Capella University provides a deplorable curriculum. They fraud the consumer and engage in academic theft and financial aid discrepencies. Their online instructor stole my dissertation and resulting work product. Twin Cities Minnesota

I do not even know where to begin, much less read/understand this "doctor's" post (below). I hope your "lab" isn't producing/researching AILIENS or [seriously] messing around with HUMAN GENETICS, and I hope your CAPELLA grads have a better education and are more literate, can spell, and are more gramatically correct than you.

on the ball ("ON THE BALL"?) assistents (ASSISTANTS?) not only to help mme (ME?) in te (ME?) lab but also to elp (HELP?) control te (THE?) increasing number of survuving (SURVIVING?) and intelligent fete (WHAT? INTELLIGENT FETUS?) who get lost (WHAT? And, you mean LOOSE, right?)

and skitter around under foot (WHAT?) - It would not be good for our reputation, if word of living fetus with highly functional brains were afoot in the various areas we utilize (WHAT?) - The fact we have had (HAVE HAD?) no leaks is due (BECAUSE?) to the quality of worker (QUALITY OF "WORKER", not KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE) we get from the Capella Campus (WHAT CAMPUS?)

For being a doctor, you surely CANNOT WRITE well, at all, and you obviously DO NOT KNOW what you're talking about with Capella University. They're a SCAM! CROOKS! THIEVES!

Mary: You posted an EXCELLENT complaint about Capella University. Thank you - John Lee Bass (Former PhD Student - Capella University, w/ $130,00 student loan debt, for a "crappy" "EDUCATION"!

I am in a similar situation.  I have Degenerative Disk Disease.  The short part of it is I have two dead discs in my lower lumbar region of my back.  This gives me constant pain.  I ended up with a B last semester and filed an appeal (little did I know that Capella only allows ONE appeal, which I was never notified of).  I won that appeal.  What upsets me though is that Financial Aid requires me to get an A in this current course.  What does Capella do?  They threw me into an Assessments course...one of the TOUGHEST courses that there could be.  There is no way that I am getting that A and Capella knows that.  At the end of this week, I will have no choice but to withdraw from the college.  If they even try to charge me, I will be fighting it.  The thing that really gets me is that because of this issue, they have screwed up my financial aid.  I can now NOT attend any other college unless it was paid for out of pocket, and since I can't work yet (I can barely walk, as it is), how am I going to do that and pay back student loans?  Capella really screwed things up for me and I advise anyone who may be considering this college, to run away as fast as they can.

Mary,

 

I can only say that your description of this school, although writen in 2007, in every respect, is so spot on. I am in a similar position, and also in the dissertation phase, that you have described, from this same facility. Furthermore, they need to close schools like this down, and here it is 2013, and they are still getting away with it, at the students expense.

It's nice to know, that I'm not the only one that has experienced such, and that this place is nothing but, a rip off. Faculty, makes it appear, as if it's the students' fault, not theirs. It makes me wonder why some students slide right through the process without any hassles, and yet others are left to fend for themselves. If the student challenges them, they will surely, make it hell for the student, or get rid of them if necessary.

Even though, they know they are blantantly wrong. They do not even adhere to policies, on many things. If they do, they have many gray areas, and are subjective in nature. A student can't be sure that what they are doing could be considered wrong.

This is the biggest mistake of my life coming here, but it's to late to turn back. Unless, they get rid of me. However, my intent was for it to be my best. The problem is what can be done about it? Since, places like this will keep ripping students off, as long as they can away with it, and know they can take us for granted, in knowing they can always get more students, and will not face the fact that we are the consumer. Since they are advertisting a service, they are not providing. Without us, they would have no jobs.

 

Thanks for being so candid, at least I know I am not alone.

