Are for-profit universities really that bad, or do they provide a reasonable service for the military?

Sgt William Biggs — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 23:55:21 -0400

I am a two time graduate of AMU. I have an AA and a BA. I have never had a problem transferring credits or being accepted, scholastically, by non-profits. I know there are some serious issues these days with institutions like UOP and those issues/stereotypes made me question my education.

With that being said, I have been accepted into every school I applied too and none have even blinked. I am currently attending Pepperdine University (Irvine,CA) in order to get my MBA. Let's run the gamut and see what is to be said about for vs. non profits.

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Response by SFC Joseph James made Aug 12 at 2015 11:57 PM

SFC Joseph James — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 23:57:16 -0400

I went community college for a while. I recommend that if you've been in the military for a while.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 12 at 2015 11:57 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 23:57:26 -0400

Some are good some are not.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2015 12:01 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 00:01:38 -0400

I think transferring credits is one thing, having a degree from UOP and trying to land a job off that will probably not go well for you.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2015 12:12 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 00:12:46 -0400

I don't think the financial situation is really a big deal (unless they're about to go bankrupt). The only thing that matters is accreditation. I've never seen in any official policy of the follow on schools that I want to attend when I get out that they do not prefer for profit schools. AMU is a solid choice though. UOP is seen as a degree mill by most organizations. The amount of work I have to put into AMU assignments is a lot more than I planned. I originally started to do some of my gen ed with them thinking it would be a quick process. I was so impressed by the work required I decided to finish out my degree with them. I'm about a year and a half away from a Sports and Health Science BS. That program itself has won a couple awards for its cirriculum. My first degree is from a community college. I think having a variety of degree sources may help your resume. Maybe one from a local community college, one from a for profit school, and one from a state college.

Response by CPT Russell Pitre made Aug 13 at 2015 4:33 AM

CPT Russell Pitre — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 04:33:17 -0400

I went to APU and then AMU. I loved it. It was a great school were I learned a lot. I don't think it is for everyone though.

Response by PO1 Tony Holland made Aug 13 at 2015 4:58 AM

PO1 Tony Holland — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 04:58:05 -0400

It's all a matter of their accreditation

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Aug 13 at 2015 6:55 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 06:55:42 -0400

They can be.

They are a business. What you have to ask is if they are a "predatory" business, or whether they are "profiteering" off the service member.

As it stands, the promise that having a degree will net you more money in your civilian life, is coming under scrutiny more and more. The debate of how much that Investment (or Bet) is worth is heated. We know the averages. We know the historical numbers. However you cannot apply statistics to individuals.

Additionally, when you have Service Members, who have reduced out of pocket expenses, we become a "targeted community" for this business model.

If you invest wrong, you will lose out on not only money, but Time, which you can never get back. But, that happens with Non-Profit schools as well.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2015 10:51 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 10:51:09 -0400

The reason I selected the choice I did is that w/ for-profit universities/colleges you have to check their accreditation. Many, like University of Phoenix, either do not hold accreditation, or do not have an accreditation that will allow credits earned there to transfer to an accredited university/college. For-profits are ALWAYS Caveat Emptor!

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Aug 13 at 2015 11:11 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 11:11:42 -0400

You are never "given" an education. At best you have an opportunity to obtain an education.
That being said I feel that there are a couple of enterprises that do not work well with the "for profit" model. These would be health care, law enforcement and education.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2016 6:30 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 18:30:43 -0500

http://www.disabledveterans.org/2016/03/01/attorneys-demand-va-restores-gi-bill-benefits/

Attorneys Demand VA Restoration Of GI Bill Benefits

Numerous state attorney generals are demanding that the US Department of Veterans Affairs reinstate GI Bill benefits for veterans defrauded by for-profit colleges.

Response by SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint made Mar 25 at 2016 10:49 PM

SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 22:49:40 -0400

I am surprised at the pay of Nonprofit colleges. For CA see
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/president-593513-chapman-college.html

Wash Post wrote: American University President Cornelius M. “Neil” Kerwin earned about $1.3 million in salary, benefits, deferred compensation and other pay in 2011, according to an annual survey published Sunday, making him the highest-paid leader of a private college or university in the Washington region.Dec 15, 2013

Chapman president pay near top in California

Chapman University’s president has been ranked the third highest-compensated head of a California private college in 2011, earning $1.1 million, according to a pay database released Sunday by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Response by SGT Aaron Atwood made Mar 27 at 2016 2:40 AM

SGT Aaron Atwood — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 02:40:19 -0400

I avoided the likes of AMU and others simply because leaders whose opinions I held a lot of respect for said they wouldn't attend such colleges. Some of those same leaders also gave us a further piece of advice that I still consider to be sound: getting your degree by physically attending college will weigh more than getting it online. Not saying that online courses are useless; this certainly isn't the case if one is stationed where education facilities are nil.