worthless. There are no tutors to help students who obviously need it and they don't require students to take a placement test to see what they need help with. Think about it, if just about anyone can get a degree with little work, then what is the degree worth? I plan to transfer out to a real college as soon as possible and I will just pray that they will take my credits. I really don't know why this place hasn't been shut down already.

I have been pursuing my BA of Business Administration since February of 2011. So far, I have successfully completed each course (22 courses total) I have taken earning grades of A's and B's with nothing lower than a B-. I am currently working on my major-specific courses. I need to complete 7 more major-specific courses and then I will only need to complete elective courses. I am currently in my 23rd course, which an accounting course (ACC-206). In the past, I had never had issues with any of my assignments until I began the accounting courses (ACC-205 & ACC-206). I did end up passing the ACC-205 course with an overall grade of a B, however, the updated syllabus and new course material (digital book) did not seem to complement each other which is the same issue I am having in my current course (ACC-206). I am currently in my second week of the class and I do not have any issues with completing the discussions, the final paper, or the journals, but the weekly exercise assignments are problematic which is quite frustrating and stressful since these exercise assignments happen to be worth 50% of my grade. The subject of accounting has never been an issue for me in the past, but I have found that a lot of the information required in order to successfully complete these exercise assignments is not thoroughly explained in the course material/book. I have actually ended up hiring a CPA to tutor me specifically for these 5 assignments. I feel that I should not need to hire a tutor and that more information needs to be included in the course resource area. This has been on of my biggest problems so far since attending Ashford University. All of my previous courses were not a problem and I feel I learned a lot of useful information as well as information that I will probably never need in the future. I have given the materials a rating of 10. Almost all of the required course text books are digital copies and always cost $75, which is conveniently taken out of my financial aid loans/grants automatically (all required course text books for each of my previous classes were digital copies). The digital course text books include helpful features, such as highlighting to make notes, being able to easily select chapters and chapter sections to browse, and my personal favorite which is the search tool to search for any words or phrases within the entire book. This makes it very simple and fast to find definitions for key terms. I have honestly always preferred having a hard copy of text book materials, but Ashford University's cost-friendly and convenient course material/digital text book set-up has made me completely comfortable with digital copies. Almost all of my instructors have been decent instructors. I can only point out a few that were not helpful. I do wish that instructors would be more engaged with the students and provide more information than what is simply required of them. A few of my previous instructors would post helpful links to websites, articles, quotes, tools, etc. for the students to use and it definitely made the whole course experience much better. I wish more instructors would be like this. I have read both positive and negative reviews about Ashford University all across the internet. The reason I chose to attend Ashford University is the fact that my step-father had just recently received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Ashford University and had a pleasant educational experience. He has since continued furthering his education in the Psychology field but has transferred to a different University (not for any negative reasons relating to Ashford). Ashford University is one of the most affordable online colleges, which is another excellent quality of this institution. The few news articles I have found speaking negatively of Ashford University have made me somewhat skeptical, which is why I am not giving the Institution a rating of 10. I am rating support as a 3 specifically because of the people who work in the financial aid department answering phone calls. The reason for this low rating is because I have been straight up lied to by people working in the financial aid department on numerous occasions which was quite frustrating and unprofessional. There have been a couple ladies who were very helpful, but the fact that I have been lied to so much by people working in this department has made me lose respect for Ashford University. Ashford's financial aid department needed a simple document from me to be completed in August 2012 in order to process my next financial aid disbursement for my new academic year, yet failed to inform me of this missing document until September of 2012 when I happened to e-mail my advisor asking about my next financial aid disbursement. I promptly completed and faxed the document the same day I found out they needed it. A few days later, I called the financial aid department to make sure they received the document and processed it. I was told they did receive it and that it was sufficient. I was told no further action was needed. A couple weeks went by and I decided to call again just for an update. The person I spoke with informed me that the document I sent was actually not good enough and that they needed me to add some information to it. I did exactly what this person said and included all the information they told me to add and faxed it to them that same day. I called a few days later to make sure it was good enough, was told by another person that it was perfect. Again, a few weeks went by and I decided to call again just to be safe. Once again, I had to make changes to the document because it was not good enough and again I fixed it and faxed it that same day. This was the third time I had to fix the simple document after being told on several occasions that the document was sufficient. All of the times these people lied to me became quite frustrating. Like I stated before, my financial aid was supposed to be processed and disbursed by September of 2012. It was not processed until JANUARY 26th of 2013!!! The document they needed by the way was only 4 sentences of information; it was not some big complicated document so there is no excuse for them taking so long to process this information and there is certainly no excuse for me being lied to so many times by people working in the financial aid department. The only reason I did not give the support rating a 1 is the fact that each time I have e-mailed an instructor or advisor, I received a response within a reasonable amount of time (usually within 24 hours). The value rating is an 8 because I feel the information I have learned and degree I will earn will be useful in my future and although it is expensive, Ashford University is still one of the cheapest online colleges. The use of technology is an easy rating of 10. Everything is very basic and user-friendly. Overall, I would say Ashford University is definitely a great online college with many great courses but they do need to make improvements in some areas.

I like the school and all and I also like that if I have questions or concerns help is just a push of a button away. I like the fact that we have books online because as soon as you highlight it automatically makes a study guide. I do not like the fact that the books are not mailed out to the students for those who attend online. I feel as though I can study more and get the most out of my education with books I have in front of me instead of online

I am currently double majoring in Accounting and Business Administration through Ashford. This school has been great. I have had 3 different Academic Advisors, but 2 changes were due to changing degrees. My current Advisor calls me regularly on a set up date and time. The classes are challenging and productive towards the class. The discussions however, not so much. As stated before, there are sometimes issues about commenting on someones post when there is no real relevance to the topic. The instructors give feedback, some more than others. They do tend to work with you when you have a family emergency or just need a break in between classes. I really havent had any problems with this school. I really enjoy my classes, professors, and advisors.

I enrolled in this school for a short time. I didn't care for the way they have you sign a agreement with a set price for the program before they evaluate transfer credits. Also the the adviser was kinda pushy. The financial dept also told me i would get over 5,000 back; before I even was given classes. I was not enrolling for money but to further my education.So i decided to cancel enrollment.

