Florida Atlantic University Reviews

  • 291 Reviews
  • Boca Raton (FL)
  • Annual Tuition: $17,324
89% of 291 students said this degree improved their career prospects
88% of 291 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Jamie
  • Reviewed: 9/12/2023
  • Degree: Psychology
"I spent the 2022-23 school year at fau and had a horrid time. professors range from extremely difficult to extremely incompetent. there are professors that will outright tell you that they are going to try to fail you and other professors are graduate students with no clue about how to teach a class. they take money for everything and once you are charged with it to your account there is no going back. I've sent countless emails to many departments, always met with hostility and attitude. they do not care about you or their job. I have charges on my account from a semester that I did not even attend fau and they refuse to take them off, like I said, once you're charged that's it. the campus feels like a high school with all the childish drama and the school cares more about bringing new students in than anything else. they took away most of the upperclassmen housing just to give it to freshmen and left so many students even including the freshmen, with no housing. they have no regard for what the freshmen are supposed to do for their next year when they can't get housing. this is why most people transfer out after a year or even just a semester. I worked at an office on campus and still think this school is trash."
Christine
  • Reviewed: 12/20/2022
  • Degree: English
"This school does not care about you. Advisors are so lazy they will make you look into everything by yourself. I asked a financial aid advisor about the specifications for my scholarship, as I heard different things from different people, and she told me to go look it up. I went to them because I could not find the information, and it is LITERALLY her job. When financial aid ended up not covering the class I asked her about, I called their office again to ask why. She said I should have come to the financial aid office and I told her that I did. She then told me that it was MY FAULT that I didn't get all the information I needed. That I should have asked for someone else if she couldn't help me, and that it is my responsibility to figure everything out. Wow. Do I have to tell them to do their jobs? And the entire purpose of my going to their office was that I was trying to figure it out, and I wanted some help from someone who has experience. On top of that are the academic advisors who seem to have no idea what they are doing either. In my second semester, I was trying to schedule classes for the Summer and Fall, and I had to go through 3 different people before I found someone who could help me. Their website is very disorganized and confusing for someone who is just starting college and has so much else to deal with at that moment. Every advisor I spoke to up to that point told me that I needed to speak to someone in a different department. They are all advisors and it isn't like they tell you about the class or which classes are better for this major and are more fun. They just give you a sheet of courses that are required for your major. Also, not sure if this is just the general college experience, but the classes are way too expensive. They want me to pay 600+ dollars for a single summer course that has a single underpaid teacher and 20+ kids. What is all of that money even going towards, because it certainly was not the class. More than half of the class was online assignments, on a website you had to pay for SEPARATE from the tuition fee. On the actual campus, everything is extremely expensive. They are literally just trying to rob you of your money. They tried to charge me 8 dollars for a plain bagel with cream cheese. The campus is plain and there is a serious ant problem with all of their outside benches and tables. Cannot sit anywhere without being attacked by ants."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 7/14/2022
  • Degree: Nursing
"The part time professional second bachelors BSN program at FAU is trash. Currently in it. Nothing but disrespectful communication (or just silence) from administration and particularly the program director, the tuition is high for no actual reason, we have been required to be available during business hours multiple times (this program is specifically for working students), little to no clinical experiences, half of my current class has been assigned clinical on Fridays(?!- again for working students), no senior preceptorships, they have blamed everything on COVID even though other schools in South Florida have not had issues gaining clinical for their students for the past 6 months and the last graduating cohort's NCLEX pass rate was in the 60's. You are better off getting the accelerated BSN or getting your ADN. Literally any other school is better. This program is not worth it and their "caring philosophy" only exists on their website and does not actually apply to their staff or program."
