Rasmussen University Online Reviews of Bachelor's in Information Technology

Getting into Rasmussen was easy. They are very on top of you - they get all your data, they bring you into a local office if they can, they walk you through paperwork and costs, they set everything up for me. I could not have found it more friendly or more engaging. It is a very typical entrance process. Orientation was simple. The programs very straightforward. They seemed to have all their ducks in a row. The cost was similar to other online programs, much higher than community college or even... Read More local university level courses, but I was assured I was paying for an accelerated degree that would put me in a position I wanted to be in and would give me accreditation and certification. I was offered "flex courses" to further some core classes as well and save time/money. All of that is well and good. I did not have any issues there. They do send follow up emails and your counselors are with you for any issues you have once you begin. They don't wash their hands of you once you enroll, which is also nice. I transferred into Rasmussen with my Associates Degree from a local community college at the request of a friend who was also enrolled in another program. I decided to pursue Data Analytics as this is a relatively new field for a major, but something I am currently doing at my current place of employment and thought that it would help me to secure my position and further advance within my company. I have done online colleges before - I obtained my AA about 80% online. I have experienced traditional and accelerated programs. I know that accelerated programs can be challenging because of the shortened class time. I was given the understanding that the professors at Rasmussen were chosen because they had worked in their field before working for Rasmussen. What I did not understand was that the professors at Rasmussen are working in their field WHILE working for Rasmussen. Or so that is how the professors presented to me. I only took three courses before I left, and only one of them had actual presentations that were their own design, dedicated office hours to work with students, and took time in lectures to truly address questions. My biggest issue and the reason why I left the course is because the program I was taking was tailored to those who had extensive knowledge in computers. I am fortunate that I have this knowledge. I have a network of family and colleagues who were also at the ready to help with topics I needed assistance with. Normally I would just drop the program and move on with my life, but I felt this might be helpful to know for someone else going into this program. 1. The C++ class was the first one I took. This was their "big sell" - be put right into core competency classes for your program from Day 1 so you can get a feel for the degree program you picked. This way if you decide it's not for you, you've not wasted a lot of time/money and you can change your path sooner. The issue with this is that these are 5.5 week courses. Anyone going back to college knows that it takes a great deal of time, money, investment, personal sacrifice, and discipline to get classes done- there is a lot to learn. The shorter the time, the more capacity you need to have to be successful. I knew this going in. I was constantly ahead in the class and I passed the class with a 98%. I did not struggle. I have some prior knowledge of C++, tools and other options available to me - my dad was a great tutor for several lessons. Not everyone has their dad as a computer programmer who can step in and do the work of the professor. Before I reach out to my father, I reach out to the professor. The exact response was that I needed to engage a tutor if I had questions beyond the scope of the assignment. There were several students experiencing similar issues in the chat forum. The professor's response was always to paste a block of code or refer to a tutor. Tutoring is a fantastic supplement and free tutoring is even better. However, general tutors are available from Rasmussen. If you need a specialized tutor, you need to schedule one who has experienced proficiency in the course. There was ONE tutor available for this specific class and she had 6 hours a week available. There were at least 13 students just in the course block I was registered in. This means that there are 7 students who can't get tutoring each week. I was completely apalled. I did my best to help the other students, and several collaborated together to get assistance from one another. 2. Fast forward 5.5 weeks, and we are placed in a Database class. The class is Database Fundamentals. The course materials are not presented until Day 1 (unlike C++ and the other course I took simultaneously which had books available to get a grasp on the concepts to be learned). The writing from the professor was more or less acceptable - but it was not clearly understood. The teacher all but disappeared for a week and did not return emails promptly. There were several students who were extremely upset during live lectures that they could not get things to work as described - software would not install, functions would not run, there was no feedback. There were students in my last lecture that were quite obviously very frustrated with how little the Personal Support Center offered assistance. The center installed programs incorrectly, and referred them to tutors who had no idea how to help because the instructions were poorly outlined. The material in the text in no way mirrored what we were expected to demonstrate in our assignments. Our database fundamentals textbook did not cover SQL language, PHP code or HTML structures - yet all were required in our first week's assignment. The professor provided this code, outright - with no actual coverage of the code - the structure rules, the reasons behind it - just gave us a form and said put this in a txt file and put it on the dropbox and your assignment is done. If you expect your students to graduate understanding how to be successful in their chosen path, you cannot hand them prewritten code to turn in and expect that they will have any formal understanding of what it is that was done and why it was done. This is not learning, this is satisfying criteria for a sticker and getting a diploma. I earned my grade because I went above and beyond what was required, I did the research to understand myself through external sites, books I purchased/got from libraries, and relying on the knowledge I could learn from others. None of what I learned was learned through Rasmussen. I did only complete 2 terms of a multi-term program, but I was not willing to continue to spend my money (90% of which was out of my pocket, not student loans) on this. I can't speak to on-campus courses or their other programs. I truly hope that they do make these considerations when reviewing this. The professors need to do more than read PPT decks put together by the textbook publishers. The professors need to be able to actively engage with their students, be given the time and tools to work with the students, and the students need to be put into basic computer skills before they are asked to dive into higher level programming courses. I think the idea behind understanding what the program entails is fantastic. Create programs that put the student in that place, but get them there gradually and make sure the program is designed in a way that the student has to learn, not just put the words in the box. At its current structure, it is not worth the price tag. I will be seeking out a traditional course program at a traditional local university and furthering my certificates on my own outside of the actual diploma. I hope this is helpful for the school and prospective students alike.

