University of Phoenix

[Duneranger]

Many people prefer unknown colleges because there's no controversy surrounding them. U of P is a very well known online only college but there are still people who are against online education so that brings with it its own challenges. Add on the controversies and poor opinion many people have of the place and it may not be the wisest option for some people.

PUG does not have the same reputation. Could be because Kaplan was not anywhere as well known as U of P. Also people think highly of Purdue.

As someone who lives right next to Purdue, no one thinks it’s actually Purdue. It’s clever marketing, I’ll give them that and it fools many people. Slapping a name change and put them in the Purdue “system” doesn’t make them on the same level. They are very well known in the military world of being predatory towards soldiers. So much we have had briefings on it. Prior to the name change, Kaplan had its share of issues as well.

People against U of P being online are going to be against online school in general. The average person doesn’t care.

For profits are in general all the same, and it’s hard for them to shake that. Even with fancy name changes to blend in with state schools.

[GoBroncos95]

I know that there are universities with generous transfer policies (~15-18 credits or half of the masters program), but I was under the assumption that it was still difficult to actually get the courses to transfer over. If OP decides to go to HAU, wouldn't they still pay the same 3k tuition even if they transfer courses from UoP? What's the point in taking any UoP courses in that situation? (It also looks like HAU only accepts 25% of a degree)

If OP decides to transfer out, the cheapest masters accepting 18 credit hours in a 30 hour program I'm aware of is Jacksonville State University’s Integrated Studies (Master of Arts).
Assuming they accept 18 credits from UoP: $428 per credit hour * 12 credit hours = $5,136 not including any other charges and you graduate with a MA in Integrated Studies.

Honestly, I don’t think any of this matters since we don’t know OP’s budget or actual goals for the degree. If the argument is UoP vs HAU, I choose WGU MBA.

Hello,

Yeah my main focus is getting the Bachelors so I can advanced on to the next position within my company so I went with competency based to speed up the process. I'll make a pretty generous salary after the fact. For the bachelors, I have to pay out of pocket; complete the degree, then apply for re-imbursement, which they only cover 50% of the degree. Masters degree they'll cover 100% if I do UoPx 100% since they are partners. Other then that, I dont get any thing for a masters if I went else where hence why HAU was a big option. I have 10 years of experience in my field; so having the most fancy looking school on my resume isnt a priority.

The masters is not too much of a rush to get as of the moment; just weighing some options. WGU is also a huge one I am considering but I feel like I'd be rushing for a degree since I only get 6 months to complete it for it to be worth the costs.

I think BJ is trying to reiterate is that I can transfer to HAU with UoP credits and If I decided to get another masters at UoP; The credits are already there.  I just thought I'd ask since they offered me free schooling; may take advantage of it if it was worth the time.

[Hotdogman1]

I know that there are universities with generous transfer policies (~15-18 credits or half of the masters program), but I was under the assumption that it was still difficult to actually get the courses to transfer over. If OP decides to go to HAU, wouldn't they still pay the same 3k tuition even if they transfer courses from UoP? What's the point in taking any UoP courses in that situation? (It also looks like HAU only accepts 25% of a degree)

If OP decides to transfer out, the cheapest masters accepting 18 credit hours in a 30 hour program I'm aware of is Jacksonville State University’s Integrated Studies (Master of Arts).
Assuming they accept 18 credits from UoP: $428 per credit hour * 12 credit hours = $5,136 not including any other charges and you graduate with a MA in Integrated Studies.

Honestly, I don’t think any of this matters since we don’t know OP’s budget or actual goals for the degree. If the argument is UoP vs HAU, I choose WGU MBA.

Hello,

Yeah my main focus is getting the Bachelors so I can advanced on to the next position within my company so I went with competency based to speed up the process. I'll make a pretty generous salary after the fact. For the bachelors, I have to pay out of pocket; complete the degree, then apply for re-imbursement, which they only cover 50% of the degree. Masters degree they'll cover 100% if I do UoPx 100% since they are partners. Other then that, I dont get any thing for a masters if I went else where hence why HAU was a big option. I have 10 years of experience in my field; so having the most fancy looking school on my resume isnt a priority.

The masters is not too much of a rush to get as of the moment; just weighing some options. WGU is also a huge one I am considering but I feel like I'd be rushing for a degree since I only get 6 months to complete it for it to be worth the costs.

I think BJ is trying to reiterate is that I can transfer to HAU with UoP credits and If I decided to get another masters at UoP; The credits are already there.  I just thought I'd ask since they offered me free schooling; may take advantage of it if it was worth the time.

Since you’re not in a rush and the program would be covered, I don’t see the harm in taking a couple courses (the main cost would be a portion of your free time and effort). Even if you took one course, you could see how the courses are structured and ask your classmates what motivated them to choose UoP despite its reputation.

I’d also recommend looking into local state universities. I’m a UMPI grad doing my master’s at a local state university. With a combination of a partial scholarship, in state tuition, and my company tuition reimbursement, I pay nothing out of pocket. Without tuition reimbursement, I would pay around $800 a semester not including books.

[Ares]

Is the University of Phoenix and RA accredited school? Yes.
Is the University of Phoenix a Diploma Mill? No.

I have zero sympathy for anyone who could not price compare college tuition using the Internet. All the UoP sob stories are from people who probably think credit cards don't have an interest rate. I am so tired of stupid people using being stupid as an excuse that they are now a victim.