I must say that it truly upset me when I read all of the negative comments. I'm currently a Junior at Ashford. I'm working on a BA in Health and Human Services/minor in Psychology. Before Ashford, I was a student at Ohio University. Ohio University is a great school and we all know that. The problem is that I have Epilepsy and Lupus. Therefore, I struggled to make it to class as I was scheduled. After finishing my last course at OSU, I made a call that gave me the chance of a lifetime! I called Ashford. I believe that as long as you are dedicated to your studies and truly want a degree, you will also love Ashford! Some may have complaints, but I have noticed most of them regard grade requirements, finances, etc. Here is the deal, the grade expectations are the same for all students recieving financial aid through any school. Ashford lays their expectations out in front of you from the go. My advisors have been great! They always respond to me within 24 hours or sooner. They have mailed me cards regarding my grades and thanking me for being a great student. Not to many schools go out of their way to recognize students for things. My instructors have also been very prompt and helpful. Since becoming a student at Ashford, I have referred seven more students. All of whom made it through their first year and still going strong! School is what you make of it, they all have rules and regulations that we must follow. Overall, after I finish next year, I will be moving on to the University of the Rockies (Ashford's sister school). There I will be working on my Master's program. Please, do not let the negative comments influence you. If you truly are interested in furthering your education, Ashford is a great place to go! On one last note, one comment was suppose to be written by an admissions rep. from Ashford. There is one of two things, either it's all a lie or that person had a negative experience(due to their own actions). Otherwise, an employee would NOT be degrading her place of employment. Good luck and Best wishes!!!

I honestly feel for those that had bad experiences with AU, but my experience has been GREAT so far. I find it hard to hear that people complained that the classes weren't challenging enough, or financial aid disputes, or even one complaint that their online faculty worked only part-time. The whole point of online school (at least in the beginning) was to help working people obtain their degrees. The classes are set up for those who just don't have time to go to a regular college. You have a new class every 5 weeks until you graduate with very little breaks, but that is so you don't have such a work load and you can still get your degree in the expected time frame. For those who want the experience of an on-campus college...then go to one! I love Ashford University because I can take care of my family, go to work, and be home while obtainig my degree. I also would like to add that this is not a fly-by school, you have to put forth effort to reach your goals! So I say this, if you are a working parent, looking to better yourself, this is the school for you. However, if you want the traditional college experience and anything that goes with it...just go to a traditional college and leave AU alone because it "wasn't what you expected"! Again, most online colleges may let you be lazy and just pass you along, but not Ashford. They expect you to do your best and do challege your intelligence, and that is probably why they're accredited (unlike many online schools). By the way, my instructors, financial adivsors, and student advisors have all been GREAT!

Studying at Ashford University was one of the best educational experiences of my life. It took me 4-1/2 years to get my BA starting from scratch. It was a long road but well worth it. Not sure about all the people complaining about lack of help, guidance, or instruction. I literally had no problems with financing, scheduling, or instruction. I worked my tail off and graduated with a 4.0. I stayed on top of all my reading and research on a daily basis. Plus, I always worked with my advisers to schedule all my correct classes. I can only imagine that the people who had trouble didn't put in the full effort that a college degree requires. If you put in (on average) 1-2 hours every day of the week, then you should have no problems EARNING your degree with honors. Social Science with Education Concentration was a very informative and challenging degree to earn. It prepared me to become a teacher. The only thing left is to take my teacher certification courses and student teaching--about a 6-month process. I wish you all the best luck and motivation for your education goals!

If I hadn't had an online university to earn my BA in Psychology, I would have been in trouble. I have been on disability for some time now and with chronic pain. However; nobody is perfect, and not all instructors click with all students. That is just a human fact. I have have THE best assistance and communication from my academic/financial aid advisor, as well as ADA Access and Wellness Assistance...awesome assistance. Regarding communication with your instructor; you have email, "ask your instructor", and if you need addition feedback why not just ask? If I need to know the answer to a question, I ask for it. When I read the comments from students who seemed to be "bashing" what soon will be know as my Alma Mater, it bothers me, especially when they did not complete the courses. Also to the young lady who was dropped for a while because she was out of school for a month. All you had to do was provide documentation as to why you missed that time; and if it was deemed acceptable, you would have probably been reinstated. I have had to do that due to illnesses, hospitalization, etc. I have enjoyed my education at Ashford University and I appreciate what all the members of the staff has done for me. That being said; Good luck to you all. Julie

I am now in my last year at Ashford University (I only had to attend two years because they accepted all of my credits from previous schools), and I must say that thus far, it has been a challenging but enjoyable journey. I have attended other on line schools as well as on campus schools, and I must say that what I have learned from them does not compare to what I have learned at Ashford University. This school has a rigorous curriculum, and you will not be able to just slide by. AU curriculum is research based, so you must have excellent research skills. If you attend this University, than you must work hard because if not, you will not succeed. I (and all of my fellow classmates) have to write 3 (course related) pages each week for each subject (Including Math) along with other assignments, and we have to write a 10 page research paper on the subject matter in the 5th week. For the most part, my Instructors were knowledgeable and their feedbacks on my submitted work aided me in understanding my courses better; priceless. There were times when I thought about quitting because of some of the reviews; but then I would think about all I that I have learned and I just cannot leave it; and having every last one of my credits excepted by AU, is a big deal as well. Also, I like that my student adviser places at least 10 future classes on my portal, and I am very excited about all my classes to come. Furthermore, I know of two people who have graduated from AU, and they both were able to find work in their fields. However, I must warn everyone, that if you attend AU, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A GREAT DEAL (UNDERSTATEMENT) AMOUNT OF RESEARCH AND LEARNING ON YOUR OWN. I capitalized this to emphasize that you must be dedicated and you must work hard to complete your course load. Furthermore, each class last exactly 5 weeks, and your next class will follow the next day after your previous class has ended. I hope this review was helpful, and I am looking forward to finishing my education and obtaining my BA from Ashford University.

