Ashford University - just how useless?
November 16, 2014 1:49 PM Subscribe
A friend of mine has been paying Ashford for over a year. I wan to hope for the best for her...
I just found out that a friend of mine has been "attending" Ashford University for over a year. I'm hoping someone here can dig up something to that might give me hope that she's actually doing something useful with her time and money.
Alternately, are there any online degrees that are useful?
(Realistically, I'm going to tell her to go back to CC and get a AS, then go to a real college - but I'd like to hope there's a way she hasn't wasted her last year.)
I just found out that a friend of mine has been "attending" Ashford University for over a year. I'm hoping someone here can dig up something to that might give me hope that she's actually doing something useful with her time and money.
Alternately, are there any online degrees that are useful?
(Realistically, I'm going to tell her to go back to CC and get a AS, then go to a real college - but I'd like to hope there's a way she hasn't wasted her last year.)
Alternately, are there any online degrees that are useful?
Almost any brick and mortar community college, college, or university is going to have online degree programs at this point; the university I work for offers the ability to complete several education programs, public health, liberal studies, liberal studies with a social sciences concentration, philosophy, and probably some of stuff that I'm forgetting totally online. The community college I teach for offers entire associate's degrees online. The degrees are the same degrees you get for face to face classes; it's not like they say "online degree" on the diploma. So, if she's interested in changing schools, I'd recommend looking for a state supported or private non-profit brick and mortar that also has online degrees (simply because they may be cheaper, and then she'll have the name recognition that, of course, is behind questions like yours).
(Realistically, I'm going to tell her to go back to CC and get a AS, then go to a real college - but I'd like to hope there's a way she hasn't wasted her last year.)
Well, FWIW, assuming you're talking about the U.S. based Ashford and not the U.K. one, my brick and mortar state-supported 125 year old school takes credits from Ashford. They're accredited, and we take the credits.
posted by joycehealy at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Almost any brick and mortar community college, college, or university is going to have online degree programs at this point; the university I work for offers the ability to complete several education programs, public health, liberal studies, liberal studies with a social sciences concentration, philosophy, and probably some of stuff that I'm forgetting totally online. The community college I teach for offers entire associate's degrees online. The degrees are the same degrees you get for face to face classes; it's not like they say "online degree" on the diploma. So, if she's interested in changing schools, I'd recommend looking for a state supported or private non-profit brick and mortar that also has online degrees (simply because they may be cheaper, and then she'll have the name recognition that, of course, is behind questions like yours).
(Realistically, I'm going to tell her to go back to CC and get a AS, then go to a real college - but I'd like to hope there's a way she hasn't wasted her last year.)
Well, FWIW, assuming you're talking about the U.S. based Ashford and not the U.K. one, my brick and mortar state-supported 125 year old school takes credits from Ashford. They're accredited, and we take the credits.
posted by joycehealy at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't know anything about this place, but if you look up "Ashford University" on Wikipedia, you get to an article about a for-profit university that, at its top, says "Not to be confused with the unaccredited entity with the same name doing business from the United Kingdom." Do you know which one it is?
posted by Flunkie at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Regionally (not nationally!) accredited and nonprofit are the key indicators you are looking for. Certainly some schools have a better reputation than others, but by eliminating the for-profits and the not-regionally-accredited, you've eliminated the scam artists and degree mills - regional accreditation holds schools to a minimum standard. And you can (almost) always transfer credits from one regionally-accredited nonprofit institution to another.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:03 PM on November 16, 2014
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:03 PM on November 16, 2014
At least Ashford didn't make the list of the worst universities in the US.
posted by wenat at 2:37 PM on November 16, 2014
posted by wenat at 2:37 PM on November 16, 2014
Basically all for-profit colleges are extremely dubious. Even if they manage to have a decent graduation and job placement rate (which are VERY few) you'll end up with much more debt than other options. Online is even worse. Ashford was recently sued by the Iowa AG for peddling teacher training degrees that did not lead to an actually usable credential, among other shady practices.
posted by yarly at 5:41 PM on November 16, 2014
posted by yarly at 5:41 PM on November 16, 2014
Also, very likely that her Ashford credits won't transfer anywhere, so the past year may in fact have been a waste if she plans to transfer.
posted by yarly at 5:41 PM on November 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by yarly at 5:41 PM on November 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Googling around, I find they are accredited by WASC.
