WGU, benefits of studying online?

pirlo21

Hey guys, I've been in IT for 3 years already and I really like what I do. I got my associates degree this june and I'm transferring to CSUN (Cal State Northridge) for B.S in IT. However, I've been reading here a lot about WGU, which is an online university. I would like to know your experiences regarding IT.

1. How much is the tuition per semester?
2. Do the IT classes prepare you for certifications like CCNA? MCSE?
3. If I'm transferring from a community college, do I only need to complete 2 more years? Or is it different, starting all over again?

I'm really interested in this option because I'm working full time so If I attend CSUN I will basically be commuting for almost 2 hours just to attend classes after work. If this online university gives me the same opportunities I expect, then I would start attending it. Thanks.

joshuamurphy75

Each term is 6 months long, so not exact semesters. Tuition is $3045 every six months. Take as many classes as you like during that time. The classes do prepare you for the certifications, and the school pays for vouchers to take them. They will accept credit transfers from regionally accredited schools, so you should be fine. I really enjoy the school, but because it is online and mostly self study, you don't have the same networking opportunities as a traditional school. You will meet people, just not as often.

Overall, my quality of education has been better than my experience at the University of Texas Pan American.

I did not like scripting and programming applications though. The class was really unorganized and I basically learned it from google searches and speaking with the professors instead of from the recommended course content.

I also dislike that they don't have give you a GPA. They basically don't let you pass a class unless you can get a B or higher, and just leave the GPA off of your transcript. I really prefer the traditional unweighted 0.0 - 4.0 average model, but don't mind it too much since GPA means so little now a days with all the grade inflation at traditional schools.

pirlo21

Thanks for the info, just what I needed to take the next step and contact them. I'll see what I can get, but so far sounds good and a very potential option to get a degree from there.

devilbones

There is a thread around where you can request a referral and they will waive the application fee. You can PM me your email address and I will send one.

Danielm7

@=joshuamurphy75

FWIW no one in the working world cares about your GPA either.

albinorhino187

I loved it. Finished over 2 years worth of credits in less than 2 semesters. And I used hope credit for $2500 tax credit for each, so basically spent $1000 to go from A.S. to B.S.

And to be more specific about the certification courses, several of the courses actually require you to pass the cert to receive course credit. The school pays for a few attempts before it starts coming out of your pocket, but they do a pretty good job preparing you. Like, for CCNA: Security, they give you the CBT nuggets video course, an e-book, and the boson exam sim.

shimasensei

My favorite part is that you don't have to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt by the time you graduate

shoey

shimasensei wrote: »

My favorite part is that you don't have to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt by the time you graduate

Agreed! It cost me $3k to get my MSCIA. Cost my twin brother around $75k to get a MS from Georgetown.

Legacy User

Danielm7 wrote: »

FWIW no one in the working world cares about your GPA either.

I remember one time a recruiter called me for some network admin job and said they want someone with at least 4 years of experience and a bachelors but they have to see your GPA and college transcripts. I hung up the phone because this was not an entry level job it a mid level role I am not going to waste my time with stupidity.

Legacy User

To chime in to the OP

I finished in 1 term which cost me $2800. But the prep time in the back end was 8 months before I enrolled of taking Biology w/ Lab, western civ, psychology, english comp, business communication classes I think a few others at straighterline which cost me $100 each class at 3 credits each and passing some CLEP exams at $60 a pop for 3-6 credits depending on the course. Transferring in my A.A.S in computer studies, A+, Windows XP admin, CCNA, CCNA Security, a few CIW exams at $1xx something each waived 96 credits and only had 7 classes to finish.

adrenaline19

College of Information Systems & Technology - University of Phoenix

Same thing as WGU except with a longer history.

Seriously, don't trust something that sounds too good to be true, just ask ITT Tech students.

PJ_Sneakers

adrenaline19 wrote: »

College of Information Systems & Technology - University of Phoenix

Same thing as WGU except with a longer history.

Seriously, don't trust something that sounds too good to be true, just ask ITT Tech students.

FYI: this dude is salty because WGU would not admit him since he resides outside of the United States. His passion is bashing WGU now. Lol.

@OP: With WGU, just know what you're getting into. It's an online only school. Some employers might dislike that, but I have never had it be an issue for me in my job search. There are probably more WGU success stories than horror stories, if I were to guess.

B.B.

I did not know about the not having a GPA thing. Just a heads up some companies, like mine, will not hire anyone just out of college with a GPA under 3.0 out of 4.0. This would be a problem if you had no GPA. And yes they do ask for a transcript.