 

Kone

as a doctor who works with fetal stem cells I need intelligent and on the ball assistents not only to help mme in te lab but also to elp control te increasing number of survuving and intelligent fete who get lose

and skitter around under foot- It would not be good for our reputation, if word of living fetus with highly functional brains were afoot in the various areas we utilize- The fact we have had no leaks is due

to the quality of worker we get from the Capella Campus

If a student takes only one course  and not three or five courses in the Humanities Dept. over a stretch of time, say ten years,the student is viewed as an "user" of the system. A single course in this dept. costs as much as 5 courses and the student may take as much as 5 classes. The choice is left to the student. Still, a student may chose to take but one course and and do it well or without stress of 4 other courses and simply do the work. Over a period of ten years this will cost over
$100,000 dollars! Unlike in a "brick and mortar" college there is no person to council the grad student.  The unsuspecting Federal government and the over-indebted grad-student will have paid the University for this extravagance! The University is happy and continues to rob the government and the people until this abuse is curtailed. Other actions are recorded over time to validate this abusive practice. (e.g.)The sudden and frequent change of counselors and financial staff is a need
to perpetuate this financial abuse of tax payers money. It is a RIP OFF!

I am a Capella grad, as well as an Arizona State grad.  My Master's degree from Capella is working just fine for me as I'm sure it does for thousands of others.  And you are 100% correct - if you want to teach Ivy League, get an Ivy League PhD!  Don't you just love education s****.>

Im a student at Capella. I will graduate with a PhD in Information Technology next year. I received a BS from Minnesota State in 1993. In 2003 I wanted to go back to school and enrolled in some classes at the local community college. They offered programs through the University of Minnesota. After about a year I got extremely frustrated with parking. Campus security was like the Gestapo. After the 2^nd parking ticket I started complaining in class. One of my professors was a graduate of Capella and secretly recommended their program. The IT school has received national recognition from the NSA. Im not sure why but its a good program.

My wife has an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota. We started graduate school together. It also happened to be our first year of marriage.  I enrolled at Capella and she entered a Masters program in English through St. Marys University. Granted the material was different but Capella actually seemed to require more submissions than St.Marys. Perhaps it just seemed that way. The cost between the programs was almost identical. The first few years of our marriage werent super exciting. Graduate school is a lot of work. PhD programs are even more work. I dont recommend entering a PhD program. The obstacles are huge and the rivalry between MDs and PhDs is about as dignified as senior citizens competing for a holiday dinner at Denny's.

Im writing a response because I can empathize with a lot of the angry students. Capella pissed me off more times than I care to remember. But it wasnt much different from attending State. Everyone working as an administrator in higher education seems to have a chip on their shoulder. Its like going to the DOT to renew your license.bad vibes everywhere. I thought the professors were fine. The coursework is setup so you have a clear view of your objectives. Teachers at the college level are very diverse. Some go all out; detailing grammar and structure issues in every one of your papers, making suggestions, complicating your life in undesirable ways.  Others give you the grade and dont respond to emails because youre beneath them.

I think another issue behind some of these nasty comments relates to Capellas requirements. They actually expect you to do the work. And since they arent established they seem to be constantly adding more and more hoops to jump through. However, I believe there are websites that will help you with the material, if you have the cash. Not getting the assistance you need from your mentor? Youre supposed to be developing the skill level of a doctor. Obviously you'd be better off working with Heidi and Spencer. They need a new show. PhD programs are designed to be difficult. If they were laid out like a TiVo menu everyone would be a doctor. 

Capella is not that expensive - when compared to other graduate schools. One of my relatives just finished an MBA at the Kellogg school of business. I was curious about the cost and checked their website. $100,000!!! Thats a lot of money. Until you consider the salary he makes as an MBA. My grandmother asked him about his new job. He said They pay me an obscene amount. If I told you how much, you wouldn't believe it." He does live in San Fransisco but I guess its a lot even for there.

