Saint Leo University

WAY TO EXPENSIVE FOR NOT A QUALITY EDUCATION. First, off....this school is way too expensive for the education, environment, experiences, food, and services they provide. You will find yourself in a lot of debt (after financial aid, merit awards, state aid, etc.) and for pretty much nothing. Some of the teachers and professors are good and care about their students, but some are very unprofessional and will misinform students when they are supposed to be experts in the field (Ex: A psychology professor claiming that depression could be treated. Additionally, a lot of the employees or staff can be rude or unhelpful to students and parents when they need guidance. However, I do not want to overshadow the positives of the school. The school does have an amazing counseling program that is definitely helpful to students with mental health problems.

There seems to be a general misconception of on-line programs. I think Saint Leo gets a few bad reviews from drop-outs who thought it would be a piece of cake. First-this is a real private Catholic University with over three thousand students attending the West Florida campus. Another 17k attend online. On-line or in person, the classes hold the same level of difficulty.Second- Although a few of the PhD’s had unusual personalities, they were always available to assist. It was hard work, but a wonderful experience for me. Just remember, if you can’t handle school, what will happen to you in the corporate sector?

I have never been to a more helpful school. The staff are friendly and eager to help. Financial aid was so easy to apply for. My counselor registered my classes for me. I've never had another college do that. St Leo recieved my transcript from a previous college within a week of requesting it. I haven't taken classes yet, but I will post another review when I do. Unless the classes are horrible, I will definitely be finishing my general education here. So far, so good.

I chose St. Leo in 2005 for my MAT, after researching many online graduate programs because I felt that St. Leo was an established university and its Christian values would make it more caring and personal. I made sure it was accredited and was reassured by the fact that St. Leo's MAT program was receiving US military subsidy for training retired military officials to become teachers. At first I was pleased with my choice. The teachers were competent, friendly and personal. I had expected a graduate program to be rigorous and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything seemed to be going well. Then in 2008 I got an email saying that St Leo was closing their MAT program and we needed to finish our requirements and graduate asap. It also said something about getting state approval, but I had never heard of that and didn’t know what that meant so I asked my adviser. She told me that it was for students seeking FL certification and since I was seeking VT certification, it didn’t apply to me. I trusted her and finished out my program in 2010 with a 4.0 GPA and my bill paid in full. I celebrated my accomplishments by going to the VT DOE to apply for my teaching license. Then the nightmare began. The VT DOE told me that they could not license me because St. Leo was not a state approved program. I then found out that every state requires its teachers to have graduated from a state approved teacher training program, not just Vermont. I contacted St. Leo and they said that was true! I asked them why the US military was subsidizing the tuition of their MAT program if it wasn’t state approved then. The director of graduate studies would not answer that question, was extremely rude to me, insulted and ridiculed me, and said I knew exactly what I signed up for when I joined the MAT program at St. Leo. Appalled, I went above her to the president and he said he would look into it. After a “thorough investigation into the matter” (which by the way did not include contacting me or asking me even ONE question!), he concluded that I was fully aware of the status of their MAT program and St. Leo was neither responsible for my ignorance nor liable for my loss. When I asked to have the documentation sent to me that “proved” these things, he told me that St. Leo would no longer have contact with me and that my lawyer would have to talk to their lawyer. In other words, five years of hard work going to grad school while working full time and raising four daughters, and $17,000 in tuition is all for NOTHING!!! So much for Christian ethics and personal and caring reputation. St Leo should be ashamed of themselves! I would not recommend this university to anyone. If I could afford it, I would sue them for fraud.

I graduated from St. Leo March 2010 with an MBA. Shortly thereafter, I was offered an undergrad instructor job at a local college. The MBA program was extremely difficult. It required 20-25 hours a week per class and there are only 8 weeks per semester. Lots of reading, researching, and writing. It was not easy but I managed to finish with the help of supportive instructors and staff.

I am currently enrolled in the 300 level accounting courses. I came to Saint Leo with a 3.89 average in my accounting major. I am actually failing my 300 level accounting course. The instructor will not help you and if you e mail for help, he e mails back telling you that you must not be doing the required work etc. if you do not understand. He makes no attempt to teach or help you. I have put an incredible amount of hours into this course and am disapointed that I have such poor instruction. The text is very hard to teach yourself with and the tests are designed to 'trip you up' rather than test your practical knowledge in what you are studying. I wonder if anyone actually ever gets through this major. I would not recomend it.

I graduated from Saint Leo's with a degree in Business Admin - concentration in Management and minor in HR. The teachers were very supportive and the technology they used was very good. The program was challenging but you had to be motivated. I also attended the graduation. The campus was beautiful and the staff and teachers were very welcoming. Please understand that online classes are not for everyone. The senior classes required 10 to 15 page term papers and most classes required a lot of research, reading and homework. The good thing is there were very few group projects so grades were based solely on the student's initiative and focus. I loved this experience and am planning on focusing on my graduate degree next!

I completed my BA in Business Administration, Management concentration last year. I found the program to be very comprehensive and challenging. I was returning to college after several years to complete my degree. As with most online programs, what you learn is based on how much you apply yourself. The professors varied in quality and responsiveness but overall were very involved with the students. Texts were good but I recommend finding alternative sources (cheaper) when possible than the college bookstore partner. The school is regionally accredited and the online degree is consistent with their on-campus requirements. Overall I would recommend this program to experienced students as you do need to be self driven.

I am currently enrolled in one class at St. Leo University. I received my MBA with a concentration in accounting several years ago. I recently found out that I was required to take additional accounting classes to qualify for several things that I am interested in pursuing. Most, if not all schools require 18 hours in the concentration that you choose, so imagine my surprise when I found that I did not have 18 accounting hours. A classmate that graduated from the same program just found out that she has to return to take two additional accounting classes. On top of that, the class that I am enrolled in currently is taught by an instructor who can barely speak English. The quizzes and exams have nothing to do with the textbook being used or the material being presented in the class. The instructor simply states that we should know the answers from previous classes, but cannot explain why an answer is right or wrong himself. I would never consider enrolling in another class at this university.