Reviews of Athabasca University (University)

Harvey Spectre

Athabasca is amazing. Yes, if you prefer to go to lectures and like professors presenting the material to you then this isn't for you. It isn't meant to be. Athabasca is designed for learners who are otherwise unable to go to classes due to schedules, work, or mobility restrictions. Athabasca allows you to learn at your own time and place, so long you are willing put in the effort. If you have the initiative to learn, the tutors are always within reach. They have regular office hours in which you can call them, or you can communicate via e-mails. Most of my tutors have replied to me within a day. Their financial aid office is slow to reply however. Their phone support (before COVID) was amazing. The academic advisors know what they are doing and help you get on the right track. A lot of bad reviews recently seem to be due to the COVID disruptions, which is unfortunate as some people don't seem to grasp that a pandemic will bring about some service disruptions. Anyways, I'm about to finish my degree here and I would recommend Athabasca to those that are looking to continue their education.

Minh Tuyen Nguyen

Great university!!!! Help me pursuing my dream of obtaining a degree. Highly recommend :)

Kamal Aujla

I used to teach my sister, who took one course in AU, BIOL-235, Anatomy and Physiology. Our experience was horrible. Not enough information is provided on how to go smoothly with booking exams. We were lost for a few weeks, had to cancel 2 mid-terms on the day of exams in this confusion. Also, there is no coordination between the departments. One person tells and confirms one thing, the other person would be like, no, that’s not how it is. You CANNOT reach them instantly. I remember 2 times my sister was ready for her exams(she used PROCTOR- online supervision) sitting and waiting behind the screen of the examiner, but they could not unlock the exam and we tried to call the university, they don't answer, they only regard emails. My question is if you are allowing exams at any time, why are you not available for emergencies all the time? It was exceptionally highly frustrating. The instructors are okay to reply one-two question, but not more. I remember my sister was looking for some direction, she emailed the instructor second time, but never heard back. Being an international student, she paid $2500 for her one course. Having mentioned all these things, my sister couldn’t perform the best and could only get 61% (she needed 75%) marks. So, she requested them if she can do the exams again to improve (technically you are required to complete the course in one year, but shr completed in 6 months), but they said, “ No, you cannot, you have to enroll and pay fees again.” Really?? Do you guys have some humanity? You will be okay if we pay you $2500 again, but you are not okay if she wants to improve her score with the same money as she is still in that one-year contract period. I request to the owner that please please ????????show some responsibility towards people’s efforts and problems they face to pay the fees. If someone is paying this much money they are handling you the responsibility of their future, and please handle it carefully. Don't make education only business. And guys, My this big review is warning you , please be informed and take your decision carefully. Nobody cares in this university. Find something else. I want to end this review with one thing, as one writer said, “Success is not a destination, it’s a lifestyle that we need to maintain through our habits and attitude towards life.”

Alexandra Vivero

I am not too impressed with how I registered for a course at Athabasca University, found out I wouldn't need to take the course, so I withdrew from it before the start date (and at the correct withdrawal date). Yet I still lost $150.00 - when they had not even sent me any course materials yet. I'm sure it's a great school, but that was not fair at all, and hopefully that is a policy that can be changed!

Mathieu Belanger-Camden

You start want you want and the course are hard.

n c

I’m a lady on aish who registered here. I got sick and ended up in hospital shortly after I registered. I was unable to pursue my studies due to medical reasons. I explained this to this university and they refused to refund my application fee even though I provided medical documentation. I can’t believe this place is so money hungry and have so little compassion for a human being or student. If u r disabled make sure u go to a different school.

helen shone

Communication is non existent. Who in today’s world keeps people on hold for and hour then gives them a message that sorry we are going on lunch and phone cuts off!

Jagmeet Randhawa

Its a good

Brad Anderson

Terrible school would not recommend. Go elsewhere.

Hong Tran

I would not recommend this University to anybody. 1. Customer service is very slow. 2. Tutors take over a week to answer your question, most often I get “ I don’t know “ 3. Course structure / moodle is confusing to navigate 4. Exam / Assignments don’t reflect what your learning I decided to withdraw from this University because tutors doesn’t seem like they care about helping me succeed at all. I didn’t retain or learn anything, I was more frustrated with my assignments because tutors took over a week to answer my questions ,for them to answer back I don't know. I’m a funded student , so I don’t have time to waste. I would recommend taking your hard earning money to other University where they care about your growth and future. That was a waste of my time.

Megan Maksym

I have been attending AU for eleven years now and have had such a wonderful experience. The staff and professors I've connected with at AU have been encouraging and supportive throughout the years. The flexibility that AU offers has allowed me to take breaks from my degree when I've needed and resume at times that are convenient for me. I recommend AU to everyone!

zain

I think this is a brilliant institution. My experience has been very positive - the professors, the administrative team, the courses and education itself - wonderful stuff all around.

Sara Cronin

My experience in Athabasca's grad program has been great. The professors are amazing and easy to get in touch with. The content builds well upon each other. I really appreciate being able to schedule working on assignments around my full-time job and children. I enjoy the challenging content (as it should be in university) and camaraderie with other students. You have to be comfortable working on your own, self disciplined, and scheduled. You also have to be comfortable with technology as maneuvering your way around Moodle can occasionally be frustrating. It can sometimes be difficult getting in touch with someone at the University itself, and it has especially become worse with Covid, but, in time, they do get in touch. The classes are costly; however, for the convenience it is worth it. I would recommend Athabasca, especially the Master in Counselling Program.

Alana West

Basically stole $700 from me. I put in a great deal of time and effort into my online class that I was enrolled in, and when it was nearing the end of my course and I felt prepared to take the final exam, I find out that I am too late and cannot write it as I didn't give enough notice. After speaking with someone on the phone who was able to instruct me how to view the exam policy on the Athabasca University website, I saw that apparently you need to give 20 days notice before writing an exam. Now having that exam policy written is nice if you know to go looking for it and to read it; but having never been a student with AU before, and never taking an online class before, I never would have known to read the exam policies (unless of course I was ready to take the exam, which is not enough notice, so is irrelevant I guess). The only way they offered to rectify this situation was to offer me an extension for another $113.. as if I would want to give them any more of my money. All in all, I wasted $700 and 6 months of my time, and will never take another class through Athabasca University.

Patricia Lee

Avoid like plague. Against my advice, our daughter decided to challenge herself and enrolled for two PSY courses at AU in Jan 2020 while on her co-op term in Engineering. Currently completing a dual BSc and BEng degree at another institution. Then the pandemic happened. She wrote to ask for a withdrawal (and potential refund) in the 4th week of March. They offered an extension instead. With everything that was happening she was unable to submit ANY course work despite the extension. She will receive an “F” in both courses (next to her "A"s in Engineering and Science courses from her home institution). We have learned since then that she would have been eligible to withdraw in March had she filed the proper paperwork. That was never mentioned in the messages exchanged though her email clearly stated “Request to withdrawal from program”. AU would not consider a "W". My daughter has already been offered a scholarship for a graduate degree in Engineering next year and the consequences weight heavily. Putting aside their lack of empathy, AU should inform themselves on how U15 institutions such as U of T., UOttawa, etc. have voted Senate resolutions to adjust their grading policies regarding "W" as they take into account the hardships the pandemic has brought on students . Even before the pandemic, retroactive withdrawals were commonly granted in other institutions if NO coursework have been submitted or if the student did not attend classes. We have also learned that it is very common for students from other universities who try to complete courses at Athabasca to end with "F" due to the lack of teaching and administrative support to the students. Easy to enroll, nightmare to deal with them after or to receive any response. They are more NOT flexible than the traditional universities as they claimed to be. They use administrative policies to trap students in their program. And the fact that they do not have to deal with students in person makes them even less accountable. Best to avoid and stick to courses within your institution. I hope this review will help others to avoid the same mistakes and learn from our experience. Please read ALL reviews contained on Google Reviews and also on FB to make an informed decision.

Emily M

Go to real University.

Café Cóc

I already enrolled some course from this university. It fits with my study style. I enjoy this type of learning. I hope everyone can find a good way to learn because online/distance learning is not easy. Keep learning with your way.

Tanisha Brockhoff

I am surprised by all of the negative reviews. The application process is straightforward, as are the class expectations. If you're choosing online learning, the expectation is that you're independent and self-sufficient. Everything is laid out easily, marks are returned quickly, and for both courses I've taken, the tutors replied to questions within a reasonable timeline. I also appreciate the self-paced aspect, and the fact that AU online courses are significantly cheaper than other institutions.

Jess The Creator

This school is absolutely foul. If you're lower-middle class or beneath the poverty line, I do not recommend even giving this institution any time of day. They are not considerate of the pandemic and how the pandemic is disproportionately impacting lower-income students. Do not pick this establishment as a choice. Go to college at least it will be more affordable and provide you with enough of a degree to get you working. If I could rate the service and website navigation separately, this institution would have, generously, 1/2 a star. Parents save your money, students save your money, this will keep you perpetually in debt

Jonathan Ballot

Taxx401 was so difficult. The textbook is written by the course coordinator so the exams are extremely difficult and you can't take your books in with you. Expecting a student to memorize an entire tax textbook is ridiculous. With them not having lectures to explain the course content in an easily understood way, it takes hours and hours of reading and re-reading the text to understand it. There has to be a better way to do online university.

