Reviews of The Art Institute Online of Pittsburgh | Tips for Designing Websites

72 Responses to “Pros and Cons of The Art Institute Online”  

1. 1 Ronen Aug 10th, 2006 at 10:23 am

   Everything you said here in the cons is true. These are things that I been complaining about for a very long time, and they keep saying that things are being done… but they aren’t. I been here for 3 years with growing aggravation.

   If I can add a few more cons
   - Bad class information: the material in the class is not just outdated, sometimes it is just plain wrong. Sometimes it makes no sense, and sometimes its just not there.

   - Staff that changes faster than you change socks. I already been through about 5 academic advisor in 3 years. No, it is not me, they simply keep firing them. Same goes for financial advisers.

   - Odd choices of software: The school insists on using 3D max. While North American companies uses Maya mostly.

   - 5.5 weeks: is not enough time to do anything. Sure it is improvement over the overlapping week (anyone remembers that, now that was hell). But it still bad. 11 weeks courses with less assignment everyday would get people much further.

   - 5.5 week: not enough time to build portfolio quality work. You want portfolio work? You will have to do it on your own time extra.

   - No live connection with teacher. Never do you really get to chat with them and get real guidance.

   - No audio or video lecture. Seriously, how hard would it be to add?

   - Courses have wrong assignments: Some courses have simply the wrong assignments that are imported from other places and are not double checked.

   - Courses that are built for ground base schools: yup, many are just taken from AIP. They do not fit online environment.

   - Teacher that are unprofessional and in many cases simply refuse to help or listen.

   - Won’t let you transfer a lot of credits.

   - Small selection of General Education classes.

   OK, this list can go forever so I will stop. very cool you managed to find pros because I can’t. The only reason I am here is because I have no choice and spent to much money already hoping things will get better.

2. 2 Jennifer Janke Aug 30th, 2006 at 7:15 am

   One thing that I find frustrating is the notice date of the classes that we are enrolled in for the next session. This is only my first session with AIO so I don’t know if this is typical or not, but I was not notified of the classes I was taking until 1 week before the session started. When I tried to purchase my books for the classes (the same day that I received the notification) I found that they were out of stock almost everywhere. Needless to say, I muddled through week 1 with no textbook for one of my classes. We should be given a minimum of 3 weeks notice so we don’t have to scramble and end up paying an arm and a leg for expedited shipping just to get our books on time!

3. 3 Brad Sep 21st, 2006 at 8:35 am

   Hmmm, I’m a little surprised. I think the 5.5 week thing is one of the best parts. The Thursday start thing sucks though. Bumping that up to Monday would make things wonderful.

   I’ve had a lot of those problems at a regular school before, too. That’s no excuse not to fix things though.

4. 4 Michele R Scott - Academic Advisor BGRE J-Z Oct 11th, 2006 at 8:51 am

   Shane stated “No connection with most of the classmates! I mean yeah, we have bios on the first day of class but other than that, the postings are just blah and it’s easy to disconnect with people. It would be nice if we had a section in each class for more personal topics if someone wants to post what’s new with them, life, and pictures, to share what they did over the weekend, whatever. There is a student lounge for such posts, but the “newâ€? classroom format makes it easy for cobwebs to form in that section of the forums.”

   Michele’s feedback:

   The connection is here at AIOSTUDENTS.COM. I had 3 students that all lived in the Boston area. They got together to have lunch, dinner, discussions and just to connect. They ended up meeting another classmate that had an art gallery, and did a showing of their work. They now have a bond that goes beyond AIO.

   As an online student myself for the past 5 years I have to say that I now have friendships from around the world. We talk often, and travel to see each other.

   You have the opportunity with AIOSTUDENTS.COM to put up an employment guide for students to offer, and apply for job positions. This is the place where change can take place, and AIO students need to be involved.

   I urge my students to take “ownership� of their education here at AIO.

5. 5 Shane Eubanks Oct 11th, 2006 at 9:20 am

   Thanks for the reply, Michele. I should mention that the pros & cons were mentioned by other students…I simply compiled them.. I don’t want it to seem like one voice shouting out.

   You’re right about the things that I could add to help students such as an employment guide. I had early intentions of doing just that. I still might. The problem, though, is that it is something that should be provided by AiO themselves. I do this in my spare time, so I can’t put as much effort into it as the students deserve…not as much as someone at AiO who would get paid to do the same thing. I think AiO Connections that the school is touting may be the key that gets everything going. I’m a graduate now, so I don’t know if I’ll have access to that, but it sounds exciting.

   I intend to keep this site alive as long as students use it and can definitely see myself adding info to it that will help students succeed and network with others.

6. 6 anonymous Jan 10th, 2007 at 7:51 pm

   I’m so glad I found this site. I’m just beginning my third quarter here. After 2 quarters of doing really well and being very excited about attending AIO, I’m beginning to wonder.

   I wonder if anyone else has had this experience. When I applied to attend and went through the financial aid procedure,I was told by my financial advisor when he went over the plan with me that I could make payments for the amount not covered by student loans. He explained the payments would be $70 per month until I completed school. I have just found out that is not the case and that the balance is payable in 3 installments only, my next two payments will amount to over $3000 (this is within the next 2 months). I tried speaking to someone in the financial aid department. They told me to apply for a clep loan. This won’t be possible, since I have very poor credit. I explained this to them and was told I could get a cosigner. The person I spoke with acted concerned but that was all they could do.

   I really feel I was deceived. I hope this is not the case and that the Art Institutes is the respectable school I thought it was. If there are others with a similar experience, I would appreciate hearing their stories. I don’t want to waste anymore time or money on a school that practices deception to get student enrollment.

7. 7 Edward Feb 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 am

   I”m in my third semester of the online learning and I have a bad feeling about the whole thing. I’m really hoping things will get better. I’m REALLY hoping that the classes will become more challenging and that the student work will get better and that I might actually learn something. But I don’t think any of that wil happenl. I’m starting to think I should just quit AIO and learn this stuff on my own. I don’t think there is enough feedback, in quantity let alone quality, from students or instructors. I don’t think things are set up in a way to really learn this stuff.

   My advice to those considering the Art Institute Online: DON’T SIGN UP. If you are motivated enough, you can learn this stuff on your own.

