University of Phoenix, Devry, Strayer, WGU, Grand Canyon University Reviews

Ask the Department of Education to provide you access to their Program Performance Reviews. Will provide some insight to their operations, Title IV compliance, in particular.

Wish we had. Son attended a private, for profit in 2003/04. Was a mess.

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I would also like to hear from hiring managers.

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My perspective is only in the finance industry, but no resumes make it past the initial screen if the candidate's primary education is from a school like those mentioned.

If the undergrad was done at a reputable university and some additional education was from one of the above, it doesn't hurt them. It just doesn't garner any extra points when evaluating candidates against one another.

They're fine to use if you need one or two classes for some reason. I wouldn't use them for a degree though.

Guy I know needed one class to sit for the CPA exam and took it online with Phoenix instead of a traditional college.

Honest question: Why would you even risk the negative perception of what is likely a terminal degree when there are so many alternative options available?

Go to a reputable school’s online program before considering any of these. Or, go to a school near where you live and do night classes or weekend programs.

There are two angles you have to consider. Fresh college grads and those who have been in the workforce for a at least a few years with real experience in their field.


Back when I was in the military and I wanted to further my education (I was enlisted) there simply was not many online/distant learning options. Your major schools now have online classes, but back in the pre-2006 range, they didn't have many degree plans to choose from.

I went to UoP while enlisted to knock out my general studies. I wanted to apply for officer candidate school at some point and knew I needed to start. I then ended up cross training from aviation maitenance to cyber surety (Information Assurance for the Air Force). In doing this I decided to take classes at UoP for Information Technology which supplemented my job in the military and ended up getting BA a few years later. For me, it was a "check box". I also had a number of private-industry lvl tech/security certifications to back up my training and education so I was never too worried about the perception of UoP.

Now, when I transitioned out of the military, I know for a fact that UoP on my resume meant some people just threw it away. It is an actual degree, but over the course of time it got a very bad rap for simply not having ANY standards for acceptance. Like literally none. While the course work was accredited, they accepted anyone with a pulse to take classes.

Even though I landed on my feet in the private sector making very good money, I had real work experience via the military to support my education toolkit. There is absolutely no reason a person out of high-school should consider these schools. New college grads with no background will be at the bottom of the list with these schools.

Back pre-2006 it made sense for me because there were not many options and I was actively working in a field that I was studying for (it also didn't have a bad rap back then). I also didn't plan to exit the Military until Obama got his fingers in it.

I later used my GI bill to attend a local Texas school and completed my masters because I was afraid that the UoP decision all those years ago would hinder my ability to move up within my current company.


Back to my original point; new college grad = school matters. A professional with experience = you can get away with it, but it very much depends on your experience and field. Not worth the risk today now that all your major universities offer some sort of online/distant learning for basically the same price.


Just my two cents, but I have seen VP levels with UoP masters all over the place. I wouldn't recommend it having experienced both.

I got my bachelors and MBA from WGU. It's affordable and fast paced if you put the time in.
Regional accreditation is the same accreditation as LSU/UL/etc but of course WGU doesn't have much name recognition. Yet.
U of P is a joke compared to them. Some courses are cake walks but they would be just useless busy work at brick and mortars so who cares. The tough stuff (data analytics) took me a month to complete.
If you have any doubt about WGU just watch their commencement ceremonies on YouTube. A wide variety of people from different backgrounds and industries. Mostly working adults who wanted to advance themselves.
$3300 for 6 month term. Knock out as many classes as you can.