Western International University

I have been in this school since January 2015. I've had a long time dealing with online schools, including the Univerity of Phoenix. I like the curricula here at west. The classes are 8 weeks long. Yes, you do have to write papers but you also have test to take during the course so it doesn't feel like you have to write all the time. You're only required to make 3 post once a week (where as UoP you have to post 3 times a week with at least 8 post). The tuition is a lot cheaper than most online schools ($250 per credit. $350 per credit for graduates) and there are no hidden fees. Books are included in tuition. Also there are 3 live sessions during each course. I just started taking two classes at once here so I know it will be a challenge but I appreciate the education I am receiving here at west.

I was looking for an accredited university where I could work on a Masters degree while working. The format at WIU was just what I was looking for. Some people state they felt they did not get much from their time at WIU. But what I found was professors who not only taught the courses, but years and years of experience in the area they were teaching. They could relate the ideology of the subject to real application. The professors I had all had major accomplishments in their line of work. WIU may be no Harvard, but then I didn't matriculate at Harvard. Anything you do in life is what you put into it. WIU directed me as I put most of my all into each class. During my time at WIU and because of my time at WIU working with their professors I published my first article. Each writing assignment at the end of each class was applicable to my job. What I learned at WIU pushed me and directed me to do better. I highly recommend WIU if you are willing to put in the effort!

This school misrepresented what would be covered by financial aid. I made it clear to both my enrollment and my acedemic counselor that I could not pay out of pocket costs for tuition and books, until after my education was completed. The school has a policy that once enrolled in a class for more than one week, full tuition is due, yet the fiancial aid counselor (debt collector is a better term) advised of a $1,000 deficency in funding 3 weeks into my class. This has caused a great deal of stress and concern relating to my financial lender and maintaining my 4.0 GPA as I seek out another university to attend. BTW, I have attended for a year and 1/2 and received money back from my financial aid until this year, so this was a total sideswipe, and I received no counseling or support when I filed a greivance concerning this issue. In fact, I was told they would be calling to collect on my current class if I were to not agree to pay the $1,000 out of pocket costs for the year. Buyer Beware!

I love WIU!! This school is taylored for the working ADULT. I'm past high school and just want my degree so that i can take the next step in my career. I'm not looking to play college sports or join the student counsel. I'm past all that in my life, even at 25 it seems kind of silly (no offense to any 25 year old cheerleaders out there) I like WIU because I drive my success. I'm not obligated to quarterly meetings with my counselors. I'm an independent learner and am able to complete my studies in my own time. I will say that the lower division courses are kind of "blah." Once I got into my upper division course work the whole atmosphere changed. The online courses are highly interactive as are the assignments. In one class my instructor had us visit a local museum and with students all over the world the presentations were amazing! Sometimes there are technical hang ups but i've not had a single instructor that I didn't like, yet its been challenging and highly useful for my field. I've been to traditional schools including ASU, Phx Community College, and GCC campuses and WIU is the one i've liked the best so far!