National University Reviews

"Prior to enrolling in the MS in Educational Counseling program, I was not told that I would have to find my own internship and practicum hours placement. Miscommunication/lack of communication from the very start. The MS in Educational Counseling program lacked a lot in terms of communication and despite being an asynchronous program, teachers still required us to attend classes despite informing them that I would be at work during those class sessions. Out of all the instructors that I had, I feel like only two really had their heart in it and were easily accessible outside of our zoom classrooms. I am now trying to transfer programs within the university, however my academic advisor was unaware of the program so I had to link them the NU webpage stating it was there only to receive a phone number to the school they are merging with and a general e-mail address to ask about the transferring process. The executive enrollment advisor contacted me asking for transcripts that the school already has, has poor professional courtesy, and calls with no warning while not leaving a voicemail to explain the nature of the call or a time to call back. Please look elsewhere for your education. If the admissions and academic advisors have such poor communication skills and interest in seeing students succeed, you can only imagine how the program instructors may feel."

"If you are thinking of doing your Master in Psychology, look elsewhere and make an informed choice. There is minimal support at best. The classes are simplistic and old school as far as information goes. It takes MUCH longer than expected and if you take off more than a year, you will need to re-apply. Very few of their programs transfer to other schools, so you are stuck finishing with them if you dont want to pay double somewhere else. I wanted to transfer just to not have to deal with the endless calls from them trying to get me to re-enroll with no one having any specific information as to what classes I would need to take to finish or when they started etc. They wanted me to complete my new application, including new transcripts from my bachelors degree which was 25 years ago, new letters of recommendation etc. THEN they would let me know which course I still had to take and what the timeline would look like. Ridiculous. Unfortunately I will need to continue my degree program here as it is basically my only option unless I want to start from scratch somewhere else. You’ve been warned."

"I have worked extremely hard in the doctoral program and I carry almost a 4.0. I went to booth camp as well. When I finally became a doctoral candidate. My chair deliberately delay my feed back so I would go into a B session. I was also given a SME from Nigeria who looks down and provides personal critical feedback. I am so disappointed in the dissertation phase. The chair and SME gets plenty of time to return assignments, however, they delay to allow the University to make more money. This is no joke. They are trying to make me go broke. I double up on classes so I could finish the program early. The SME and Chair controls everything."

"I have to admit, I had high expectations for this University when I saw the variety of programs offered. A quick, online inquiry awarded me with SIX different enrollment specialists who all returned my call within 10 minutes. I was then connected with an 'Enrollment Advisor', and that's the end. The communication is horrific and as a result, I missed out on my desired start date. I considered other programs (because that is initially what drew me to NU), but ultimately always had more questions than answers after any sort of communication with them. I do not recommend this institution for anyone! If you're looking to go back to school, whether it's online or in-person, go check out Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)!"

"Firstly, the loans you will take out for your program is an incredible waste of time. When I first started, I had no money for books because my loan had gone to all of my courses. Considering the amount I took out I was surprised that there was nothing left over to help with books, cost of living etc (all things the financial advisors will tell you your loan goes to LIES). You eventually get a refund of some sort after taking so many courses and it fluctuates. Most of the classes I have taken so far have lacked detailed information on the topic being taught. Some teachers go into specifics. Some classes are as short as 40 minutes. That would be fine if the professor was actually detailed and not just reading from a slide."

"I was enrolled in the MS in Marketing program. The program itself was fine. It was fast-paced and I felt like not enough hands-on learning but not much you can do with 4 weeks per class. I did learn valuable information for my career. My frustration is with the school itself, not the program. I had a month that I got a lower grade than my typical on a course I took due to family illness. I wanted to retake the course, but of course it wasn't offered again for several months. That one course took me below the GPA allowed for the program, despite the fact that I had all As and High Bs in my other courses. Because I couldn't retake the course, I couldn't get my GPA above the allowed threshold in time to avoid academic suspension. I had to put taking classes on hold for 3 months because of it. I was okay with that, it's the consequences of having a low grade. I fully intended to start taking courses again after that 3 months was up. However, they then instituted a new policy (put in place 2 days before I was set to begin taking a class again) to disenroll anyone who went 35 days or more without taking courses. I've called at least once a week, sometimes more, for the last 4 months trying to get all of this resolved. I've not been able to take courses for 7 months because everyone keeps pointing fingers at other people. I cannot get a clear answer. I call one department and they refer me to another who refers me to another who refers me back to the original department I called. At this point I refuse to give any more money to this college when they are completely working against me in all aspects. It's ridiculous that they can't get their information straight and make this a streamlined process and I have to go through so much bull and still don't have what I need done."

