Columbia Southern University Reviews

I am currently enrolled at CSU. The initial ease of getting online and completing classes at your time frame that fit your schedule is awesome. I had the vast majority of my degree completed at a local community college but they were not entirely online. Having a family, working full time and all the other aspects of life, completing my degree online is really the only option for me that works. The major problem I have with CSU is their “transfer credit process”. BUYER BEWARE! They say that they count various aspects of your training, work experience and college credits and apply them toward your degree, which is true, but only to a point. They have classes that are titled differently than you would easily recognize. Problem is, I have already taken 4 of the classes they want me to take. They did not recognize all the credits from my previous community college class and now want me to take their class, it’s the same class. I just jumped right in and started taking class after class and then when I received the same textbook I called and they said “It is a higher level class than your previous class”. So I re-took the class, never even opened the new textbook, it was actually less of a class than my previous one. Problem is now, I am at the point where if I had gone to Kaplan University, I’d be done with my AS degree and already classes toward my BA. Very frustrating, feel like it’s a money making venture and not about education. Bottom line is I will finish my AS degree and not return to CSU. Chances are they will make me retake their own classes. If you are considering this university with no previous college credits, great. If you plan on “finishing” your degree, go elsewhere. Go to Kaplan or other online college. Save yourself time and money.

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.

CSU is a GREAT school. Everyone, from administrators to faculty to customer support, works hard to make sure students have what they need to be successful. Do not go in thinking this is easy though. CSU is very writing intensive. The good news is that they also have tutors that can help you develop the writing skills you need if this is not a skill that is easy for you. I attended another university to complete my undergrad work and I can say without a doubt that CSU was a much more enjoyable experience!

I graduated with my Associates degree from CSU this year (2014) and honestly I would just like to say attending this University was the best decision I ever made. Trust me, there are many Online platforms out there but after attending a Community College, as well as other online colleges, I found myself in limbo and just wanting to complete what I had started. CSU was gracious!!! I was able to transfer mostly all of my credits, and the admission process was effortless. Financial Aid came on time every month (about a month after the start date of your course) and I never once had an issue! not once. Classes are great! You have to be self motivated. As long as you study, do the work and submit it on time, you will earn a good grade. Nothing is given to you at CSU, you have to work for it, period. SO don't expect excuses to get you a degree! CSU is affordable and I am so proud to have attended this University and I will continue to do so ....

Great learning experience. The counselors and academic advisors were very helpful all the time. I wanted to complete my master's at CSU also but I'm switching up my field slightly. I definitely would go back the school is great.

CSU provides online degree programs. Don't assume that this equates to an easy degree program. The courses are labor intensive in that there is a lot of reading, and writing to complete the assignments. Professors are responsive to e-mails if you have questions. The online CSU library is good, though I found that I needed to use a local university's library for additional material.

This University is perfect for the military member! I have taken classes while stationed in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. I cannot recall ever having an issue with enrollment, tuition, books, or getting support from advisers and faculty. All you have to do is put forth the effort, show a little discipline, and CSU will get you there! My wife is a UCF graduate, and my kids are both USF graduates. All three could not believe the support I get from CSU. I am the last in my family to get a degree, but I can't imagine where I would be without the support from this institution. Thanks CSU!

I found CSU to be both rewarding and challenging ! I have nothing but the highest respect for the staff and teachers ! I am an older student who has been attending school here for several years . They have always been courteous and respectful to me with every situation and question I have had . I am currently enrolled in my last 2 courses before graduation . Anytime I have needed help they have always been there to help me . Like most adult learners the online degree is what allowed me to finish my degree.

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.

I attend this school right now. The only reason I will continue is because it is a cheap way to get a degree. What I am about to write is based on my experience so any of you that do not like what I write sorry this is just what I have experienced. The financial office screws up my enrollment every single time. I call them and try to work out what ever the issues is and I am told that's just the way we do it. So I get a hold of a supervisor and they say oh no problem we do this all the time. Sounds like the workers are a little lazy to me. One time I signed up for a class because I was at about to finish a course. I told them the day I wanted to start they sent my books and enrolled me right then. I had not finished my class I was taking and was taking the Air Force NCO course and could not do all threethe same exact time. Their answer was to drop the class they could not change the date. I did this not knowing the problems it would cause at my job with CSU saying I dropped the class. We a head ache that was. The very next class they did the same thing again. I called they said you have to drop the class. I said I'm not dropping anything. So I got a supervisor and they said we will just change the start date. Funny. How that works. I sent in a few things to be looked at with the writing center I was told they are not a proof reading service and to this day they never did send me back what I needed checked. So I never use them. If you try to set up more than one class at a time and you want to know if there is a term paper or a proctored test they will not tell you. I work 60 hours a week and I need to know what the class load is so I can adjust my schedule. I took the remote proctored test and it tiok me 2 and a half hours on the phone with Technical support from the school to get my cam to work. Then I had to take a 4 hour test. The best part is I i was charged twice for the same test and when you call the school they say that's not our problem you have to call the company that does it. My bank ended up refunding the $20. I could go on and on. Look at their graduation rate why is it so low? I would say if you want a cheap degree that the quality of education is the same as if you bought a book at the store and came home and read it then this is the school for you. If you want a school that puts more emphasis on APA than what you actually learned then this is a school for you. Like I said I am attending this school cause it is cheap and I need the degree. I am basing this on my experience. If you have had a good one then write a good one. I think this school stinks. Would rather use stronger words but can not. Man there are so many things I would like to say about my experience. None good. Anyways that's how I feel. Stay away if you want a good education. Sorry about spelling writing this on my phone at work.