Alliant International University Reviews

"I want to say that I am an excellent student and have only received A’s through incredibly hard work at this place. I truly wish I had done the research before agreeing to attend this university for my teaching credential and Masters in Education as a student intern. However I was hired by a 3rd party as a sub teacher and was offered a grant to cover part of the cost of attending so I was ignorant and trusted the parties involved. My experience has been so utterly terrible that I have decided to write this and other reviews to warn others. As mentioned in many of the other reviews, 99 percent of the work you do is ambiguous, vaguely written instructions and the EXACT SAME rubric being used for literally every assignment because it is so vaguely written it can be applied to anything. The professors themselves rarely understand the details of the assignments that they are giving to their students. NONE of the lesson plans you design are applicable to the classes you are actually teaching every day. The templates have changed 4 times in a year for how to put a lesson together, and they are literally nowhere close to what the edTPA asks teachers to put together. Top to bottom they set you up for failure, and unless you sacrifice your personal life you probably will not do well as you have to go look for even the most basic information and instructions. They do not prepare you IN ANY WAY for the edTPA, nor do they notify you of how to pursue it, or the deadlines you need to meet in order to graduate on time. Only 21% of the people in my program graduate on time. The professors grade based on their daily mood, they do not respond to emails or questions about their assignments until the assignment is 3 days late and not accepted any longer via university policy. EVERYTHING this university does is to make tons of money, forcing students to repeat multiple classes to line their coffers. There is no real concern for your success and only 14% of the graduates (3 people total) go into education because this place is so awful. If you have the choice to go literally anywhere else, i suggest doing so. It’s been nearly impossible to succeed."

"I had some good instruction and training and some bad. I’ve worked in a number of settings since graduate school. However, there are many employers and internship programs that don’t have a high view of this school. The applied experience was good. The environment was more punitive than supportive of a career path. I’m happy with my career, but not due to my overall educational experience experience during school."

"I don't know why Alliant international - California School of Professional Psychology doesn't have better reviews. I'm in the doctoral MFT PsyD program at the Irvine campus and I love it. The instructors are warm and caring as are my classmates. It's challenging but doable because of the support of the teachers and other students. I've found everyone including administration to be good. It's helped me exponentially learn and grow as a clinician and person. I'm glad to be there. For reference, I've attended 2 UC's for my BA and Masters."

"campus in Phoenix I highly recommend you pick a different school they have put off the start date twice now not a good sign so glad I withdrew my application and refused to refund my money this is their fault not mine do not go here try chamberlain university or a more reputable school."

"This university is HORRIBLE. They are literally just checking boxes, and there are hundreds of stupid little fees that come up because they make you use resources like VEED and their instructions are not at ALL helpful. You are left completely in the dark about everything and when you try to reach out for help they basically direct you to a million links that either you won't be able to find, don't work, or don't actually have the information you need. I don't usually write reviews, but if you are considering attending this university PLEASE GO LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE. SAVE YOURSELF. I have enrolled in several online programs throughout my educational career, and this one is so disorganized and ridiculous. This is a HORRIBLE organization, PLEASE do not waste your time here. From admissions to the finance office to the fact that the assignments are completely monotonous and repetitive, this is just overall not a good place to be. Go somewhere else."

"I would not recommend attending Alliant International University to receive a teaching credential. The teachers are horrible at grading, and you are punished for not understanding the assignment submission requirements as a student. The assignment instructions could be more specific on how to complete them, yet the instructions are consistent from class to class. You must wait until you receive your first grade on your assignment to understand the instructor's teaching styles. Also, how assignments are completed in one teacher's class based on the RISE model doesn't work in another, even though you were taught to do it a certain way based on previous point deductions. Alliant Internation is a for-profit school that cares about bringing students on board for financial gain. I recommend UMass Global. I was warned about Alliant International's poor quality but didn't believe what I heard because the advisors were so nice. I feel bamboozled."

"Terrible experience with this school. They change their online format almost every other term and give incorrect directions for how to use the format. The teachers and administration are unresponsive to issues. There are a lot of unethical grading practices taking place, so that it is not uncommon to have to repeat courses multiple times. Deeply regret choosing this school for credentialing."

"Truly the worst university you can attend. Administration staff do not exist. They purposefully delay anything to get you to pay money and say you passed the deadline. Flat out lies told to CYA, and faculty that TRULY do not give a crap about you or your success. I can't believe the rude emails, behavior, and inculpabilities of faculty. I can only assume from my own teaching experience that they copy and paste syllabus, do not answer emails, and do what they can to just get a paycheck. A disgrace to academics. Please avoid and attend a non-profit university, or at least a highly rated university. This school isn't even top 250 in the country. Luckily I already have a job, I feel bad for the other international students they take advantage."

"I really regret choosing the school to pursue my alternative pathway to a teaching certificate. The good thing about this school is that you can get financial aid to help you pay for the program. The financial aid department is awesome and quick to respond and solve issues. However, that is about where the good ends for me. There are many other options out there, I highly recommend you look elsewhere. The material was read and analyze alone. The assignments were generic and the professors didn’t create or understand some of them, the grading was easy so you really don’t have to try at all. One of my professors dropped me a letter grade and a half the day after a term ended because I upset her. Nobody at that school did anything about it. I was required to stay an extra six weeks while they tried to figure out how to communicate with the Arizona Department of education. I was eligible to be recommended in week one. I don’t usually write reviews, however, I wish I would’ve seen more of these types of posts before I chose to pursue this program and waste so much money."