To begin Ashford on the service has a very competitive and very good selection of higher education programs. That being said for my experience with them this is where it ends and begins to be a nightmare from the beginning. When you are considering attending here and request information they will call you up to 3 times a day and email you at least once a day until you attend, even if you say your not interested then the emails will still continue but not the phone calls. The phone calls come at all times of the morning, afternoon, and evening with no limits on how many times they try. Well I made the decision to go here, it took them months to transfer credits from the only other school I attended. They incorrectly processed my financial aid so I did not receive the proper amount resulting in me paying out of pocket immediately in order to continue my education. Their policy is that any school that made any entry into the clearinghouse for you regardless if you attended a class there ultimately or not they request records from. If they do not receive those records then you have to fill out a form and you are put on Academic Probation for your first few classes because of that, and this rule doesn't care if you transferred in 32 credits with a 4.0 GPA or not. My admissions counselor was a nightmare, she was very pushy, called and emailed me to the point of harassment and then could not answer the questions I had once they were asked of her. Getting in contact with your other counselors takes an act of a higher power or calling more times than the average person who works and attends school as. In my case when I did get in contact with my Academic Adviser she was about as rude as they come and a complete turn off from this school. When taking a bachelors degree you only do one class at a time which is a good thing and one of the few this place had. My instructor was a good instructor and graded and conducted her class with professionalism and the highest in quality. My biggest gripe with this school is that as one person put it they are "snakes in the grass". Whenever you have an issue with a class, instructor, academic policy, financial aid issue, etc. I can tell you very simply do not expect any response or contact from the school. When I decided to go back to my old school I never once received a courtesy call from any of my advisers to try to work out the issue I was having. Nope none of that they simply sent me an email and told me I owed them additional monies and it is expected to be paid in full before transcripts are released. As I so "politely" informed them that I already paid thousands out of pocket for their screw up and that it would be over my dead body before I paid them another dollar and that if they had professionals running the place there would be no need to have this conversation right now.......they have left me alone since then. So as I said please if your wanting to attend this school do your homework. While my experience with liars, incompetent advisers, bad policies, and lack of communication may not be your experience just please use caution and NEVER let this school handle anything of yours. Another word of caution and a BIG lie that students are fed is that you are unless you opt out of it is everyones refund is on a 30/70 rule. Instead of getting your refund entirely when it is due to you, they instead will give you roughly 30% of it when you are due for it and then the other 70% is put away for you in case you "need" something like a textbook for class. Which actually is a lie as your financial aid pays for both the class fee and the textbook needed. In reality if you read the fine print of the fine print of your enrollment application it states clearly that if you elected to let the school "manage" your funds then the interest that accrues on those monies they "manage" is kept by the school and not passed to the student. When I questioned both my financial aid and enrollment advisers about this I was lied too and told that was not true and I quoted them verbatim from the form itself as it was right in front of me. They told me that they would have to get back to me and then promptly hung up.

This University tries to scam Military memebers after claiming to be "Military friendly". My husband was in the middle of taking a class when he was called to pre-deployment training. He submitted all of his paperwork in order to not have to pay back the course since he was serving his country. Months later we are getting threatening e-mails saying his account will be going to collections if not paid. After numerous e-mail and many voicemails not being returned, we are at a loss of what to do. Do not fall for their "Military friendly" scheme. THEY WILL SCAM YOU!

I began my educational experience at Ashford University February 2009. I researched the school, and read reviews from other students that left me with mixed feelings and ideas but I decided to give Ashford a try anyway. From the very beginning, I felt disappointed because I didn't feel very challenged in my classes. I raised this issue with my advisors, who assured me the curriculum would be more challenging as I progressed through the classes. The instructors rarely gave real feedback, and there was no real interaction between the instructors and the students. Even as I went through the advanced classes, the quality of the discussions in the discussion boards were not college level, with many of the responses from my classmates either filled with incoherent babble, or copy and paste jobs. The instructors are all part time employees with other careers and jobs. These are not professional college level instructors, and many of them were not even knowledgeable in the area they were teaching. I gave up trying to get instructors to expand on ideas, or answer questions concerning the concepts and ideas presented in the course work. About half way through my degree program, I just merely did the work required in order to get my degree, while pursued my real education through research over the internet, and study guides for certification test in my chosen career field, and by talking with professionals in the field. I would not recommend this school to anyone based on my experience at this school.Any college that does not invest in hiring full time instructors should be suspect. I encourage anyone considering enrolling at Ashford University to read the findings reports from accreditation agencies that refused accreditation to the school (WASC) before making a commitment to attend, as well as reports from the Department of Education, and Congressional Investigations and Hearings concerning Ashford University and Bridgepoint Education.

My view on Ashford is mid-range apparently. This is Ashford University and not the other Ashford that was apparently a sham. I am happy with my online format most of the time, the books are ok but like most schools overpriced. I was dropped from Ashford last year for being out a month which is a rediculous reason to drop people and I almost left for good. I am half way through my B.A. in Psych though and figured I'd go back rather than start again. This school is regionally accredited and that's good, for many online are not. They also accepted my class credits for every class I had completed. The advisors have done well keeping in touch most of the time but they do change them too often and some are better than others. It takes considerable discipline in any online class, because you must rule yourself, no one will be standing over you waiting for the next paper. I would recommend this school if you don't expect a need for a lot of breaks, and if you like the online format. I do miss on site schools though. Hope this helps.

I don't understand why there are such ridiculous negative reviews. College is what you make of it and no matter what college you go to, you will only be as successful as you want to be. It took me 2 years to get my Bachelors through Ashford and you need to have alot of self-discipline. I think that the negative reviews come from students who lack self-discipline. The courses are condensed, which may be a bit more difficult that a 16 week course, but if you are serious about graduating in a timely manner, it is worth it! Some classes are harder than others, but that's how it is when you are in a regular university, as well! My first academic advisor as so hard to get ahold of, she was a nightmare. I am assuming she was fired because I was assigned a new advisor the following year and she was amazing and even called to check up on me every couple of weeks! This is an awesome college and I would highly recommend it.

After reading many of the negitive reviews on Ashford University, I would like to give some input into my own experience at this University. First of all, every credit in which I had from my previous institute of higher learning were transfered to Ashford University and excepted. Secondly, the curriculum for the Psychology, and Social and Criminal Justice BA are very competive and the oneline classes are comparable to that in which I took at a regular classroom. The only difference I have found is in that of the student. If you are a student who is really interested in your education, then this school could be for you, however if you are looking for a school where you can basically just breeze by, then I suggest a different school. All schools have their pro's and con's. In my situation with Ashford University, the pro's certainly outweighted the con's. I will have obtained two BA degrees in April 2013, and I have learned much while attending this school!!

This school is definitely operating to make a profit. They make the most of student loan money. I do not have a problem with that as long as in turn I receive the education I agreed upon. I have received my B.A. and decided to continue on with my MBA. I enjoyed the classes, felt like I learned alot and the program worked well with my schedule since I work full time. As I approached my graduation, with 3 classes left, they changed the plan that they had laid out for me from the beginning and stated I needed to take an additional class to be able to graduate. This caused a major hardship for me for several reasons. 1.) I was up for a promotion based on the graduation date they had given me - I will now not be eligible. 2.) My student loans were based upon the number of credits and timeframe the school planned out for me. 3.) My graduation will be pushed back 3 months which is causing a financial hardship for me and my family. They will not discuss this with me and they led me to believe I was graduating 1/8/13. To this day, my account still states the original schedule and 36 credits to graduate, but my advisor says I must take 39 and cannot graduate without it.