"I enrolled in John F. Kennedy University before National University took over the Law and Psychology departments. Much of the original core faculty stayed for most of my 5 years. However, when NU took over the operations and administration portion of JFKU, everything went WAY downhill. I am a veteran and use Vocational Rehabilitation to pay for my schooling. You would think since NU was founded by a veteran, that they would be conscious of some of the obstacles veterans experience reentering school and would be helpful resolving issues as they arise. Quite the contrary, actually. No matter how early I started the enrollment process, or how clearly I communicated to the admissions department, they always managed to delay my paperwork getting to the VA nearly every single quarter. This subsequently meant that my pay would regularly come late and often times was fraught with errors and mistakes, which would again cause a delay in my pay and leave my family and myself scrambling to figure out how to make ends meet, pay rent, or put food on our plate. This was a constant issue and the only consistent measure of how this University runs as a whole. I could never, in good conscience, ever recommend them to any future clinician or student. If I had to do it all over again, I would have transferred the moment I heard NU was taking over JFKU. The school of psychology is still a quality program but is a shell of what it used to be. NU’s interventions and complete ineptness has caused JFKU to lose its APA accreditation, which makes any diploma completely worthless."

"I enrolled in the a masters program with a teaching credential. I intended to transfer from WGU as they did not have an internship agreement with California. I was to begin my program at National on July 5. On June 2 I contacted advisor to ask what courses would transfer from WGU. He said he would get back to me. He never did. I then learned that I was not intern eligible as I needed four classes. I emailed my advisor to ask when I could take these classes and how long this would take . He never replied. I sent a total of 8 emails asking pertinent questions and he did not reply to any of them. I finally spoke to someone in another department who said he was no longer working there.. His emaila and voicemail was still active however. Another enrollment advisor contacted me and said he would be taking over. I emailed him with my questions. He replied "I'll find out and get back to you." I never heard back. It was now 5 days before I was set to begin my program. I emailed financial aid to find out what, if anything, I had been awarded. I never heard back. I finally sent an email letting them know to unenroll me. No one has responded to that one either. I do not recommend anyone who has any sense of urgency to apply to this school. When you first apply and they are trying to get you enrolled they call four or five times a day.. Once they have you and you have questions--silence."

"The program was fun and challenging at times centric around working in teams. I appreciate all of the real world experiences that the professors brought to the curriculum. I cannot say the same for my peers, but before I even attended graduation, I was offered a job over six figures with a 45 percent pay raise."

"Attended: July 2014 to December 2017, MSE graduated with distinction. The one course a month model allowed me to do one course for a month, then take one month off. Hence, the longer time it took me to graduate. The advisors guiding me were great and even assisted in getting me to right folks in financial aid. Tuition a little higher than other programs, but worth it under the one course a month model. Online course layout was easy to use, but they changed it during my last year, made things more tedious. I enjoyed my internship experience, much flexibility in having the choice on where I sought to be placed. This mirrored the overall program that put the student to have control in tailoring oneself to courses best suited for the student and their needs. Course layout very logical and the discussions helped as did the weekly lecture. The texts used were also very practical and provided valuable direct and applicable information. I am proud to be an NU alumnus that graduated with distinction, because the program was setup and sequenced in a way that was logical. Library staff and items mailed through their e-request system was amazingly simple, quick and efficient. It made doing research easy as I required many physical items. Their Inter-Library-Loan system the best I ever used out of all university libraries I dealt with in undergrad career. Outstanding University, that I shall be forever proud to be an alumnus of."

