When I decided to finish my degree in business, as a working mom, I decided to research online colleges. I have seen ads for Kaplan University and thought this would be an easy way for me to earn a much needed degree. I was lured in by their promise of easy access to financial aid, but then when I saw the actual costs, I decided to reconsider. I was first met with the $45 application fee before anyone could answer my questions I had to be accepted. That was just the beginning of the long list of fees. On top of "tuition" which was going to be about $30,000 there were added technology fees, assessment fees, (books were surprisingly included, but many were just an online access) and this was just for an associates degree!I looked into other programs offered such as IT and there were even more costs, "lab" costs ect. I was able to attend a community college about 45 minutes from my home and obtain the same degree offered for about $10, or one third the cost. If online is your choice, I suggest shopping around, as the costs at Kaplan are just too high.

bigmamajo

IN

I've been looking at going back to school to earn a secondary degree. One of the schools I considered was Kaplan University. I did a lot of research and found the answers to all of my questions except one...how much is tuition? I spoke to a representative of the University and asked the simple question. The question was never answered, I was told about scholarships, loans, grants, and finally was told, it costs whatever I can afford. What does that mean? I went for one term and I qualified for aid with loans and it worked out so I didn't pay anything out of pocket. After one quarter I looked at other universities and was able to do the same but this time without a student loan. Sorry, I won't be back. Thanks anyway. Class Selection The number of courses and degree programs available online is more than I thought it would be. The online classes are flexible and fit any schedule imaginable. Teaching Quality You need to be able to learn on your own to be successful with their online class. Faculty does a good job of responding to emails and helping to prepare, but without discipline and the ability to self-study you will struggle. Financial Aid Financial Aid is available, but it was as if they look at exactly how much financial aid you qualify for, loans, grants, etc. and that is exactly the cost of the classes you schedule. Maybe a coincidence, but I didn't have the same coincidence with a different university. Accreditation They are regionally accredited and you can transfer most of the classes you take. However they are (or at least were at the time of my enrollment) on a quarter schedule whereas most universities in my area are on a semester schedule so 12 credit hours at Kaplan is 9 credit hours at a university on semesters.

DHughes8528

USA

I received my bachelors degree online from Kaplan University and I have to say without it I wouldn't be in the position that I am today. When deciding on where to get my bachelors degree I had a lot of choices out there to choose from and in the end I chose Kaplan University. With Kaplan I felt like they gave me the best opportunity because they had a lot of programs to choose from and from the get go I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was able to sit down with a counselor from Kaplan to get an idea of what I wanted to pursue. Once I chose my program I was able to sign up for classes that were not only affordable, but also the classes online aloud you to work full time as well. Throughout the whole process every class that I took I felt like the professor encouraged me to ask questions and had very convient office hours for me to show up if I need help with something. If you are looking for a school to get your bachelors degree I suggest you look into Kaplan University because they offer affordable prices and peolpe that want to help you achieve your goals.

dmwendel

USA

I'm fresh out of High School, and researching into numerous different online colleges and Kaplan's the one I picked originally, but I can't afford the prices in the long run. Earning a bachelor's degree in Human Services to become a Social Worker :)! Pros: They have this thing called the Kaplan Promise, and you can get up to twenty-two hundred dollars off your Associates Degree, or forty-three hundred dollars off of your bachelors degree. Cons: At Three Hundred Seventy-One Dollars a credit hour, you'll be spending a lot of money on your degree. For my degree in Social Work I need One Hundred Eighty Credits, so do the math 180*371 = 66,780 dollars. Which in my opinion is ridiculous. I've found that with other schools the cost per credit hour is half the price of one at Kaplan, like McKinley is only one hundred eighty-five dollars per credit hour. Equaling to about 33,000 dollars for my bachelors, which is way more affordable than 66,000.