I recently graduated from Ashford University in the Spring of 2012. Through working some insane hours as a truck driver, and studing hard over 20 hours perweek, I managed to achieve a 4.0 GPA. In addition, I earned Summa Cum Laude honors, and was entered in the Golden Key Internationl Honour Society,Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapters at Ashford. (I say this in a humbling way because I had to work my tail off the achieve these results). My program was in Business "Organizational Management" in the online sector of the University. First off Ashford is a Tier 2 College. Overall, this means that Ashford university provides a solid education. If anybody did not know Ashford is regionally accredited (North Central Associaton of the Midwest) by the ICABE associaton. There are three governing bodies of college accredidation in the United States of America. The first started in 1916 is the AACSB, the second in 1988 is the AACSP, and the last started in 1997 which is the ICABE. In order to succeed in an online environment, an individual has to be self motivated and read the whole text book on his or her own. Since a student is not in a class room environment the professor does not have time to break down the courses to make it easier. Therefore, the online sector is more demanding in a shorter five week period. The second thing about Online environments, is that it is writing intensive. The third thing about an online environment, is a person needs some life experience to really succeed in a non-traditional college program. I would say Ashford University formely MT.ST.Claire College, will be around for many years to come. However, I do believe that the Ashford University should provide better equiped academic advisors, who can stay with a student instead of shuffling them around to different personal every few months. Finally, Ashford Universiy should also provide some online tutors and counseling personel,if needed to help students when they need a boost. My reason for this is that non traditional students sometimes deal with emotional problems,because of juggling work,family,academic,issues and they may need some help once in a while.

After reviewing other online education formats, Ashford seemed to be not the worst choice; however, there were issues with misinformation and the time it took for some to return phone calls or answer messages. They are awarded a 48 hour turn around for returning phone calls or messages, but that does not apply if it is a weekend or happens to occur on their allotted days off (which can turn easily into 4 days). When a class is only 5 weeks long, a 4 day turn around is unacceptable. I also found many of the instructors to be disinterested in the course work, and were even told by some of them about the minimal requirements they had to abide by. I did not qualify for any governmental aid, so all of my classes were paid through student loans that I am responsible for. My largest complaint is the lack of interest the educators have and I was paying at least as much as a standard university (brick and mortar) but was basically required to teach myself through text readings and research for many of my classes. For those of you who do not have the time or money to do this, I would recommend researching other venues, or actually attending a traditional format. It will still end up taking the same amount of time, and you are not at the mercy of Ashford's lackluster commitment to its students. I found many of the advisors (which are constantly changing) to be inconsiderate and condescending, and it is very difficult to get an answer from anyone. They are great at brushing the student off. I did graduate from here with highest honors (summa cum laude), so this review has nothing to do with grading. I worked many hours of every day reading and researching to learn and earn my grades. Overall, I would not recommend this school to anyone who has to pay out-of-pocket. If it is a free education, and you don't care about being treated with respect, go for it.

Ashford University is a great school! I've been at this institution for three years and had no problems with the teachers, students and staff. I would recommend this school for those that are serious and ready for committment in their academics. I already obtain my Bachelors degree in Organizational management and now i'm currently working on my MBA!

I made it through one class at Ashford before I decided it wasn't for me. I was a little uncomfortable from the start, considering most of my classmates could barely form a cogent thought, but I was in an introductory class and figured it was just 1. the diversity of majors represented, and 2. a learning experience for them as they came to see the university's expectations. I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things, including that it was in any way worth it to pay $1275 for 5 weeks of access to a discussion forum, a hugely biased textbook written by university staff, an instructor who posts form responses (if she responds at all), and a TA with power trip issues. It wasn't a class. It was guided self-study with two rather leading questions posted per week. By "leading" I mean the questions were biased toward a particular set of personal beliefs, and were clearly trying to guide students toward agreeing with those beliefs if they wanted a good grade. The book was poorly written and ridiculously slanted as well--and often contradictory, yet you were expected to pick only one answer on quizzes. The principles of psychology were basically discussed as "adult common sense written with big words to try to sound impressive." Eating too much will make you fat, so don't eat too much? Really? I'd never have known that without this book. Overall, I could have spent $30 to buy a comparable (and better written) used textbook online, joined an online discussion forum on the subject for free, and likely had the same experience. Likely a better experience, as there was no discussion. No progression based on the ideas we covered. Instead of using the topics learned to explore new ideas, we were simply expected to regurgitate the text verbatim. I dropped after my TA flipped out over my final paper and took it personally. In the interests of full disclosure: I only 95% followed the assignment requirements, in that I did analyze the topics required but took a different approach in presenting an example of why we could use these topics for further analytical development rather than just accepting them as-is. I knew this would reduce my grade, and I accepted that wholly, and stated so in my paper's conclusion. I made the choice, and I was willing to deal with the consequences, and intended to convey quiet acceptance of that. In the draft of the paper my TA gave me additional feedback on changes she wanted to see in my writing style, and I implemented that feedback as requested. Nonetheless, on the final paper I was subjected to a diatribe full of accusations and lectures--about not taking feedback (which I did, and thanked her for); about not speaking in a superior tone to my instructors (apparently self-deprecating humor is now superiority, and apparently I'm a 19-year-old sophomore who can't speak to another adult on even footing, rather than an adult professional); about whether or not I think because of my life experiences and the way I think, I should get an exception to the grading rubric (I did not, never asked for that, and bluntly stated I knew I would lose points and was fine with that); and about her accusation of "What kinds of students should get exceptions to the grading criteria?" That was the last straw, and the only reason I'm being so petty as to write a review of the school; prior to that, I would have shrugged the school off as "great for others, not for me, but certainly an interesting experience." But in this instance I shared very personal things as related to the subject matter of the paper, things that apparently allowed her to label me as a "kind" of student, some sort of charity case or something--which is an intensely hurtful thing to imply to someone who has spoken honestly and with no expectations in what should be a safe, objective academic environment. Her job was not to judge me as a person, no matter what she perceived my tone to be. Her job was to grade my paper against the established criteria. If she felt it didn't meet the criteria, she was free to mark it down. I would gladly have accepted a zero score if she felt I failed the requirements. What I could not accept was her taking my paper personally, accusing me of "burning" her, or--when I emailed to clarify her accusations--bringing religion into my objective academic environment by invoking her accountability to God. I have no problem with religion, and I respect others' beliefs--but a university is meant to be an environment devoted to objective study, and it disturbs me to think that someone who would invoke that kind of bias in communications using their university email address (as in, official communications) has control over the objective grading criteria of anyone's coursework, let alone my own. So I dropped. Even though I was making an A in the class, I dropped, because this was not the right environment for me. So here's the lesson: if you attend Ashford, you'll get a piece of paper. It may or may not be worth something. But be careful. Don't rock the boat. Don't ask questions that don't perfectly agree with the instructor. Don't expect to be treated like an adult rather than patronized as a child. Don't be different. And don't ever, ever think for yourself.

