Idaho acquiring University of Phoenix

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2023/05/18/sale-of-university-of-phoenix-nears-after-deal-with-university-of-idaho-550-million/70234256007/

 

Wow. They found another buyer fast. I'm guessing they had a few lined up already. Now, if only someone would buy Capella, Walden, Strayer, and Devry. That would save a lot of lives.

 

I will be interested to see if the name changes. New owner so surely a new name, right?

 

I'm almost certain they will change their name because the main thing University of Phoenix wanted out of the deal with Arkansas was to license the system's name. Once the name change happens, I might consider their competency-based master's in psychology. I prefer their curriculum over the options at Capella and Walden.

 

So, it is going to be University of Idaho Global Campus or University of Idaho at Phoenix?

 

I hope they do not do a Global Campus or Extension naming. That’d be insane. Lol

Interestingly, I applied to the University of Idaho for their Graduate Cert in Statistics before I decided no more formal courses for me. I did not even submit everything but stuff got admitted. Lol

 

I don’t want anyone to touch Strayer or Capella! I get a huge discount there through my “side gig”. It’s my most affordable option for education and I intend to use it for as long as I can. I actually really love the program I am in at Strayer. Not only that, but a new owner could mess up Sophia.

I think Walden did just get a new owner. I can’t remember the details. But the free first term promos were right before the change in ownership. I did the free term. It wasn’t too bad, but it did show me that I am not suited for CBE.

Devry…. I know they were in some hot water recently. Hopefully they learned from it. I’m taking a “free” course through them right now. The course is ok. There’s way too many students in the class. It takes a while to get your grades for each assignment. And I REALLY HATE how your first post each week has to be a video or audio recording. I’d rather read through the board and see who I can respond to rather than randomly playing someone’s audio/video and figuring out what to say. Where they shine, in my opinion, is with student and alumni perks. The wellness options and discounts are great. I just wish the tuition weren’t so expensive.

 

A few years ago, Devry's parent company bought Walden University.

 

I wonder what difference these acquisitions make when they still charge the same exorbitant tuition and fees.

 

That's wonderful for you, but Capella and Walden are in the news and probably in court more than Devry is. The debt their graduate students have is astronomical.

The tuition at University of Phoenix isn't bad. It looks like they lowered their rates a few years ago. Capella and Walden are extremely expensive unless you're in a CBE program. Hopefully, Walden continues to transition more programs to semester hours. There's really no point in keeping quarter hours. A lot of state universities converted a while back. Purdue Global should also transition the rest of its programs to semester hours.

I love that the most predatory for-profit colleges in history are going down one-by-one.

 

That was interesting. I had to look that up. DeVrys previous parent company sold DeVry, then later bought Walden. It reminded me of the relationship between Arby’s and Wendy’s. It went something like… Arby’s corporate bought Wendys, then later sold off Arby’s.

 

yes, it is wonderful for me and all the other people who have the same deal. (It’s free for a lot of employers). I would not pay regular prices. I do think all of the online schools should bring costs down, especially the ones that offer little interaction.

 

The only way I'm going to be happy about Walden being bought out is if it lowers the tuition. I only recommend it to people who want a business accredited degree with a specialization that they can't find other places cheaper. It was good for me, but obviously not great for everyone.

 

Do they have a specialization that cannot be found elsewhere?

 

They had the social entrepreneurship specialization (which admittedly had ridiculous classes), but they also have the self-designed specialization option.

 

Link for the self-designed specialization? I can't find it on their site.

 

https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/master-of-business-administration/self-designed

 

To be clear, this isn't much of a "self-designed specialization." It is an opportunity to select 3 courses as electives within an otherwise highly structured MBA. Really no big deal.