Schell Family

Excellent! The tutors have all been very helpful and respond quickly. I love the flexibility that AU offers.

BrosHousing

This school is for me opportunity to learn quality higher education. I research a lot about AU. This institution is really focus on online learning and expert in understanding mature learning style. Wish you more success.

Resma gajadarsing

My name is Reshma. I started last year now on my second year BA french major. French Tutors are good. But the rest courses I’m having a very hard time. They are not helpful. You study for final exams cams and when for the final exams they set it so hard. What ever you studied nothing come for exams. Very hard to memorize. They just tell you read everything. Tutors don’t. Tutors do not encourage you to go towards your success I read you go to downfall. Unbelievable why are they tutors. Ok f it is online. Students is studying on their own and they should be flexible on their final exams. Not helpful at all. I’m really fed up with this university. I’m paying a big fees and they don’t care. Nobody to understand. I regret of studying with this university. I’m a single mom of 4 children’s trying to succeed. Tutors don’t care. You will be disappointed when you sit for final exams.

Fepe Pepe

I wish I had read these reviews before signing up for two courses and having my money essentially stolen. The negative reviews here are completely accurate and match my experience. Athabasca seems like a bunch of scam artists to me, and I would recommend people stay away, and hopefully they will go out of business.

Seth Van Camp

The only advantage of taking a course through Athabasca U is because it's online and adds flexibility to those schedules who need it. Other than that, it seems like a blatant money grab with complete disregard for peoples actual educations. I've had an extremely frustrating and horrid experience with Athabasca. For example, in my online BIO230 Physiology course, you are not provided with any lectures, slides or any course material. You are simply given an online version of the textbook which has sections crossed out and other sections highlighted for importance. You aren't even given the contact info of your "professor" on the course page. Their platform is abysmal, difficult to navigate, and gives you little to no guidance in how to work through your courses. It honestly seems like they put together a beta version of an application in which they never came back to improve it. In terms of the textbook I was given, I have to sift through over 800 pages throughout the course. At times, I need to decide for myself what is important, because the highlighted information in the textbook only sometimes aligns with the material put on the quizzes, midterms, and assignments. The tests and assignments seem to be generated by a computer instead of put together by an actual educator, because the questions and coursework hardly reflect the understanding of different concepts that are important within the physiology, but instead often ask you questions reflective of seemingly less important details in the textbook. On my very first quiz which was 50 questions, for a Chapter about cells, they hardly asked anything about DNA transcription or translation, the basis of the whole chapter. To make things worse, they offer two awful exam Proctoring options (so they can oversee exams), one of which is through Macewan exam services (who has extremely limited spots for Athabasca U students) so most students end up getting forced to purchase a proctor through ProctorU, which costs roughly $30 CAD per exam on top of the costs for the course already. That is an additional $90 for me to WRITE my 3 tests throughout the course. The fact that they charge such an exorbitant amount of money for a course in which they provide no actual education and just give you a link to a textbook, combined with the poor learning resources and minimal access to educators to help you along the process, alongside the fact that they give you ZERO guidance in how to book tests and navigate their awful platform, it is by far one of the least valuable educational experiences I've ever been through, while costing me the same as an accredited University. At the end of the day, you could purchase the textbook yourself and be just as well off. Unfortunately, I was forced into taking this course because it was the only online option for physiology that was approved by the U of A. I would STRONGLY recommend using any other alternative if you can, because this is truly the bottom of the barrel. UPDATE: I responded almost immediately to the response below from the Athabasca team. I emailed the 'social' email listed as I wanted to participate in a dialogue about how things could be improved. I never received a response in the time since. Clearly, the people managing these Google reviews and their digital team are acting in bad faith, serving as a front for good customer service, when in reality, it's all a farce. I've been continually disappointed the whole way throughout this process and to see that their team replies to every review with "I'm sorry for your experience, lets talk about it" with absolutely ZERO follow through just further demonstrates the ineptitude of this institution. As I've progressed further throughout this course, it's also become extremely apparent of the outdated material, assignments, and lab exercises. The same lab manual and materials were signed out in 2004. Just silly honestly.

eddan 98

I've enjoyed the course I have taken so far, however; the lack of support from Student "Support" Services is comical (or would be if I hadn't paid $780 to take this course). Anytime there is any issue, you get a blunt response back from a "Do Not Reply" email. More often than not, the response has left me with more questions so I have to start from scratch and write to the Student Support email once again. The responses are often one or two lines and don't suggest any further avenues to try. I went into this course really excited and with rose coloured glasses.... it quickly became apparent that once you hand over your hard earned money, you are mostly on your own. I can't comment on the tutors for the course, but I can say the "feedback" you get on your quizzes is simply regurgitation from the textbook. A very disappointing experience for me as the idea of a reputable online university is so beneficial for those who aren't able to drop life and attend a physical school. I most likely will attempt one more course before calling it quits, but am really hoping they find people with social skills to be part of the Student Support Services.

Dipan Das

Teachers were very helpful. The courses are flexible. The hospitality during convocation was outstanding. One of my favorite memories forever. Proud to be an alumni.

Sarah C

Most of the circumstances that lead to the negative reviews on google seem to be the fault of the reviewer and not the University. It's called reading, people! If you take the time to read the terms/policies/instructions & explore everything in myAU, a lot of the negative incidences listed could've been avoided. It's not like they're hiding any of this information. If you're a solo learner, organized, dislike group learning & projects, and don't need someone to hold your hand thru the whole learning process, you'll do fine. Docked a star due to some courses & materials being pretty out-of-date, which you'll find at any other university. Paid $3,300 for 5 courses & books in BA, would've been close to double that at UofA. It's cheaper because it is mostly independent learning, so you get what you pay for.

Mandy Robertson

Absolutely terrible.

Karisa Bili

I paid $1300 to TEACH MYSELF by reading an outdated textbook--no recorded lectures, no professor, only a TA that was difficult to get a hold of because the messaging system is so confusing. The myathabasca website is impossible to navigate. Mind you, this was last year, so covid didn't impact anything. Don't waste your time or money.

marty hutcheson

Very good.

Maralane

I have attended two universities in Ontario and I must say that I learned so much at this school! (*I only took 4 policy/admin courses for credits at my University). Great course material, great tutors and staff and they are flexible because they want to help the students. The learning methods at this school have taught me to be more responsible and to be more efficient in time management; you actually have to do the work in order to pass and it's surprising how much you can learn! When studying, I set goals for myself and I was determined to achieve them. I usually don't write reviews, this one is for you Athabasca!

theyaudcast

My experience taking CHEM 213 at Athabasca in my first year was abysmal. There was no course outline, outdated material, and no information on what to expect for exams or tests. The only useful guide I used to study were the sample tests. You had to receive a passing grade on all assignments and labs to pass the course, which is strange. They almost refused to give me my credit even though I had a B+ in the class post exam over this issue. The only saving grace was my TA who was super helpful when I called him to ask for guidance. Would not recommend if you are looking for a transfer credit. Please add an outline and update the course material to save future students grief

Abhishek Kar

this is one of the worst school that doesn't clearly say that they do not do video conference if they had i would not have taken this. All my money was wasted teaching does not only happen through email they should provide other ways to contact teachers.

Henry Tsang Architect

Great university!

DaddyT

About 2-3 weeks into trying to enroll into a program and I have to say i'm not impressed by my experience at all. I called my student financial advisor about 2 weeks ago to set up my student loan, left a voicemail and still have not heard ANYTHING back even after calling again the following days. I messaged the support center and they said it'd take up to a week of business days to receive a reply because they get a lot of inquiries and to be patient. How can you be an online school and not have more people working the phones to help more students at a time so they don't have to wait this long for a response?! In any case, i've decided that if i'm having this much trouble with the school already and I haven't officially started yet, that I will not attend Athabasca anymore. That's $115 down the drain trusting that this school would provide me with the help I needed. Update: finally received a reply. But by an automated pre written email, they didn’t even bother to call me back. I want to speak with a person who can actually help, not receive useless emails over and over. Avoid this school.

Daniel Diver

Very flexible with a lot of choice. Love it.

St. Helens Anglican Church

The teachers and materials were excellent. I completed a graduate program at AU. My undergrad was from UBC. A more rigorous and satisfying experience at AU.

Elizabeth Wilson

When I first heard that Athabasca U was going under I was concerned, but I have taken a course there I can understand why. …

iRonlMoNKleY

I am trying to pay my tuition and ran into a huge road block. Did you know that AU decided to do away with credit card payments by deciding to implement Moneris' 2% surcharge if credit cards are used? I don't care how it's phrased in regards to whether AU or Moneris' is taking that fee: the bottom line is that the student has to fork over the extra money. Okay. No biggie. I'll just pay with Interac. No I can hear the AU officials say, "Not so fast, keener." The only Interac banks that you can pay are either with RBC or TD; they also have a list of some unknown credit unions that many students are unlikely to have. You cannot pay with Tangerine, Scotiabank, Simplii or BMO. You can also pay with Visa or MasterCard Debit, which many students and even rich professionals cannot do because there's a $500 limit on their debit cards that won't even pay for ONE course. Why all the restrictions? I won't be surprised if they respond with some preaching about how this teaches us to think of innovative solutions and be rational. My response is: I am just trying to pay my tuition so that I can move on with my course. Why can't I pay using normal channels like every store out there. I was out at a small farmer's market this past weekend, and I used my credit and debit cards at every merchant. Also, a another huge problem is the 'learning' itself. I agree with the sentiments in over reviews that you are basically paying for outdated books and having to learn everything yourself. Yes, it is your own initiative and time management that'll determine whether you succeed, but at other schools I pay less and have a mentor to guide me through via actual lectures and labs. I wish they made a requirement for professors to engage students through innovation. Zoom, Google Meet, YouTube, etc. As a result, the material is way harder to learn because you need A LOT of motivation to succeed in each course. It is way harder than being in an actual class. Doing three online classes in person is so much easier than three Athabasca courses, which is next to impossible. To rub salt in the wound, they increased tuition fees to $307.42 per credit for an non-Albertan in Canada in 2020 to make sure they remain more expensive than a large in-person university. To compare UBC charges $183.56 per credit and SFU charges $195.88 per credit.

