Indiana Wesleyan Online- have you tried it?

After talking to an admissions officer at Indiana Wesleyan today, I might have decided to give it a go. My previous credits will not transfer because I was dumb and chose a nationally accredited school over a regionally accredited school. I will be starting with an Associate's in business and then moving on to the Bachelor's of my choice. It looks like with a small amount of grants and my employer tuition reimbursement I will be able to attend full-time which means 8 to 9 classes per year. They run them one at a time for about 5 weeks each.

For anyone who has done it, is this really hard? I don't mind a challenge but I also have a job and kids to tend to. It seems like the classes go continually so I will basically be taking a course every 5 weeks for the next 6 years. Are there any breaks? Just really wondering if this is too much to take on.

The alternatives would be to attend Sullivan college online where my credits do transfer but I can only afford 12 credit hours per year (will need at least 80 to complete my Bachelor's) or to attend IUS on campus and do only 1-2 classes per semester due to time. Each class takes up 2 days per week and I travel a little bit for work and would hate to have to miss.

 

Not as many options as you would think. I would prefer a school nearby, whether I am taking online classes or not. I would prefer to earn my degree in a reasonable amount of time and I have a financial cap that I have to stay within. Going to a University in my state ensures that I will receive state grants as well as federal grants and going full-time vs. part-time will allow me to take full advantage of pell grants. Indiana Wesleyan is the only school I have found that meets all of this criteria.

 

Just so I understand, when you spoke to Indiana Wesleyan Online, they told you that they would not take transfer credited based upon the accreditation of the awarding school?

 

Right, they said that if it comes up as a Nationally Accredited school on my transcript then they will not be able to transfer them. However, she did say that when I get to the end of my Bachelor's courses and need electives to complete the required credit hours, they might possibly be able to transfer some for my electives. At this point she doesn't actually know for a fact that they won't transfer, but will be able to tell as soon as I apply and they receive my transcripts.

This is also what it says on their website:
"National accreditation, though it sounds broader in scope, is quite different from regional accreditation. While many national or international accrediting agencies perform valid accreditation of specific programs (IWU holds several such national accreditations), the majority of national accreditations are technical or specific to a profession, rather than academic in nature."

 

Ahh the genius that is SteveFoerster presents itself to us again!

 

The credibility of information from someone that posts as themselves verses a new user posting named after a Star Wars character, is, well, self-explanatory.

DL

 

If you're from Indiana, have you looked into IU's Bachelor of General Studies program? Not sure about the NA credits issue, but they're certainly more affordable and are a more highly regarded institution than IWU, which is becoming known as sort of a diploma mill.

 

Is IWU really becoming known as a diploma mill? I really researched to make sure that I would be choosing a school with a good reputation and was also very interested in the fact that it is a Christian school. Anyway, I don't want a Bachelor's in general studies and it would just take too long to complete a degree at IUS campus (2 to 4 classes per year) and they don't offer anything I'm interested in online.

 

Are you basing your comments that IWU is becoming a diploma mill solely on the growth of their online programs?

 

No, it's based on direct observation as a writer who has often covered online education for various clients. They're little more than a Christian-themed Univ of Phoenix, and there's plenty of them out there already (Regent, Grand Canyon, etc).

 

Diploma Mill is a very strong term and probably does not apply here. However, assuming the information provided here is accurate (and I have no reason to believe it is or is not), and after looking at their webpage, they do seem aggressive and show some signs of predatory actions.

If their admissions representative really told a prospective student that they could not get transfer credit evaluated until they had already paid money and were taking courses in the program, then that would be an issue. Also if they did in fact tell a prospective student that they would be denied credit transfer based solely on the legitimate accreditation of the granting institute without an evaluation, that would be an issue (and calling the prospective student “stupid” for having attended an accredited college is rather far out there). Remember, at this level (generic online programs) denying transfer credit based on accreditation is simply a money making activity. They get to sell the student more courses.

 

My point:

Your point:

Emphasis mine

Seems pretty much the same. The OP has many more choices available to him which could be a better fit.

 

Let me clarify... The admissions person I spoke to did not actually say that I was stupid for going to a nationally accredited school, I determined that myself after reading many things that say nationally accredited college credits may not transfer. She also said that she didn't know if my credits would transfer but she didn't want to get my hopes up. After I apply they will be able to pull my transcripts and tell me if any of them will transfer.

For everyone who is saying there are many other options, please let me know what they are. Requirements
-Located in Indiana
-offer online degrees
-be able to earn my degree in less than 11 years.
-cost within $5250 + $2400 grant per year ($7650)

 

I would investigate JPs recommendation for the IU online programs. As I understand it they are around $250 per credit hour. With your budget you can take 30 credits a year. I do not think they will transfer your NA credits but if its is worth your time you may investigate transferring them to a school that will recognize those credits and is RA and NA such as APU.

 

So not only have you determined that IWU is a diploma mill but also Regent and Grand Canyon? and UOP? Include Liberty and Argosy and you'll have covered my entire online vita.

Are there online programs that aren't unilaterally given your "diploma mill" stamp?

 

If Liberty and Argosy are on your vita, they are obviously millish. okey:

Yeah, I don't get it. When I think diploma mills, I think of places that either have low/no academic standards and lack recognition from official (ie. CHEA recognized) accreditors. The U.S. Department of Education agrees. The schools in your post definitely don't fall into that category.

 

I always appreciate the friendliness with which people like to respond when they disagree...

 

"No, it's based on direct observation as a writer who has often covered online education for various clients."

Jacob - I think the point is that you've made a very damning accusation and offered no supportive evidence. Since you, as a professional writer, have made the accusation that these schools are degree mills, I would expect that you'd have some evidence. If you can't provide it then it's your own professional credibility that's at stake, not the school's reputation.