Would like Input on Online Colleges

Hello! I have been taking on classes through NMJC. You can recieve financial aide for the classes. The intensity depends on you and how quick you are wanting to get done. Most classes are a full semester which is 16 weeks but you can also cut that in half and do a class in 8 weeks. The 16 week classes are not bad some of the 8 week classes and be very intense. I really enjoy doing online classes. I can be home and get through school and also get things done around the house. NMJC is her in Hobbs N.M. and it's really cheap to go to school here. Good luck!

Be sure to do the research with real people and real results. My daughter found out that one online class did not transfer to her college because it was not considered a quality course where other online classes at that same community college were.

If it seems too easy or quick, then it is probably not a good program and employers will know about it.

Determine why you want to take the classes. For example, if it is a job you want, then find out if someone will hire you if you have an online degree. It is very competitive out there.

College loans are great if you know you will be able to pay them off. If there is a chance you can't pay them off, then it will get very expensive!

If this is for you, do you want to take time away from your family? When your kids are in school is the best time to go to school.

I did the University of Phoenix Online for a while. Financial aid did apply, however what really threw me off (which I did not find out about in all my research of the school) was that you have to actually do 20hrs/wk working/volunteering in the sector of your degree plus your normal coursework. Ex: mine was in business for human services, so I would have to do 20hrs/wk of time in some sort of medical/psych office or something like that. This is great if you already work in the profession you are working toward your degree in, but for me I had a baby (less than 1 yr old) and was working full time too.
Granted, it is towards the end of your degree program, and only 2 courses, but it was way too much for me to juggle.

Everything else about it was pretty good. The courses were structured enough so that you had certain assignments due at the end of every week or two (depending on the course), but during that time, you could work at your own pace. You do have to be very disciplined in setting aside the time to do the coursework.

The professors & assistants were great about answering questions, etc. And the open forum discussions with the other students was really interesting for me to read others' take on the subject.

I just started taking online classes through the University of Phoenix, and I am glad I did. I too was worried about cost but you can get financial aid through goverment grants and student loans. It takes some getting use to on how you "go" to class but it is alot easier than I had thought. With the University of Phoenix they have advisors that walk you through the entire process and stay with you until you graduate. It is the best choice I have made in along time.

Why are you looking specifically at online colleges? The "regular" colleges offer so much online now and financial aid is definitely available. I recently graduated from the University of Houston in Victoria (after 11 years!!) and nearly all of my classes were online. UH-V has a fantastic business program. Make sure any school you choose is accredited. There has been some recent scandal about online schools misleading applicants about their accreditation status. Check with any schools advisors...that is what they are for. The advisor can tell you very quickly how much classes will cost, steer you on the path for financial aid, and will know how much of your choosen degree can be obtained online. Many junior colleges even have a program (can't remember the name right now though) where you can take an online course from another junior college anywhere in Texas without having to register at another school. I took Music Appreciation from Palo Alto College...I had never even heard of Palo Alto College!! But I wanted an online course to meet the Arts requirement. Seriously...talk to an advisor for an accredited school before you go the online college route. Good Luck!!

My husband is currently taking classes through Ashford University (it is in Illinois). He does get financial aid from the government to take the classes. He takes one class at a time and they are five weeks long. There is alot of writing involved. He has had to write a paper for every class that he has taken (even a math class). That being said, he is really enjoying his classes. Just make sure you do the research on how the classes are structured and be prepared to do alot of writing.