I am one class away from finishing my BA in Healthcare Administration from Ashford. I have had a wonderful experience! I attended a traditional school first and just struggled. When choosing Ashford, I was actually drawn to the fact that everyone was so interested in helping me with my success! My advisor responds to my emails almost immediately. She has been wonderful throughout my coursework. I have been so pleased that I decided to pursue my MBA there. It is an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. I worked full time throughout my coursework and am a mom of a 3 year old! Ashford made it possible for me to complete my degree and even go on to graduate school! I would recommend it to anyone!

This was the biggest waste of my time! I worked my behind off for a year. They recieved over a dozen checks from the government in my name for books, etc each few weeks. After the first year, they informed me that my grades weren't up to what they considered "good". I was given the chance to finish the class I was in. Half way through the class after they made this "deal " with me to sign over the last check to them and I finish the class and then see about how my grades were. Two days after they recieved my check they shut me out of my classes and refused to tell me why. I should mention that I was constatnly given a new advisor every few weeks. That way one could say "oh I have no idea what was done between you and your last advisor". It was a horrible, confusing, infuritating waste of my time and a year and a half. I got nothing out of it. Except the constant harrassment for me to pay the 10,000$ loan off that wasn't even used. Which is now hindering my credit report. I am curious if there are people out there with a lawsuit against them. I would love to be a part of that. I also spoke to someone from the school who told me they have people read these and if there are bad reviews they are supposed to try to counteract the good with the bad and do damage control. I am certain if that person wasn't doing there job and not balancing the complaints there would be nothing but terrible reviews!

Did I mention admissions folks are like sharks? I applied to a few schools at the same time to make sure they give me all information required, instead of just asking questions and get b.s. answers. That was a mistake. Admissions lady called me every chance she could. In the end I just said forget it and enrolled in another university. My problem was that the reviews told me admissions were like that, and they proved it. They want your money and that is it. It made me really nervous to complete the admissions process because I thought they would get my money and and not let me out (if needed) without a legal fight. After a few days went by, another admissions person called me trying to get me to enroll. I reiterated my conversation with the original "fool" and he just kept going on and on until I just cut him off. I heard they will keep calling, I have a surprise for them--called an air horn down the phone.

I just completed my BA with Ashford and will shortly start my Master's with the University as well. I will be teaching and with the education classes that I took at Ashford along with my State's Certification Class. Everything flowed in perfect order. I really enjoyed the class structure.

I knew that online college was not going to be the exciting, challenging educational experience I crave, but I at least thought that a school would be more selective in the admission of students, making sure that they had at least minimal writing skills and the intellect to handle the courses. I was mistaken. Discussion posts, when understandable at all, are so poorly written (in the vast majority of cases) they are nearly impossible to respond to in a meaningful way. Cheating is everywhere. Everywhere! And it is incredibly easy to get A's with minimal effort if you have the intellect of a 16 year old. I am so disappointed and frustrated to have wasted almost a year, only to be looking for another school at this point. If you want a real education that you can be proud of, go into debt and go to a real school.

Ashford University was the best decision that I have ever made. Although, I have only been attending this institution for a few months, they have proven themselves to be one of the best online institutions you can attend. The professors are great and will get back with you ASAP whenever you have a problem, or if you just need some advice on the best route to take on getting your assignment completed. I have attended Carrington and DeVry and found that Ashford's schedule is much more flexible than the previous universities/colleges that I have attended. My only problem with them was the financial aid department, I know that they have a million and one students to cater too, but it would be nice if they would answer an email if they couldn't answer the phone. I recommend this University to anyone because again they have proven themselves to me too be the best.

My mom recently graduated from here and had a decent time with it. I liked how their online program wasn't just posting on discussion boards and getting participation points like schools like Baker. You seemed to actually have to put effort into it. However, all I did was ask for some information about the programs, and was actually intending in going to the school. What turned me off from actually accepting and going? The phone calls I STILL get to this day and I "requested" information and went through the whole process of talking to someone a YEAR ago. I was pretty ready to go with fully accepting and becoming a student when a few things started raising red flags. First, my "admissions counselor" (aka the saleswoman I was dealing with) was really sweet, but once she started tagging on minors that I did not ask for or want to persue, told me that my fully accredidated credits might not "transfer" if I decided to take one more semester of community college (in classes that always transfer, such as economics and chemistry) I started getting a little worried, especially since they say they will take up to 90 credits. I don't even have that many. Eventually I made up some bs to try and get them to stop calling; saying I had a family emergency and was no longer going to be pursuing an education. Well, I still get phone calls from my "admissions counselor" to my cell phone, my home phone number. I get calls from the "financial aid" department, and a couple of other departments when I asked them to stop calling me. Maybe if you guys didn't act like you were trying to sell me something off of an informercial and actually were trying to provide me an education, I probably would have been halfway done by now. Instead, I might attend WGU, where they've only called me twice since I asked for information!

Well, I'd like to comment on the quality of education this school offers, but unfortunately, I never made it past their financial aid department. The absolute WORST experience ever and 2 months later, I was told I had to start the process all over again and I might hear something in 6-8 weeks. I also do not understand why they have a "no tell" policy when it come to your financial obligation BEFORE starting class. they will only tell you what you were approved for and what you might have to pay out of pocket AFTER you start classes and have been enrolled for 6-8 weeks. Would you buy a car and wait to see what your financing details were AFTER the contracts were signed?? I tried everything to get some answers and eventually gave up. I don;t see how good my education can be if they can't even get their communication straight.

After reading many of the previous reviews, the negative ones are a joke! How credible is a review if the person writing it has no idea how to use a period, appropriately capitalize letters, spell, or use proper grammar (since it is an academic review, not a text message)! Not to mention, the many complaints based solely on finances. Apparently, if all a person has to complain about is how he/she dropped or failed a class, yet had to pay for it (of course), then he/she obviously should have stayed in school! Or, how about the ones who, most likely, only enrolled into school to receive stipends; then, want to complain for not receiving as much as they thought! My honest experience, thus far, at Ashford University: My enrollment counselor, accurately, answered all questions that I had, and remained very supportive in the enrollment process! My academic advisor has either had all of the answers to my questions and concerns, or used his available resources to find them! The first couple of courses that I've attended was filled with students who seemed as if they have never even attended middle school; they have either failed out, or dropped out (I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote one of the previous reviews on here)! My courses have been very informative, and will be useful in the professional world! As a reminder, a student must read the textbook chapters and other course material in order to actually learn something; once a student does this, he/she is less likely to post a negative review about not learning anything! For military students, the tuition discounts are awesome, and books are free! Ashford transferred in all 26 of my credits, earned from my previous "real college" (negative reviewers, 2009-2012)! I have loved, nearly, everything about this school, including the easy-to-access online Student Portal! Time management is everything, however, if you care about the amount of knowledge you obtain from your educational experience, anywhere! I just love the fact that Ashford requires each student to evaluate their current time management skills, then teaches each student how to improve them! I love that each course is only 5 weeks long; this really helps me get through the difficult ones! There are, also, so many educated, and supportive, instructors and professors who teach these courses! To make your Ashford experience a positive one, all you have to do is this: 1. Be self-motivated and driven to earn your degree 2. Utilize effective time management skills 3. Thoroughly read the instructions for course assignments and discussions 4. Log in and post at least once a week to maintain required attendance qualifications 5. Read, and turn in assignments on time 6. Maintain an open mind and a positive attitude about your progression in life! Everyone has the ability to succeed!