8. 8 Peter Feb 7th, 2007 at 4:49 pm

   Im a 36 year old alumni of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh – VC 1991 – and was thinking about joining / attending the BS Media Art & Animation program offered by AiOnline. Have been pretty excited about the prospect quite honestly, that is up until I stumbled across this article. After reading it through,as well as all the comments/posts, I am now very hesitant to shell out my $70K.
   I very much enjoyed the graphic design program at the AIP back when I went- I learned a lot and feel it was money well spent. I figured the Online program would be up to snuff as well, but I am reading here that it is not the case. Does anyone know if its just the online program, or is the “on-ground” program for Media Art & Animation at AIP all screwed up too?
   If any one has any feed back at all about either the program or the school, or any advice about the field what-so-ever, I would be grateful…
   Thx.

9. 9 Jace Mar 6th, 2007 at 11:55 am

   I’m glad that I found this site, first of all, so thank you. I am (was) a prospective student for AIO, and just spoke with an advisor on the phone yesterday. The whole thing sounded a bit off while talking to him. He had the tone of a prescripted phone salesman, which doesn’t help to build any confidence with this program. I did not finish with him, because I didn’t want to waste 50 bucks just applying for the place that I am unsure about. So I told him I’d call him back later when I had time. The guy had me on my phone for about 2 hours, and I only own a cell phone mind you, so that’s a big hit on my minutes. I wanted to hang up on him, but I really would like to get into an online degree program.

   I’ve been told some advice: before you buy into something, go to Google, and type the name of the company, and the word “SUCKS” after it, and check out the results. That’s what I did for AIO and came up with this. Thank goodness too, I don’t think I can shell out that much money for such a shoddy-sounding program.

   I think I am going to look into some other online degree programs. (Looking for my Bachelors in a Game Art and Design program, 3d modeling, etc) Hopefully there’s something out there that’s worth looking into. If not, I guess I’ll just build some models for Half-Life 2 and see where it leads me.

10. 10 Jennifer Janke Jun 5th, 2007 at 5:52 am

    It’s really a shame that people are using small amount of posts on this site as the deciding factor regarding AIO. I am just about to start my 2nd year with AIO and couldn’t be happier. After being in the ID industry (I’m an Interior Design major) for 15 years, I have learned more than I thought I would over the past year. I think that people should look at the good AND the bad before making a final decision. I would (and have) recommended AIO to family and friends in a heartbeat. No one, no school, no place of employment, etc. is going to make 100% of the people 100% happy 100% of the time. Just keep that in mind.

    Jennifer Janke

11. 11 Shane Eubanks Jun 5th, 2007 at 8:15 pm

    Good points, Jennifer, and thank you for the positive reinforcement. Hopefully The Art Institute Online has taken points from this post (and comments) and addressed them since this has been written. I graduated in Sep of ’06, so I’m not sure how it is now. In the fields that most of us are in, it’s important to do two things if going to college. Learn AS MUCH as you can inside and outside of classes…and network with as many people as possible. It’s highly possible that your classmates, facilitators, and people you come across will be valuable colleagues in the future. Learning a ton and making friends will make any education worthwhile. Sure, it’s easy to “just get by” and make the grades, but the real deal is the extra steps a student takes beyond the classroom. Make that time count and you’ll be well-rewarded.

12. 12 Natalie Jul 2nd, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    Hey! well im going to start AIO right now on this semester well now on July 9!
    Im so excited and i hope everything goes great and that i dont have a downfall of my expectives.
    Take Care everyonee

    Im off to check out that site of students.

13. 13 Christian Dec 21st, 2007 at 8:55 pm

    I currently attend the Art Institute of Philadelphia and was thinking of possibly switching to AIO. This article has answered a lot of concerns I have. So, I’d like to thank Shane for taking time to put this together.

    Anyway, the reason I’ve been thinking about AIO, is because I feel my grades have been suffering due to all the group projects I’m forced to do. It seems that every single class I take, the instructors kick back and force everyone to work together. I’m 22 and most of my classmates are straight out of high school, kids who seem to be there for all the wrong reasons, dragging there feet to every class. It’s always the same too, there’s one mule and the rest just jump on the wagon. So, I thought if I were to switch to AIO, the work would be more individualized and my true abilities would come through.

    I also thought AIO would be more challenging, since you’re doing it all on your own. I almost thought that you’d learn more that way. But, from everyone’s bitter feedback it seems like the opposite.

    So, I’m pretty torn. It’s either, sit through four hour classes with these 18 year old brats who chose an art school because they felt it’d be easier than a traditional college or take a chance at AIO, which seems to have a lot of dissatisfied alumni/current students.

    If anyone could exchange thoughts with me and my current situation, it’d be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks and regards,
    Christian

14. 14 David Feb 18th, 2008 at 12:05 am

    I think the views of individuals from this site reflect a small portion of students who have had negative experiences. It’s important to realize that most people who don’t attend a 4 year degree directly after high school have limited academic potential as their lives progress and online gives an opportunity to these individuals. Although many students seeking a successful online learning experience are out there, I feel it’s important to take into consideration a lot of negative comments about AIO are coming from the other end of the spectrum. People who have a history of procrastination and obvious lacking of past educational prosperity are often another tier of individuals seeking online as a learning platform. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of negative comments come from those lacking work ethic as well as creative attributes to offer within their program. Ultimately, I guess what I am getting at is that a lot of potential online students don’t really have that much room to talk about when it comes to the concept of competencies. It’s their lacking in the past which has forced them to be left with an online source of education as their option.

15. 15 Shane Eubanks Feb 18th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    Thanks for your thoughts, David. If you have some positive things that you’d like to share about your experience with AIO, I’m sure other prospective students would love to see them. As for thinking the negative opinions come from a certain type of people “who have a history of procrastination and obvious lacking of past educational prosperity” I can speak for myself and many of those that provided the majority of the opinions posted. Actually, the majority of the comments came from people who have been working in the industry or have sought a higher (or alternative) education. I haven’t logged into an AIO class since I graduated in September of 2006 and these opinions were collected in the month prior to my graduation. I passed the information along to various faculty at AIO in hopes to improve the curriculum and experience for students that followed. If you’re currently in a class at AIO, I’d love to know if any of the negative comments have been addressed. I had a sincere hope that AIO would grow into “the” school for online education of the arts.