Martin Mirek

The academic advisors for my marketing courses were helpful and quick to respond

Quinn Perry

Absolutely the worst school experience I have ever endured. The staff is unprofessional and negligent - it takes weeks to get a response from anyone if you're lucky to get a response at all. Their response to COVID-19 was unacceptable; the various delays, extra costs, miscommunications, and lack of warning or explanation for various changes in the program has led me to have to WITHDRAW from a course midway through - something I have never had to do before. The platform is outdated, with some information being so old and incorrect that it is misleading and can be damaging to how you preform here. You're basically paying for access to a textbook and an email address for a professor that takes weeks to respond, if they respond at all. Still waiting on the grades for one of my finals which cannot be marked until my final assignment - which was submitted nearly 3 weeks ago - is marked first. Overpriced, incredibly condensed course load with the most useless and unprofessional professors and staff I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Goodbye money!

Careleus1

a lot more work than regular university with really critical graders. just don't take classes here if you have a lot more on your plate. if you're reading this athabasca please try to make your assignments shorter and get rid of overly critical graders. lost a lot of my motivation for learning by taking a transfer course here.

Travis Pederson

I was hesitant to take any courses with AU because I was concerned about it all being online. Turns out is was one of the best decisions I've made. I can work at my own pace and there's no set class times which is really nice actually. My home office is set up just the way I like it and I'm feeling quite productive. For me this is much better than standard university. I've taken 6 courses so far and all of them have been up to date and just the right amount of challenge so I know I'm getting my money's worth. Highly recommended if you're looking for a more flexible option!

Rob Warren

Do not give this business your money. You're paying to teach yourself with an outdated digital textbook with no additional resources. There is no professor or instructor, just a TA/tutor that does not appear to have any familiarity with the course materials a student has access to. The only possible circumstances where anyone should pay them is If you already possess the required skills and are using this as a transfer school. Their programs will not help you gain employment in that field, nor will they prepare you for the exact same courses at any other Alberta learning institution. I cannot properly express how predatory this business is and sincerely hope anyone reading this immediately takes their time and money elsewhere.

Sasha Vukelich

Opaque online models, ultrahigh course fees, high course work loads, and the inability to really connect with any professors for help make Athabasca a terrible choice. I have two degrees from McMaster University and was taking a course at Athabasca proved markedly more work than any number of Undergraduate courses I've done at other universities. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. Just go to your local university and learn in person.

Rebecca

It's prides itself as being an online university, however, there is severe room for improvement. The website to access course material and submit assignments is horribly outdated and not user friendly. Professors are okay, some are great and others are not. It's unfortunate you can not pick your class based on who is conducting it. Deadlines for anything is not notified via email you must check on the school's website regularly for updates and deadlines. This institution at its best is somewhat affordable but definitely not user friendly.

Michelle Carfra

This is the absolute worst university experience I have ever had in my life and I have attended 3 other universities. The classes may be convenient, but if you EVER need assistance of any kind you cannot expect any help from your professors, or the administrators at Athabasca. I had written numerous emails to my professors throughout my courses which rarely received a reply. Their course outlines are outdated and often incorrect. My boyfriend also has been attending Athabasca full time for the past two years and after applying for a loan this last spring, he waited 3 months for the administration to simply reply to his application confirming his courses, only to have them state that he has never attended the university. We have his full transcript for the last two years so this is completely false. If you are considering attending I would strongly urge you against ever taking courses here as it is a waste of your time and money. I would give this university zero stars if I could.

Emma Leeshanok

I have been in correspondence with Athabasca for months now in an attempt to retroactively withdraw from courses that I submitted no work for due to the COVID-19 pandemic (citing mental health reasons). They fail to have the same compassion for their students as traditional universities, claiming that it will "compromise the integrity of the institution". At this point, they have stopped responding all together. Although the format seems tempting, I warn other students to think very carefully before taking courses with this university.

Brynne Sherlow

I have taken 3 courses through this university and every single time I am faced with issues. You pay $700+ for a course with very little guidance or support. They don't have their own APA citation guide and have conflicting information throughout their website/courses. To speak to your professor or even contact them via email you have to submit a "request" through SSC that takes up to 2 business days to get processed. At other universities (where you pay less), you have direct access to your professor's contact information for support. For a university that is all online in which you have to teach yourself the entire class, you would hope that you would have a little bit more access to academic support... Wish I could just drop the course and get a refund as this seems like a cash grab.

Taylor Morton II Wander the World

Athabasca has been fantastic for me. The courses are well built with incredible depth so as to encourage critical thinking and positive learning. The educators are fair and knowledgeable. Also, super reasonable tuition fees. I've been to three academic institutions in Calgary and Athabasca has the most reasonable price per course.

Deborah Schartz

This was back in about 2008 I thought I would try taking an Athabasca course over the summer, and use the …

Falcon Darkstar

Study the skills!

Tamara C

This is a great university experience. The fees are straightforward, and the information regarding policies and procedures are quite easy to find. Any interaction that I have had with my professors and tutors has been very positive and helpful. The interactions that I have had with the administration and support staff has been polite and I have been informed of the correct department if I called the wrong one. No one is holding my hand to get me through to my second year. It has been challenging to manage my time and follow the study guides for my computer science classes. This is exactly what anyone should expect from an online university experience. Freedom to divide your time as you need, and freedom from the chaos and expense of travelling 2 hours a day just to get to and from a campus. I might suggest that a person needing a Prof looking over their shoulder and the momentum of a classroom setting to keep them on track, may find themselves happier at a full time campus. If you want challenging classes with many of the same textbooks that are used at campus universities in North America, and if you can prioritize your assignments and exam scheduling well, then you will love the opportunity of pursuing your dream here.

Carrie-Lynn Bueckert

I LOVE AU. It fits my life, and learning online allows me to work and go to school. Yes it is a different way of learning that can take time to get- but if you can be organized you can do it. Many of us still cram at the end. I have had great tutors who ate very accessible.

Tony Anon

This university doesn't care about its students. I had gotten off on a call with a counselor and when I asked her to repeat a step, I could hear her sigh on the phone. They have no empathy for those who actually went through hardship amidst the pandemic. Rather than understanding your situation they shame you and make you feel worst about yourself. Words cannot explain the traumatizing experience I had to go through. If I could give them negative stars, I would do it in a heart beat. A counselor shouldn't be judging and making their student feel worthless. If you value yourself PLEASE don't attend this university they don't care about you. You're better off going to a regular college/university the tuition is the same anyways because of the pandemic and I'm sure they offer online classes as well.

Alexis Charlotte Young

I wouldn't recommend Athabasca Online Courses unless the student wants to work harder then they would in an actual university or really need the freedom to complete their courses. I took a SOCI 335 and CMN course. The SOC course looked promising with the assigned textbooks and movie. The material was interesting but the amount of reading that had to be done was more then I do in my courses at University of Ottawa. Furthermore, the final exam wanted me to study 8 essay questions and write an essay for 3 randomly chosen ones on the day of the exam in 3 hours. Excuse me? I understand they want to show and teach excellence but they are asking too much especially when the customer service was bad and unfriendly, there were always more things to pay for and contacting my tutor was difficult. I had a similar issue with my CMN course, again a lot of work, confusing material with no clear end goal and I'm upset to say that I've retained less then half the material. However, this class was much better as there was no final exam, only a research paper. As a student who's done online courses before and prides myself on doing well in University I thought my experince at Athabasca could be better.

Amanda Breitkreutz

Unhelpful administrated staff which unnecessarily high cost of application, enrolment and class fees.

Naomi Lee

Updated: My initial experience with Athabasca U wasn't fantastic. I needed the student financial aid representative to return my Appendix 3 for my BC student financial aid application in order to complete the submission. In the StudentAid BC application, it states that the process should take approximately three business days. I waited for about a week then began calling and emailing my representative. I never did receive a reply from her, strangely enough. I was left in limbo for over one month having no idea if there was a problem with it that I needed to fix on my end or even if she had received the Appendix 3 form. After I wrote my first review (this is a revised version) I was finally provided with a different representative. My new representative has been great—very responsive and very clear in her communication. It's unfortunate that it took a negative review to provoke a response. I'm glad, however, that the person who was in charge of helping me has either been replaced or has received some help.