I am in my fourth course at Ashford University. When I applied to attend Ashford within a week I was attending classes even though I wanted to get financial aid straighten out first. My first course the was excellent. The instructor challenged the class with questions and my fellow classmates were literate. My second class and third class it started to go down hill. A lot of my classmates had poor grammar and some of them could not spell. My third class was English. The instructor is not part of the Ashford Online Faculty. I would say a good 2/3rds of the class did not have good grammar nor did they know how to spell. In fact there was an ex-drug dealer in the class. I'm in INF103 and our instructor is an impostor. I have asked questions of this instructor four days ago and have received no answers. I have left the school. I do not recommend the school. Anyone thinking to attend Ashford, do not waste your money!!!

My experience with Ashford University was a great online experience! I received my MBA in Human Resources Management in the Spring of 2010 and I am currently working in my field. I believe that with my enhanced degree, it has helped me tremendously to grow within my field of HR. I recall everything went smoothly, such as with my financial aid, purchasing books, the instructors assistance, the lectures and homework, etc. In the end, my Husband even accompanied me and flew up there for my graduation and it was an amazing experience to actually attend the university and walk across that stage with pride. I have even recommended this university to other friends and they are as equally pleased with the university as I am. I just want to overall say "Thanks" to the university and the staff that helped make it possible for my career growth!

I recently completed the Masters in Education with an Emphasis in Higher Education and Family and Community Services degree. Before I enrolled in the Masters program, I finished my BA in Psychology through Ashford too. When I graduated high school I did the whole brick and mortar, traditional university approach and I found it to be quite rewarding. However, circumstances came up and years later, I wanted to finish the last two years of my degree. After researching many different school (in 2008) I chose to go with Ashford. Overall, the program had its ups and downs. There were some courses that I found easier than others, and there were a few teachers that were difficult to please. I feel like I must admit that an online degree is “EXACTLY” what you put into it. If you want to excel and get a quality degree, than study study study and put an effort into your work, otherwise you will probably not take away the appropriate lessons. If you have trouble with time management, remembering what you read, composing intelligent essays, etc than Ashford, or any other school with an online program is not for you. When I started my degree in 2008, I caught a lot of static from family and friends, all of which were screaming that I would get no benefits from an online degree. Now just about every college has an online program and there are more and more people getting their degrees online and a lot of this has happened in the last five years. As mentioned before, the degree is what you decide to make it. I have done every form of education from institutions to academies to online, and I feel that I got the best education from the online programs. As for the school itself, I have very small and minor complaints. ALL of my teachers were prompt with feedback or emails, and many of them provided their office numbers for phone communication. The classes were a bit predictable and some weeks there were terribly off balanced (meaning that one week you might have one discussion and the next week you might have a quiz, two discussions, an essay and a journal), but with any form of time management skills, you should be fine. My biggest complaint was with my advisor, she was slow to respond and often didn’t answer my questions. However, with that being said I have to let you know that in my 4.5 years with Ashford, I have had about five different advisors, and they were very good with communication, so I believe my last advisor was in a class of her own.

I hope my review is helpful because I read some that are so off-base, I felt it necessary to provide a personal note. Where do I begin? OK, for starters, this is not Harvard, Yale or the University of Chicago; but you will get a quality education, if you are truly committed to higher education. If you are seeking an education that is practical and valuable, then you should consider attending Ashford University. It is noticeable that complaints about this school are for the most part, related to financial aid. I have attended this school since 2010 and when I had a problem, it was quickly resolved as my FA kept me informed until its resolution. I believe that one problem is those who complain are not ready for an online learning platform because such a platform requires a prospective student to conduct proper due diligence before attending the school. The assignments are research driven, so if you are not motivated to conduct a lot of online research, then an online learning platform is not conducive to your goals. One issue to address is Ashford, as a for-profit institution, offers everyone an opportunity to earn a degree. That is not the best philosphy, but consider the people that run the college answer to shareholders. Therefore, it is important for the school to consistently earn income. On the other hand, they do not get the respect they seek to earn and that is unfortunate. I must emphasize this school is not a diploma mill. Some instructors are easier than others as in any college. But the tough ones can be very demanding. So,imagine the take-way of a prospective student who just wants to have a college degree and is told "you can learn at your own pace". You know, "hit the books when you are darn good and ready". Well, that person may incorrectly assume they can truly "learn at their own pace". This is not true, because the classes move quicker than you may anticipate and multiple written assignments are due every single week. If you care to learn to write, this is a heck of a good place. Initially, you will notice that the written skills of many new students are less than impressive. However, once you progress in the system, you will notice the skills of those who by the time they have completed their sixth or seventh course are much more efficient, as some instructors will take issue with your skills. The good news is the admonishments are, for the most part,done individually and not in view of classmates. Incidentally the school follows the APA style. Watch for plagiarism, it could land you in a heap of trouble. Finally, I believe that if a person can not follow-up on their financial aid and is simply seeking hand-holding and an income, that person will be disappointed regardless of which school is involved. Not only will their financial aid move slowly, so will their classwork and learning progress. You reap what you sow. Stay on top of your business and blame no one else if you do not. Follow-up is the key to the achievement of any life-long goal. Best wishes in attaining your goals, G

I've been a student here for years now and I'm finishing up shortly. I've read a lot of these poor reviews and honestly it seems like a bunch of BS. How is Regional Accredidation crap? Most of your local universities have the same thing!!! My credits didn't all transfer? Maybe that's because you changed your major in Junior College 5 times and your pottery classes don't count towards a Psychology Degree! Why didn't they tell me about the costs? Right, because when you spoke to them you diligently took notes on everything covered. And OH! Guess you missed the entire breakdown on the application on tuition and fees! If you are hard working and just too busy for campus classes like myself you should absolutely go here. The online format is one of the most convenient college routes you'll come across. Yes it's more then the community college. But a community college doesn't offer Bachelors Degrees people! Quit whining about your mistakes and learn from them. If you don't start now, you will just be a victim for life. I've enjoyed my time at AU and don't want you slandering my school because YOU were lazy.

