Columbia Southern University Reviews of Bachelor's in Business

"I had an excellent experience with CSU. I was able to earn my bachelors degree at a scedule that worked for me. Upon graduation in 2002, I was hired at IBM. Because the degree is accredited, they had no issues with it. Later, I used this same CSU bachelors degree to get admitted to Benadictine University, where I earned my MBA. Contrary to what some are suggesting here, most RA schools WILL accept a nationally accredited degree. In fact most say it right on the admissions page. Please check and see for yourself. Here's why . .Almost all universities have online degrees now - it's no longer a novelty. There's too much competition now for them to turn away graduates from NA schools - which is why they dont. Anyway, after earning my MBA, I earned a Doctor of Information Technology at Middle Georgia University. Admissions was based on my bachelors and MBA. Today, I teach college courses in business and computer science at a RA community college part time. I'm also a data scientist at Lockheed Martin. So please, enough with the crap about how CSU isn't accepted. The jury has long since been in on this. Go to the alumni page on Linked In. Look at where graduates work. We're talking major corporations, government and education. Some are in high leadership positions. I'm proud I'm an alumni. The school offered me an opportunity to improve my standing in life and pull myself out of abstract poverty at a time when "online" was looked at skeptically."

"A for-profit, family-owned school. The diploma you get here isn't worth the paper they print it on. You should look for a REGIONALLY ACCREDITED school. There's a reason CSI can't earn a regional accredation. Don't waste you money and time here. They focus on recruiting students, not educating them."

"Do not expect actual feedback from your professors, this is a instrumental part of learning that CSU thus far seems to lack. Grading responses are automated pre typed and your name is simply inserted. My assessment grades say the same exact thing word for word every week and its upsetting. To put effort into your education and receive no effort in return. Grading is considerably inconsistent and when seeking aid on this matter Ive received nothing. This is a university of convenience, not quality."

"This school is complete garbage! I know you will read this and sign up anyway but you too will end up regretting it. This school hires mediocre, self absorbed professors who grade you as if you are their colleague instead of their student. They have zero interest in teaching you anything but instead want to put you down to make themselves feel better. This school acts like they are on the same level as Harvard and NO ONE will even accept any credits you earn here. Complete waste of time. Financial Aid staff and enrollment staff are super nice but that's because they want you to enroll and then you are turned loose to deal with the garbage professors at this school. Don't waste your time and money!!"

"I love CSU and the staff is wonderful. They have many great programs and support department to help students. These department includes student services, writing, and the math center. I find this support to be a great asset for CSU. I have attended a few on-line universities and CSU is the best experience I have ever had. Furthermore, they offer affordable tuition and this is AMAZING !!! I AM PROUD TO BE A "CSU STUDENT"."

"This college is a joke, the financial aid department will ask you for documents you will never now they exist, also they will ask for transfer credits from whatever institution you study, even if you're not interesting in transfering credits. They will lose you time for weeks. This is not a military friendly school.DO NOT LOSE YOUR TIME"

"After carefully researching online colleges I choose CSU because of the cost and good reviews. From the day I was assigned my Advisor I had a bad feeling about her. I explained my situation to her and she encourage me to enroll and I did. The 2 classes that I am currently in are very difficult. You need to read 2 chapters each week and basically you don't understand what you are reading. Reaching out to one of my Professor compare to reaching out to brick wall. If they had allowed more time to withdraw from there classes I would and start school somewhere else. They say first impressions last but this will most definitey last as the worst online classes. I have done online classes before and here I must say is the worst. The Assessment essays are ridiculous. If you lead a busy lifestyle and have a family, this is not the school for you. To add their a few of the financial office workers are clueless. I called to find out information and that any financial aid officer should be able to answer and they couldn't. I googled the information and got the answer. I have emailed my Advisor requesting help 4 days now and no word. If she was on vacation, I would assume she would changed her greeting on her phone or email. As soon as this term is over I am out of here."

"Coming from a Division 1 "Ivy League" school I feel I have a great opinion. I love the professors, they all have real world experience. They grade fairly, and do require a lot of writing! The questions they are designed to force you to think. I actually love this, it lets me really get into the information and learn how I might apply it, in a real world situation. I am not military and I find this education as intense as my education at my previous school! A lot of reading, writing, studying, you will not get a degree just for trying here, you are going to earn it! The professors mean business and have high expectations for their students, I got 100% on a research paper it took me weeks to write. I sent it to success center for critique and they sent it back and offered some criticism, which I took into account and am glad I did. CSU offers tons of opportunities to study abroad, intern etc.... SUPER HAPPY"

"I chose to go back to school several years after graduating high school. I read many reviews on many different colleges. One school that continually popped up in my search was Columbia Southern University. Not only did this school have very good reviews, but the tuition was very reasonable and this school offered online classes. I could not be more happy with my decision. I have just completed my first term and I am proud of my grades so far! Online classes are definitely much different than a traditional college in the respect that as a student, I had to self-discipline and create a routine to balance work and school. The instructors are readily available, the financial aid office has been very helpful and I do not feel the lessons are too easy or too hard. I'd say the curriculum is spot on. I recommend this college to anyone looking to pursue a degree and wanting to attend online."

"I have read all of the reviews concerning this university and they are very accurate. If you are on the fence about attending this university because it is nationally accredited vs regionally, don't be (depending on profession). Most employers only care that the college is accredited. The only problem with nationally accredited universities is that their credits do not transfer as well as regionally accredited ones. I didn't have a problem with this because I knew I was finishing with CSU. Overall great experience."

