Columbia Southern University

This school is terrible. I am using financial aid so for my bachelors, instead of finishing in 4 years, it takes 5+ years. The teachers have problems and will give you Zeros for assignments you have completed on time and spent hours upon hours working on. They will fail you for no reason, causing you to take longer than the already long 5 years to complete just a bachelors. DO NOT GO THERE. It may seem fine in the beginning courses but as you get to the last year or so, they will fail you for everything.

I was already entrenched in my career but witthout a college degree. Because I worked for a private firm, there was no degree required. Once I decided to get a job with a large firm, I enrolled in CSU to complete my last 50 credits. I did so in about a year. Classes are not very challenging but they do take time and it is busy work. After I completed my degree, I began my search at a large firm. By no means did my degree get me any interviews, my experience did...but never once was I questioned about accreditation (which it is) or about an "online" school. It checked the box quite adequately and at a very affordable cost. I recommend CSU highly if you arre in a similar situation. You need to check the box as having a degree. This is not to say the education was not valuable, it was...but for me it was about getting through the credits. Good luck!

Completed my degree with the college and two years latter I am still not using this degree. I have post my resume and still no calls. I am still working at the 7.25hr job I had when I enroll in this college. The only thing I got is a high student loan that NELNET charges interest on daily. I wish I never attended this college. This college is good for individuals who are currently employed and looking for a rise or advancement in their current job. However, for someone looking for door to open then attended a college that can give you internship. Columbia is not that college. Good Luck!!

I am currently a student at CSU in their bachelors degree program for business administration. I have nothing but good things to say about the university. I have completed my associate's degree with a traditional institution and also took some classes for my bachelor's degree at a traditional institution. I feel that the classes at CSU are just as comprehensive and challenging as any other courses I have taken at another traditional university. The university also uses blackboard for their online format which was used for online classes with the traditional university that I previously attended. I am scheduled to complete my bachelor's degree August 2012 and I am thoroughly enjoying my experience at CSU. The student service representatives have been prompt and helpful as well as the professors. Also, there is no other online university that I have researched that offers a book grant. A+ rating from this student!!

I completed nine credit hours with CSU, and all are very comprehensive. I'm deployed and find it difficult to satisfy other online school requirements: blogs, postings, group interaction and other superficial demands. I’ve attended several on-line institutions, and this one is by far the best I’ve experienced. They have a great administration department, and a pro-active support center that monitors your progress through course and degree completion. Books are included and always arrive on time before the start of a course. CSU does have a downside—not being regionally accredited! Most regional schools don’t accept all credits earned or you have to satisfy undergrad courses during grad school. If you’re looking to transfer from CSU, pick a school that’s highly associated with on-line learning, and you should find success with your educational goals.

I went to a few online schools before attending CSU. Wish I would have found this one first! The school was wonderful, clases and programs were flexible, and the administration staff was awsome. Financial aid can be a nightmare but the financial aid staff were such a help everything went very smooth. Teachers were great, and the way the program was formatted, you could work at your own pace through the weekly assignemnts as your schedule permitted. I would not only recommend this school, but would choose it again.

A have been a student for a long time now. I have tried many different online schools. CSU was one of them. Truly, it is not exactly like the degree mill schools found in Alabama. But it is very close. Firstly, the curriculum. There were about 8 to 10 units per class. At the end of the week, you are asked to answer 10 multiple choice questions and 2 short essays as a quiz. That's it for an entire week. There is homework problems assigned, but never had a class where homework was due. In all honestly, even a smart middle school student can ace every course offered in CSU. Everything is open book. Sometimes to make the courses a bit more challenging, they assign papers. It is really a hit or miss depending on the teachers. Surprising some teachers are really good and knowledgeable, but the curriculum is so easy I do not know how they think students are learning. Every week I opened my weekly quiz, looked at the book glossary for an hour and then I was done. Never did any homework. Aced every class. So if you not self motivated to learn and read the text, you will not know anything. It may be a bit of challenge for someone who hasn't been in school for 15-20 years. And most students who enroll are exactly just that. You will know when you everyone introduces themselves in the discussion board. Now about the accreditation. They are DETC accredited. But what does that mean. Not very much. You will be able to transfer your credit to most completely online schools. But you won’t be able to transfer anything to any state schools or a good private school. I have called to ask about transferring credit to most of public school in Florida (UF, FSU, USF, UWF, etc...), they will not accept them. You can't really blame them. I got a really poor score GRE, but GRE is not even a requirement for the masters program, not do they ask of any recommendation letter. Anyone can be in the masters program as easily as bachelors. Now about the professors. Some of them are very smart no doubt. But others have graduate with their degrees from this school with MBAs or other completely online schools. The level of difference you notice is scary. So to finalize, CSU can be absolute be a good experience if you want an easy degree and feel accomplished after haven’t being in school for years. And there are many companies who do not care where you got your degree from as long as you have one. But it was not it for was me. I wanted to get in good PHD program someday from a state school like FSU. But that I am doing my master in FSU you can truly see the scary difference of learning. If I had to rate CSU for how much a student learns on average is probably 20/100. And you ever switched from this to a state school; you will have a really hard time keeping up. It is nowhere in the same league. Respectfully, Nicholas

CSU is an average university. I transferred my credits over from Franklin University with ease. Everytime I contacted the staff with questions they were very professional and helpful. My schedule is demanding (active duty military) and CSU is very supportive with multiple deployments. The quality of the classes leaves much to be desired. There is no challenge. The "tests" are easy and the essays need to be only 200-300 words in length. I have attended Central Texas College and Franklin University online and their classes were much more challenging. I am suprised by the ease at which I compete the courses at CSU. Interaction with the teachers is almost non-existant but I didn't feel the need to contact them as I had no problems with the material. Overall, if you want your degree quickly with minimal effort, CSU is the way to go. Not a terrible school, but not top flight either. I have read many of the reviews on this site. My two cents: the whole regional vs. national accreditation is bunk in my opinion. The degree is nothing but a tool that tells your employer you have potential, you can learn and that you are not a complete idiot. All that other junk means something to folks who are degree obsessed and base their self-worth off of their degrees. I don't have the time or money to worry about such things. You get yourself the job you want.

Love this school! Working 50 hr weeks, this school gives me the opportunity to go to school when I have time. Books are included in the cost of TA. Love it. Some teachers in GE studies (especially Science) want you to write several 300-600 word essays but other than that it is a great way to take advantage of a higher level of education at an affordable rate.

CSU provided me with the flexability I needed to complete my degree. As a member of the Military and now with the Department of State I needed a program that allowed access 24/7 from anywhere in the world without the requirment to attend group classes or meetings and CSU is it.

CSU provided everything necessary to finish my Masters. The program was not only challenging but provided me with the opportunity to use the knowledge gain in my professional life and has opened many doors.