Jabey Ann

I want to say first off that I enjoy the education aspect of AU. I've done very well in my programs, and I've had some fantastic tutors (special mention to Dr. Huebener who went above and beyond. If you see this, you did get me to switch to the English side) But if you need help with administrative issues? Hooooo boy. You're screwed. It takes WEEKS for financial advisers to get back to you, and when they do, they don't even answer the question you asked in the first place! I wanted to switch my degree and was told by (possibly the wrong department) that I could. So, knowing that I wasn't doing well in my current one, I switched. THEN I was told to contact my financial adviser. Her emails were rude and cold, and as I mentioned, didn't even answer any questions I had. Rather, I was informed that there was a possibility that I would no longer be a student come next semester if my new loans were not approved, unless I could pay for my classes myself. (Newsflash: I can't, that's why I'm on Student Loans) To top it off, she gave me the wrong end dates, which would have resulted in having to reapply for an entirely new Student Aid Loan. Well, this culminated with a call to the Student Aid Alberta centre where the poor woman listened to me break down. The woman at Student Aid was so much more helpful, and even offered to call the school FOR ME. (You know there's a problem when...) She switched my program on my loan no problem, and assured me it would be ready for my new start date. To recap; I love the programs, but I recommend not switching once you've registered. Save yourself the headache. School is stressful enough.

Meghan Bowman

Horrible. I paid to apply for a masters program ($162) and after a glitch in their payment/application system, was charged for a different start time (not what I wanted). After trying to get a refund ($162 in a pandemic is my grocery money) and was refused by Athabasca stating the fee is “non-refundable” as advertised (did I mention I did not receive what was advertised due to a glitch on their end) my credit card company agreed to give me my money back. A day later (my credit card took back the fee for me) Athabasca contacted me and said I owed them that money and if they did not receive it immediately, It would go to a collection agency and I would not receive a grade for the courses I was currently enrolled in. They also said I would not be able to apply for the master program now, even though they were making me pay for it. I have taken undergrad classes as well and it totally depends on the tutor how good the course will be IMO. I have given Athabasca around $2000 and it is the worst $2000 I have ever spent. Never again.

Franklin Okechukwu

This instructor had an exam divided in 2 parts: first part was to write 2 essay on a question between 800-1200 words each. The second part was to write another essay of 350-600 words each. Making it 4 essay, the concern here was that she never provided me with any exam outline and brief detail of how the exam would look, until I took that exam and failed it. I'm not a Professional critical thinker and fast typer, she might be. writing 4 huge essays in less than 3 hours closed book was extremely too much to ask I would think. My mid-term quiz was 60 questions in 90 minutes one attempt which wasn't too bad as per timing. But the readings on the quiz were extremely too broad with no specific focus or perhaps an outline. Another instructor took more than a month to grade an assignment only after I messaged him to remind him of grading my assignment which was indeed unprofessional. There are many things to talk about but I will stop here. Thank you and have a great day.

Dane Watts

It’s amazing how this place likes to take your money but then not help in return. You are truly left in the dark with this university regarding information. There just always seems to be one more step and no that’s not good enough. A 300-word essay on an emergency bursary, what are we 10 years old? To be disqualified because I didn’t hit 300 words. Give it up. I maxed my 3 extensions, because of sickness, hospitalization, and family matters, all with medical documentation and yet I must fill out an essay only to have a response that I was DQ because I didn’t hit 300 words. Who makes this stuff up? The red tape AU expects their students to jump through is a joke at best. 2 Courses left and I am DONE with AU. Then you want to correct the matter and now the university wants something I have never heard of as a Canadian citizen. Whatever an option C form is. JOKE!!

Dane Watts

It’s amazing how this place likes to take your money but then not help in return. You are truly left in the dark with this university regarding information. There just always seems to be one more step and no that’s not good enough. A 300-word essay on an emergency bursary, what are we 10 years old? To be disqualified because I didn’t hit 300 words. Give it up. I maxed my 3 extensions, because of sickness, hospitalization, and family matters, all with medical documentation and yet I must fill out an essay only to have a response that I was DQ because I didn’t hit 300 words. Who makes this stuff up? The red tape AU expects their students to jump through is a joke at best. 2 Courses left and I am DONE with AU. Then you want to correct the matter and now the university wants something I have never heard of as a Canadian citizen. Whatever an option C form is. JOKE!!

Celeste Francis Esteves

I recently signed up for PSY406 and in searching out the course material, I realize the textbook we will be using is 3 editions old. I’ve noticed a number of comments about outdated textbooks on line and so I wonder why? The text book for my course is from 2005 – 14 years old?? I’m having second thoughts...

Saifur Rahman

I am a Canadian citizen and a banker with 32 years job experience. I have got online MBA degree from Athabasca University in March 2017. It was really a great experience in terms of learning and improving my academic qualification. The …

Viggo Stokholm

Total rip off. Do not waste your time and money with Athabasca.

Tracey Lewis

I took Women and Unions at Athabasca University as a visiting student and I loved it. Shipping was fast for textbooks. Athabasca's individualized study courses are very flexible and very accessible. It was very informative and the assignments helped me get the most out of the course and see different perspectives of women and unions. I also liked how the online course had music videos as a learning tool. Also there was 3 textbooks so there was a variety of perspectives I was learning from. The Moodle system was easy to navigate. My tutor Natalie Sharpe got back to my emails within the same day or the next day. She also graded my assignments within the same day or the next day. My tutor was great and I wish I talked to her more. She always left helpful constructive feedback on my assignments and I knew she wanted me to succeed not only in her class but in my academics as a whole. I loved this course at Athabasca and I recommend anyone in Labour Studies, Gender Studies, Sociology or anyone who simply wants to know more about Women and Unions. I agree that the textbooks might be a bit older but they are great textbooks that are still used today in the field of Labour like Transforming Labour by Joan Sangster. Online learning in an environment like this really requires you to prioritize your time and it's easy to let things go to the last min so it's hard in that respect but it also teaches you to be the director of your own learning and be better at time management.

Tyler's Friend 2017

If I could give this university a ZERO star I would. They carry no respect for their students. I wait forever on the phone and someone answers who really could care less that he's even hired, expecting, weirdly, to remain hired by the university no matter what his etiquette is over the phone. When I call the representatives at the university, I feel that I'm talking to a fraudulent company because of how little they care about their student's requests. VERY disrespectful people who carry no true dignity whatsoever. And the professors, the SAME story. All a bunch of overpaid, lazy people who COULD CARE LESS about teaching us ANYTHING important, yet even then, take forever just to correct a quiz or mark an assignment. They even have a temper, can you believe that? It's like they got someone from McDonalds, gave him a PhD (undeserved) and taught him a few things, and then assigned them to be a professor. I swear 6th grader who was raised well by his parents would have more ETIQUETTE than these professors who probably cheated their ways to their PhD's. ZERO, ZERO, ZERO personal praise for this "university." I would never recommend it to anyone even if this was the only university on the planet.

Evgeniya Tertyshnaya

They are after your money. Fees for everything. Outdated books. Not flexible with anything.

Ron W (RK)

Let's finish this! For the past 11 years, AU has been the most accommodating, fair and helpful university in the few I've attended. Your experience with them will be seamless and easy, so get started! Thank you again for such a great experience and with only 5 courses left this should be no problem!

Samuel Fauteux

I love the flexibility Athabasca offers. My education is quality and my company has taken a deep interest in my studies/advancement. I am so thankful Athabasca let's working members have access to a quality and accredited education.

Giovanni Nuth

CARP

Payton Findlay

The absolute worst experience I've had with a school. First off you cannot talk to someone over the phone directly which is a major inconvenience, secondly, I had to email them probably 15 times to get the answer I was looking for, due to the fact they would just email me the information I can get off the website which sadly made them look very uninterested/lazy. To make things worse I withdrew from a course and it took them a month to refund me, and it would have been longer most likely if it weren't for the countless emails I sent them. Also to add, they keep a $200 with-drawl processing fee even though I withdrew from the course a month before the start date. Safe to say I won't be back and will not be giving out good reviews of this place!

Keely Blake

I enrolled in an online course through this university and absolutely regret it. I could not be more disappointed with my experience. If you are from another university, be careful. Athabasca does not care or take into consideration that students come from completely different institutions with different academic calendars. They also do not give students an adequate amount of time to withdraw and receive money back. Students are better off taking courses on their own campus. No one was quick to respond to my questions or concerns. It was an absolute nightmare. I would never recommend this institution.

Melissa Morton

I have been communicating with Athabasca since June 2021 in order to enroll. I began by ensuring the school would take U.S. funding and I was told that would not be a problem. It took 2 months for the financial lady to get back to me which resulted in me missing the September start time. So I enrolled November start. I emailed a week before my start date to find out I was not enrolled. I emailed this lady again to not get a response. I have now missed the November start date and have not heard back if I will be enrolled in school. While it may be challenging to deal with U.S funding, I an extremely disappointed in the lack of communication. If I was told they would not take this funding I would have accepted another school offer and would have started in September.