16. 16 Juan Mar 28th, 2008 at 7:58 am

    As a recent student at AIO I would like to add my take. There are positive aspects to the Art Institute, however after a year and half of classes, most fall WELL short of the standards I came to expect at a normal college. Facilitators were hit and miss, some very interested and engaged, others barely there. As is most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it, however I think AIO misses the mark regardless. Antiquated platform, “facilitators” instead of teachers, classes that are too short (I’m sorry, but 5.5 weeks is not long enough for depth of certain subjects), etc… Some may have a good experience, but in the end you’ll end up with a massive student loan debt and still not learn what you need to know. Go to the library, it’s free and you can get the same info.

17. 17 Sonia May 9th, 2008 at 10:09 am

    I agrre with Jace, they are sales people and will tell you anything . It did sound like a script, when i asked a question i could never get a straight answer . Mostly with the finacial person. I f i asked a specific question they answer with a word for word repeat of what they already read me. I also tried e-mails and they will never answer the questions straight forward. It’s almost as if they do not know the answers or they just don’t want it to be documented. I have been told that the start is may 8th. 2008 but yet i still see nothing online for the classes , i have no idea what is going on. Everytime they need me fill something out, i do it and then get another from to fil out. They need to get it together and give it to me all @ once. I feel like i have been lied to on many occasions, too much detail for that. But yes , i am very scared right now and feel i am about to owe a bunch of money and get screwed out of an education. I’m tempted to just call it all off and find another school but i don’t even know how to do that.
    Any suggestions on some good online schools? I have 0 freetime two hours late at light is the most because I work full time and have twins. And live on my own.
    Maybe everything will come together and it will be ok, but I am not feeling that right now.
    Thanks
    Sonia

18. 18 Sonia May 16th, 2008 at 7:17 am

    DON’T DO IT!!
    I would sugggest doing your research first. I learned my lesson a little too late. They late enrolled me, enrolled me in a class that was never mentioned or even asked if I had the time to take it, which I don’t .It is not in the finacial plan . I have been e-mailing and calling and no-one will give me a straight answer. So I basically got a terrible grade for that class because by the time I was able to even read it the assignment due date had come and gone.
    I was concerned about it two weeks before the classes even started because I could not log on to get a head start. They kept assureing me that everything was ok , and it’s not. Don’t waist your time. Or at the very least don’t let them talk you into enrolling right away. The pressured me into starting ASAP even though they could not get there paper work together in time. I still don’t think it is straightned out. Take your time make sure all the paper work financial aid and everything is set in stone (and good luck with getting that) well before your start date.
    DON’T LET THEM TALK YOU INTO IT!. They sugar coat everything, they are lying to you .
    It’s too late for me , but save yourselves!!!!!!

19. 19 Jonathan Sep 4th, 2008 at 11:44 am

    The Art Institute online is a “for profit” company. There are company meetings about profit margine and when enrollment is low tuition goes up. I would suggest going to a ground campus or learn a trade. Online school is a scam. Take a few business classes and get a Photoshop book and you will be fine.

20. 20 dismayed and tired Sep 16th, 2008 at 7:16 am

    I have been at the AIO online for approx. 5-6 years. I enjoyed the flexibility because with no family, friends nearby, and kids I could work crazy hours and feel productive toward my academic goals. I would say I was 98% satisfied until the last 3 years. My GI Bill assistance ran out, I had more academic advisors than I can count. I am a hard worker in fact I used to be disappointed with myself if my GPA was lower than a 4.0.For a while it was way up there and I had no complaints about AIO, with the exception of online students who harassed other online course students. This was done with racial slurs or sexual nature. I was one of the few students who reported these issues and made sure they were resolved.

    What has changed my perspective is the last 2.5 to three years my financial aid plan has snowballed. It started when my tuition payment plan went from a $249 monthly tuition to a lump $12,000 bill. I went thru weeks and many people telling me different scenarios that may or may not have caused the problem. The one clear message was “we need you to pay it”. Who in their right mind would pay a bill that high without a viable reason?

    I lost sleep the phone and letters came in but no explanation. Until I pressed them and then there was four different scenarios; the last one was that my subsidized and un-subsidized loans were changed. I didn’t even know hat the term meant and I was sure “I” never changed them. So supposedly, I wasn’t receiving enough aid to cover my tuition hence the deficit. No attempt to hold a financial aid person accountable was made. I can’t count how many times I was put on hold or got a vague email. I was told “you did go to school” when I said so if you guys mace the mistake then you can fix it right. They wouldn’t in words take the blame and I asked can’t you track down the user, id number, or name of the person who messed with my finances. I had an emotional break down one day because this person was so rude he acted as if it was a little bill. My husband and I paid what we could with threats of me being dropped from class; I thought what an insult to injury. Therefore, we trudged along being late here and there after all a mortgage and my kids eating had to take precedence.

    As I got closer to my original graduation date I asked if I could extend my payments till after my graduation date of which I already canceled plans to walk down the stage with my family from out of town. I was told this was impossible I would technically graduate but not get my diploma and receive phone calls daily until it would be paid; even though I explained we had a hardship issue financially. To make the excruciatingly long story shorter we took a hardship personal loan, which took a lot of red tape to get with no help of the school.

    I paid them in full to the penny. Clincher, I don’t get a receipt with the exception of my campus common reflecting a zero balance for maybe a day or so. I called to get a hard copy receipt because of the agony I went thru and I wanted to make sure I’d graduate on time. I just found out last week It was back to a balance f $1000 , and that my graduation date was changed to three months further. At this point, my positive feelings and memories are tarnished with disgust and how the heck am I going to pay for another three months we just took a loan for the supposed total amount. Even worse I haven’t been able t concentrate on my classes so Miss A is now do I have to get this done. I feel like three more months at AIO will be punishment no disrespect to the facilitators I have had two bad apples in 5-6 years. It comes down to the lack of communication, lack of responsibility on the part of financial aid and the “jus pay the bill” attitude.

    So now what? I found this blog looking for answers but if don’t get any leads on what to do next, at last someone else can be on the lookout for financial aid woes’. I say don’t attend this school unless you have enough money or have a relative/friend who can police financial aid at AIO.

