Haven't seen anyone talk about NAU (Northern Arizona University)

mapletune

Hello all~

Since 2012, TechExams has been the place that inspired me to get into IT. So thanks everyone for that~! =D It's been a few more years after I last visited the forum due to 2 years of work + not being able to log on (IP block?) but I'm glad to be back.

Due to circumstances, I cannot attend WGU or practically any other university that offer online undergrad for CS or IT.

That's how I came across Northern Arizona University "Personalized Learning" (online competency based education) and I'm on my 2nd subscription term now, for B.S. Computer Information Technology.

Just curious as to why I don't see any posts about NAU's online program. Is it due to forum policy or just that no one has tried it before?

If it's not against forum rules, and if anyone is interested, I'd be happy to share why I was left with NAU as my only option and how it works well for me.

Cheers!
-Mike

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[edit]
nvm, forum search brings up <strikeout>lots of</strikeout> some hits. Google custom search failed me big time.

cbdudek

I personally know of a couple people who got their degrees through NAU. I have no issues with them and I haven't heard anything bad about them.

jcundiff

I'm guessing because some of the others such as WGU require you to be based in the U.S.? Since your profile says you are in Taiwan?

jibtech

My impression is that there are a handful of routes that are commonly pursued for getting a degree online, that isn't from a nationally accredited for-profit university.

For non-tech degrees, the Big 3 are the most common: Thomas Edison State University, Excelsior College and Charter Oak State College. The primary reasons for these three are the most flexible transfer policies, minimal residency requirements and relatively inexpensive.

For tech degrees, some of the Big 3 may offer programs, but most people seem to steer to WGU. Again, flexible transfers, purely online, no residency requirement for tuition and inexpensive compared to most programs. WGU also has a bit of cachet from being the poster child for competency based education at the federal level.

That isn't to say other programs are equally suitable, but that is probably a driver for why WGU gets so much conversation, and other schools far less so. If you go over to degreeforum, there is a lot of talk about the Big 3.

It also comes down to saturation. There are a LOT of students at WGU. From that alone, you will see a lot more chatter.

IronmanX

Now I'm curious.
Why didn't WGU work for you?

I see someone posted it probably was due to WGU requiring you to be in the US, but then someone else posted "no residency requirement for tuition".
I'm Canadian I like the idea of WGU, I don't know if I will ever look into it any further then what gets posted on this forum.

jibtech

The no residency requirement for tuition was referring to not having to pay out of state tuition.

Right now, WGU only accepts students in the US, outside of US in military and some areas of Canada.

LordQarlyn

My parents are NAU alumni, my dad majoring in science, my mom in business, they did quite well in life, both have well-funded retirements and savings, was well as supporting an upper middle class lifestyle that allowed us to visit over 80 countries, so I have fond memories of NAU.

mapletune

@cbdudek @jibtech @LordQarlyn thanks for the replies. NAU is regionally accredited just as WGU is also regionally accredited. So, no problem with legitimacy of degree in that regards~

@jcundiff @IronmaX my status as foreign/international student is the correct answer to "why i couldn't enroll in any other online, competency-based, or correspondence school"

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Now, it sounds easy enough but it's actually quite a curious and interesting catch 22.

Even if a university were to accept international students and an F-1 Student Visa is obtained, they would NOT be able to take more than 3 credits or equivalent in online/correspondence classes per semester.

This is because the F-1 student visa was designed for cultural exchange and the system hopes that these international students will spend time in campus interacting with local students. Thus, it's quite reasonable to require most of their credits/time to be on campus.

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WGU is pretty vague with it's statement on foreign students, "At the present time, WGU is accepting applications only from individuals living in the United States ..."

Would getting F-1 for a different school count as "living in the US"? I thought about taking minimal credits at a community college and attending WGU. But then again, I've actually asked admissions and they clarified that they do not accept foreign students.

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NAU actually does accept international students. So after the usual mailing of grades/transcripts, exam scores, translations, verification, etc, I was able to enroll in NAU's PL program for B.S. in Computer Information Technology =D

TL;DR - I wanted to go back to school but it had to be an online competency-based program. Schools that have this cannot allow F-1 Visa students enroll so most schools do not accept international students. NAU is the only school that fit my needs and accepted international students.