Capella University

I was misled by the financial aid department! I was told the same thing by two individuals there regarding my financial aid disbursement. When I called again and spoke to another person in financial aid they told me something else. No help, and it is resulting me in having to pay $2250 for a semester out of pocket. I decided to withdraw from Capella and when I spoke to the academic advisor she did not ask me what the reason was or if there was anything they could do to help. They do not care about... Read More their students and keeping them there. I will be looking into another college that is more helpful and more veteran-friendly. The professors are great, but the college is sub-par. STAY AWAY!!!

My experience with Capella University has been frustrating, especially regarding charges on my account. They initially stated students have 21 days to drop a class, but later said it's before the first Friday. This inconsistency can greatly impact students. Clear and consistent communication is essential. To add to the frustration, I dropped my class on day 9, well within the initial 21-day window, but was still charged $772. This discrepancy in charges and deadlines needs addressing. Overall, I... Read More do not recommend this university.

Determination. Curiosity. Independence. Those are thee of the things that will ensure you get the most out of your education at Capella. The types of courses they had for my program were nuanced and appropriate and there was a consistent demand to call upon critical thinking skills which has improved every facet of my life. The online platform brings a level of digestibility when it comes to time and flexibility in accordance to lifestyle as an adult learner. While I wouldn’t trade my Capella education,... Read More there were a few things a which Capella fails, not because they don’t know, but because they don’t see the urgency or importance. 1. Scholarships and financial Aid. Capella’s scholarship and financial aid options are somewhat abysmal. Capella promises progress rewards and continuing education rewards in substantial amounts to attract students to their program. What they don’t disclose is the fact that you only actually get that amount if you slow down your pace with degree completion. The funds are not taken off the top of your tuition. It is broken up in quarters so there is still a chance that you will have to pay them even though you still have scholarship money from them. This, in a way, penalizes high performing students. Should a learner take three classes a quarter, these “progress” and “alumni” rewards won’t apply meaning, they get paid. They also do not give individualized, merit-based scholarships. Your background, major, or academic achievements are not basis for financial aid outside of the standards for the canned scholarships that they may offer. 2. Instructors. I’ve had some wonderful instructors. I’ve also had instructors who fall on the opposite end. Non responsive, offensive, and uninterested. For an educational institution that wishes its students to lean into critical thinking, it would seem that their instructors would hold the same value for that. Not so. I clearly remember asking a question to get more information from an instructor hoping for an open dialogue to learn and expand my idea. I was told “you’re overthinking.” There was no inquisition as to my question and I never got my question answered and ended up answer my question on my own. This was not a one-time occurrence. I’ve waited days for responses only to remind instructors that I was still waiting. The irony: to this day, I still have not received a response. While this was an extreme case it’s not uncommon. Furthermore, I and other learners have experienced instructors short-temperedness, lack of human understanding, and apathetic attitude towards learner-instructor engagement. 3. Academic Advisors. I thought this would be the only place where I could get guidance and understanding about the path I wanted to take. Surprisingly, I was incorrect. My academic advisor could not answer basic questions about the process and was often unavailable to the point where I built my own academic plan out of necessity. Capella frequently sends surveys to its students and I complete them in earnest, but I wonder if they’re read and considered. While this is an educational institution, it’s a business first, and when you get past the degree options and go below the surface, as long as they’re getting paid, there’s no real care past that point. I thought that maybe my experience was unique. It is not. In fact, it’s more common than it should be. I am a more shrewd and aware learner, but it’s not because I had to be that way to learn AT Capella. It’s because I had to be that way to LEARN Capella.

I chose the flex path for both my BSN and MSN-education. I'm not a great test taker and now that I've been a practicing nurse for 14 years, with parenting and other responsibilities, this path worked well for me. I saw some nurses complete their degrees in one or two billing cycle but I took a little over a year for each degree. Flex path allowed me to write papers on my expertise, hospice. Some where so good I was encouraged to publish. I feel that I learned more about hospice by writing papers... Read More using current evidence based practice that I was immediately able to apply to my employment. This improved my job satisfaction and my patients and coworkers as well. I didn't get a raise, though my employer gave me thousands of dollars towards tuition and I never have to go back to floor Nursing unless I choose. I loved that I could spend as long as I needed on a paper and never felt stressed. The support I got from the professors was wonderful. As an adult learner in an online educational setting, I felt very comfortable without brick and morter classroom format.