"Unlike some reviewers, I had mostly positive experiences with my professors. There was only one professor who was disappointing, and midway in the semester she was let go and replaced. I completed my bachelor's degree at NU years before enrolling in the Master's program. Most of my courses were classroom for the bachelor's program, and I completed the last few online because I relocated. I actually found the in person courses much more satisfying than online. The professors were very encouraging. Unfortunately, the master's degree did not help to advance my career, and I wish I had chosen a different major. Despite this, I believe that the quality of teaching is commendable, and I grew as a person."

"I completed the Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering program and it helped me get my current job as an Engineer II for a major defense contractor. Your education is what you make of it and people will see through that in interviews and how you carry yourself. Everyone will have a different experience in the job market and college only helps you prepare for a career. National University does a good job in having experienced professionals who have worked in the industry teach the material. In my first job interview after graduation, the hiring manager, a UCLA engineer alumni, treated my course work with respect."

"I am currently enrolled at NU receiving my BA in mathematics with a single subject teaching credential. All my courses have been online and online professors do not care about you. All the classes are the same. You do a weekly assignment and a discussion board and reply to two people. Professors don't even really check your assignment or get on a Zoom call. This school is fine for you if you're an independent student. Financial aid is horrible and takes a long time. If you call regarding your financial aid you will get a different answer each time. If you call about your degree program, you will get a different answer each time. The credential program is a joke. Halfway into my program and all we've learned about is social-emotional learning. SimSchool is disastrous and ineffective. Pros - the work is easy, tedious, but easy, professors grade easy and give credit for homework Cons - professors are more like facilitators, the curriculum is not challenging, the teaching credential program is a joke"

"I work a lot, and I have to juggle my time between work, school and family. National University is suppose to be designed toward a working student. Now, they have made there online curriculm so that you can't access all of your assignments the Sunday before. One time, I turned in work early, which was a huge issue to my teacher, but she didn't say not to do it. She just removed my work without telling me. If I hadn't caught what she did, and reposted it, I would have received partial credit or no credit, depending on when I caught it. I start doing my work the Sunday before because I have so much to do. It usually takes all week to finish my discussion post and now, I can't access it the Sunday before. This is because my previous teacher had a tizzy because I worked fast on one week. However, I told her I start my work early because I'm so busy. She's awful. Now, I have a new teacher, who is on board with my previous teacher. She is really catty. I was talking to my classmate via the online classroom, and I didn't know what I was talking about. Of course, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm a student, I'm still learning, get it? However, the teacher was sitting there rolling her eyes. Furthermore, she doesn't like it when people work ahead either. When I told her I start my work on Sunday, she just sat there and stared at me for a long time. I guess starting your work early is inappropriate behavior if your in the ABA program. Here's how I see it. These teachers lived with a spouse or there parents while going to school, and they don't know what it's like to have to pay for everything on your own. I pay 75% of my pay to rent, and I have to work a lot to make ends meet. In addition, I have to juggle my time, so that everything gets done. At one time, I had three kids at home and had three jobs and was attending school. I bet they don't know what it's like to live in survival mode. GEE WIZ it's inappropriate to start your work early. Too bad, I can still read ahead and do other things ahead. My first teacher was so easy going, nice and helpful. I could email him today about my program, and he would respond within a day. I never felt judge and he never did underhanded things, such as not responding to email and then lowering my grade because he didn't want to help a student. Furthermore, if he didn't want to help or felt he couldn't help, he would email me back and tell me. These last two teachers I had are passive aggressive and catty. If you don't want a student to do something, then say it. They should look at their own behavior. You know, a little biased and a little bit, "lets gand up on the student." I'm over it, I'm not emailing these teachers for nothing or saying a word. I might say or do the wrong thing. Btw, the survey you fill out at the end of the semester, doesn't help."

