| Accreditation: | Regional accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Top Ranking School: | Ranked #7 in the 2012 Guide to Online Schools Rankings |
| Military Friendly: | Offers tuition discounts for military dependents (Click to read more about Military Friendly Schools) |
| Carnegie Classification: | Doctoral/Research Universities |
| Year of Inception: | 1996 |
| Student-to-Faculty Ratio: | 24:1 |
Northcentral University Reviews
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I am currently enrolled in the PhD in Education program. I began in April 2011 and after almost a year, I have been nothing but disappointed. There is no interaction between the learners and the only feedback that you receive from mentors are on assignments. You never speak to anyone, only communicating via email.
This school appealed to me because I'm a full time college instructor, mother, and needed a flexible educational opportunity. This is NOT a good choice! The academic rigor is lacking and the school is frankly disorganized. The syllabus does not match assignments and they require you purchase textbooks but they are never used in the courses.
My academic advisor was hired from a local elementary school to advise PhD students. He has no previous experience in higher education or academic advising. He cannot help me or answer my questions.
Tuition keeps rising and they prey on failing students in courses to force them to repeat and earn additional $$$. It is a business, not a college and a HUGE waste of money. BEWARE!
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NCU is a for profit school...period. It's a business. Businesses look to maximize profit. It's all about the money. The curriculum is adequate. Some instructors are good...others...hmmm. Tuition was constantly raised during my time at NCU. In three years it went from about $800 to $1,850 a class. Nothing in my mind will ever justify that increase.
Their accreditation or prestige did not increase but my tuition bill did. So, when you enroll, remember, the deal you are promised might not be the one you get. Bait and switch...plain and simple. That's how I feel about it. Enrollment rules constantly changed...not for the better. I graduated, but in a cost benefit analysis my scales tip against NCU.
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NCU is an extremely demanding school. Sure the first few courses are easy. I met one person who thought it was easy at first but came across a very tough instructor and dropped out. I'm getting an EdD and I can say that there have been many times when I questioned whether I wanted to continue because of the demanding course load. But I can say that my mentors though tough are fair and have pushed me past my comfort zone allowing me to have a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
After all isn't that what graduate work is all about. Would recommend NCU only to those who are independent thinkers and learners. This school is not for those who need someone to spell it out for them all the time. I attended Walden and NCU is far better!
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I am currently enrolled in my 6th class at NCU. I am pursuing a DBA in Organizational Leadership, but think I might change to the PhD program. I love the flexibility of this program and the mentors are there to help. IT IS A VERY RIGOROUS program. That I cannot lie about about.
If you are looking for a program that is easy, this is not the one for you. You will earn your doctoral degree here. Don't believe all the bad reviews. I almost did not attend this school because of these same reviews. I am glad I gave it a try.
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I read some of the reviews that people leave and can only laugh. They didn't accept credits from 15 years ago? A specific mentor didn't email back in a timely manner? I'm a police officer and have been working with NCU for about four years now. I took my local community college Criminal Justice Associates, and rolled it into a Psychology B.A. Now for the past year I've been working on my Psychology M.A. I need the flexibility of online school with my demanding work schedule. The work is not easy, and expect to write a ton of papers for psych; however the college offers a great program, and is REGIONALLY ACCREDITED.
For anyone who knows anything about the accreditation process, or the lack there of...ie diploma mills, this is very important. Thank you NCU, I look forward to finishing up this year!
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