I am finishing up my doctoral degree in education (higher education specialization). Overall I had a great experience at Capella! Each class was 10 weeks. There were 10 core classes and then 6 advanced doctoral classes where I wrote my dissertation. I became very close with my cohort. My mentor was attentive and available. The work is challenging yet manageable. I feel a sense of pride that I am almost done with a Dr. in front of my name! If I had to do it all again, I would still choose Capella!... Read More

Don’t do it. I wish someone would’ve told me sooner. There are plenty of other schools. You literally teach yourself, besides writing papers you don’t really learn anything. You’re not prepared for the state exam, there’s nothing done in the program to prepare you for it. They make the internships extremely difficult and it’s really embarrassing to community partners. There is no communication, and there’s no way for you to connect with people on the phone. Most other MSW programs are much shorter.... Read More I wish I would’ve paid attention to that. Now I wasted a bunch of money and chose to go to another school. I will never refer anyone to this school.

Would you believe me if I told you I finished a program that takes most students 12-16 months in less than 3 months? With Capellas flex path program I was able to do a RN to BSN with almost 2 weeks to spare to my 12 week deadline. By choosing the flex path program you get to go at your own pace, which is amazing for us who work full time jobs. They charge per 12 weeks rather than per semester or course. I was offered the options to use a program called Sophia, which is free, and in that program I... Read More was able to complete 9 credits of general ed that got me closer to my BSN & I was able to do it before starting the 12 week mark. That left me with only 8 courses to take of the actual program. The professors were very understanding, and really good at grading my assessments quickly and fairly. I even had to retake two courses but was still able to finish before the 12 weeks! Of course, you need to dedicate the time. It is all about how much you want it. The pricing was also amazing because for 12 weeks it was about $3000 and some change. $3000 for a bachelors degree? Whereeee? All in all Im very content with the university and program. Everyone was great from counselors, to coaches, to professors. I highly recommend this program if you are a RN whom is looking to further her career and obtain a bachelor's in science of nursing. Hope my review can help.

Most of these negative reviews are from people that didn't understand the billing structure and/or have no concept of "competency based" programs. ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU ENROLL. My enrollment counselor, Randy answered everything for me. I knew what program points vs credits meant, I understood I had to have EVERY class closed out and completed by the end of the billing cycle, not just assignments turned in. I knew there was no instruction, it was all competency based evaluations This program BUILDS... Read More on your knowledge foundation. This programs forces you to apply concepts, ideas, research and critical thinking to papers and speaking assignments. You should not be taking this program if you don't understand how to write a paper, or don't understand how to back up your ideas with clinical evidence. If you are not comfortable writing 30+ papers to finish a program, this is not for you. I enjoyed writing the papers, doing the videos and figuring out my own ideas; it's what we do as nurses. No one gives us detailed directions for our patients, we often walk in with a general idea of what's going on, and through our own assessment and collection of data do we form our working diagnoses. That's how these papers are. The directions are vague and very lengthy but using the competencies scored and scoring guide, I was able to get Distinguished on every assignment in every class. Thank you Capella!

I highly recommend Capella's Flex path program to working professionals who already have working experience. I finished my undergrad in 1 year (having previously completed an AAS) and my MBA in another two years. Building off of almost 10 years of professional experience, I found the coursework to fill in gaps in my professional and educational experience that have prepared me for the next season of my career. I found all of the course content and instruction to align with modern and best business... Read More practices. My guess is the majority of poor reviews come from students looking for a traditional classroom experience and/or who have little to no working experience that provides much of the foundation that enables you to quickly learn and connect dots/theories/practices to my everyday work.

I just completed the RN to BSN program with the flexpath, 100% online, completed in one term (12 weeks). I started in May 2023 and completed mid-July 2023. It was challenging, the professors were great, for the most part. It was a lot of work, and I learned a lot. I loved the flexpath program because I was able to work at my own pace. I have a BS, so I am experienced at both writing papers and effective study strategies. My BS was completed at a great brick and mortar school, Nova Southeastern University.... Read More I highly recommend Capella, and I am going back for my MSN. Capella offers a great education experience for a very fair price. I started my BSN with Walden University. Walden had a lot of busy work that honestly did not add anything to my education, just added unnecessary stress in my life. Walden has 2 very cumbersome practicum, that makes absolutely no sense, as the minimum requirement for any BSN program is an active RN license. The last thing I need is to spend time getting hands on experience with practicums when I have been a nurse for 20 years. Huge thumbs up for Capella.