As far as I know, online colleges are generally colleges that actually exist & offer online degrees so as far as I know, the gov't usually doesn't have a problem w/it if the school is accredited. I haven't had any issues w/applying for grants/loans for online schools. They usually base awards on need & how much your household income is, just like any other school loan or grant. What I do is research, research & more research. You didn't specify your major. I wanted to be an architect but unfortunately, I'm too old to start as Texas makes a person have not only a master's degree (although there's not much difference other than Fine Arts Classes, between degree requirements for the school I chose) several years of apprenticeship (according to what I read & understood on the Dept. of Licensing website) before I can even take the licensing exam so I unfortunately would be in my 50's before I could even take my test! So I hafta find another major. So what I did was just do a general search online for my major & depending on the major, there are a LOT & I do mean a LOT of schools to choose from. The first thing would be is pick a school, then to see what their financial aid policy is. Next, see what all classes are required for your major. Not all schools require the same classes. Some more, some less. Then call the school or ask for more info such as their catalogue. Some schools have that to read online & some make you call them to ask for one or request online for one. After getting the catalogue, if you have any questions that's when I'd call & talk to someone. Beware though they WILL hound you sometimes. AIU called me CONSTANTLY, several times a day! I finally had to change my phone number so I'd advise to stick w/emailing them. Just tell them you don't have a number to give out at this time that you're just wanting info at this time. I just made up a number w/mostly zeros in it for the phone number so I could get the catalogue. A word of caution though, beware, some schools make you pay a hefty fee just to find out if you got your financial aid. I wanted to attend the Acad. of Art Univ.(in San Francisco) online so I applied for student loans. Well, the school was going to make me pay them $200 application fee saying I had to actually 'apply' to the school first before they'd let me know if I even got my money. Apparantly, the gov't sends them the money & award letter to the school not to my house like when I was going in person to college before so be sure to first find out the policy regarding that when you find a school. Another school only charged $35 dollar application fee which was much more reasonable. Next, compare tuition fees & costs for each school you're interested in. Sometimes it's hard to choose but the deal that ties the knot for me is the least amount of classes I hafta take compared to tuition costs. If there's a school that may cost just a bit more than another but less classes, I choose that one but that's just me. One more thing, I'd also look for any bad reviews of a school I choose, either by word of mouth or online at websites like complaints.com or even just looking up on Yahoo! a school or business usually has reviews listed under it in the search results. Good luck & congratulations on taking this step! I wished I could've done it a long time ago!

be careful when it comes to online schools - you want to check out their accredations and make sure any classes you take with them are accepted at other schools - for exampe - if you see the ITT school commercials online - with also see a small excert that says their classes ARE NOT transferable. - this means thay are NOT regionally accredited -
If you are looking for a a junior college - believe it or not Central Texas College is one of the TOP online schools.

As far as tuition and cost and financial aid.... go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ fill out your application and enter in the schools you are interested in -
Another school to watch out for - despite its popularity - is the PHOENIX - this is another one of the schools that is not regionally accredited - or at least the last time I was searching for my own online school - that was what I came across.

If you are looking for a 4 yr online instituion - the best I have come across are Franklin University and Texas Tech University.

If you pull up their websites - each should have a business office POC listed - with an email address for contact purposes.

Each school will have different rates for tuition - one rate is for online students - some may chanrge more for out of state tuition vs in state - whether online or not
these are all things you want to check out BEFORE submitting and adding these schools to your financial aid application.

good luck in your search - if I can be of further help - just let me know

Yes, you can qualify for finacial aid for online colleges. The college will help you with it; tell you what forms to fill out, how to access them online, and who to submit them to. It was really when my husband applied for financial aid.

Each school charges different amounts. Some charge per course, some charge per term, and much of it depends on what classes you take. My husband has been taking college classes at Virginia College Online for 1 1/2 years and his student loans are $18,000. The total cost of his Associates Degree in Criminal Justce will be around $24,000. That's a lot less than many campus colleges.

The classes take about as much time as they would if you were going on campus, it's just that the hours are more flexible. They aren't really intense, but you can always start with just one or two classes to get the feel of things. My husband takes 3 classes each term and doesn't have any problems. The most intense time is the last week during final exams.

The most important thing is that the college needs to be accredited. If it is, then the classes can be transferred to another online college or to a campus based college. Decide what you want to earn a degree in, search colleges online to find one that you think you like, and contact them. It's easy after that. The colleges have people who you can talk to online or on the phone and they will answer all of your questions.

Good luck!

yes, you can get financial aid. It depends on what you wuold like to do. Most community colleges offer online classes as well as a lot of traditional universities.

Good luck!

There are several the military uses them for the service people.

Make sure they are accredited...and look into the accredidation....I worked for a co. where we verified peoples degrees and High School diplomas...if they were not regionally accredited it was not accepted. We declined them job offers...this did happen on numerous occasions....some religious ones too. Paying a fee upfront and getting a piece of paper in a very short time does not work.

I currently attend University of Phoenix, online. I have been with them for 2 years, 2 classes to go to get Associates. I am continuing on with my BS in Psych with them. I have had my classes 100% paid for with financial aid. Visit www.fafsa.com to get qualified for student aid.

I like the environment and the classes are very easy to attend. There is not a set time to attend, some online colleges have set times. The instructors are very knowledgeable and helpful. I can give you the number for an academic counselor here in Houston that can answer your questions and get you started. You can go all the way through doctoral with U of P.

Good luck,

S.
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