"If I had been more prepared during my bachelor's program, I would have applied to another school. However, I was not prepared and did not have a plan. My first teacher was super helpful. He responded to emails, graded assignments in a timely manner, and responded when I needed help. My previous teacher did not respond to emails, dismissed requests and deleted my assignments without telling me what she did. I turned in my assignments early, and she made a negative comment about it. When I submitted my work, I logged back in and checked to see if my work was still there. I have a habit of making sure everything is turned in. However, a couple of days later, my assignments were gone. I think if a teacher has a policy that you can't turn in work early then that's fine but you should email your student to let them know you deleted their work. Also, I emailed her several times and she just never responded to at least five of my emails. One time, I emailed her the same email repreatedly, begging for a response. Students pay over two thousand dollars for a class. Even if a teacher doesn't like a student or like what the student does, she should be upfront, instead of being passive aggressive. Last, I logged in to my course before everything was due, and that's when I found my assignments missing. I know she deleted them because they were there the second time I logged out and logged back in. Then she made a comment about how fast I worked, and she was very negative about it. So what, if I don't do my work on the weekend, I can get behind during the week because I work alot. I'm sorry but I don't have a husband to support me. Sorry, I don't have all the time in the world. I should not have to give that woman any excuse. She should just do her job, and if she doesn't like something she can say, don't turn your work in early and not delete my work. Student's pay enough money and the least she can do is respond to emails and not purposefully try to set a student behind to make her point."

"I'm enrolled in the ABA program. One teacher I had was really down to earth and helpful. I emailed him when I had questions regarding my internship and he helped me. He told the class we could email him, even when we were no longer his students and I am going to take him up on that. However, another teacher I had never responded to my emails, which negatively impacted my grade. She responded to one email but I sent her that email five times before I got a response. She never responded to the email that impacted my grade. She deleted one of my posts on the discussion board. I know it was deleted because I found it on the grade book. Other assignments were deleted, and I know they were deleted because I logged out and logged back in and they were still posted. Then before the due date I checked my posts to make sure my assignments were there but they weren't. I reposted them before the due date, thank god. One of the assignments I turned in early. I complained to my advisor that my assignments were deleted and the teacher brought up all of my complaints for the entire class to here and she said of course you can turn in assignments early. However, when I listed my complaints, I didn't say it was an assignment that was turned in early. However, she meantioned everything I said and mentioned you can turn in assignments early. I think she didn't like that I worked ahead and deleted it. She mentioned that I worked really fast one day and it wasn't meantioned in a positive way. I have to keep up on my work because I'm overwhelmed with work. Ms. Mandy probably has a husband, so if someone is messing with her work she has someone to rely on but I don't. Also, when I said good bye to her, she was silent. Another time, I said thank you and she was silent. However, after I complained about her, she was polite and said good bye. So, it's interesting that I worked for the school system and had a real difficult time there and she happens to work for the school system too. When I showed up for class she mentioned my by first and last name. She's like look whose here. So, if you have a commonanlity with this women and she can find a reason to discrimminate against you, then maybe that is whats wrong because so many things happened in this class that did not happen to me in my other two classes. Such as, I answered all of the questions on the test and then double check them and two answers were missing. I wouldn't have a reason to jump to conclusions, if she had responded to my email that marked down my grade and if she was polite. Mysteriously, my assignments are missing. I'm sorry, but even professionals can have problems with their personality and I think that's what happened to me."

"I see many negative reviews, but many of those seem to be written by someone not really ready for an education level provided by National. I suspect not being prepared is the reason some had a less than desirable experience. While I attended, I heard people complaining from time to time, and in every case the student was the weak link. It's a University, not a high school. As such, more effort is required. I put in the effort, and earned my Masters with Honors."

"Disorganized from administration to instructors and everything in between. There is no consultancy to the structure or of classes some instructor will say do it this way and another will say forget about all the assignments were doing it my way .... so be prepared to work twice as hard every single class and hope the instructor likes you because that’s another nightmare . Try not be bring up any concerns if you want to pass the class."

"National is a great school. The Kearny Mesa campus is fantastic and the library is very convenient and with solid resources. I had a few professors whom I wasn’t to thrilled about but most of the teaching staff did a incredible job. The classes were not easy so you essentially get out of it what you put into it. After graduation I shot up to management for the company I work for and never looked back."

"Loved the night classes. Some fantastic teachers. However, let's be honest, this place, like so many others like it, is a scam. There's NO reason you.couldn't cut the time it takes to complete these degrees by HALF, since most classes are regurgitated info spun into a different course. Absurd! We need an educational RESET in this country..Stop wasting time, energy and money on useless classes. It's bad for the environment. And get a fast paced, concise PH.D program on line."