21. 21 shane Sep 16th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

    Dismayed & Tired,

    Wow…I’m sorry to hear about your financial aid issues. Mine were similar in that they offered me no “aid” at all…more like “financial burden”. Their financial “aid” at the time (around 2004-2005) was just to make sure they got their money. I see it hasn’t changed much. My high school guidance counselor offered more financial assistance than anyone at the art institute online offered me. Needless to say, I’ve got about $40k in student loans to pay off.

    I don’t know if you have any lawyer friends, but it may be worth looking into. That’s really odd how they changed your payments like that.

    I’d suggest talking to someone other than a financial adviser at aio. If that doesn’t work…perhaps find a lawyer….or since you’ve gone this far, just dish out the $1,000 and be done with it. I hate that they left a sour taste in your mouth. It was 2 years before I had my diploma framed…I kept it in my desk and didn’t even want to see it. ha

    Congrats on graduating soon!

22. 22 dismayed and tired Sep 18th, 2008 at 5:58 am

    Thanks Shane,

    I put in my FAFSA and I was told I didn’t qualify for any additional aid anymore there is a limit to how much aid you can receive. I don’t think we can afford a lawyer and I just received the first annoying call yesterday telling me I have a balance.The thing is with 3 months left I would need to shell out 3,000 all together.I wish I would have seen this blog sooner in my studies.

    I’m sorry you had your diploma sitting in a desk but I completely understand how you feel I wanted a masters after this degree and I squashed those plans.If I do pursue it in the future it sure won’t be with AIO.

    Take care

    R.Red

23. 23 amy Oct 2nd, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    Hi, I just found this website while looking for someone to complain to with AIO and I was wondering if anyone has had the same problem that I am having with getting questions answered by staff.

    Has anyone had problems getting a return phone call or email from the Academic Adviser’s or Financial Aid people at the school? So far I have received one email response from my “adviser” (since the beginning of September) to a question out off like 5 and one call back after I was told by student support to leave a message for his supervisor.
    As for financial aid, well I gave up on them and now I just talk to student support. I left one voice mail for my financial aid “adviser” and sent 2 emails. When I never got a response student support said to leave a message for her supervisor, I did that and he didn’t even call me back.
    Then, I referred my friend to the school and she can’t even get a return call from the enrollment person, who’s missed 2 phone call appointments that she set up with my friend. I think that’s pretty bad when you can’t even get the sales people to call you.

    I am not a complainer or anything like that, I am just worried because it is quite a bit of money that I am going to owe and I’d like to be treated like I am wanted there. ={

    Thanks, any response will be helpful!

24. 24 Web Design Diploma Dec 9th, 2008 at 2:04 am

    I am currently enrolled at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online for Web Design. When I first did the research I thought that AiO was a great choice to start my education back up. I was wrong.

    I feel like I could have learned most of this stuff on my own. 5.5 weeks is definitely not enough time to learn anything significant and really get a good grasp of the concept (PHP, Actionscript 3.0, etc.). It’s now time for me to create my portfolio and I don’t really have anything (that I am happy with) to put into it.

    All throughout my time at AiO I’ve had the chance to look at others’ work and the general quality is horrendous. Some of the portfolios are so amateurish it’s unbelievable. A few of the sites look like something I made when I was 12 years old. I can’t imagine a professional company hiring one of these people based on their digital portfolios. In all of the classes I have taken, I’ve seen 1 or 2 people who are actually good at web design/development. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m already about $15,000 into this program I would have dropped out by now and moved on to something else.

    I don’t feel I have acquired the necessary skills to put “Web Design” on my resume and feel proud and confident about it. I will not continue on to get an Interactive Media Design degree, nor will I ever enroll in another program at AiO ever again. It’s really sad because so much was promised, but after looking at just about everyone else’s lackluster works even in the highest level classes, there is so much left to be desired.

    Now I’m just looking for a job to pay for all of this sub-par education I’ve received from the Art Institute Online. I doubt it’s going to be in the web design field.

    Learn from my mistakes, and do your research! I hope others had a better experience with AiO than I have. If only I could turn back the hands of time….

25. 25 Sam Jan 7th, 2009 at 4:54 am

    When I first started at the Art Institute Online it was a very positive experience; I had a great advisor who kept in touch with me and got to know me, every term my most of my teachers would call before class started to introduce themselves, I basically felt like I was getting an outstanding education. About half way though my degree things began to change; the personal interaction began to decline. I was assigned a new advisor who only contacts me at the beginning of each term to inform me that the term is starting, and then at the end of the term to inform me that it is ending. This advisor can not remember my name or what state I live in. When ever I speak to my advisor I am talked down to and treated like I am a bother. The calls from my instructors stopped. The instructor interaction online became slower. I have looked in to changing to another school but many of my credits would not transfer over. AIO sucks you in, treats you great until you reach the point of no return, then you are just a pay check to them.

26. 26 PoeticG Feb 2nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    I went to the Art Institute of Phoenix following my graduation from High School. Previously I was Artist of the Year and designed the graduation pamphlet…now I’m just nineteen thousand dollars in dept and counting…I can’t believe I wasted my life

27. 27 Michele R Scott - Academic Advisor BGRE J-Z Feb 28th, 2009 at 11:32 am

    Michelle,Hi,
    I am 47. Artist,Writer,Painting Contractor.I don’t know your background. .It is irrelevant to me any way.I am currently enrolled in AIO course Winter 09.Graphic Arts,I have had nothing but problems since day one,Orientation Course,such as accessibility,down loading upgrades,not to mention my software not being compatible with AIO,which would have been considerate if someone had informed me of this necessity.A little crash online course VIA E mail for any of this would have been nice.Not to mention the fact that I am out of high school since 1979.made staff aware of this,took my computer skills test,(2 weeks ago) no response yet.You know as well as any person who works in a higher education environment,that these younger students have been operating computer since grammar school.I could go on forever.

    MY POINT IS THIS!!!! THIS IS NOTHING LIKE WHAT THE BROCHURE SAID IT TO WOULD BE!!!

    I still haven’t received my school catalog in the mail,3 weeks waiting,not to mention contacting AIO for assistance.Waiting for RSVP,etc.
    Also I shouldn’t have to organize any social gatherings to meet with people in person,
    Hence the term; AIO course,this comment speaks for itself.