SamanthaFoster

USA

Kaplan was and alright school when I went there, but to be honest, it feels more like high school than college. The curriculms really weren't challenging and I would go as far as calling them an "easy A". They get away with teaching you the basics on everyhting, but charge more than what would be considered "a bargain" as far as your courses are concerned. Regardless, I got the education backing needed and the ease of access to everything was decent. You had way too much time on your hands inbetween projects; which basically indicated they could definately shorten their class times and charge you alot less than they do. Class Selection not a bad selection of classes - and the electives were pretty nice. Teaching Quality Basically like any school out there, the good, the bad, the ugly! Financial Aid Again, a bit pricey. All in all they're basically like any other school out there. Accreditation I'm unsure - they say they are, google says they're not; guess it really depends!

KariKin22

USA

I went through this school a few years ago for medical coding and was very excited about starting my education for a new career field. The registration process was in my opinion unorganized and unprofessional and I guess that should have been the first red flag. Everything was done by email and PDF documents which I thought was a little strange for such a big school but I went along with it. It seemed like it took forever to get responses to my questions and the documents were not always accurate and corrections had to be made. Finally the registration process was finished and the classes began. I was happy with the program and moving through my classes. Down the road I had an issue in one of my classes and wanted to communicate with the instructor. I contacted them numerous times through phone and email but never received a response. Due to the teacher not responding me I was unable to finish the course and move on to the next classes. Because of this my time ran out to finish the classes and I was unable to complete the schooling so there went all my money down the drain. Since then I have wondered if the school is actually legit and if I was just scammed. Word of advise, make sure to do extent research before selecting an online program. If it sounds too good to be true, it might be.

lstar101112

USA

I will suggest to check Western Governors University, or other types of universities, to see which one is the be$t option for you. I will be graduate in Sept. 2012, and I don't have any help to get a job....nobody told me that in the criminal justice field, age, military experience, academic preparation, etc. for most of the positions, these factors are critical. I'm going to be 40 on November 2012, and without any experience in the criminal justice field, I just have "few options". Teaching Quality I've been with Kaplan University since June 2008, and I will be graduate in Sept. 2012, with a BS in Criminal Justice with emphasis in Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism. I think that they have well professional staff, the professors are super-mega qualify. I'm very satisfy with the teaching quality of this university. Financial Aid They help you a lot, but when you owe them...is a nightmare! I think that Kaplan University is an expensive one. Accreditation I think they have a satisfactory accreditation, but comparing with others, Kaplan should have more accreditations.