WASC is a decent accrediting organization. Here is a page of the schools they have accredited.
Some of the first listed (alphabetical) may seem obscure, but they have the Cal State system, Pepperdine, among many others.
In other words: the credits are good, this is a genuine institution. Whether the education is quality or whether your friend is overpaying are different matters.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:54 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
WASC is a decent accrediting organization. Here is a page of the schools they have accredited.
Some of the first listed (alphabetical) may seem obscure, but they have the Cal State system, Pepperdine, among many others.
In other words: the credits are good, this is a genuine institution. Whether the education is quality or whether your friend is overpaying are different matters.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:54 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
Here is what a Senate investigation found about Ashford's publicly traded parent company, Bridgepoint, and its meteoric expansion after being bought out by a private equity firm.
Key points include:
- Ashford is a primarily (99%) online institution that markets itself as traditional 4-year school with an actual campus
- The private equity firm that took Bridgepoint public was projected to earn $773 million from the IPO. Between 2007-2010 the firm's revenue grew 5300%.
- Over 90% of the firm's revenues come from federal student financial aid (loans, pell grants, GI Bill)
- They spend half those revenues on profit and marketing.
- The CEO's 2009 total comp was over $20 million.
- Bridgepoint has expanded enrollment 7800% since 2005
- Ashford engaged in intensive high-pressure sales tactics and telemarketing to enroll students
- Students were enrolled in programs that would never prepare them for their actual professions. Teachers could not be licensed in their states.
- THe school has poor retention rates, with as many as 88% of associate degree students withdrawing
- And of course, students are left with crippling debt and defaults
posted by yarly at 6:29 PM on November 17, 2014
Key points include:
- Ashford is a primarily (99%) online institution that markets itself as traditional 4-year school with an actual campus
- The private equity firm that took Bridgepoint public was projected to earn $773 million from the IPO. Between 2007-2010 the firm's revenue grew 5300%.
- Over 90% of the firm's revenues come from federal student financial aid (loans, pell grants, GI Bill)
- They spend half those revenues on profit and marketing.
- The CEO's 2009 total comp was over $20 million.
- Bridgepoint has expanded enrollment 7800% since 2005
- Ashford engaged in intensive high-pressure sales tactics and telemarketing to enroll students
- Students were enrolled in programs that would never prepare them for their actual professions. Teachers could not be licensed in their states.
- THe school has poor retention rates, with as many as 88% of associate degree students withdrawing
- And of course, students are left with crippling debt and defaults
posted by yarly at 6:29 PM on November 17, 2014
Also, very likely that her Ashford credits won't transfer anywhere, so the past year may in fact have been a waste if she plans to transfer.
My Ashford credits transferred to a nonprofit state school. Ashford is regionally accredited, thus no issues on that end, unless you mean something else?
To the asker, the degree she gets will be real, the education real, though you may personally question the quality of it for the price. But you don't have to worry that it's fake.
posted by Danila at 1:04 AM on November 18, 2014
My Ashford credits transferred to a nonprofit state school. Ashford is regionally accredited, thus no issues on that end, unless you mean something else?
To the asker, the degree she gets will be real, the education real, though you may personally question the quality of it for the price. But you don't have to worry that it's fake.
posted by Danila at 1:04 AM on November 18, 2014
Danila, that's great that your credits transferred. But Ashford does not controll the other institutions to which Ashford students may want to transfer. Ashford has disclosures on its website cautioning that "Credits earned at Ashford University may not transfer to another educational institution." If you're planning to transfer from a for-profit you need to check with the school where you want to transfer BEFORE just assuming you'll be able to do it. To be fair, transferability isn't only a problem at for-profits, but it's worse there because students pay much more for for-profits, and because they may have been lied to when they enrolled.
posted by yarly at 5:45 AM on November 18, 2014
posted by yarly at 5:45 AM on November 18, 2014
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posted by Dick Laurent is Dead at 1:55 PM on November 16, 2014