Ashford University Online is a leading institution that is affiliated with Ashford University, a private liberal arts college located in Clinton, Iowa. With a little under 47,000 students enrolled in its on-campus and online programs combined, Ashford offers its students many opportunities to accelerate their studies.
Ashford began to offer its first online graduate level courses in 2002. And in 2003, the University received approval to offer its first master degree online. Since then, Ashford University Online has grown to offer a diverse range of online degrees at the associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
Accreditation
Ashford University Online is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Academics
Ashford University offers two online associate's degree programs:
- Associate of Arts in Business
- Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education
Students may also choose from online bachelor degrees in 40 different areas, such as:
- Business Administration
- Health Care Administration
- Psychology
- Organizational Management
- Social and Criminal Justice
- History
- Entrepreneurship
Ashford gives undergraduate students the flexibility to add minors to their degrees, in a wide array of subject.
Ashford offers six master degree programs, in the following areas:
- Business Administration
- Public Administration
- Health Care Administration
- Organizational Management
- Teaching and Learning with Technology
- Arts in Education
Admission
All students applying to Ashford University Online must have basic English language proficiency. Students applying for an online associate or bachelor degree are required to have a high school diploma, GED or the equivalent. Those seeking admission to bachelor programs must also be at least 22 years old.
Master degree applicants are required to have a bachelor degree from an accredited university and a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Prospective students should consult University admissions officers and the school's website for the most current information and addition requirements regarding admission.
Five Features that Make Ashford Stand Apart
- Accelerated Programs. Ashford University Online is a leader in offering accelerated programs for its students. Ashford allows students to transfer up to 99 credits of previous coursework toward their bachelor degree from Ashford University. Ashford also has a program that allows students to turn their work and life experience into transferable credits through a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). On occasion, students are also allowed to take an extra course load in order to speed up completion of their degree.
- Convenient Education. Ashford University's online classes take place in a specially designed online platform. The online learning platform is an asynchronous environment, meaning that students can log in at any time at their convenience. Students generally take one class at a time, that they are able to complete over a course of six weeks, before enrolling in the next course. Opportunities to enroll in and begin a course sequence in a degree program are available every week.
- Sports. Because Ashford has a full-fledged campus in Iowa, it offers a wide array sports programs. Although distance students may live too far away to participate in collegiate sports, having a college team that they can root for helps give students a more well-rounded college experience and fosters college pride.
- Graduation Ceremony. Ashford allows its online students to participate in actual commencement ceremonies at its Iowa campus along with the University's on-campus students twice a year, in December and May.
- Extra Academic Support. Ashford University's online degree programs are specifically designed for adult learners who may be unaccustomed to classroom learning. To help students succeed, each student is assigned a personal Academic Advisor who will support them through the entire process, and to whom they can direct your questions. Ashford's instructors are also very understanding, supportive, and easy to contact. And all students have access to unlimited free tutoring and academic coaching.
Laura Holmes
I enrolled in Ashford University after receiving information from one of my friends who was working there at the time. I found that their 99 credit transfer policy would help me finish my degrees much more rapidly than another online university. In terms of the courses I've taken (mostly arts courses like psychology and literature) have been relatively easy. The core courses I'm currently in are a lot more demanding, as it requires me to read a lot of technical information in a short amount of time (each class is 5 weeks long). I feel that what I am putting into my course is directly shown by my grades. If I put assignments off and don't complete the required readings, my grades suffer. I honestly feel like the online courses are lacking from traditional courses, but by supplementing with additional reading has helped me feel more secure in the education I'm receiving. In terms of the university itself, I've found it difficult to get ahold of advisors when I have loans that need approved or questions about my courses. I can't pick which course I take next, so it's frustrating when I call everyday of a week and get no response. In addition, it took nearly 4 months for my transfer credits to be processed, which was greatly longer than the 4-6 weeks I was told when I first enrolled.
This school report was prepared by a member of the Online Schools Research Team & Reviewed by our Editor. It is accurate to the best of our knowledge, but if you find any inaccuracies please email editor (at) onlineschools dot org. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