Rasmussen by far was the most expensive mistake I have ever made. The quality of education provided is absolute dreadful. The information provided is outdated and the professors are rarely available to answer questions. Their system is all over the place and when you call their technical support, no one is competent enough to provide a solid answer. If you qualify for Financial Aid use it wisely at a creditable college. In order to graduate from Rasmussen you still have to take student loans in order... Read More to pay the deficit. Funny how that can be avoided if they would just apply your access funds of your Pell grant. I regret to say I attended two semesters with them. Not only did I not learn a damn thing, I also had to come out of pocket $2000 dollars to pay towards my student loan I did not need. You will always have bad reviews about institutions and companies, not everyone comes out happy. When there is a trend with a vast majority of people providing different experiences and the same bad quality, just be leery. I would never recommend this school even to a dog let alone a human. Save yourself your time and money.

I dropped out after 2 semesters and was told by my counselor that I owed a certain amount and as long as I made a payment of any amout I'd be good. Three weeks later I get a call saying I owe more and my counselor was wrong and that they accepted my payment of 20 dollars but in the future it couldn't be less than 50. After setting up a payment plan with them they sent my account to a collection agency 10 days before my first payment was even due under the new payment contract we agreed to (breach... Read More of contract anyone?). After calling them they admitted to the mistake and said it was done by them in error however I was still required to make my payments even though they messed up. All this school wants is money, go somewhere else.

I only attended a month before I decided to drop out. The homework was a joke. Our tests were a joke. I had straight A's. I then handed in a test with 2 missing answers, received 100% because I tried. I want my money back. I only attended the school for about a month. It only took that long to realize it's just another diploma mill. The advisor was very helpful and kind. I can't believe these diploma mills are getting away with crap like this? People are posting fake reviews telling how awesome these... Read More schools are, and how great of a job they got because of schools like these. The government should do something about it.

Nowdays you need reviews, opinions and luck when it comes to making a simple decision. On a scholar level this is by far the worst school I ever attended. Some Instructors do not follow up with emails, you have to chase them down to grade your school work, the amount of work required is just absurd, the whole classroom is based on a 45 mins recording lecture once a month at best twice a month. Staff dean and counselors all have the same agenda, there is not a system in place to support students.... Read More My 1st semester was my last semester with this school. Its not a cheap school therefor I suffest you spend your hard earn mkney somewhere else if you're serious about your education