Im the rebellious anti-establishment member of the family. The schools I attended are not even in the top 100. My family is full of graduates from private and prestigious institutions: Columbia University, Carlton, William & Mary, St. Catherine, Northwestern, Stanford. Did they get a better education? It doesnt appear that way around the dinner table. Why? All accredited colleges must meet the same national standards. Granted some have better professors but come on.George W. Bush has an MBA from Harvard. Perhaps the following example will do a better job of illustrating how ridicules the issue of college has become. My wife teaches with someone who attended St.Olaf College in Northfield. They do the same job and get paid the same amount. My wife went to the University of Minnesota. Her BA cost roughly $20,000 after 4 years. The same degree at St. Olaf runs about $192,000. Thats a lot of money for a teaching job. But she will always be a St. Olaf alumni....

Online schools are new and not as well recognized. However, if I wasnt a poor doctoral student Id invest in Capella. They have aligned themselves with the military. My PhD residencies were filled with officers and DOD employees interested in taking advantage of the governments 100% tuition reimbursement policy. In turn Capella is heavily reinvesting their capital in personnel and equipment. I work at a world renowned medical center and they reimburse me for almost half of my tuition. They would do the exact same thing if I was enrolled at the University of Minnesota. The idiots in HR are going to have to change their attitudes. It'll take time. Probably just as long as it'll take people to understand PhD graduates don't all want to be professors. 

Now if I could just stop putting off my dissertation.. 

I know for a fact that Crapella does indeed lock you out of classrooms and take your financial aid.  When I was a first year "learner" (code for we cannot call them students) I was locked of the course room and when I attempted to identify why I was brushed off and ignored I received no explanation.  It was only when I correlated being locked out of a course with having armed guards with M-16s at a "real" university and personally called out Michael Hitler, er I mean Offerman, was I allowed back in, with censor.

I actually completed my program and was rewarded with a 11" x 14" pice of cardboard that some 5th grader printed out in their bedroom at night.  What a slap in the face!! 

Stay far, far, far away from Crapella!

Before I rip your entire argument to shreds, would you be so kind as to substantiate what metric you used to make your conclusions about the faculty and curriculum.

Well, all of the above is true about Capella University, case after case after case of student's rights and precious financial aid taken away with nothing to show at the end or not even a usable degree. Many Capella students are involuntarily locked out of their classes so they can't finish and then an incomplete shows up on their transcript.

If you ask a question to Capella, and they don't want to answer it, they may withdraw you with no explanation at all, just that they chose to withdraw you, and you have no recourse unless you want to be tangled up in court for years, all the time racking up huge lawyers fees. They know this, they have your money and others to use against you. Their lawyers are the dregs of this earth, will go to any length to harrass and dishonor you, and they can persist much longer than any one student.

But, the federal government has much more power and financial resources than they do. If everyone flooded the general attorney's hotline, they would have to do something about it. President Obama would do something about it, too. He is very much for positive strong higher education programs that will help consumers gain better jobs and pay. If a university is violating civil rights of due process with no legal representation, he would shut down the educational facility until they complied with the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.

All students that have been grossly mishandled by Capella's administration and their online programs should contact their state's attorneys office and the federal government's general attorney's fraud hotline. If they get enough complaints, they will act on it. Capella could lose their ability to gain federal student loan money (they have a lot to lose by violating civil rights).

The armed forces passed a bill in August, 2008 that states no subsidy money for housing will be given for GI's using student loan money that participate in online universities, distance education, that live outside the state where the university is housed, located. The federal government all ready knows about the fraud going on at Capella University.

The more I read about Capella's online programs, the more horrifying it becomes. It's almost like what happened before World War II in Europe, with the lowly citizens (Capella students) that have all rights of freedom of speech, rights to a dignified due process system where you can have a lawyer representative at your side to make sure your inalienable rights are not broken, all that is nonexistent inside the workings of Capella's online programs. And Capella is sneaky. If someone tries to put up an anti-Capella website, Capella buys the website and dismantles it. Isn't this what happened in Germany before WW II? Trying to keep the truth from being known around the world? This website is the only website that the truth has been told and stays for the world to read about.

