Complaint Review: AIU Online - American Intercontinental University - Career Education Corporation - Chicago Internet

I'm a graduate of AIU Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. I realize most of these comments are about the online division of AIU but the complaints are the same for those who actually attend a physical campus. My biggest complaints with AIU were the following: 1) Incompetent Financial Aid staff 2) Students admitted that have no business being in college in the first place. 3) False claims of help with Career placement. AIU is all about making money and admitting as many students as possible. They already know most will drop out and never finish the programs. They also know they are admitting students who lack the discipline and study skills to be successful in college. I also feel they prey on minority students as the majority of the students at AIU Buckhead are African American. They lie and say the racial makeup is pretty even among whites and blacks but it's simply not accurate. The three years I was there the school was about 90% African American and that's who they prey on because the tuition is really expensive and they know the minority students can get the most financial aid. By the way, I'm African American as well. I was forced many times to do group projects with other students who would not do the work or even show up for class. Many times I ended up doing the majority if not all the work in order to maintain my "A" average. The quality of students is very low and most will never make it in their chosen fields because they don't even show up to class and when they do find the time to show up, the quality of work is not even that of a high shcool student. Granted, the instructors are good and do have industry and career experience but they are bound by the lackadaisal attitude of the school. I've seen many fellow students of mine do sub-par work and get the same "A" that I received. I've had an instructor tell me that she graded on "effort" and not quality of work. Well, I have news for her, effort will not cut it in the Fashion industry, the quality of your work will speak volumes. No company will hire someone with a shoddy portfolio and bad work ethic. The financial aid office was always a nightmare. I was always being given different amounts owed to the school. I went from owing $2,000 to only owing $200 and never made a payment on my payment plan! That doesn't make any sense at all. The financial Aid department is what drives most students to drop out. It's a complete nightmare and filled with staff that comes and goes and lack proper training and aptitude. Poor advice from a so-called Financial Aid staff member cost me $1,000 in Pell grant money. The commercials for AIU claim they offer career placement assistance but it's a joke. What they call career placement assistance is really just giving you a pice of paper that explains how to do your resume. They give you the impression when you first come to tour the school that they actually help place you in real employment after graduation and that's simply not true. MY ADVICE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING APPLYING TO AIU---THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE YOU APPLY. YOU CAN GET A BETTER QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MUCH LESS AT A STATE UNIVERSITY. PAYING OVER $1600 FOR A 3 CREDIT HOUR CLASS AT THIS UNIVERSITY IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY. DOING YOUR COLLEGE COURSES ONLINE MAY SEEM CONVENIENT BUT YOU WILL GET A BETTER EDUCATION ATTENDING A PHYSICAL COLLEGE. AIU HAS A LOT OF DISGRUNTLED, DISSASTIFIED FORMER STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN SCREWED OVER BY THE FINANCIAL AID DEPARTMENT. A LOT OF THEM ARE UNEMPLOYED AND JUST WORKING AT THE MALL. SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T NEED A $70,000 DEGREE IN ORDER TO WORK THERE. SO THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE GIVING AIU YOUR PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS OR PAYMENT FOR CLASSES. THEY ARE BEING REPORTED TO THIS SITE FOR A VERY GOOD REASON. HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR OF PROBATION WILL FINALLY MAKE THE POWERS THAT BE WAKE UP AND REALIZE YOU CAN'T SCREW AROUND WITH PEOPLE'S MONEY AND GET AWAY WITH IT.