I see where a lot of people are saying this is a fraud or an non-accredited school. Well I live in NY and the school here excepts transfer credits from this school so that proves them wrong. It is at least accredited in NY state :). I absolutely love this school. I am doing well and the work is not as what some people call easy. Its easy when you start out but it is not when you get into it further.

I am soooooo disappointed in ashford , just go to local university and get your self a real education a real degree and a real job .

I have attended many schools. This is the worst. This school caused a major financial hit for me simply through disinformation in order to make a sale. I was signed up and classes were paid for at a local college with guaranteed class transfers to the local universities. I was told by ashford that they do all the legwork as far as contacting my old colleges as far as transferring courses. I have been to 5 colleges and the idea of someone doing the transfers for me was beneficial. I contacted ashford to see how much post 9/11 I would be paid per month (at a local school, I would receive 2000 a month), they told me I would receive 3/4 of full time pay (that means 1500 a month to me). I also asked if I could receive the summer pell I was scheduled to receive at the local college (2750 for full time summer school, 2 courses over 9 weeks), I was told yes no problem. I also asked if my classes would transfer, I was told ashford was regionally accredited. After the first full month of courses, I received my post 911 payment. I called the school to inquire why it was only 600 dollars. They told me I receive 3/4 pay...but ah..new information... But at half the national avg rate! Woops that's a 2000 dollar hit for me. I ask about my pell, apparently I have to take 4 classes to receive it (as opposed to two) and they have to be consecutive. At 5 weeks at a time that's 5 months (as opposed to 9 weeks) to receive my pell (you cannot take more than one class at a time without a special waiver. So that's another 2750 hit. Then I decided screw this school I will finish out my class and go to a local university. Called all the local schools...surprise! Nobody accepts ashford Credits! So essentially I wasted 5 weeks of my post 9/11 and lost thousands of potential dollars as well as an entire summer of classes I could have transferred. Also I failed to mention the financial dep dropped the ball on my paperwork 4 times even while applying to the school. Long story short...DO NOT GO HERE

I am very impressed by the professionalism and support received throughout my degree! It was a wonderful experience!

I completed my degree in Psychology from Ashford University in 2010. The accelerated program offered me the opportunity to succeed in my goal of obtaining a BA while still working full time. During 1 1/2 years of getting up 5:00am each morning and spending all my week-ends in study, I believe I excelled in my quest. I did miss the brick and mortar aspect and the camaraderie of other students. I recommend going to community or junior colleges if available before attending a web based curriculum. You only get out of any college program what you put into it. When I needed help, I received help. The degrees are accessible to those who are self motivated and definitely worth every penny. I feel, that at my age, I owe Ashford the tuition I paid. They made the financial part accessible.

I have been attending Ashford for two years now and I must admit that I have enjoyed my experience. As I have read throgh many reviews, most negative remarks are about the financial aid process and work ethic. My finanacial aid process was easy/breezy. I completed my fasfa prior to completed my enrollment so I was already approved. They did advise me that my first disbursement would come in the fourth week of my second class and they were right on with that. I have never had any problems with the financial aid process since I have been enrolled at Ashford. I fill out my fasfa application when it is due and make sure that I get them any neccessary information they request; however getting the tax infor is easy. As far as the classes, I returned to school after 30 years so I was glad they offered the two introductory classes that helped me learn what kind of student I was and also helped me to learn about me. As time went on I learned how to write professional papers and conduct research. All of my instructors have been great with the exception of one who was still alright. Overall, I am enjoying the ride and I would not change it in any way.

Schools that charge $1400+/5wk a class really ought to be more professional, polished, and more student focused. Typical Text books are self published by professors of Ashford University. Only useful for Ashford Classes. Website is frequently down for maintenance. Coincidentally when materials and or project deadlines are due. Really hard to get reference letters from online professors. Due to them never having knowing you in person. Common responses to student requests, are sorry I do not remember you. (Multiple Ashford Students comments) Make sure you get any letter from professors during your class if it is an internet based program. Typical wait time on phone calls to Bridgeport aka Ashford University 9.5 minutes. You are dealing with a for profit corporation. Money comes first and students later. Typical paper mill. If you enjoy being in que for paper work and enjoy faxing/emailing 17 (avg) sheets to the school to blind emails like in the United Kingdom, then this school is for you. Transfer credits attempted 110+... Transfer credits granted for Ashford... circa 60. College GPA prior to Ashford University 3.95. Post Ashford University = 2.68 with primarily A and B Grades during studies with the University...? No support for Alumni in both career aid, post financial aid advice, or most any request. I finished my dying goal from Cancer treatment and finished a BA. Although I would have been much better off with a State school or such. At least the United Nations HR doesn't laugh at you with a recognized school backing/Degree. Final Lesson, not worth the price tag. Find a better and more respected University. Employers scoff at this expensive little paper. I wish you luck on your life adventures!

This is a great school. Don't listen to the nay sayers with the financial aid problems. I had no problem at all and the university was extremely nice and helpful. You have to be ready and take care of it yourself and fill out the FAFSA properly and in a timely manner. This could be part of their problem. My enrollment person helped me all the way and the financial aid department worked closely with me to fill out the paperwork when I made an error in applying for financial aid. In addition, they are compassionate. I had to take a month off for medical illness and they were right with me. Also, the classes are challenging. Admittedly, the first two classes are pretty easy. Some students in those classes wrote on a 2nd grade level at best and they were failed in the classes - they went on facebook to complain, which is how I know they did. This is far from a diploma mill. You have to work for your grades. I would recommend it if English is your first language and/or if you can write really well in it. If you don't you will struggle and your grades will reflect it. Just about every class you have a paper to write. Usually about 10 pages or so. They are very strict with grammar, etc. There is a little wiggle room for effort, but not a ton when it comes to grading. Some instructors are real ball busters.

I've been reading a lot of the other reviews, trying to gauge where my experience falls on the spectrum. I graduated from Ashford 3 years ago and I really have no regrets. I had to use every ounce of self-discipline I own to do it, but it was a great routine that I enjoyed keeping up with every night of the week. As many have said, you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to skate along and do just as much as it takes to get by, you can expect a ho-hum experience. I suspect a lot of the naysayers here were expecting an easy ride; that's NEVER going to be the case with self-study! If you engage other students and the instructors through the message boards regularly, keep up with the assigned readings and activities, and put solid effort into your papers, you will enjoy the home study experience thoroughly. Now, I DID find that books were on the expensive side through the school, but I was able to check Amazon/Alibris for the same titles/editions and in many cases was able to find them for less. I had no difficulty whatsoever with the financial aid department. My only real "complaint" would be the quality of instructors AT TIMES. I remember one "professor" in particular who claimed to have a Doctorate degree and two Masters degrees whose writing skills were at about a sixth grade level. I mean, they were EMBARRASSING! I just forwarded one of his written lessons and sent it to one of the deans asking him if this appeared to be written by someone with the credentials the guy claimed to have. I expressed my concern over someone like this being allowed to set the example for students (because I noticed many of my classmates also lacked decent writing skills). I was honest and assertive about this being unacceptable...and the dean was very gracious. He called me a couple of days later to tell me he had investigated the matter and had reminded all instructors that their written communication substitutes for lecture in the online learning environment; they must be professional at all times. I do not know what happened to that particular instructor because I transferred to a different one, but I never saw his name again on ANY of my subsequent courses after that. Other than that - oh and an HR Management instructor who didn't seem to be "up" on the most recent legislative changes at the time (I had to correct him once or twice as I've been in HR for 15 years myself) - I would say the experience was worth the time and money.