MS
  • Reviewed: 4/9/2021
  • Degree: Healthcare Administration
"I started off at FAU very hopeful and excited to earn my Bachelor's degree. I have been in college almost 10 years and I have been working very hard to keep pursing my degree no matter what life challenges came my way. FAU has made it very hard for me to continue to follow through with my plan. From their horrible advisors, professors, expensive tuition, and a Dean who apparently doesn't talk to students. This university is very political and as students we are expected to keep rolling with the punches. They boast about students having a voice and rights but I feel as if mine and other students around me are always shut down. It's extremely frustrating. I needed help getting an internship and reached out to the woman in charge of it just to never receive and email or phone call back. I am grateful for the couple professors there that actually care about their students, they truly are what kept me going. I will be very excited to graduate this year and be able to close this chapter of my life. Hopefully some things change so other students don't have to go through what I went through."
Mike Sertman
  • Reviewed: 2/23/2021
  • Degree: Biology
"Absolutely horrible Biology program. Many classes where most or half the class was failing, professors lacked any empathy about it, and could not teach. Teachers assistants who run labs act like you are dirt and mark off any chance they can. No one responds to emails. If you have a life emergency and have to withdrawal under exceptional circumstances, they will deny you and make you jump through loops going to every department head per class to explain. If you transfer, they will forget to register you as in state and they will also leave you with nothing left for classes because current students will have already picked fall classes. Everything about this school is horrendous and inexcusable. I have nothing but regret for choosing this school over FIU."
Matthew
  • Reviewed: 2/8/2021
  • Degree: Marketing
"This is something that is very important to me that I wanted to get out there in the open. This is something that every single college does; and it is NOT okay!!! I've been in this school for almost two years now; and I haven't learned anything that I haven't learned in high school. Let me start off by saying my entire first year of math in college was just a waste of money. I told my advisors I wanted a higher math than what was recommended, and they didn't let me choose the class that I was paying for.. They made me start off at the basic level math, when I just finished pre-calculus in high school. So, I paid for the entire first year of math. Everything I learned was the same level I learned in high school. Although there are some good instructors, overall, it seems like there's no push at all for teachers. The curriculum, at least for gen ed, is not hands on at all. Professors will use pre-made courses online, tell you to do it, and just hand out a quiz every once in a while. I've already had professors will also make study guides, that might as well be copy and pasted from online (I mean seriously, borderline plagiarized), and call it their own. They then sell you these books for $150+, and make it a requirement for the class. I don't feel stressed in school because of the work itself, but I get stressed in school because I feel like I am just completely wasting my time relearning stuff in high school. Overall, I don't recommend FAU. It is so over-priced, there is lack of flexibility, especially in the first two years, with the classes they have you take to pull in some extra money, and learn nothing you haven't already known for years. Save yourself some money, go somewhere more local, because it will be the same."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 1/26/2021
  • Degree: Nursing
"The administrators of the College of Nursing are extremely slack and do not care about the students. My cohort graduated in 2020 and we are STILL waiting to be verified for graduation so we can start the process of taking the NCLEX. Every other school has their students already registering and we will be delayed by at least another month. FAU has not helped my job selection at all because job opportunities are dependent on my ability to get licensed and because of how delayed everything is at FAU my cohort is missing many opportunities. It is very disheartening to have a college based on caring philosophy be the complete opposite. Additionally, attending FAU did not help me in gaining employment in the slightest. There is no assistance in the job search. I had to learn from other students at different schools the timeline for when I should be applying for jobs. Also, I am a BSN nursing graduate with ZERO experience in pediatrics, ICU, maternal/newborn, ER, step down ICU, NICU, and more. I have no useful experience and did not have a preceptorship/immersion, either. In my experience, FAU has set us up to fail as many hospitals are looking for at least some useful experience and other schools (that cost a FRACTION of the tuition) have worked to give their students these opportunities."
Seb
  • Reviewed: 1/19/2021
  • Degree: Engineering
"I’m glad I choose FAU. Professors are really good at teaching and care about helping students. It’s really easy to approach any professor to ask for any questions. Also, very important for some people is that class sizes are smaller. I think is one of the few public universities in Florida with small class sizes which is very good for most students. There are a lot of resources available to students and tons of clubs to join. I totally recommend FAU to any looking for a university with small class sizes and a good education."