Caleb McLean

I have taken online courses through a local university and then I registered for an Athabasca University course. I had tried to match one of their courses to one at the college I am currently attending full time. The match was exact, but …

Leah Oakley

Awful experience and I didn’t even end up enrolling into a course. I was excited to transfer credits over from two previous post secondary schools to do my BA. I received no further communication from them after submitting my application. I Happen to be looking on their website when I realized that the deadline to submit your application for a student loan was at the end of the month this was only two weeks before the date. I was dumbfounded as most normal post secondary schools do not require you to have your application submitted until up to a week into the semester. Athabasca required two months in advance. To make the panic even higher they also require a part-time students to pay for their fees upfront. This made no sense as I would not be applying for a loan if I could afford to pay the fees upfront on my own? When I emailed the University about my concerns I did not receive a reply until nearly 2 weeks later in which a very rude woman who made me feel inadequate and small. After lots of unanswered emails I decided to withdraw. I requested to have my transfer credit fee refunded as this service was never provided. After a month I asked where my refund was and they told me it had to be sent for approval and then there was a 45-day wait for the refund. I can only review AU’s horrible service, and not the coursework itself. Don’t waste your money. The policies are unfair to begin with, and they did not bother to accommodate the pandemic at all. Disgusted.

Success s

Horrible experience with this University. I have been exchanging emails with Math 215 course coordinator since March 2020 to write an exam but haven't received exam date until now. After sending 50 + emails to different departments the Course coordinator (J.P.) responded that she doesn't recognize receiving any email from me. Really???? I filed an appeal with proof of all the emails that I exchanged with the Math coordinator and other departments. And guess what, my appeal got forwarded to the Math coordinator (what a joke) and again did not receive any response for more than a month (whereas I should have received a response within 10-15 days as per their appeal policy) After sending a couple of follow up emails course coordinator's assistant sent me an email that my appeal has been rejected. This university is a waste. I lost my full year because I could not move forward to another course until I clear Math 215. And yes, the assignments and exam questions does not match with the course outline or the exercise questions at the back of each chapter. I hired a tutor to teach myself for Math 215 course and paid approx $ 600

John Allore

Incredible university, up-to-date courses, and overall a very satisfying experience. After graduating from UfT with a B.Comm, I realized my life's calling was in Information Systems. I could not afford to go back to school full-time, and UfT does not offer any viable options for Part-time students to pursue their dreams. My choices were Ryerson or Athabasca. I chose both, and after realizing Athabasca's courses are more up-to-date, I decided to just stick with them. The biggest reason for my decision was unlimited access to instructors: at Ryerson, instructors would not answer questions over email and in class you are not allowed to ask questions unless it's about the lecture. So, it was a no-brainer for me. Having taken at least 20 courses with Athabasca, only 2 courses were outdated: C++ and Data structures. I approached the instructors about those two courses and they said 1- C++'s standards had not changed since 1999, so there was no update in the language. AND 2- Data Structure's basics are from 1980s, so their course which was based on a 2005 curriculum was actually quite sufficient. Since then, they changed the Data Structures course and it's now updated with 2014 materials.. this happened a year after I took the course.

Fae Rube

The only reason i am giving Athabasca University two stars is that I was able to complete my degree at the convenience of working around a full time job and being a mom. Period. Otherwise, I would give it a one star. There is almost no help or guidance from the instructors. When you contact them for help, they will get back to you on their own time. (I will mention that there were a few instructors, in all the years I was attending, that did have passion about education and helping their student). I think most of them are there to collect a pay check. And good luck trying to get anyone from administration such as the ombudsman’s office or executive offices to help with any issue or complaint. They may document your complaint (if that) but they do absolutely nothing after that. The bottom line is that you will have to take the extra time and effort to self-teach yourself at this institution because there will be very little support.

erin robinson

This university is a scam. My refund has been "processing" for 3 months now. All of my e-mails are ignored and everytime I call I get transferred to an extension that doesn't pick up. I'm out 3k now thats just in limbo at this joke of a school. EDIT: I would give this school negative stars if I could. They responded to this review asking me to e-mail them, so I did. An actual person e-mailed me back almost immediately asking for proof, so I sent him them. And now I've once again been ghosted by this school and I still don't have a refund ????

Ryan Smith

I’ll try to offer a balanced review for those who wish to enrol in courses/programs at this university and are unsure. Recent negative reviews are unfair, and so are many others I have come across. They may be true/accurate, but they are unfair: first, in regards to delays that admissions/administrative departments are facing. Let me say that, due to COVID-19 requests, the university is bombarded with requests and pleas. I have been a student at AU for 4 years, and I agree that recently the requests take longer. There are good reasons for it. Second, and more importantly, I fully agree with some reviewers that *some* courses are outdated or some course content or books are behind an edition or two. I completed a degree at UBC and I can say that about a quarter of my courses had the same issue. It is not ideal, but it is better than an average university in Canada that benefits greatly from public handouts and enjoy billion dollar endowments. I am proud of AU for taking such limited (close to nothing) help from provincial or federal government and still offering decent courses. Areas of improvement for the university: the textbooks sometimes change editions but university does not keep up, this is not very appealing in this day and age. Assignments, for some courses, parallel those of graduate schools. I can honestly say that a few graduate courses I took had less than half of what I have to do at AU for courses. I think that this I could be balanced a bit. In summary, I strongly recommend AU to anyone who wishes to obtain a degree from a credible university or get a few much needed credits. However, please be warned that much like any other university in Canada, you may end up with a course that has a lazy TA or unresponsive prof. That’s the case *everywhere*. Except, there is one big difference here: you dont have your classmates to assist you. Maybe you can use forums or online resources. But I am personally not very good at those, so I just bypass the TA and move right to the prof. I have mostly good things to say about AU.

Molly Splorch

Currently pursuing BA. Would not be able to attend traditional university due to disabilities and family commitments. It is very difficult doing university from a distance but it is worth it!

Naf Nikufesin

As someone that has 3 university degrees from multiple real universities and am now an assistant clinical professor, I am shocked to witness what my girlfriend is going through at Athabasca and wonder how this joke of an institution can call themselves a "university" or even be accredited as one. No actual instruction is provided at all. Instructors take a month to return emails, if they return them at all, and have no other way of contacting them. One instructor that didn't answer emails all semester simply went "on leave" a week before the course end, leaving all materials unmarked and the course incomplete. The material being taught is outdated. One course has an assignment that is literally "format a Microsoft Access document". In the middle of a pandemic, they are charging extra to take your exams online (how is this not included in the cost considering that they are a correspondence school that doesn't actually provide anything else for the money?) I suppose if you simply want to buy your degree without getting anything in return, this "university" could be for you. Otherwise, I would suggest saving your money for an actual university.

Ariel Ross

I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone. I decided to take some courses here in the summer as they offered a variety of online courses which my school does not. However, the tuition of Athabasca University is double the normal in Canada. On top of the ridiculous tuition, you have to pay for each midterm and final exam through a third party proctor website. (Of course, none of this was explained to me and I had to figure it out through a series of panic attacks). The tutors are there to do the bare minimum, you are essentially paying to teach yourself from the textbook. Definitely not worth the money!

Michael McNeill

Athabasca is not easy, and if you choose to enrol, you should not be under the impression it is. It is much more difficult than other universities I've attended, but I've learnt much more at Athabasca than any other school.

Nursing Student

I’m speaking to the LPN to RN bridge program - Do not waste your time or hard earned money enrolling here, unless it’s your absolute only option. I get it, our options are limited for bridging programs in Canada, and this university knows it, so they gouge at every chance they get. The courses are all self-taught, no recorded lectures, or anything along those lines… literally you are given an etext, and you’re expected to memorize every small detail, as exams hit on all of them. No study guides are given for a little direction with exams. It’s 2022, please start catering to other learning styles. They use a service called Proctor U to write exams due to the current world situation (added fee for this), and there are always issues. My last exam, which was a 100 question final with a 2 hour time limit, the proctor had to interrupt me to fix issues twice (issues on their end), and my time kept going. So then I was extremely stressed and did not have ANY time to go over my exam or take my allowed bathroom break. All the proctor said was “sorry, I’ll let your school know”… no follow up, nothing. Extremely disappointed. AU told me to take that up with proctor U or pay $177 to rewrite. You’re paying so much (prices recently went up again) for zero support from your tutors, who never reach out and give 1-2 word answers when you’re looking for guidance as to where you can improve; still trying to figure out what they’re getting paid for. I’ve asked for guidance numerous times from different tutors, and have received such a lack of support, that I just stopped trying. If you thrive in that type of environment, with zero support, you’ll thrive here. Nursing is about support! How does this program expect to mould great nurses who support their patients, when they can’t even support their students. Awful. There are added fees everywhere you turn, even to write exams… shouldn’t that be added into the course fees? It’s almost like they know their exams are extremely difficult, because they offer supplemental exams… again for a $177 fee. The fees never end. My previous nursing program was so supportive and interactive, exactly how nursing should be. This program is archaic, and does not cater to different learning styles at all. Would not recommend.

P G

Athabasca University is the only option to complete the RN Prescribing program in Alberta. The professional development department that provides the 2 modules does not have a phone number and is very delayed in responding to emails (at least 3 weeks in this instance). The person I spoke to in the post-graduate nursing office, Liz, was unhelpful and was resistant to even verify the correct email address. The RN prescribing instructor is very willing to help but you can expect difficulty verifying your education (with Athabasca U) for CARNA when trying to receive your RN prescribing credentials.