Iristheangel

adrenaline19 wrote: »

College of Information Systems & Technology - University of Phoenix

Same thing as WGU except with a longer history.

Seriously, don't trust something that sounds too good to be true, just ask ITT Tech students.

TOTALLY the same to compare UoP and WGU except for....

- One if a for-profit school and one isn't
- One has a graduation rate of 16% (https://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/about_uopx/Consumer-Information-Guide.pdf) and one has a graduation rate of 49% (https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/brief_guide)
- One tells you that it's going to cost you $66K according to it's graduation calculator if it takes 5 years (Tuition and Fees - University of Phoenix) and the other would cost ~$30K if you were somehow the slow child and it took you 5 years (https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/overview)
- One has a student loan default rate that's a higher than the national average (https://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/about_uopx/Consumer-Information-Guide.pdf) and the other has a student default rate that's almost half of the national average (https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/brief_guide)
- One has a retention rate of 29.9% (https://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/about_uopx/Consumer-Information-Guide.pdf) vs the other having a retention rate of 73% past the freshman year which is above the natioanl average of 70.9% (https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/western-governors-university/academic-life/graduation-and-retention/ - granted, they need to update the graduation rate here but the editors note states that on the upper right)
- One has a student satisfaction rate of anywhere from 79-85% for their IT degree (http://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/about_uopx/academic-annual-report-2015.pdf) while the other has a 94% satisfaction rate and 97% would recommend it to others (https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/brief_guide)

As far as ITT Tech, it probably would be an unfair comparison for both UoP and WGU as both schools are regionally accredited and ITT Tech wasn't which created this very crappy situation where the credits could not be used anywhere else. I know there was some confusion on your part previously about WGU's accreditations so I hope you take a look at the replies to you on this post and I think they cleared some of that up for you.

I'm sorry you couldn't get into WGU because you're currently residing in China and maybe you'll get a chance at it when you're back in the states. Like you've said in other posts, you've never worked in IT and you're doing certifications mostly for your own enjoyment. I would ask you to maybe be openminded to the idea that some folks who have attended the school or those currently working in IT might have a different experience than you.

Iristheangel

pirlo21 wrote: »

1. How much is the tuition per semester?
2. Do the IT classes prepare you for certifications like CCNA? MCSE?
3. If I'm transferring from a community college, do I only need to complete 2 more years? Or is it different, starting all over again?

Hey Pirlo,

It's been awhile since I took a class at WGU but I don't think they've changed the cost or anything so I'll try to answer for you:

1. Approx $3K a semester. There's some other little pots and pans fees in there but that's about it. I used an IT scholarship I found on their site and it saved me approx $500 a semester. I definitely encourage you to check out their scholarships section and see if you can qualify for anything. https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/scholarships
2. Depending on the degree, some of the courses might include those certifications. I actually studied for and received my CCNA when I was in WGU. It made me switch tracks career-wise to a more networking focus and here I am years later with a CCIE :P
3. Your credits should transfer. If you have any certifications, they might also be used for credit depending on your degree and plan. Be sure to include that in your transfer information and let them decide. I know my CISSP counted towards some credits on my MSISA.

Another protip: See if you can get a referral on this forum from a current or previous student. That way it'll waive the admission fee for you.

PJ_Sneakers

B.B. wrote: »

I did not know about the not having a GPA thing. Just a heads up some companies, like mine, will not hire anyone just out of college with a GPA under 3.0 out of 4.0. This would be a problem if you had no GPA. And yes they do ask for a transcript.

So, the WGU transcript explains that a pass is equivalent to a B or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, however it also states that WGU does not calculate a GPA. Not sure if that helps you.

jelevated

adrenaline19 wrote: »

College of Information Systems & Technology - University of Phoenix

Same thing as WGU except with a longer history.

Seriously, don't trust something that sounds too good to be true, just ask ITT Tech students.

Which one of these is CONSTANTLY under INVESTIGATION by the DOE and DOJ for unscrupulous practices? UOP. WGU is being audited by DOE, but thats primarily because they've grown so quickly.

OP I left WGU when I was nearly finished for some of the reasons mentioned here. Its not a bad school, I just had the opportunity to go to a more traditional one for free so I took it. The certificates you gain through the program are great. The GPA thing was problematic for me because it was so hard to explain. Also, if your WGU is at the state level, its sort of strange to talk about how you are attending WGU of Nevada (for example) but the school is still in Utah.

WGU credits DO transfer elsewhere btw.