University of Phoenix

I contacted university of Phoenix for course and fee information and was harassed for weeks. From morning to night came the calls, every day. No messages just multiple calls in a row all day long. When I did talk to administration they were rude and unhelpful and unapologetic. Once the guy figured out I probably wasn’t going to go with them, he hung up on me. Nice.

Please be aware of a few things about ANY for-​profit school, UOP included. Their focus is marketing. For-​profits spend upwards of 40% of their budget for marketing (most non-​profits, less than 10%), marketing that is often high pressured and unrelenting. The turnover for those in sales is very high. I worked at one for-​profit to investigate the goings-​on of these schools, and people disappeared nearly monthly.
And for-​profits are WAY over-​priced, often three to four times what you would pay at non-​profits (community colleges and state colleges). For example, at one for-​profit the nursing program costs $ 34,000 just to earn an LVN. You could get that same level of training at a local community college for $ 8000 tuition. And after you graduate, if you graduate, you may get a job, but there is no in-​hospital training, and you’ll end up working in home care. But worst of all, for-​profits are accredited by national agencies while most colleges – non-​profit – are accredited by regional agencies and credits are NON-​transferable.
My suggestion, before you go into ANY for-​profit, check their background thoroughly. Do some comparison shopping. Sure, you can get a certificate in 11 to 14 months, but why spend three to four times as much for something that has little value at all. And just because you see commercials for AICLA, ITT, Phoenix, etc. doesn’t mean they are all on the up and up.
Finally, teachers often teach outside their expertise, come and go like the students, have to teach in mods or five week increments great quantities of material where there is little learning going on, material that is often useless and watered down. I taught one math course called College Math that was a re-​hash of what was learned in fourth and fifth grade. Hell, my son who’s in 2^nd grade was doing some of the math I taught.
One last thing, the graduation rate for non-​profits are generally 55% or so. For profits? 25% And even though only 10% of all loans are taken out by students, they account for nearly 40% of all defaults because they greatly market to low-​income students. For-​profits get maximums on loans for veterans and the über-​needy. One student I taught was homeless. The vet said he didn’t come to learn anything, just to pick up his stipend. The VA paid for the loan and he got a bonus. But most drop out because low income students don’t have the proper role models, most parents not having attended college can’t lead by experience. Statistics show that the majority of college grads ALSO have parents who are college grads.
Congress currently has a sub-​committee that is investigating for-​profits. Check the BBB and comparison shop before you spend so much money. It’s amazing to me how people gamble with 10s of thousands of dollars with very little thought or research. WAY too many are too trustworthy and too lazy. Martin Luther King said that the hardest thing to do is think. And it’s why most don’t do it. But if you don’t think you can end up with one miserably expensive, failed life.
As an aside, it’s NOT the education that achieves, but the person. There are many, many who have achieved without a college degree. Knowledge is shifting and fleating within the creative-​destruciton of capitalism. Experts believe you will have 3 – 5 career changes over a working lifetime. Your knowledge-​base will change, but you MUST learn critical skills, knowledge, and attitudes as well as how to learn on your own to be successful in ANY field.
Buyer BEWARE!!!

The campus is very nice, the staff is very nice, but the delivery of the education is not impressive. I am a military veteran and I wanted my classes and credits to go toward my degree, but the first month is basically a waste of money and benefits because it is 100% geared toward «How To» learn at UOP. I also did not like the fact that the group work puts you in a position to rely on other, less committed people.

Yes, I am a proud Phoenix
Clean, technically modern and positive atmosphere. I have visited all of the UOP SoCal campuses and Pasadena has the best learning center.

I ended up learning the hard way. Wasting a lot of time and money.
In case you dont know, there is no shortcut, regardless of the amount of money you spend.
The University of Phoenix in the real world amounts to nothing more than a mail order school in credibility.
You cant get a legit’ degree online and over the weekend that is going to amount to anything.
After finishing two years of City College (Pasadena CC) with a CGPA of 3.6, I went to work. A number of years later, I decided I needed to complete my BS, but did not want to spend the time that it would take at CSUN.
So what did I do? Enrolled in UOP. AGAINST the recommendation of my family, friends and co-​workers, most all of which have been graduated from traditional University/​Colleges. All because I thought I could finish my BS with assorted classes online and weekend meetings.
I am too embarassed to say what I spent and the time investment was a total waste. I was politely told numerous times that my AA from PasCC was worth far more than my BS from UOP. CSULB and CSUN would not admit me to their Grad program (s) due to the substandard UOP degree that lacked when it came to standards.
End result, although it was like pulling teeth, I did go back to a real University (CSULB) and after what seemed like a million years, I graduated. In the following years, I applied to and completed my Masters (CSULB).
FYI– After taking the LSAT, I applied to and was accepted to both Loyola and Whittier Law Schools, BOTH OF WHICH ADVISED HAD NOT GONE BACK TO CSULB, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED. Or in other words, my UOP BS was not recognized with credibility.
Today, as most know, UOP applications are routinely «round filed.»
Please talk to your friends, family and co-​workers. I tried to take the shortcut and wasted time and money. Dont make the same mistake I made.

I attend the campus in Woodland Hills. I love it there. It is an amazing school. I love the teachers and the counselors.

Current student, about to Graduate… Talk to Natalie or Kim, enrollment counselor… VERY HELPFUL… awesome peeps… I am a Phoenix.