Julia Berkle

overall AU is an excellent university. Courses are typically quite demanding and I personally haven't had difficulty getting help from academic assistants except for one course. You get 6 months per course, instead of the usual 3. You also get maximum flexibility since you can submit your assignments anytime during the course period. I dislike group projects with a passion, so I was happy not to have to do any of those during my courses here. Now moving onto negatives. My complaints about this university is different from what I read here. AU needs to publish more, get into media more, advertise more, fundraise more, do more research. University's research publications isn't keeping up with other universities. I saw a few complaints here coming from one-timers, those who just take one or two courses. I cannot comment on that kind of complaint, I enrolled almost 2 years ago, and took 10 courses towards a post-grad certificate. Can't comment about enrollment office or financial office. does it really matter? you just deal with those people once and are done with them. All my enrollments have been online since. My complaint is about university's commitment to research. One last complain I have is about lack of new courses. why hasn't there been any new course for the past 2 years I've been a student??? Given how streamlined courses seem to be, not sure why.

CALI LASHES

It is just about impossible to get help with any questions. I understand covid has affected things for the university but for students as well. Completely dissatisfied in the lack of support.

Shaunna Kent

If you want to pay good money for a course riddled with broken links, no support center to call if you have urgent issues because of "covid", if you like waiting month for a reply to an email only to get bounced to another department that outright ignores your email then this is the school for you. I have attended three other post-secondary institutions and this has been by far the worst experience. Save your money and your stress and go to another school. I have a power point presentation that I need to do based on another that has formatting issues so bad that it's white text on a white background and half the information is missing, oh and the assignment is worth about 10% of my grade....

Lori Sanders

Two stars for trying to get administration help to register for a program (which I finally did get). I'm glad I looked at all these reviews because I won't attend here and take my chances. I value education and my money. I'm weary on those reviews who give 5 stars, they seem too perfect and no institution is perfect. Athabasca, I'm not sure how you're running your institution but sounds like there are lots of improvements to be made and more students need to be satisfied with what they are receiving out of your education.

Paolo Rendace

The worst University I have dealt with. I have applied for a transfer credit from College and paid enrollment fees (almost $300) in the beginning of September 2021, as a today Nov 15th, more than 2 months later I still do not have idea of what's going on. I have sent 2 emails and no one ever got back to me. If I am lucky I will start my program after Jan 2022, ridiculous! I have received other offers in the mean time, and accepted of course. I have sent an email asking for a refund and cancellation of my application since it's been months from when I applied, once again, no answer. You are proud to be an online university and you are not able to keep communication open with your potential students? Maybe you should revisit your business model otherwise I don't see a bright future for your institution!

Abigail Aldridge

For an online learning forum this is a very dated program. All learning is done via read only which doesn't meet all learning styles finding it hard to stay engaged. Etext constantly buffers when used in an app or online. Would like to see more online lectures to help people follow along.

The Lotus Wellness

My wife currently attends Athabasca University and applied for student loans - being that we are separated and she takes care of our son full time - could use the financial support. Well Athabasca University LIED to the government and told them flat out she doesn't attend school there.... She's now being investigated for fraud.. the words I would use to describe this kind of behavior are not appropriate for all readers. Simply put I am very disappointed I'm Athabasca University for putting this kind of unnecessary pressure on a single mom.

Gurpreet Kaur

It was wonderful experience. Highly recommended. Having great teachers. One important thing about this University is gives you enough time and students can learn at their own convenience, without hustling too much. If anybody wants to join the English course here, go with Dr. Jo-Ann Foote, understanding and great teacher.

Kim Panjer

If you need to get in touch with your financial advisor, be prepared to wait around a month for a response. Typically when needing to speak with your financial advisor, you need to speak to them ASAP. They do not have enough staff to …

Hana D

Looking forward to start my program in Human Resource and Labour Relations. Smooth transition from college.

Mik Redd

20 days to book an exam!? NOTHING in the syllabus. Academic Advisor said directly "LOOK IN THE SYLLABUS FOR EVERYTHING". Such a disconnect.

I have pen I have apple

(Translated) Hidden information about where Ron is (Original) Скрыли инфу про то где находится Рон

Alex Seeyo

terrible school, I would give 0 stars if I could, I wish I went to another school, so much money down the drain :(

Sar Day

I don't understand how this school gets away with charging close to $900 with barely any help from the tutors. Luckily this isn't my first go at school so I am fine just reading the book and doing an exam, but wow they are really banking in the $900. Also, the tuition fee is supposed to take into account the textbook fee, but one of my courses sent me a book with missing pages in it (discovered this later in the course), and another made the book online and said to upgrade to the hardcopy we need to pay $150! Seriously? As if I am going to pay $1050 for a course that is already overpriced. I feel slightly scammed but at least my gpa is boosted.

Michael Flysnapshot

If you are an independent and motivated character, AU is a great place for you. Learning is enjoyable and flexible. Courses are well prepared, assignments and requirements are well documented, requiring no assistance. I am a business owner, the father of five, and thanks to AU, I can still finish my degree. Due to its remote nature, AU is for mature students. There is no lack of pieces of information, advice, or instructions, everything is out there, but if you're the kind of person who needs to be pampered, you'll likely end up posting negative reviews.

Yan Hong

I will NOT recommend anyone to this school because the staff members ( Tutors or Student support centre)are not supportive. They seems don't care about if you fail or not. They don't give you any advice or help on the courses you take, academically or financially.

haha yeah

Terrible university, fees upon fees for everything. Want admission as a non-credit student to take a single course for your university program? $115, and then pay a "Learning Resource Fee" of $180 on top of your tuition! But wait, there's more! Want to withdraw before the deadline? Haha no worries, we'll just keep $158 as a "Withdrawal Processing Fee". A dying university holding onto a dying business model, its no wonder they try to extort students for every last penny before they inevitably go bankrupt. Unless you want to spend twice as much for half of the educational quality, just take the class at your local university in person.

John C

Having attended York University in Toronto, I was quite impressed with the quality of education I received from Athabasca University (AU). Unlike my former university, AU's expectations were considerably higher: at York, I rarely came across people who had actually mastered the course, most people just skimmed through the course notes in the last week of the course and got a passing grade. This was not the case with AU: you have to really know your stuff to pass - this is why I think some people rated this university quite low. Never, ever had I receive an outdated textbook and/or outdated course. As a matter of fact, I took 15 courses with them (3 semesters) and all of them had texts/content from 2012 (the year i took the courses was 2013 and early 2014.

Cristina Sherren

A terrible institution that is outdated, difficult to navigate, and expensive. I suggest pursuing education anywhere but Athabasca.

Asmaa Alhajri

HELPFUL!

BB C

I had a pretty decent time at Athabasca. If you are contemplating going to Athabasca, I would say that an acute ability to manage time and a high level of self discipline is necessary to succeed. I thought the staff was vary helpful and accommodating, but I wish that each student had one course coordinator designated to him/herself. It would be a lot easier to contact the school and ask for help.

Ioana

Just applied to the school and I gave up half way through the application process for one of the masters program. The amount of technical issues (they claimed they did not receive my reference letter when my reference received a confirmation email for submitting it), lack of support, and rip off just to apply is disgusting. Application process is too long and confusing (compared to other schools I have applied to which are much more user friendly and straightforward, with UPDATED systems). All the other schools I have applied for, have contacted me to check on my application process and see if I have any questions, even if they simply want my money, at least they've gone out of their way to show they care. Athabasca didn't even send a thank you email for applying, just a receipt. Not to mention I paid $170 for the application, when other schools cost me between $0 to $70 for the same program. What kind of service is this? Their response to emails is slow and by the time I was trying to fix my application, I got an email saying the deadline has passed and I would not be considered for the program. Don't waste your money, avoid this school at all costs, and try and look for other schools with upodated system, and better customer service and support. If their application process is like this, I'm scared to see what their online classes are like. Also, their masters of counselling is not even recognized by the ontario college of psychotherapist, so do your research in your field before applying!

Top Secret

Took forever to get a response during registration process. Got pinged around a million times and it took weeks. Then I finally got registered and got a severe case of Covid and needed an extension. More pinging around and waiting, they did extend me but only for two months at a time. With my docs&work finally figured out a plan so I could complete the course and they refused to extend me anymore, they tried to get me to apply via accommodations for students but the application asked for things that I can’t get (as long covid is NOT a diagnosis) plus it would have cost me hundreds to get medical documentation they wanted. So basically wasted $1800 on one course and just stressed myself a lot out trying to deal with them. Never again. Should have listened to others telling me to not go here

Rohan Silva

They are much better than other universities out there.