Miadolcebella

USA

In October of 2005, I began my career as a student at Kaplan University. It had always been my dream to obtain a Bachelor's degree but circumstances were coming together to make it look like I would not be able too. Than I heard about online schooling and how it helped to fit in with your personal life. This was true back than and in 2008, I was able to complete my first Bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies. During this experience, all aspects of the school were great. The financial aide department communicated great, student accounts did everything they could to help you, and academic advising was about par with the regular colleges that I had attended. After I graduated, I attempted law school but found that even a part time program wasn't something that I could handle along with working full time. So I weighed my options and decided that I'd change gears and go back to school for a degree in Information Technology and Systems. Since I had such a great experience with Kaplan the first time around I not only decided to go there but also recommended a friend to try the school. My experience this second time around has been anything but great. I began back in May of 2010 and wound up having to take a class in Microsoft Office that I've taken not once but twice before in my college career. This would not have been so bad if I had failed it the first or second time but I had aced it - both times. This meant that I was paying for a class that I could have tested out of but their academic advising staff never even gave me the option of testing out; they told me that I had no choice but to take the class. Fine, I took the class, got a 99% in the class, and actually did learn something new about the ribbons that Microsoft now uses. But this was not the only instance in which I had to take a class that I had previously; no, I had to take two more. Before attending Kaplan the first time, I completed an associates degree in Networking Engineering from a local school that has since come to be owned by Kaplan. In addition, I had completed all my science classes needed for a bachelor's degree in my first degree. This did not matter to the academic advising staff at Kaplan and I was forced to take the basic networking course all over again as well as a general science class. Of course, now that I've finished these three classes, the school has restructured their academic advising department and I have a whole team of advisers who have said that I should have been allowed to test out of these classes. This doesn't help me though as I've had to take these classes and been charged for them. Which brings me to my biggest complaint. One of my largest concerns when I started back at the school was would I have enough Federal funding to complete the classes for a second bachelor's degree or should I instead just get a certificate. I was assured that I would have more than enough money in Federal Aide and Federal Loans to complete a second Bachelor's degree. This was in May of 2010. I have come to find out that at the time, I was only granted enough money to cover two terms; which would have been enough had I not needed to re-take the three classes. What makes this even worse is I was not notified until ***after*** two terms of classes were completed that I would have to pay for the classes out of pocket. Logging into the school's system to see what was owed would show the the account was current and there were no problems with funding. So now I'm stuck with a bill for over $4,000 and I've had to withdrawl from the school because it took them over eight months for them to a) figure out that I've had no Financial Aide and b) that they've been registering me for classes and putting me into them when I had no way of paying for them. What makes it worse is trying to work out a payment plan with them is becoming a serious challenge. Student accounts keeps telling me I need to speak with Financial Aide as that department has said I can pay $1,200 a month out of pocket and Financial Aide keeps telling me they didn't say that and I need to work with Student Accounts to set up a payment plan. For the past week; when I've been able to get through to anyone at the school; I've been passed from department to department because neither knows what is going on. But for the most part, I sit on hold when I try to return their phone calls because all the reps are busy with other clients. The classes themselves are for the most part informative and helpful in gaining a college degree. But the administrative services for the school are awful. They are difficult to get a hold of in the evening (after 4:30 when I am out of work) even though they state that they are open until 9 at night Monday through Thursday, until 7 on Friday's and until noon on Saturday's. And it's only this past year in my returning studies that I've had any problems with the administrative services.

TheGrrlgeek

Harrisburg, PA

everything sounded great, while I was in the process of enrollment. once i was actually enrolled, everything changed. My acedimic advisor changed twice as well as my finacial aid advisor, who didnt advise at all, was switched three different times during a four month period. everytime I tried to call and find out about my grants/loans, nobody would answer, I would leave messages, never once did i get a phone call in return. I took a military leave of absense (due to my husband having to switch duty stations) while i was on my MLA they completely cancelled all of my grants, without telling me, leaving me to owe almost $4000 (for only 2 classes). When I tried to call to get it all straightened out, it took about 6 months for someone to finally get back to me, by then they had sent it to collections. Still paying on this a year later..

Mrsthree6

Fort Wayne, IN

My wife and I decided to go back to school a year or so ago. She was interested in a degree in business and I wanted to get a degree in IT/Network Administration. We spent hours every day researching and talking to advisors from different on line colleges. FInally, we settled on Kaplan University, as they offered the courses we were interested in and the cost of everything outside of grants and other tuition help was affordable for us. We're in the middle of our second year now and it has been an overall great experience. Midway through my first year, I re-ruptured a lumbar disc and had to have surgery. Unfortunately, I missed an an entire term because of this. Luckily, I was able to retake the courses I had missed, instead of outright failing them. Most recently, I my notebook pc completely died on me and I had no means of getting to class. I contacted my advisor who in turn contaced my instructors. I was given more than enough time to catch up on my missed work after getting a new notebook. The only real problems I've had with Kaplan is the simple fact that there are no standards whatsoever between courses or instructors.By this, I mean what may be okay for one class, or instructor more than likely won't be acceptable with another instructor. This can be exceptionally confusing to new students who don't necessarily know or understand how the on line environment works. Ultimately, Kaplan University is an outstanding choice for continuing your education, especially for those of us who don't necessarily want the hassle of going to a physical school all the time. It saves money time and aggravation!

Sabbz

Donalds, SC