    My real point is this,sad but true I find,that when someone works for an establishment,
    they are trained to specifications by their employer.If you don’t adhere,or fit their format,you know as well as I do ( at will clause ) you may be terminated for any reason and any time,with no chance of legal recourse. I know this from personal experience.
    I am not saying by any means this holds true to all I have spoken with on this subject.
    Some of your colleagues were very helpful to say the least.

    What I am saying is this,instead of dropping the “How important Higher Education” is “BOMB” on us students.And various other “hooks”.Which I do believe that education is essential and very important .
    My suggestion is this,instead of treating us all as “Text Book” formatted candidates,like some of you are reading straight froma cue card,or have the routine down so well,it’s like talking to “Robo-Trons”such as some of the people I have spoken to from many Institutions over the last 3 weeks,before deciding to enroll with AIO. ( for various personal reasons)
    Drop the sales pitch!!Are you people just having membership drives,or making commission??? I can get that from Christians,and Jehovah’s etc. Yeah I said that,because I believe in God,and Jesus Christ,not man made things.I noticed my phone doesn’t ring of the line as it did before i officially signed my promissory note for payment of loan,and officially enrolled in AIO.
    Hmmmm… Makes one wonder about what higher education really is about?
    Any time you want to further this topic, I am Alientheist@live.com
    Sambo,Samuel Michael Kurus,
    your feed back is very welcome,and I will RSVP,ASAP

    PS. since you like giving your opinion as much as I do in something you believe in,let me know what you think of this piece I wrote

    Written by Samuel Michael Kurus
    06/1997

    “The Devil’s Dilemma”

    Oh my God!!!
    What have I done?
    To deserve such a fate…
    I realize now that You are my mentor,
    and I am only here by Your grace…
    Once I was a mighty hunter,
    and now I am just prey…
    Demons chasing after me,
    every night and ever day…
    And now I am lost inside this nightmare,
    running scared through the chasms of hell…
    And only You and You alone Lord ,
    can break this Satan’s spell…
    You are my judge and jury,
    though I feel I have comitted no crime…
    As I look to the heavens above,
    from the depths of hell…
    I realize now,
    that I can not turn back the hands of time!!!

    Sambo!!! the Psychic?Burnout,Comedian…

28. 28 Juan Mar 3rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    I left AIO almost a year ago now and just decided to check back in here to see how other people experiences have been. I did not graduate, so I get the monthly call from an AIO “readmissions” person asking me if I would like to continue my education. “Sure, when you lower your tuition!” I respond. I feel sick about the student loans I took out to attend that farce of a school. As I said before in my above post…go to the library, it’s free and you’ll get the same level of education. And no, AIO classes aren’t good anywhere but at an art institute, which I knew going in, but now just chaps my hide. Don’t do it. If you have a love of the arts, get a business degree and buy some photoshop books, you’ll go alot farther. As I said before, some of the people there are wonderful people, however in the end, it’s not worth it.

29. 29 STACIE Mar 11th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    DO NOT ENROLL IN AIO!!!! Let me add my story to anyone who cares to read it. Please do not fall for their tactics. I did and it got me absolutely nowhere.

    I signed up for AIO class in 2007 after I was looking to change my career field to interior design. I had spent several years in the medical field with the military and was trying to explore my creative side a little more. I enquired via email to AIO to which I recieved immediate response from one of their representatives. I swear I must have recieved a call every other day about my interest in their program so I started checking with the VA to see if my GI bill would cover this school. It did, so I responded to the representative as to how I would go about signing up. I had never attended online schools so I asked alot of questions. I asked them if it would be an issue if I used my GI bill and I was told that they had a VA rep. that could assist me in getting that arranged. I also expressed that I did not want to start until I was finished with the classes I was enrolled in at a local university. Well, needless to say they contiually called me and tried to talk me into enrolling in their upcoming 5.5 week semester. I eventuall was suckered into it and enrolled into 2 classes. Mind you, they classes had already started so I was going to start off behind and I had no books. Stupid me believed my advisor when she said that I would be able to catch up and I could use the online library until my books arrived.

    So, I contacted the VA rep that they told me to call. Ha….what a joke!!! He tells me to contact my local VA to initiate the paperwork. So, long story short…I ended up having to take out some loans because of course they can’t wait for the money from the VA and I subsequently never filed through the VA because I never got the chance.

    So, now I’m enrolled in these stupid classes….yes, they were stupid. Some basic microsoft class and how to take online classes or some crap like that. I thought, what the heck…I’ll trudge through it and if it doesn’t work out I will just withraw from the classes and start again when my time became a little more managable. At the time I was a single parent and had a full time job, was taking a night class at another school, and had not even had my internet service hooked up on my computer yet. As you may have already guessed, I could never get “caught up”. So I emailed the school to ask them how I need to withraw from the classes. No response…..FOR DAYS!!!! So, I called…NO RETURN phone calls. All the people that were riding my butt to sign up mysteriously were too BUSY to take my calls. So, when I finally got ahold of my advisor, she informed me that the drop date had already passed. I told her that I still needed to drop and she said she needed a statement emailed to her to confirm that I wanted to drop and that she would “tansfer” me to the financial aid department.

    I made sure that the payments to AIO were returned and that I was not charged for the loans. This was probably the easiest part about this whole process. So months go by and I recieve a form from AIO with a balance of $101 for an unpaid enrollment fee. Now it is 2008 and I recieve a phone call saying that I owe$1400.00 to AIO for the dropped classes. I called to enquire about it and got some really strange advise but we won’t go into that. After one phone call I recieved a statement from their institution that looked to me like the balance on my account was $0.00. I had several other people look at it and they agreed that it looked like the balance was $0.00. So, anyhow…a couple of months later I get another email from AIO telling me that I have an overdue amount of $1400.00 and that my “immediate response” is neccesary. So, I emailed this person back and told them that I recieved this statement and that I was disgusted as to the way I was treated and so on and so on.

    Several conversations and emails later, I get nowhere. They put me in collections because they said I failed to respond to there “many attempts” to contact me. Not that my credit was that great anyways but still…this school has caused more than a little damage. I can’t even get my freakin transcripts so that I can enroll in another college unitl I pay them in full. All of this because I stupidly wanted to explore my artistic side. I should have just stuck with my medical career which I now cannot persue unless I pay this stupid debt. I have other student loans that I pay every month for classes that I actually completed and recieved a grade for and that is my priority right now so AIO will just have to wait.