Masters Student
  • Reviewed: 12/15/2020
  • Degree: Accounting
"While this university is highly rated, I feel it is over rated. Some instructors are engaged and useful, while most are performing at the minimum. Online instruction receives minimal interaction and entails mostly reading the book and being tested on this. The input from most instructors is minimal. Some instructors provide no feedback or corrective measures at all. Grades are often delayed in getting to the student resulting in absolutely no idea of your final grade with half the grades not provided at the end of the instruction until the course is complete. For the price, you would expect a better product."
Minority
  • Reviewed: 9/23/2020
  • Degree: Nursing
"The nursing program is an absolute joke and I'm sorry I chose this uni over USF. There are several instructors with an axe to grind and who don't want you to succeed. You can be 4.0 all the way through until you get to these instructors. Extremely discouraging and for a nursing program that touts a caring philosophy, they should not have hired this instructor. She has damaged several of my classmates gpa average as well as my own for no other reason than she has a narcissistic personality and doesn't want others to succeed."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/21/2020
  • Degree: Nursing
"I would absolutely NOT recommend this program for RN-BSN. There are a few professors who are unavoidable within the program and they will kill your GPA for no other reason than they do not want you to succeed. You can be 4.0 until you get to them. There is also alot of favoritism from these few professors towards Caribbean students. One professor does not hide her contempt for the US and Americans and hides behind a veil of "godliness". She has NO business teaching nursing students and FAU should not allow this closed minded mentality in their faculty."
Maria Mirodias
  • Reviewed: 12/27/2019
  • Degree: Marketing
"The marketing program at Florida Atlantic University is a positive program that teaches both theory and real life skills that you are able to apply to your career upon graduation. A wonderful marketing class that was offered to me as an undergraduate class replaced the standard exams with marketing certifications including Google Hubspot, Google Adwords, and so forth. In addition to the certifications, we were required to participate in simulations that allowed the user to understand how the theories and concepts learned in class actively affect consumers. It was a wonderful degree program and highly recommended."
Ashley Wright
  • Reviewed: 12/16/2019
  • Degree: Political Science
"Florida Atlantic University turned out to be the perfect fit for my undergraduate and graduate college experience. In my undergrad, FAU allowed me to hone my skills by exposing me to senior thesis projects and seminar-style learning that I ended up using throughout my graduate degree. FAU graduate program in Political Science gives you the opportunity to explore the major areas of study in the discipline of Political Science."
Sondra Andrews
  • Reviewed: 12/12/2019
  • Degree: Criminal Justice
"Florida Atlantic University has excellent programs and colleges of the like. For my undergrad studies, they provided great quality teaching and the material presented in lecture is solely based on the experience of the mentors, who have either become professors through their own academic endeavors, or had first hand experience working within the field, whether it be in corrections, like Professor Langois, or with the DEA like Professor Richard Mangan. Not only are the classes beyond par for the field of study, there's also plenty of opportunities and groups to take part in, such as the ACJA (American Criminal Justice Association), or taking on an internship with the onsite campus police department and even have the chance to work as a CSO (Community Service Officer) while working on your studies!"
Nhi Truong
  • Reviewed: 9/29/2019
  • Degree: Elementary Education
"Florida Atlantic University is very diverse both study body and staff and faculty. In my program, majority of professors are very dedicated to student success. I never felt pressured to come up to ask for help from them. The school has a lot of opportunities for student employment on campus. I was also able to find a job on campus in my second semester there. The university located in South Florida with a wide range of diverse food. The location is so great for international students, who can find large grocery stores and restaurants specializing in food from a many different countries. I can't stand the cold, so the weather here is just perfect for me."
Matthew Juber
  • Reviewed: 8/14/2019
"There was honestly a lot of fluff in my undergraduate degree. Not a bad degree if you want to just use it to fill pre-reqs for medical school or want to be a personal trainer - but there was not a lot of hard sciences that other schools require - which is nice at first until you reach graduate school with a teeny tiny science background. One of our capstone classes is taught by our worst professor who does not invite questions and discussions, but rather barks at students until they give up what they wanted to say. There are also rules that force you to take low level activity classes that are both at inconvenient times and academically useless. (I was forced to take pilates)There are some really great faculty that really want to help - if you make friends with them you will have a much much better experience than most, and hopefully that'll open up doors."