I agree that communication can be bad between the financial aid department and the student, however it doesn't really matter if you are military or getting your schooling paid for from your employment. If you need money to live on or pay bills then it might not be the place for you. The teachers are great, they are knowledgeable and don't give away free grades. I agree that the discussion board can be kinda a joke, however the main assignments are not. I think the main assignments are your real meat and potatoes anyway. I attended this school for my BA and plan on completing my MBA from them. They give military free books, which are expensive normally. And also give students free grants for a percentage of the tuition. I would strongly recommend this school to military members. It is very affordable and military members with the post 9/11 GI Bill won't have to pay any money out of pocket for the degree.

Don't waste your at this school. Financial aid office is a bunch of con artist and liars. They kept promising my financial aid would be processed 6-8 weeks and then 8-12 weeks. Finally, they said there was some type of "glitch" with department of education which was a total lie. I spoke with doe and they said Ashford was dragging their feet not sending appropriate documentation. All the while they have you taking classes and getting more and more nervous while your bill grows bigger and bigger. Need a manager? They will have a "supervisor call you back the next day or later in the week" Professors are absent minded invisible people who clearly are not grading the work properly. Moreover, the school is not accredited worth a crap so your education is worthless and you will do yourself a favor by going to another university as fast as you can.

I ENJOYED MY EXPERIENCE THOROUGHLY. MY INSTRUCTORS WERE GREAT AS WELL AS MY ADVISORS. I RECEIVED MY FINANCIAL AID ON TIME. ALL OF MY CREDITS WERE TRANSFERRED FROM PREVIOUS COLLEGES. I ADMIT I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL AT FIRST BUT I'M GLAD I CHOSE ASHFORD AND TRUST ME I RESEARCHED ALOT OF OTHER ONLINE SCHOOLS, THIS WAS THE PERFECT MATCH FOR ME. MY LAST DAY WILL BE MAY 28, 2012. I WILL TRULY MISS THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE AND THE PEOPLE I MET ALONG THE WAY. BLESSINGS TO U ALL!!!

They lied about how much was in my student funds then my tuition went up twice ina month. like wtf and then i was NOT able to transfer my credits. they lied from day one and stole my loan money

I am currently in my fifth class here at Ashford University. I keep reading all of these reviews about the financial department, and I think a lot of it is who is your financial adviser. I have not had a single problem with my finances, any questions I have had were all answered either the same day or the next day. I would send a quick e-mail out and would get a call in return. My classes are fairly easy, I do not feel over-stressed about the workload. If you are the not the kind of "do-it yourself" person, then this is not going to be the place for you. As long as you keep up with the reading, discussions, and assignments, then this program really is a breeze. It's all about time management. I also LOVE how military friendly Ashford is. Classes and materials are discounted, which really save a lot of money. My husband and I live off of his income alone, since I am a stay at home mom at the moment, and we don't make a lot of money, so to get that extra help to make school affordable is amazing. I truly have had no bad experiences with any of my advisers or teachers and would sincerely recommend Ashford University.

The reps from this school will not leave me alone! I requested information about this school online and received a phone call 5 minutes later. I was busy at that moment, so I turned my phone off so I could call back at my own convenience. I check the phone 2 hours later and saw 4 missed calls from the same number. So finally he calls back for a 6th time and I pick up. The representative started blabbing on and on about the school and then forced me to go through the sign up process right then and there. I was on the phone with him for a hour. He already started talking about payment options and it was all just going way too fast. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to enroll but he kept giving me all these deadlines about paperwork and financial options. I decided to read reviews like on this site and found many people had the same complaints. Then I learned that their reps work on commission would would explain the pushiness of the rep I talked to. They try to get as many people signed up every day as they can. The more I read about this school, the more I was sure I didn't want to enroll. So I emailed the guy I talked to politely letting him know I was no longer interested. He emails me back saying, "Whenever you are ready to get serious about your education, call us back." Um, like I wasn't already serious about my education before? That type of comment from him was so inappropriate! A few days later, I got 3 calls from them in one day, and then the next day and then the next! Seriously, Ashford University will blow up your phone with their begging you to join or reconsider your decision about declining. A month later, they were STILL calling me every day...I finally had to BLOCK their number. It's really ridiculous for any company to call anyone that much!

I am a current student at Ashford. There will always be a high dropout rate from these types of schools. It pretty well goes with the territory with holding accountability to ones self. The classes are no different than the other online school I went to other than I feel the instructors are more helpful here. I see many have had problems and I see that this school isn't going to be for everyone. I can say that I am currently on the deans list but have had to work to get it. When they say higher standard and talk about plagiarism I can honestly see it. My wife went to another college and heirs was nothing like that of Ashford's. If you are like me, a hard working adult with children, no time for a campus based education, and still wanting to get a degree this is perfect for you. Just remembrer you will only get out of it what you put into it.

I am in my third class at Ashford, and I am of two minds about it. Firstly, the staff is excellent! They are very well qualified and know their subjects. I am taking online classes, so you do have to expect to be patient when waiting for your instructor to get back to you. Overall, I am very satisfied with my education so far. My only complaint is that the financial aid department and their policies are seriously lacking. I have been to a traditional brick and mortar school, and understand that financial aid can be difficult, but Ashford Universities financial aid department is terrible. Because it's a "private" school, you will be rushed to start classes before your financial aid is ready; this can pose a problem for students who are depending on that extra funds for books, technology, etc. I am as I said in my third class, and still have not yet received my financial aid. Do NOT select the option to have Ashford hold onto your funds! Choose the option that allows you to receive your funds two weeks after they are disbursed to Ashford. You REALLY have to make sure you understand their financial aid policies. Ask a lot of questions! All in all though, I feel that Ashford is a great school, and I am really enjoying myself! I would recommend this school to others, however as I said before, be prepared to call or write financial aid often. Best of Luck!