    I don’t consider myself a stupid person but I should have researched this school and I sure wish that I would have googled this site back then. Maybe my story will help some of you all out when making your decision to persue your online education. Research the school and, for Jake sake….DO NOT let these people pressure you into anything!!!! If the cost of the courses are not covered under student loans or grants or GI bill then don’t waist your money. AIO is only trying to make money off you….they are not looking out for your best interest. They don’t care if you ever graduate. If you graduate you no longer owe them money and how is that beneficial for them?

    I may take this to a lawyer. Hey “Dismayed and tired”…we should seriously look into having AIO taken off the school listings at the VA. They should be made aware of the problems they have caused us. I have a feeling we are not the only veterans they have screwed.

30. 30 AnneZ Mar 16th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    So I just graduated from AIO this past September after five years of slowly obtaining my AS degree.

    I hadn’t received my actual diploma by the end of January, so I called the school to figure out why.

    I was told I owed a balance of $4700 to AIO, because, according to Financial Aid, I was not covered for my final three classes.

    Obviously, this hit me hard… I’d applied for the FAFSA for fall quarter like every other year and had NEVER been told that I would not be covered for my final classes.

    Upon learning this, I spoke to financial aid and forwarded my FAFSA info, and they told me I should have been covered. and that “they’d look into if they could still apply the funds”.

    Weeks went by with no word.

    Today I wrote yet again asking about the status of the issue and saying I would be speaking to Sallie Mae to figure out where the funds with, and amazingly, someone wrote me right back!

    He said if you aren’t taking a minimum of 6 classes, AIO is “required to change your status to withdrawn” and those classes would not be covered.

    No one EVER told me my final classes would not be covered prior to taking them.

    So, all in all, with my awesome AS degree (the diploma for which I still do not have, since they are holding it based on the supposed $4700 I owe them) from AIO in graphic design, I am $50K in debt to Sallie Mae and in a fight with AIO regarding why exactly I owe them for my final classes.

    AIO, KMA.

    Anyone who can verify what AIO’s financial aid department told me, or who has a similar story, please email me at annezeiler@yahoo.com.

31. 31 Lulu Mar 24th, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Hey,everyone.. I’m 18 and I’m currently enrolled into AIO. I was supposed to actually start my classes in Winter ’08 but because of my financial aid I started in Jan ’09 instead.
    My admissions adviser was very nice and cared about how I was progressing. Then,I get my NEW student adviser (He’s new at this job too)and he obviously sounds like he doesn’t care about whether I call him or not. The first time I spoke to him on the phone,he didn’t even try to carry on the conversation and was like,”Yeah,whatever.”THIS is supposed to be the person that I discuss with on everything? They also are REALLY bad when it comes to emails. Are they not another dependent way to communicate? My financial adviser hasn’t even replied back to mine for more than a week. I’m well aware that I’m not the only student attending but that is still no excuse..this isn’t the first time either.
    And when they DO respond,like Student Support for example..they don’t even bother answering everything! What an easy job that must be. :/ I’m currently in ‘Computer Literacy’ and I can say I’ve learned a bit BUT…I realize that these are things that I could’ve learned myself if I’ve put my mind to it. Assignments: Just pretty much 2 discussion questions,re size this,scan this. It’s not like a super detailed tutorial with tons of awesome information. It’s pretty much you ‘go and find a dependable source from freaking google’ and find out from that. This class just tells you that if you put your mind to it,you could’ve just searched and learned this all yourself. BUT..because you didn’t, you chose the ‘Have someone tell me to do it’ 1k option.6 weeks of that only gets you to just scratch the surface. I enrolled into this school because it looked very promising but now I’m just starting to question whether it really is worth it. I don’t have a car (or a good means of transportation) and I wanted more than that community college around where I live. I was also under pressure of wanting to go to school and not staying behind my other classmates. I just didn’t want to be left not doing anything. Nobody else was helping at all,no one ever never said ‘Hey,let’s go to that college now.Let’s check it out!’ Seriously think about it, the costs of this school are really not worth it. 80K for 4 years online?! I just got a good wakeup call,I had seen the amount when I was in the enrollment process but because it was so quick(and I was so stupid),I just brushed it aside. I could have just went to a community college for much more less. To think that I’ll have to pay that amount back for an online university that ‘participation’ is done at the minimum is nuts. Everyone replies to each other because they have to,barely because they want to. It’s pretty much a drop by and submit place with weekly readings. I don’t know..I’m confused now.I just looked at my Sallie Mae online account and it says Total amount outstanding: $2,510.43. If that’s all I owe then I should just quit that school now. I consider myself an individual that loves art and I really do put effort into my work. I feel that I put more effort than some others and the instructor doesn’t give a shit. It’s just ‘Okay.’ What’s even worse is that he’ll ask,”What is that?” sometimes when I’ve well explained it into my post already.I’m a good student but one who is lower middle class..great jobs these days are even scarcer to get so where do we begin? Many say ‘experience required’ but where can I start without making such sacrifices? All in all,very little communication,no advice,and lots of money required. If AIO was as cheap as my community college then I wouldn’t mind these blemishes but it ISN’T. So much money.. for what?Even with the convenience from home,it’s still too much. I’m aware that other universities are around that much and I just don’t understand it. All they want is your freaking money..why can’t you get a good education for much less? Okay..I’m just frustrated..

32. 32 Derik Mar 26th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    My advise is stay away from this school. They are out to get you. Stay away from the advisor Michelle Scott, She ruined my career. This school lost my transcripts and then would not except them and no one would help me and mr or ms Scott, whatever he or she is said it was up to me to get this resolved. I resent them, what else they want, me to drive up there and file them for them. And then I am told by Scott that its best if I withdraw, how helpful is that. Then they come up with this imaginary number I owe them and hold my credits for hostage from other colleges. I get a letter saying to pay 1000 and I will be clear, after that, they say I owe an additional 200, I ask why and emailed them a copy of the letter stating 1000, they say oh it was a mistake and theres nothing they can do until they have the extra 200, I tell them I will show this letter to a lawyer, and the next week I get transcripts I fishy is that? Now I am happily at the American Intercontinental University and will graduate next month yay!!!!