I am sure many UoP students fell for overhyped marketing just like people do everyday with the latest miracle natural health cure. Not my problem. All the qualified UoP students graduated with more debt than they needed if they price shopped colleges but that can be said of most graduates of Higher Ed institutions these days.

I've hired UOP graduates for IT positions and they were excellent employees. All were ex-military but I found zero evidence that they did not receive a good education and they were all highly prepared for the job. They actually tried to defend the school in the interview which was unnecessary because it is a legitimate University.

I would not turn down a free MBA.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Kevin Richert of IdahoEdNews has an update on the negotiations for the potential sale of the University of Phoenix to the University of Idaho system. It might happen, it might not. (The University of Phoenix does need to be sold from the time-limited private equity fund that owns it now, but it could be sold to anyone, including another for-profit company that would continue to operate it as a standalone for-profit).

[GoBroncos95]

Is the University of Phoenix and RA accredited school? Yes.
Is the University of Phoenix a Diploma Mill? No.

I have zero sympathy for anyone who could not price compare college tuition using the Internet. All the UoP sob stories are from people who probably think credit cards don't have an interest rate. I am so tired of stupid people using being stupid as an excuse that they are now a victim.

I am sure many UoP students fell for overhyped marketing just like people do everyday with the latest miracle natural health cure. Not my problem. All the qualified UoP students graduated with more debt than they needed if they price shopped colleges but that can be said of most graduates of Higher Ed institutions these days.

I've hired UOP graduates for IT positions and they were excellent employees. All were ex-military but I found zero evidence that they did not receive a good education and they were all highly prepared for the job. They actually tried to defend the school in the interview which was unnecessary because it is a legitimate University.

I would not turn down a free MBA.

Since I work in Las Vegas and work for one of the two major players in the casino industry, I am sure the MGM or Caesars Group recognize University of Phoenix entirely since they both are partners with the school. 

However, I am not quite sure outside of that realm of hospitality. But as they say, experience supersedes any education.

[bjcheung77]

Furthermore, having UOP MBA isn't all that bad, it's much better than an ENEB double/triple combo, it doesn't require any foreign evaluation either. For a freebie, it's a very good option, you can then decide on whatever secondary degree you may want to go for later, if you have tuition assistance or reimbursement, etc, you can decide on it once you're done...

[Ares]

I am sure if you tried applying for a job at a state school, some of the pretentious academics would recoil in horror that you attended a "predatory" *gasp* "for-profit" University. You want to know what is really predatory? All these state and non-profit universities putting 18 year-olds in massive college debt with federal student loans and then acting like hypocrites about for-profit schools doing the same thing. In the real world, a hiring manager would check that you graduated from an accredited University.

MBAs are not cheap and the cheapest options are from no-name institutions that might not be around in 10 years.

[Hotdogman1]

"predatory" = STIPULATED ORDER FOR PERMANENT INJUNCTION AND MONETARY JUDGMENT

Plaintiff, the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”)
Defendants, The University of Phoenix, Inc and Apollo Education Group, Inc.
...
2. The Complaint charges that Defendants participated in deceptive acts or practices in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45, in the advertising, marketing, and selling
of their educational products and services.
3. Defendants neither admit nor deny any of the allegations in the Complaint, except as specifically stated in this Order. Only for purposes of this action, Defendants admit the facts
necessary to establish jurisdiction.
...
5. Defendants and the Commission waive all rights to appeal or otherwise challenge or contest the validity of this Order.
...
ORDER
PROHIBITION AGAINST MISREPRESENTATIONS (Defendants...permanently restrained and enjoined from: making any misrepresentation, or assisting others in making any misrepresentation, expressly or by implication...)
...
MONETARY JUDGMENT (...Judgment in the amount of One Hundred Ninety Million Nine Hundred Sixty-Six Thousand Eight-Hundred and Six Dollars ($190,966,806) is entered in favor of the Commission against Defendants...)
...

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documen...dgment.pdf
I'd recommend reading the the full judgment. It's 18 pages, but it's around 5 pages without the margins and double spacing.

[sanantone]

Being well-known is not an advantage when you're well-known for breaking laws, recruiting disabled veterans with brain damage, and being the McDonald's of education.

If your budget is limited, and you want to take someone on a date, you would be better off taking the person to an unknown burger joint than a large chain restaurant like McDonald's. If you take an adult on a first date to McDonald's, they may never talk to you again.

---

Many people prefer unknown colleges because there's no controversy surrounding them. U of P is a very well known online only college but there are still people who are against online education so that brings with it its own challenges. Add on the controversies and poor opinion many people have of the place and it may not be the wisest option for some people.

PUG does not have the same reputation. Could be because Kaplan was not anywhere as well known as U of P. Also people think highly of Purdue.

Agree with the first paragraph. The majority of colleges and universities are unknown outside of the state or city they're located in. Some of them aren't even known outside of the neighborhood they're in. As long as the tuition is cheap, going to these schools is perfectly fine. Most people go to a podunk college or Directional U, and they're not trying to get hired at Goldman Sachs.

University of Phoenix is known by the average person, especially if they're older than Gen Z. The problem is that the average person who is not on an education forum is less knowledgeable, so their opinions of University of Phoenix might be even worse. The reactions that are on Reddit are more akin to what you'll come across offline because Redditors don't understand accreditation just like everyone else. There have been so many times that I've heard a person assume that University of Phoenix is unaccredited or that it has "inferior" accreditation.