Reynaldo Valencia

(Translated) Yes (Original) Si

Florina “Lori” Nano

I always thought that the Athabasca University was a “good” university. After all, it is very accommodating to busy adults that have full-time jobs and families. I like that I can complete my work at my own, very delayed pace. The online format suits my introverted personality quite well. I can’t remember to have ever interacted or requested help from the instructors/facilitators of the courses. Want to extend your course, no problem, pay $165 and you get an additional 2 months to complete your work. Want to extend it some more, no problem, you get up to 3 extensions, as long as you pay the low fee of $165. Heck, you can even “extend” your course further, by writing your test within the month after your course end-date, for an easy fee of $100/exam. That’s only $200 to write both the mid-term AND the final! I have done this multiple times, and although I hated myself for procrastinating so much, I appreciated and I was grateful to the university for allowing the practice (though, in hindsight, this was a perfectly fair transaction). Until today, after weeks of preparation to write my mid-term exam, I was ready for it; Saturday, Oct. 22 at 9am. I drive downtown and get to my usual parking spot at about quarter after 8. I decide to do some last minute reviewing in my car, because I don’t want to bring to many things with me to the exam, knowing that I have to stow any additional items into a locker. At about 8:45am I decide to make my way to the examination. I pay for my parking and I head over to the building. Hmmm… that’s strange, the Athabasca University is not listed on the placard of the building. Maybe, I forgot the exact building as I haven’t written an exam in a long while. I am certain it is along the train tracks though. I run up and down the street, but I don’t see what I’m looking for. I ask a nice lady if she knows where the university building is, and she replies, somehow confidently, that it isn’t anywhere around there. I resort to checking the address on my archaic phone. At this point, I still have about 5 more minutes before the exam. Turns out, the Athabasca University has moved to the other end of downtown. I can’t believe it, I will be late to my exam! (see 2nd Part)

red king

Athabasca University is very sub par education for the following reasons; 1) They give you out dated textbooks, I just used a textbook from 1998 in social psychology an APLIED SCIENCE, just to emphasize; thats a 15 year old textbook... Most other textbooks that I have used are not up to date text and the university has clearly used penny pinching shortcuts at the expensive of your education. Don't think that matters? I m sorry but the river of modern knowledge changes enormously from year to year, I would say that a textbook in biology is clearly outdated if it is more then 5 years old. My number 2) point is that the courses are over $750 which is more expensive then Canadas best Universities at $550 per course. What Athabasca essentially offers you for that extra $250 is a textbook or a compliment of literature and news articles (again outdated) which you have to thrift through for hours to get the information that is actually useful when you could of googled it which would take minutes. To take things even further, they are actually changing from traditional paper textbook to online e-textbooks to save costs. this means that you dont get to keep your $750 textbook to reference to in the future and take with you away from the computer. 3) Athabasca is trying to be a modern university that lives in the past. They do not understand that education will become interactive and dynamic. If you do not know how real good self guided education learning can be... try EDX, it is FREE open learning that keeps with the times and then compare what Athabasca education should be. But if you just want an outdated piece of paper at a price; go to Athabasca :) PS. If you do decide to keep going or join Athabasca; like I do because its that paper that matters. I suggest you look up similar courses on Moocs and YouTube, and take the same Athabasca course at the same time. PSS I am a self-longterm learner who has also gone to college and brick and morter universities; I do have a grasp of what I am talking about out so please dont give me that bullshit that self directed learning isnt for everyone.

Stephanie Taylor

Can't believe people are complaining about lack of tutor support - it's online & self-paced, there are limits to the amount of traditional on-campus post-sec education that can be offered online. Email & phone works fine for me, as not everyone who is working for their credentials online has access to super-fast network speeds that support video-conferencing or whatever you're thinking of (nor does everyone want to pay for that). I'm really happy with the ways that Athabasca has helped me complete the courses I've taken so far, and how they've helped me pick courses for my program. After having attended university classes in Canada both on campus & online, I prefer online to in-classroom learning; no group work, no mandatory classroom attendance that provokes frantic work schedule juggling, and exams are easily done at home if I want.

Dave Eckhouse

Graduated and grateful for the services received. Thank you AU!

Nathan Bootsma

Google asks to write an experience. I did not even receive an experience. I paid a registration fee, then got an online login to a student portal where I can view something like any other real school would have. If you have any questions, your best bet is to take to Reddit for answers as the staff here are incompetent on replying to any potential students. Academic advisors? none. I have the contact information for one at Yorkville University who is able to answer all questions I've had, outlined every step I need to take, and even knew the contact information from my past school to get my transcripts. Athabasca has been a month of stress trying to get set up and registered for classes, although I must applaud the automated emails they have set up. Very consistent and unhelpful. Before paying anything, please look into any other school. Yorkville University, NAIT, McGill University, 3 different schools that have been nothing but consistent with helping me get up for class ASAP.

Gagan Sekhon

I just started with Athabasca as an unclassified student. Had some trouble with my student loan and registration. But The staff is so helpful and sweet. From admission to elevation team and student funding department, They all did their best to provide me with solutions. I’m truly great full for their help.

Charles Withenshaw

Amazing

heidi heidi

I agree with all the negative comments for this university and yes, Math Department/MATH DEPARTMENT has been the biggest joke. I wasted my time, effort and money. My appeals got rejected and Ombudsman's office is good for nothing. THIS UNIVERSITY/THEIR COURSE COODINATORS, PROFESSORS, TUTORS - are not for the students but for the pay checks I guess.

Monalisa Scott

I would not recommend AU. I started my nursing journey few years ago and took four undergraduate nursing courses at AU before transferring to U Ottawa. In 2017, I decided to enroll in the NP program at AU and I have been very disappointed with the program as a whole. Some instructors don't seem to have a proper understanding of the course content and assignment structure. Course leaders and instructors sometimes provide conflicting information to students. The program director, in particular, is prejudiced, dishonest, and lacks compassion. If you want a school that cares about your personal and professional growth, without biases or prejudices, AU is NOT a place to go.

Juliana Nunweiler

I struggled in my first year with Athabasca due to mental health. This semester, I wanted to come out strong, beat the depression, and get my classes done so I reenrolled. I reached out and discussed the plan of action in retaking one of my courses with my tutor so I could be set up for success. At some point, my tutor changed? I was aware of this, but didn’t think much when I requested my midterm. New tutor sent me the midterm, I spent one week writing 3000 words. I was so proud of my work. I handed in my midterm. My tutor messaged me a week later that she had sent me the wrong test, didn’t realize I’d taken the course before, and she’d send me the correct version to write a new one ASAP. She blamed it on the first tutor not making notes. So it’s my issue? My rewrite? At first I tried to be understanding until I realized how much this set me off my projected schedule, what it meant for my mental health, and just flat out being told the work I have done is great but won’t be accepted. Enrol in Athabasca if you want the dice of your semester’s grades and overall sanity dependent on the competence of your potentially pop up out of nowhere and mess you up tutor. I will not be spending another dime here.

Evert Vandebeek

Our son went through a computer science program. Never received any marks except the automated quizzes. Very hard to contact staff. Slow response time. Since the service is so bad, he didn't finish in time. They can give you an extension if you pay them more! That is great, they want their bad service rewarded with more fees! Very disappointed with this lousy outfit.

Yuxuan Wang

I emailed the University’s finance department multiple times about my course fee refund; NO RESPONSE AT ALL. They said the cheque was mailed but didn’t give me the tracking number. They rush you to pay the course fee when you register but are EXTREMELY reluctant to give you refund if you withdraw from a course. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY CHEQUE, hilarious.

Rob MacDonald

Because there are no lectures, you basically have to use the textbook as your primary resource. Very few clues are given as to content in the textbook to focus on, so you have to read it in exhaustive detail in order to make sure you don't miss anything. Some TAs and Profs care about helping their students doing the best job they can, and will spend effort giving useful feedback from assignments. However, other TAs are either lazy and/or extremely subjective in their marking, and will mark assignments without explanatory comments or ways to improve. After receiving a frustrating grade, I talked to one TA in particular to find how I could improve without any comments written on my paper. He told me in a phone conversation that he marks assignments quickly and doesn't give comments specifically because he taught my course for side-money, and his effort was focused on the more senior level biology-related courses than he coordinated. In my opinion, this TA's attitude does a massive disservice to the reputation of Athabasca university. Due to the distance format of the courses, students rely on feedback from their assignments to improve, and a TA who is uninterested in helping students improve is quite harmful to a student's moral and overall learning experience. Overall, in my experience it is far more challenging to get an excellent mark in an Athabasca class than a UofA class due to less educational resources, lack of lectures, over-reliance on the textbook as a source of information, and the risk of getting a TA who marks critically with no regard for student improvement.

Ben Omony

This is probably the worst institution to enrol into, and I would not recommend any student to enter into a program here. I’m two months into a full-time program, and I’m still waiting to have the student finance department disperse my student loans. I have a medical condition and I can’t purchase my medication, buy food, or pay rent. The marking for assignments is very inconsistent because there are different people marking, and they don’t follow a marking rubric. I have been forced to appeal almost every assignment because the marks given did not properly reflect the work that was completed. The institution also fails to return calls or emails. I have had people hang up on me when attempting to transfer calls. This semester has been an absolute disaster, and this will be my last time enrolling at AU. I wish I could give 0/5 stars.

anzal jaylani

I will be graduating from Masters of Nursing program this spring and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Help was always an email away and the learning experience very positive and uplifting. I have met a lot of wonderful people along the way. online learning requires dedication, discipline, hard work and determination. Athabasca gave me the flexibility to work fulltime, as well as pursue higher education without sacrificing one for the other.

Stephanie Ramage-Liu

Tutors are terrible. Although they are supposed to reply to your emails within 2 business days, they do not. I am right now waiting over a week for a response from my tutor. Paying $667 per course is also very expensive, considering you are …

Andrew Rivera

Got my Bachelor of Arts in Poli Sci through Athabasca University. I’d started at the U of L a couple years prior, and had to drop out after 2 years due to life circumstances. Athabasca gave me the flexibility to work full time and go to school full time. I found the tuition reasonable, and the student aid funding helped me finish my degree. I will likely return to get a second bachelor degree in the near future, once completing my MBA through a different online university. Marked down 1 star as the convocation ceremony was very full of itself, and gave the UCP minister a pulpit to preach their demagoguery and propaganda. All of my family and guests were aghast at the minister being allowed to speak with politics being front and centre.