Noelle Perez
  • Reviewed: 7/29/2019
  • Degree: Nursing
"I went to Florida Atlantic Universtiy for my undergraduate degree in nursing. FAU has a beautiful campus, and the College of Nursing has their own building where all of the classes are held. The class sizes are small enough where you really get to know your classmates and build strong relationships with professors that extend into the professional nursing world. FAU has a strong caring philosophy- an attitude that is essential for becoming an effective nurse. Faculty and staff were always available to me when I had questions and concerns regarding the program as well as clinical nursing. My program was live, no online classes. I was very comfortable in the nursing building, and treated it as a second home during my two years in the program. My classmates and I did most of our studying and group projects there. Before going to clinicals in the hospital setting, I learned assessment and basic nursing skills in the CLA lab which was set up like a clinic for simulations. After I graduated and started my first nursing job, I felt there was so much clinically that I did not know and had to learn on the job. However, I did feel that FAU prepared me for the real world by training me to have a professional mindset, adapt quickly to new surroundings, and become an effective team member."
Gabrielle Rind
  • Reviewed: 6/29/2019
  • Degree: Biology
"I truly enjoyed my undergraduate experience at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Over the years, I found more and more opportunities that FAU offers to students. For example, there are many teaching opportunities for undergraduates who perform well in certain classes such as Biology or Chemistry. Many of these are paid positions for students looking to work on campus. FAU has a great Student Government (SG) as well. I had the privilege to work as a student employee with FAU's SG for over two years. I was able to make incredible connections and it allows you to make an impact on campus. For those who want to pursue research, most of the science faculty members are actively doing research and have undergraduate students working in their labs. A great way to get involved in a lab is to do well in courses and discuss your research interests with them during office hours. FAU also has multiple research programs. I was involved in the Honors Research Program within the Biology dept as an undergraduate. The program allowed me to do research for over a year with a great mentor. Most of the faculty at FAU are really incredible and want you to succeed. I would highly recommend FAU to someone who is looking to pursue a degree in science."
Taylor Haughton
  • Reviewed: 6/26/2019
  • Degree: Psychology
"I went to Florida Atlantic University for my undergraduate degree. I majored in Psychology and Sociology, and I went to this university for four years. I enjoyed my time here because I believe that professors have impacted my education. Like at any university, there are many opportunities, but it is up to the students to take the initiative in the resources that are offered. For example, when I emailed my professors about research and lab positions opportunities, they were able to assist me. I learned so much about research in labs and the importance of ethics when working with people. Not only did I feel that the academics have improved my learning, but I believe that FAU has taught me about myself. The organizations are robust and charitable. Many of the organizations are recognized by many of the population.There are many times out of the year where you can speak to people about their clubs and organization on the breezeway. A breezeway is a favorite place on campus because this where students can expand their social connections in their personal interest or career goals. This place is like the heart of the school, and I recommend that every new student check it out. The location of FAU is excellent because it is really close to the beach and in such a beautiful city. Most of the students are commuters after their first year of college because there are many apartments around the school. There are many part-time job opportunities around the area. The Career Center has been a help to me in the past as well as many other students at FAU. They can help with your resume, mock-interviewing, and job searching. Even after graduating, the Career Center can assist graduate students in finding a job. All in all, I believe that my four years at Florida Atlantic University were phenomenal!"
Alexis Waechter
  • Reviewed: 6/26/2019
  • Degree: Biology
"Undergraduate was amazing and an interesting. FAU had amazing professor and classes that allowed me to learn so much about science. Professors were there to challenge me and help me learn. I was able to be challenged by exams and earn my first C. By earning my first C, college taught me that even if you try hard you may not succeed. You are not the only one struggling and you are not the only who has ever received a C. College was a challenge, mentally and physically but it was worth the ride."