33. 33 Jason Mar 28th, 2009 at 7:14 am

    Thank you for this site I just enrolled and now I know I need to get out.
    Thanks

34. 34 Tarsha Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:53 pm

    I can not believe all the press I am reading on AIO.

    I enrolled a the Art Institute in October 2007. I was so excited to be returning to college and getting a degree. I am a single parent and need a degree to advance my career. I enrolled in the Residential Design Program. I started off with A’s and B’s my first year. I was then enrolled in AutoCAD which should be an 11 week course. It is hard to learn the program teaching yourself in such a short time. The teachers expect you to teach yourself. Needless to say I did not pass the course the first time around.

    The next semester I was enrolled in AutoCAD and Residential Design. AutoCAD is a pre-requisite to Residential Design. Maybe it is me, but the drop/add period is not mentioned in the campus common. The last day was on a Sunday and when I called on Monday I was told that I had to withdraw.

    I am now approaching my last semester. The school sent me a letter stating that I am no longer enrolled and would have to appeal the decision. They say I am not showing academic progress although I have a B average (GPA), and two classes before finishing. I passed my last class. They said I have too many Withdrawals. I have withdrawn from two classes due to missing the drop/add period. They were still paid for the classes. I now do not know what I am going to do. I am waiting for the appeals process to be over.

    Last week the school contacted me about enrolling in the Interior Design BA program. I have been hesitant because I would like to complete my BA on ground. All my financial aid grants and loan money is going to the school. I have no extra money to buy books. My money would go further on ground. I have no clue why the school is doing this to me. Perhaps it is because I am not re-enrolling.

    To anyone thinking about going to school here, consider on ground school first. I checked into my local college and they are going to consider credit for some of my courses. The admissions person for the Interior Design program said I might be able to test out, but she doubts I learned enough to do so. In order to get my bachelors I am probably going to have to take all those classes over. I still have to pay the loans back and might not be able to get my degree. On top of that not very many courses transfer.

    I hope I wasn’t too long winded. Anyone have any questions, feel free to email me mendi_inc@hotmail.com.

35. 35 Matthew Apr 26th, 2009 at 10:02 am

    I started taking classes in April of 07,and was told that financial aid would cover everything, and needless to say once classes started that was not true.. I had to pay for my books out of pocket, which didn’t seem right, and then they had set up a book store account, which was all screwed up. Something told me, to stop attending AIO, for the cost was way too high, and the unprofessional, with the school. I Stop attending, this past winter, after being fed up, the observation of the school. They had sent my aid back without me knowing anything about it, so i had no other choice to, withdraw, since classes would be over with by the time i get my refund. to buy supplies with.. I am still fighting with the school, about a balance they say i owe, cuz i withdraw after the third week of classes, b/c they Screwed up my account!! Now my case is being transferred to the Department of Education and hope some legal action can finally be done, about how the school treats its students, only caring about charging outrageous tuition and fess, along with a weak educational experience and messed up class schedule.

    If any one else has had troubles with the financial aid office at this school, contact me, to see if we can take this school to court, and get some income relief, since we went in serious debt and loads of getting the run around. Here is my email: pavy81@yahoo.com

    Do not attend this online school, for it is simply a rip off, and unprofessional..

36. 36 jason May 13th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    Art Institute of Pittsburg Online is a complete joke. I was in the Web Design program (until today). I withdrew from the school today as it is the last day of the quarter. My so called instructor was a joke. She didn’t even know what .php was. She never taught anything, she was only a moderator not a teacher.

    SAVE YOUR MONEY and go to a state school and take up computer science or computer information systems. Will cost you 1/4 of what this sad excuse of a school cost.

    YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

37. 37 Stefanie May 19th, 2009 at 10:20 am

    I am just starting with my 3rd class at AIO. I really enjoy taking classes online and so far, have learned a lot….but as others have said, you get out of it what you put into it. Even though I enjoy the school, this will be my last class at AIO. The tuition is absolutely outragous! I am enrolled for a digital design diploma and if I were to stay in to get the diploma, I would end up leaving with $16,000 debt. I don’t even want a diploma, I want a graphic design bachelor’s. If I did that, it would cost around 72K once it’s said and done. I’m not trying to be a doctor for god’s sake….and I’m not going to Harvard! If the school went down to average tuition prices, I would stay, but I’m not rich and far from it.

38. 38 Joy Randolff Jul 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    Wow! I am glad that I didn’t choose AIO when I had the opportunity! I had enrolled at Westwood Onil=ne in the Game Art and Design program, then saw some crap coming up about it on Utube, and looked into AIO. AIO was more expensive, and the administration at Westwood was really jumping through hoops to make sure I had everything I needed to enroll in the next term (which was just three weeks from the day I called Westwood for information!), so I chose to stick with Westwood, at least for the first term, to see if it was worth continuing. I am so glad I did! I have never had any of the complaints that I see on this site for AIO! AS far as financial aid is concerned, my North Carolina grant covered a great amount, and the financial aid advisor vcalled me on a regualer basis (every day, in fact!) To walk me though the process until I had all the funding that i needed. After the grants and student loans were recieved, I still ahad a gap of about $2,000. I didn’t qualify for the clep loan, either, because of my bad credit. There was no problem there – Westwood has a program set up for students who do not qualify for other forms of student aid, where they will finance it – regardles of credit, for no more than $150 a month. I went this route for the remainder of my gap, and everything they have said has been right on the money!
    As far as the classes, I am learning way more than i ever did in other four year schools – including University of Georgia and East Carolina University! (I have been married to a soldier, so it until now, it has been difficult to go to school, due to changes of duty stations!) Obviously, there are some guys in the program who think that they can take a class and become instant designers with no talent or effort, but those folks get weeded out pretty quickly, as they come to realize that this program is no joke! As far as career counseling goes, Westwood is second to none! I have an adivsor that calls me every couple of weeks to check on me – and she sees all of my grades, and knows what is going on at all times! I feel confident that I am getting the attention that I need and then some! Not only do I have this education advisor, but I also have a career counselor assigned to me that also calls me on a bi-weekly basis, to make sure that I am doing well, and to help me look into the future as far as internships, career goals, every question I have ever had has been answered quickly and efficiently, and these folks have gone out of their way to make sure that I am being well prepared, not just to take the next class, or to get that degree, but they are preparing me for a career way beyond undergrad! Westwood online also has a great program where Westwood grads can update their skills any time with free tuition (they have to buy books and software) so their skills are never out of date – unless hey choose to not take advantage of this program! So if there is anyone who is worried about their education there at AIO, I would recommend whole heartedly that they check out Westwood OnlineThey wuill be glad they did!