Capella has only one specialty degree program , School Psychology. If you look at the last two years on the Higher Learning Commission website (accreditation), last year there were no School Psychology specialty degree   graduates (between April 2007 and April 2008) and this last year there were only three (between April 2008 and April 2009). That is very sad when I know they begin each year with a cohort of 12 students........hardly any of them are getting to the end of the program. What happened to all of them? Three out of 24 students, terrible ratio of total students to graduation rate.

But, I'm sure Capella has all their financial aid money in their pocket. They don't care if anyone graduates at all, as long as they have their money.

I tried calling Capella's 800 number and said I was going to be in Minneapolis the next week, could I come and visit the campus? I was told that they don't take visitors? I wanted to talk to an advisor face to face about a possible PhD program. No, can't do it. She said they are a totally "virtual" school. No one can come talk to a person face to face (closed campus). I asked if I was an active student, could I? The Capella customer representative told me no, not without prior approval from the person you want to see. Could she forward my call to such a person? Sure, you get a voice mail and it is never returned. Capella does not want to be "bothered" by anyone. What do they do there all day long if they don't talk to students or help even gain information? You can't get past the person who answers the phone, which knows nothing. No one else is available to spontaneous phone calls and will not give you the time of day.

I encourage others to try what I did. See if you get anywhere on the phone with Capella University's customer representatives that are really trained sales reps with quotas of new applicants they have to meet or they get canned.

Must be a nice plush job that all the students are paying for with the financial aide money.

Very concerned citizen,

Somewhere USA

nothing but harassing calls from them.refuse to leave a message.
DEMANDS money up front for courses,instead of billing monthly like normal colleges.

If I have to drop this one ,like kaplan, If filing a class action against ALL online university programs,DeVry included.I have nothing against DeVry, I have attended thier brick class rooms, but I think thier BS in IT is a bit generically hard or software.But its a decent degree, even though the credits may not transfer.

ANy BS degree is better than none.Not having much luck online.Either the schools are shams or the online material WONT load,even on BROADBAND CABLE.[with little noise issues on the line.SURE, blame the clients' equipment.......]

Capella University isn't a school, it's a business. Employers laugh at schools of their ilk and won't even consider hiring graduates from there. Capella, Phoenix, Devry are all the same.

AS someone who has experience in being a student at a land based, supposedly venerable university, I can respond to all three responses here that, any school you go to, there are policies and procedures in place. Many do not read but simply sign off on these yet fail to respond when a bill or a deadline is communicated to them.

An online degree, like a land based degree, is going to contain experience from classes and instructors that can be deemed good, bad,qualified or un-qualified. The point is, much of what is said here is merely an opinion and it all seems to stem from anger that I would surmise comes from an individual that's looking for a deal, and never got it.

No one can force you to enroll anywhere. Buyer beware. Any University, or business for that matter is going to require money to keep it alive, but, as a person who took online classes, I found that the investments made back into the student in terms of technology and customer service far surpassed my experience at the so called land based university.

I don't feel the need to defend my degree because at the end of the day, the trend is in business to get an advanced degree, and that's where technology is going. I know I spoke to several "ambassadors" at Capella who were more than happy with their degree and when they totalled what they saved by not traveling, parking, and paying for day care, as well, the flexibility, they were extremely happy there was option out there for them.

The impression from these individuals is that they were 'not' business savvy in chosing a university that couldn't meet their needs, they didn't read the policies, they didnt pay attention to the deadlines, and now they are sour because of their own procrastination. I appreciate and believe they should post their experience as its freedom of speech, but to present as fact and true in all cases is misleading.

I would tell anyone to be sure they know what they want before embarking on a masters degree instead of holding an institution or one experience at large because you cannot see beyond your own negativity and academic s****.>