Bryn Arnt

I'm only giving two stars instead of one because I haven't actually had the opportunity to study here yet, so I can't comment on the courses or learning experience. HOWEVER.. I enrolled in the beginning of January and despite pushing my start date back, am still unsure if I will be able the begin classes in May. Going through StudentAid BC I require an appendix 3 be completed and returned by the university in order to actually apply for student loans. StudentAid BC states that it should take 3-5 business days for this to happen. After weeks of not receiving confirmation that this had been completed so I could submit my financial aid application, I sent two emails asking whether or not it had even been received on my behalf. I didn't get a straight answer, and it's been another two weeks now. The deadline to apply for student financial aid for my current start date was February 29, but I haven't been able to submit the application due to the university failing to submit the appendix 3. Do I just keep resubmitting this with a pushed back start date every month, not having this form submitted in time, and start the process again, never actually getting to start school? Not to mention the hell of trying to plan your courses for your program. There are tools online to help you do this, but they can be vague. If you ask for any clarification, be prepared to wait several weeks for a cold response from someone copying and pasting links to their website you've already reviewed instead of any actual answers. Like I said, I can't comment on the learning aspect, but so far dealing with administration has been a logistical nightmare and I'm ready to just give up. Ridiculous.

Samia Moghrabi-Kwarakwante

I have taken lottts of online coursework and would recommend many great schools (Portage College, UVic UCalgary) and this is absolutely not one of them. Please avoid at all costs.

Dustin Watkins

Was not guided properly through the program selection process. I ended up selecting 5 courses which is a full semester anywhere else, however because the courses are 6 month courses condensed into 4 month courses, it ended up being overwhelming for me. By the time I finally got to speak to a counsellor about being inundated, weeks had passed, and then on top of it, by the time I finally got to through to the financial aid department, I was so backed up I had to drop three courses instead of the two I'd planned on. I e-mailed the president of the university about the backed up student aid department and he got back to me saying that they are working on it. However I can see from other reviews that this has been a persistent problem for over five months. That isn't "working on it" - it doesn't take five months to hire new staff. Hire them. Increase wages if you're getting zero bites in that amount of time, broaden your search, advertise more - something is not being done appropriately at that rate. While I find the tutors are alright and the marking seems sound, it can be a challenge to learn everything myself.

Laura S

After reading other reviews I'm surprised about the amount of complaints about phone interaction, bureaucracy and fees. Have these people been to a regular university? Fees for everything! Compared to other traditional universities my experience at Athabasca has been much better. Yes, sometimes the tutors don't answer their phone during office hours. But at traditional universities the tutors and professors don't always show up for theirs either. I've found email to be the best way to get support from tutors/profs and they have always been super supportive. Considering that a student at AU doesn't have to go to regularly scheduled classes, courses require a little more effort on the student's part. If you expect to learn via osmosis, it isn't the place for you. However, I have had much better learning outcomes at AU and found that it is as challenging as courses at traditional universities. If you are looking for an easy course to take then it might not be the right place for you. Advice for any funded students.... start the process early or pay your own fees first and collect funding after. It can take a long time and be a complicated process, especially in the beginning.

Kiran kaur

Terrible University. Terrible experience. Completely dissatisfied in the lack of support. It is just about impossible to get any help with any question especially from the MATH DEPARTMENT. The Math department coordinator and staff are so irresponsible and do not care about their students at all. I understand covid has affected things for the university but for students as well. Don't waste your time and money. ZERO STAR

Jim J

Pro: The instructors are very good. They know their materials well, and they will spend time writing detailed feedback for your assignments and questions. …

Sabine Freud

This review is based on personal experience. I have taken a couple of undergraduate courses with AU, and am in the process of completing a master's program with them. Here are my thoughts: First, I will start with the undergrad courses. I have been extremely dissatisfied by how courses are taught to students. You are expected to read entire textbooks by yourself, with no additional videos or lectures. Very boring! Tutors often work for separate universities and take a long time to respond. I have found the feedback very general and not helpful. As others have noted, you are treated as a money machine. Undergrad courses cost approximately $750 per course. You also have to pay to write final exam (I had to pay $50, but you might have to pay more depending on the location). You are expected to receive 50% or more on the final exam in order to pass, regardless of your other marks throughout the course. No study guides are provided, you are expected to know everything in the textbook. I received 49% on one of my final exams and was told I needed to re-write and pay ($170+invigilator fee) again to retake the exam. So in the end a course costing $750 might add up to over $1000. Extremely frustrating... which has led to my decision of never taking an undergrad course with AU again. The flexibility of being able to do the course on your own time does not outweigh the rest of the cons. I would recommend seeking another institution to take undergraduate courses in the evenings as you will get much more out of these courses than one with AU. Next, master's programs. These are even more expensive ranging between $2200-2500 per course! That is how much my husband pays per semester for 3-4 courses. Again, these courses are self-taught, however you must ensure you are posting each week to 'prove' you have read course material. Posting is supposed to emulate a class discussion, however, it really is just another boring task you must do to get your participation marks. If you are not a proficient writer, you will fail. Sometimes videos are offered as a supplement, but usually you are expected to read either the textbook or outdated research articles. Finally, if you are taking a master's program that requires you do a practicum, you are expected to find your own practicum supervisor and site. This was extremely frustrating for me, since AU only provided an out-of-date preceptor list and minimal guidance on how to secure a placement. Moreover, AU does not pay supervisors for there time to supervise students. As such, potential supervisors will likely say no to taking an AU student on for a practicum, since there is no compensation for their time or expertise. Final remarks: If you are looking for a self-taught, somewhat flexible, low education, high price university experience AU is for you! If you want a better education, I would recommend going with a brick-and-mortar university.

Louis Hauteclocque

I love the flexibility and classes are good. I have had some wonderful helpful tutors and teachers. My biggest gripe is please for the love of all that is holy get rid of The Landing. It's slow, cumbersome, unorganized mess that makes me feel like I'm back in 1995 forums. For a school that is heavily reliant on Online learners this is insane to me. I love my education progress, but the landing is absolutely terrible and I know other students feel the same. Part of my credit depend on my interactions on the landings and honestly it's almost worth taking the %10 loss on my total grade to just ignore it.

Alexandra Lekkas

Absolutely the worst. Attend somewhere else.

j-pickupcat

Pretty much the only legit public research university in Canada that offers fully flexible online degrees and it gives me the opportunity to get a STEM degree without quitting my job. If the admin side of things frustrate you, then it’s the same way in any other Canadian Universities. Do you have to learn everything by yourself at AU? Yes, but welcome to the real world. At workplace you always learn by yourself!

Chanelle Lyon

Do not recommend. You are paying to teach yourself everything

Keith LeBlanc

If you're a strong independent learner this is the place for you, but you must be willing to read the fine print about how to contact tutors. I love all my courses with the exception of Math 215, the tutor is helpful but the Introduction to statistics textbook is trash. I never accomplished a high level math in high school so trying to learn independently from a text that is riddled with wrong answers is challenging for shure. Math 215 is mandatory but the textbook feels like a waste of money when YouTube has more accurate information. As a dedicated student please take care of this major problem.

Athena G

Go to a real university. I am a keen mature student, with three degrees; I have been a teacher for twenty plus years. This review is based on my experience with Math 266 at Athabasca, a course I took on a LOP from another institution as part of a professional upgrade. The flexibility of online learning appealed to me, given my full time employment and family responsibilities. This course is an embarassment to modern pedagogy. A poorly written, confusing course manuel, a text missing key elements, a "tutor" available by e-mail and phone. This is the best you can do? With all the excellent technologies available for both teaching and assessment and this is the best you can do? Who communicates via e-mail or phone...I am 50 and this is outdated even for me. I was very keen to learn the material, completed all readings and practice exercises, watched videos online, and spent 400-500$ on face to face tutroing. I spent on average 25 hours per week on course work, more in advance of the exam. In spite of this, I was unable to complete over half of the exam questions. I put forth a Herculean effort to be successful in this course, and most importantly, to learn the material. What did you do to support me in this quest? Send some stuff, repsond curtly to some e-mails... pretty much nothing. As an educator, it irritates and angers me that you will hide behind "academic rigor" to condone your immoral, and frankly lazy approach to delivering mathematics curriculum. I will continue to advise my colleagues to avoid your "university". You should be ashamed of the sham you are perpetrating on unsuspecting students.

Sheldon Hubert

I had an amazing experience at Athabasca U! I was able to finish my graduate degree in nursing, which was fully online and keep my full-time job. I did not lose any pay from work, or any seniority at work. I only had to work around taking my vacation/stat days off, and needed to do homework in my spare time, usually on weekends. Although, it was challenging to juggle my time, I found my professors to be fair and understanding, and I could always get the support when needed. I felt that I made the best decision for my career by choosing a online degree, and it has made me a more rounded person, and it opened a lot of doors for me! I would recommend AU for any busy working professional!!!