"Attending Columbia Southern University was not my first time taking online classes, because I previously had taken classes at University of Phoenix. I did not like working in the group settings and potentially doing all the work while others took credit for work not done and getting a passing grade. After Phoenix, I began looking for other colleges and was referred by a previous boss to take classes at Columbia Southern University. After starting at CSU I loved it because I no longer had to work in groups but was graded on my own work and effort. I would definately recommend CSU to everyone looking for classes online. They were sometimes very challenging and yes you have to put in the time and effort if you want good grades. The instructors were great with getting back with you when having a problem. I may have had 2 professors I had to speak with my academic advisor about and the situation was fixed. Over all the courses were great and I would attend there again. They also had tutors to help in the different areas as needed. I was very impressed with my instructors and their willingness to help. I also stressed out myself in areas because I thought they had no help, but once I spoke with my advisor and she gave me the tools needed, I passed everything with flying colors. I graduated with high honors with a 4.0 and Summa Cum Laude. I will actually walk in 2015 because I wanted to walk down the isle with honors."

"I am a mature student who started out just to finish the AA degree I started before I had children. I chose this school because I was working outside the U.S. at the time and several of my co-workers were using it. I began as a per-class student, but the pace for me was slow and I didn't get many classes completed over two years because life just kept getting in the way and I'm a great procrastinator. I moved back to the U.S. in 2012 and decided it was time to get this thing done. I switched to the 4 year program and applied for financial aid. Every single person I have dealt with at CSU, from the registrars office to financial aid to the professors, have been 100% professional and helpful. My registration has been processed accurately every single time. My financial aid has been processed accurately and timely every single time. Since I am receiving financial aid I had to switch to term enrollment and take two classes a term. This has turned out to be even better, in my opinion, than taking one class at a time per-class. The weekly deadlines and specific assignments have kept me on track and the professors are extremely helpful. The work isn't easy and you won't pass if you don't put in the effort. That's how it should be. I'm a senior now and I'm so excited to be able to see the end of my journey. I highly recommend CSU to anyone and everyone. It is an excellent school that provides the opportunity for a quality education. Best decision I ever made."

"I researched on-line colleges for several years before I decided to pursue my degree with CSU. There were two reasons I chose CSU. The first was the fact that they took every one of my community college credits previously earned and transferred them into the BS program. I earned an associates degree in 1988 in IT and some of the programming classes were obsolete by today' s standards and they still accepted them as electives. The second reason I chose CSU was the price. It was about 1/2 the price of other on-line colleges and they even include the text book for free! I even joined one of their partner associations for $35 per year to receive a 10% discount on tuition. When I first started, I decided to just pursue a certificate program in Project Management as I had not been to school since 1988. I signed up for the per-class option where you have 10 weeks to complete 8 units of work. This work can be accelerated if desired. I found that it was extremely challenging work which did involve a great deal of writing. Writing essays proves you know the material and understand it. I would rather write essays than have to cram my brain with facts only to dump them out on a test like regular colleges require. Another plus is the work can be completed at your own pace and time. They give you a suggested schedule to follow which includes two break weeks if you want. I did not take the break weeks and continued on with the next unit hoping to finish in 8 weeks instead of 10 as allotted. I never knew how much time one unit would take me. The unit assessments for most of the classes included 10 multiple choice questions along with 4 essays. I did have one or two classes that had all essays and one or two had a combination of multiple choice/essay/project of some sort. Some of the classes required me to do research on particular topics as well as citing multiple references. As I progressed further into 4000 level classes, they seemed to want me to produce more work. This is by no means an easy degree. I worked my butt off week after week. I had only two classes that required a proctor for a final. I did not like this very much as I had to find an approved person who would come to my house and sit while I took my final. CSU did start a proctor program where you could use your computer and they would monitor you through your computer's camera, but I did not go that route. Most all of my professors were great. I did have one or two that were really picky with my work or seemed aloof at times. I put a great deal of hours into my work as I was determined to get an A in all of my classes which I did. Once I finished the certificate program, I decided to keep going to get my BS. All of the credits received in the certificate program transferred into the BS program. It took me 4 years, 2 months to finish 20 classes for my BS program and I did put in a lot of sweat. I could have easily produced crappy work just to pass a class, but I wanted to prove I was better than that. I had no problem with registration or financials. I took one class at a time and had it set up to pay 1/2 up front and then the rest of the tuition after 5 weeks. They automatically charged my credit card. I graduated in July 2014 with my BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management. My degree has "Summa Cum Laude" printed under my degree name indicating I graduated with a 4.0 gpa. CSU offers many great degree options and they even have partner colleges that you can transfer to if you wish. From the beginning, my advisor was great and walked me through what classes were required and then which classes I could pick from for electives. They even had tutors that can assist with writing and citing your work which I used several times. I would recommend CSU to any one who enjoys working at their own pace and time."

"The intent of any college/university is to teach and for the student to learn. I recieved that very service! Each class taken to earn my AAS/Business delivered a set of expectations and once they were met, I realized I had improved my understanding of the subject matter. The course setup is not threatening and the Professors/instructors are well informed, engaging, and concerned with my progress - always providing sound advice in a coaching manner. Simple - they kept me interested and the subject relevant. I am in the military, the flexibility and convenience of the online software made the lessons comfortable and access perfect. The administration staff made every effort to help with every question (and I can be a email stalker). They answered each question, direction and were very thourough when they evaluated my militray schools/experience and previously earned credit, applying it to maximize my college credit. The finance department was great providing sound advice and offering help where and when needed. EVERY question, regardless of department was answered or responded to within a day or less! I have NO complaints! The entire experience earning an AAS was so rewarding, I enrolled in CSUs Bachelor/Business program. The improved awareness and education has developed my career and improved my standing at work. I even have job offers (assuming I complete the BA/Business) that are directly. Def a military friendly school, Def a plus for someone working full time/raising a family! Thanks CSU!"