Grantham University

I understand that the accreditation of Grantham is not ideal...but what about employers? Do they look down on me because of where my degree is from? Anybody here have any experience with this? I am going for a BS in Computer Science and am a couple weeks into my first term and just got to thinking about this.

Thanks for the help.

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techfiend

Most companies would probably look at it as one of the many non-state schools, they may ask what it is and you can say it's a university in Kansas. I'd be much more concerned with the potential inability to transfer credits.

aspiringsoul

aquacoder,

That is a very good question. No doubt you saw the earlier post that I responded to. I am very critical of For-Profit schools....not necessarily because of my experience with one, but because of the experiences of many students that I have observed. If you do research on the industry, you will quickly become disgusted of them. You can read about how the For-Profit sector targets Veterans because of the G.I. bill, and how they (APSCU) spends millions of dollars lobbying each year to prevent any change from taking place. Now with all that being said, are there good For-Profit schools out there that provide a good return on investment for their students? Sure, absolutely!

I have a few points that I would like to make to you, and I will be perfectly honest with you.

I know many successful individuals who are working in IT who have degrees from For-Profit colleges (a few of which who are far more successful than myself). These individuals include graduates of ECPI, Devry, University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, Strayer.....the list goes on and on....However, a few of those same individuals have confided to me that they wish they had selected a Non-Profit school....because they are still paying on their loans years after attending (which would already be paid off had they attended a non-profit)

Now, outside of IT though, I know of far too many people who have pursued degrees at For-Profit (Nationally accredited) institutions for careers in Healthcare, Accounting, Nutrition, Criminal Justice, etc....only to discover at the end of their degree program that the credential that they were conferred is worthless, not taken seriously by employers, and not able to lead to gainful employment in their field of study. The For-Profit school makes off like a bandit with the Federal financial aid money while the student is saddled with debt and unable to get a job that would allow them to pay off the debt.

There are a lot of troubling statistics and resources that I can provide information to you that support this. However, you're interested in Information Technology, which seems to be an exclusion to the many students who find themselves unemployable after attending some For-Profit colleges.

I'll get back to your question which is this...

I understand that the accreditation of Grantham is not ideal...but what about employers? Do they look down on me because of where my degree is from? Anybody here have any experience with this? I am going for a BS in Computer Science and am a couple weeks into my first term and just got to thinking about this.

There are some employers that will always look down upon Online degree program, regardless of whether they are Nationally or Regionally accredited. A VERY successful and qualified techexams member (irisTheAngel) could tell you about the time that she was interviewed and one of her interviewers was extremely skeptical of her because of her online degrees from WGU. Not only was she offered the job, but she declined.

Bottom line, Most Employers care about your ability to prove your competency in your subject matter areas. As long as you are able to prove your competency to your employer, and sell yourself, you can likely land the job. You will always run into a few people who prefer to select applicants who possess a degree from a reputable brick and mortar school.

Now, if you are interested in ACADEMIA, or transferring your credits to a Regionally accredited school (that is a Non-Profit), then yes, your degree will be worthless. Very few schools will even consider allowing your credits to transfer aside from other For-Profit schools.

With all of that being said......There is a lot of scrutiny of For-Profit schools that is well deserved. I think a troubling statistic is this....

For profit schools account for 13% of all students but almost half of all student loan defaults.

For more information on the For-Profit school sector, consider reading these resources.

http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Americas-Future-For-Profit-Taxpayers-ebook/dp/B00JAJGIIK

Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream: Suzanne Mettler: 9780465044962: Amazon.com: Books

This is the investigation on the For-Profit sector conducted by the HELP committee:

http://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/for_profit_report/Contents.pdf (Executive summary also attached for your review).

My goal IS NOT to talk you out of a decision that you are committed to, or which you believe is the best program for you. My goal is to inform and educate others who consider enrolling in a program at a "Nationally" accredited or For-Profit school. Attending a Nationally accredited school did impede me from achieving my educational goals. If your goal is only to earn a bachelor degree and you have no interest in pursuing education at a Non-Profit (Regionally) accredited school, then that may not matter to you.

The thing that sickens me though....is that right now....young kids are being convinced into signing up at schools such as ITT Tech.....

They take out loans for $45,000+ for an Associates degree....or around $90,000 for a Bachelor degree...and then find themselves completely unemployable after graduating. Meanwhile, there is currently a lawsuit against ITT Tech from the CFPB and the SEC. Of course, the Recruiters don't tell this while you are enrolling in the school.

http://programinfo.itt-tech.edu/cost.pdf
CFPB Sues For-Profit College Chain ITT For Predatory Lending > Newsroom > Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/13/sec-charges-itt-fraud-over-student-loan-programs

I wish that I could say that ITT Tech was the only For-Profit college with ongoing investigations and lawsuits...but it's not...

Law Enforcement Investigations and Actions Regarding For-Profit Colleges |

In regard to Grantham, I would recommend you read the reviews here:

Grantham University Reviews - Online Degree Reviews

Ripoff Report | Grantham University Complaint Review Slidell, Louisiana: 160917
http://programinfo.itt-tech.edu/cost.pdf

After my experience with a For-Profit college (especially one that's nationally accredited), I wouldn't ever consider one again....but your experience may differ from mine, and also from all the students who are complaining about their experience on the links that I provided.

Make the decision that is right for you. Hopefully someone else on these boards can provide you information about their personal experience with Grantham.

aspiringsoul

For your entertainment, there is a funny and informative video on youtube. John Oliver discusses Student Loan Debt and For Profit schools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8pjd1QEA0c

I forgot to include the executive summary in my previous post. It's attached in this one...

ExecutiveSummary.pdf

Ajay_patil22

aspiringsoul wrote: »

For your entertainment, there is a funny and informative video on youtube. John Oliver discusses Student Loan Debt and For Profit schools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8pjd1QEA0c

I forgot to include the executive summary in my previous post. It's attached in this one...

Very informative. Great video. Thanks for sharing aspiringsoul