"Attending this school was a big headache. The instructors did not do anything but grade the work you turn in. Many of them don't fully the assignment description and requirements because they did not make them. I truly wish I would not have gotten into so much debt for this program. There are way better programs that will have you use the material you are creating for your teaching job as assignments. This program works against you and the clock as every assignment you do in this program will be extra work, on top of your teaching job. Being able to use student loans to pay for the program is so great and might be the only way you can become a teacher. BUT if you can pull off making monthly payments to another program, you will save yourself over $18,000 and a giant nagging headache that will take away from genuine development time in your classroom."

"Lack of communication from all departments. I was often the one having to email my advisor, coordinator, etc., to find out information otherwise I would be kept in the dark. Some professors don't seem qualified as they don't respond and are clueless about some assignments. Due dates for assignments on Canvas are inconsistent and some professors don't send any announcements whatsoever, they just grade what you turn in and no relationship is developed with students. My experience in the Masters program for education has been frustrating and expensive. Constantly get email notifications that Alliant staff members have resigned. I once received an email that my academic advisor was no longer working there as of that day. My previous advisor made many mistakes and even ended up enrolling me in a course I didn't need. I caught that mistake because she would have never noticed. To top it off, those extra 3 credits are not even showing up anywhere on my transcript. I have emailed multiple times about this and I just graduated and the problem was not fixed. Very frustrating! If you enroll at Alliant, be prepared to advocate for yourself because no one else will. If you can, go to a CSU or UC instead."

"My experience at Alliant has been horrible. I have dealt with constant poor communication skills and rude/unhelpful/ not supportive/ unresponsive teachers. They have a high standard for the student, but an incredibly low bar for their staff. You feel like an after thought. If you ask a question the professor has no idea and will tell you they don’t make the assignment. Once you are in the program you are stuck as their units are non transferable at most locations. Would not recommend."

"Excellent school with working professionals who share real-life knowledge of teaching in field of school psychology. Program is comprehensive and the cohort model is excellent. Prepares you with nasp standards & certified by CTC. Highly recommend for school psych and other psych masters."

"Completely unprofessional! Once they have your money, they will treat you like dirt! The instructors and the managers wont give you any contact information, they only will provide a general help email. When I had a question for my instructor, I emailed the general help line and they assured me that she would get back to me quickly. It took her over 2 MONTHS to return my email! When she FINALLY returned my email, it was obvious that she was trying to brush me off. The classes are super easy and very sloppily put together. I have found multiple spelling and content errors. Then, when I finished the course, they made a mistake on my transcript and said the course was worth 2 credits instead of 3, despite the syllabus clearly stating otherwise. When I asked them to fix their mistake, it took them over a MONTH to fix it! Every time I have asked to speak to a manager or someone in charge, I am ignored. I have asked many times to be called instead of having to communicate via email, and they have ignored me. DO NOT ENROLL! It is obvious that all they want is your money!"

"I have positive comments about Alliant. I graduated with a PsyD from this school when it was formerly known as USIU, back in the 1990s. My professors were excellent and I completed my required pre-doctoral practicum/post-doc supervised hours with well-qualified PhDs. I might add: the comprehensive exam at that time was very thorough, detailed and challenging. If you didnt know the material, you did not pass the comp exam. Since passing the EPPP, I have been employed as a practicing clinician with a large hospital for many years, and also supervise PhD and PsyD Clinical Psychology students. Everyone has to pass the EPPP no matter where you go to school. Every psych program has its pros-and-cons. I was very happy with my education and training at USIU."

"I have positive comments about Alliant. I graduated with a PsyD from this school when it was formerly known as USIU, back in the 1990s. My professors were excellent and I completed my required pre-doctoral practicum/post-doc supervised hours with well-qualified PhDs. I might add: the comprehensive exam at that time was very thorough, detailed and challenging. If you didnt know the material, you did not pass the comp exam. Since passing the EPPP, I have been employed as a practicing clinician with a large hospital for many years, and also supervise PhD and PsyD Clinical Psychology students. Everyone has to pass the EPPP no matter where you go to school. Every psych program has its pros-and-cons. I was very happy with my education and training at USIU."

"It was a great program. Small and thoughtful classes"

"The Psy.D program at Alliant International University has an integrated health psychology track. Integrated Health Psychology is focused on the psychological and behavioral aspects of physical and mental health, specifically how biological, environmental, cultural, social, cognitive, emotional and behavioral faculty impact health and illness. Additional factors related to health, illness, and/or disability include the health care system, health care policy, and health care providers."

"Alliant International University and the CSPP (California School of Professional Psychology) together are quite wonderful. The application process is very straight forward, the interview process is formal and far more easy going than one would initially believe, and the faculty and staff on campus are wonderful. There is a real atmosphere of compassion, growth, and understanding on campus from the faculty, staff, and students in the cohort. Everyone is incredibly driven in a variety of regards and it is really refreshing to see how much effort everyone puts into everything they do. Being that this is both a graduate and undergraduate campus, I think it's important to recognize that there is a real environment for growth both personally and professionally since there are quite a few graduate students involved in the different aspects of campus life. I definitely recommend this school for anyone who is driven to learn more about Psychology and to progress in their education, as well as wanting to experience a different atmosphere than most larger institutions offer."

"The pros of the program are the small class sizes that allow for more one on one instruction, the availability of most professors, and the monthly check ins on our practicum hours and experiences. The cons would be the living expense, specifically for the campus in Irvine, it's costly, so I commute. In addition, the seven to eight week courses make it difficult for instructors sometimes to cover all desired areas and the lack of more food options at the school site, however, there are nearby restaurants."