University Alliance reviews and complaints

I’m very dissatisfied with the lack of customer service and follow-up extended by University Alliance. The only consistent service they offer is to make sure you are enrolled and receive your books for the courses.
After my first few semesters, I was constantly shuffled to different program advisors and it was difficult to keep track of who to contact with questions. I never even received a check-in as I was nearing graduation with instructions on next steps to ensure I had met all the necessary requirements nor did I receive a congratulations for completing the rigorous Master’s program. I have no complaints regarding the University I attended, but the customer support and service for University Alliance is lacking.
Once my program was complete, I was never asked to complete a survey regarding my experience. I was basically ‘disregarded’ with no follow-up whatsoever.

The first problem is that you have an ENROLLMENT adviser from University Alliance or Bisk or whatever there name is. Their job is to make sure you keep registering (aka paying). A real school has ACADEMIC advisers who make sure you are doing well academically let this be your first cue. They call you every several days with absolutely nothing to say except How are things...I say good...he says OK then and the call ends. I am pretty sure they have to call because they have a quota they must make every day or every month for how many calls they make. I am pretty sure they get paid on enrollment and enrollment. Once you decide you hate the school they pretty much drop you like a bad habit and good luck trying to get any useful information from them.

In any event, I wasn't happy that I had to take 2 intro courses which basically reiterate everything I learned in undergrad. If you did not get your undergrad in business you should be required to take those 2 courses. However, that is not how it works so please be advised you will be wasting 5k on 2 classes that mean diddly squat!

Next issue, they will try and enroll you so fast and get you signed into a contract (enrollment/books) before you are even accepted. What results, you can be deep into a class only to find out your financial aid fell through and now your on the hook for your tuition. Real schools do not let you into class if you have not paid for it! This did not happen to me but I was on the hook for books because I purchased them so far in advance.

My first teacher was OK. The class was too easy and not engaging and I had no issues. Second class (the 2nd intro class) the teacher was horrendous. He was condescending on the boards and tore me apart on my discussion post in front of the whole class. I took the conversation offline because it was getting unnecessarily aggressive (I felt) on his part. We went back and forth 3 times through email until I finally said "If there is something wrong with my project proposal let me know . When I had not heard back from him and the first assignment was due in 1 day I realized this was not the school for me so I dropped the class. Mean while back at the ranch, other people posted a sentence and got a good job.

Lastly, the books. It is nearly impossible to get ISBN numbers so you basically have to purchase the books through University Alliance. My first class books were 400.00 and I got a whole bunch of things that did not seem to be required to the class. Please make sure if you are going to be purchasing books through them you ask for only required. Tell them you do not want workbooks and lecture discs. God knows how much those cost out of the 400. Also, the book that they call a text book is a about 100 books mashed haphazardly into one book. There are spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes (not that I am any authority on that), and I have no idea how much the book costs.

I finally settled on a great school for my Online MBA and I am currently attending University of Scranton. Look into this school if you have not been deterred by University Alliance.

I submitted my email address to receive a email pdf information package supposeably without hassel or pressure. As I expected within a few hours I not only was getting bombed with emails but already had 10 voicemail messages from the "recruiter" with his car salesman tactics & pressure. That was just the first in the two months or so since it's only been worse. I've blocked the emails and turn my machine off & the phone volume off. I emailed him that I choose someone else and more reputible but that didnt stop this guy nor the templated emails he still sends either from his universityalliance.com email or the Villanova.com one. Often both. I've block both as well as the subject using anything to do with both and reported them to my email provide for spamming. Any school that uses guys like this guy shouldn't be in business. I even get emails about programs I didn't ask for. Stay away trust me I'd rather deal with the Tax man then these guys. I'd rather have lemon juice poured on my open wounds. I'm glad I this was as far as I got just sad it continues and that I opened the can in the first place knowing it would probably leaded to spam & endless phone calls but that's my fault for working hard and trying to stay updated in tech field.

I was coached into signing up for school by this company, I informed them that my financial aid was not completely process and that I had no job, so until it is throughly processed I would rather not start or sign up for my class because I do not have the money to pay. They insisted that I did sign up and that once my financial aid went through that the school Florida Tech could go back and get money owed to them. I had no reason not to believe them since this is for education, then after the deadline for me dropping the class they started telling me that they haven't recieve my high school transcript and that they keep calling the school for it. So I told them I would fax the copy I had of my transcript to them and I did, once they got that they said it had to come directly from my school to them so I as well as them so I thought contacted the school and had them mail them a copy. Once copy arrived they stated it was too late and that financial aid would not pay for my class for that term and they billed me 3, 188.48. Now I have no job but had to agree to pay them 89.00 month for 3 yrs just so this would not go on my credit record. I told them this is not fair they told me because I did not sign up this term financial aid won't pay I told them I refuse to sign up again because I may end u owing more money they then to me to contact there billing dept to make payment arrangements.

For a service that is used to help recruit, enroll, process loans, and other facets of an online college service, I'd have to say that that the only way that you will get good customer service, is to be pushy and not a pushover. Not only that, but do a lot of reading and do not expect any handholding. Remember, you're an adult. They are helpful if you have any questions, but just be prepared to deal with several different areas if you need all your questions answered.

Remember this is a business, and once you realize that the enrollment departments are not educators, but working for a business and have little knowledge about courses or financial aid. Their main priority is to help their company get the money.

I enrolled in FIT on my own accord and thankfully did not have to deal with any recruiters. However, my Enrollment advisor was not at all knowledgeable in the processes of anything else than sending out an order form trying to get you to enroll in their classes, (which they choose for you the first term). When I asked him questions about books, payment, etc. He was at a complete loss. I had to contact other departments in order to receive any support with my questions.

The Enrollment coordinatorI dealt with (this is the person you deal with AFTER the enrollment Advisor, was a bit more helpful, maybe this position is a bit higher on the totem pole. My only concern was the poor grammar that was used in my Email responses.

The main thing to remember is that you will need to do a lot of research and reading on their websites. This is the same information that they will give you when you call them. They do not seem to have any insight to anything else. I would hope that in the future they would invest more into their staff and really give potential studentes a real "Human touch" like they claim.

In trying to enroll in Florida Tech online, I had to go through University Alliance/Bisk Education. With classes starting Monday, I have no insight into my transcript evaluation or financial aid award. I have lots of financial obligation building and the last day to withdraw is October 24th, interesting given that classes start 3 days later. Furthermore, I can get no one to return my phone calls or emails this past week, again an interesting turn of events given the upcoming deadlines. It would be interesting to learn how much of their revenue is earned by students who pay for classes and services they never get because they start classes and then later learn they receive little transfer credit and/or no financial aid award.