39. 39 Jodi Scyphers Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    THE ART INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH – ONLINE IS RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT PREYS ON THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY!

    When I went back to college in the fall of 2006 I was so excited about my future career. I researched the on-line programs and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online had many good reviews. I called to get more information about their programs and talked to the nicest gentleman. He assured me that they were accredited, that they had a fantastic financial aid department that would bend over backwards to make sure that I got the funding needed to pay for my education. He told me that the instructors were all at the top of their field, and would be in close contact with me during each course. I would be assigned an advisor to guide me during my time at AIO and would always be there for me if I had any concerns or issues. He personally guaranteed me that I would receive the best education possible.

    I have to admit, when I started at the Art Institute Online, everything he said was true; I had a wonderful advisor that I developed a one on one relationship with. She kept in consistent contact with me and was very approachable. I had a cont in the financial aid department that was familiar with me. Each and every one of my instructors would call to introduce themselves before the term would start, and would keep in touch with me thought each course.

    The first class I took at AIO required me to develop a 5 year plan, mapping out my goals educationally and professionally. The major part of my 5 year plan was that after graduation from AIO, I would continue my education and earn my Masters. My instructor was very supportive of my goals and my advisor seemed to share the same enthusiasm for my plans for my future. I was never informed that the credits that I earned at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online would not transfer to and institutions offering a masters degree, even though I made if very clear that was my intention.

    For over a year I was content with my education, and maintained a 3.65 gpa. Then things began to change. I was assigned a new academic advisor. At first I thought that I was just missing the connection I had with my previous advisor, but then I realized it was more than that. My new advisor only called me at the very beginning of a term to remind me that the term was starting, and then at the end of the term to tell me it was ending. He rarely returned my phone calls, and when he did return them it would be at 5 or 6 am because he could not keep straight what state I live in, and what the time difference is between the east and west coast. Most of my emails were ignored, and the responses I did receive appeared to be automated.

    I no longer got calls from my instructors and the interaction from them in class became less frequent.

    As time went on I would try to log in to class and I would have a message that I was blocked, I would try again 10 minutes later or on a different computer and I would be able to get right in. I called tech support about the problem and they would tell me to contact my advisor. When I called my advisor he would tell me that I needed to contact tech support. I was unable to complete my courses, or receive grades that did not represent my efforts or abilities because I could not access my classes. Because of this I made the decision to with drw form all classes until this issue was resolved. I followed the AIO guidelines, only to find out later on that I had not been with drawn from the classes, and therefore received a F in each class and was also charged for the courses.

    At one point I received a statement saying that I owed $450.00, and then a few days later got a bill stating that I owed $3500.00, and then a few days later received a refund check for $900.00. HOW IS A PERSON TO KNOW WHAT IS OWNED OR DUE?

    THE ART INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH – ONLINE WAS DISHONEST WITH ME FROM DAY ONE. THEY MISREPRESENTED THEIR ACCREDITATION AS WELL AS THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION THAT I WOULD BE RECEIVING. THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES ARE UNRELIABLE AND UNETHICAL. THE COST OF A DEGREE AT AIO, WHICH IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY CONVENTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, IS MORE THAN WHAT IS CHARGED BY MOST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. THEY ARE RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT PREYS ON THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY!

    Jodi Scyphers

    http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:43423

40. 40 kei Jul 11th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    I AM SO THANKFUL that I found this site . I can’t believe that I almost fell for a TRAP!! GOD. I just received a call from one of the agents and I was convinced. since my passion is drawing, I didn’t expect to see an online school with such great programs! but thanks to all of your testimonials … I was saved! WOOH! it was a good thing our load ran out so our conversation was cut hahaha ) you see I just arrived here in Alberta Canada as an immigrant and I’m worried on where and what school I’m going to take .. I want to study Media arts and Animation and finish college . If anybody here would recommend a BETTER SCHOOL I would be so grateful

    again thankyou everyone! you just saved my future

41. 41 Zeus Proto Jul 27th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    This whole school is a scam!

    http://www.myspace.com/474737780

42. 42 Susan Aug 13th, 2009 at 9:20 am

    I worked for this school for 2 yrs in the admissions department. I finally quit b/c of the unethical practices by the school. DO NOT GO TO SCHOOL HERE!!! I can’t say it any clearer. The admissions people and financial aid will lie right to your face. The admissions directors are paid on the number of students they enroll, so they don’t care about you or your goals. Financial aid will lie to you about payments and loans and all sorts of things. The Dean at my school finally quit too after he just couldn’t take it anymore. Most of the instructors were full of themselves and unhelpful to students, although there were a few that really cared. I felt so bad for the students who I befriended when they would tell me their horror stories in going to school here. Ai is backed by Goldman Sachs – they are totally in it for the PROFIT… they don’t about you once they have your money!!! DO NOT GO TO SCHOOL HERE!!! Good luck to you and your endeavors.

43. 43 Hopefull Aug 25th, 2009 at 1:09 am

    OK so with all these things being said about AIO where do we (future students) look for a reputable school. I have looked at a few schools and of course all seem really great. AIO, WestWood, all among the top contenders for the web Design schools. I now feel lost in a sea of lies and betrayal. If every Online collage is after just our money where do we turn for a Quality ONLINE education. If there is any one that can help, PLEASE I could really Use it at this moment.

    I can not attend a brick collage for I have no time for that. Do I just Gamble on or what?

    PLEASE if you know of a good school please let me know!

    Hopefull
    http://www.neu-era.com
    30 Day’s Free Hosting!

44. 44 Rone Sep 2nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    Interesting information, I was contacted by an advisor and after a very long and conversation I was interested. Upon further review I thought, this seems to good to be true. I thought I would check this online school out. Thank for your candid comments. Times are not hard, they are challenging. I’ll keep looking!

45. 45 Cookie Sep 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    WOW, is all i gotta say. i am glad I found this site. I actually was doing research in Online schools a few weeks ago, and somehow I requested a Brochure from AIO not freaking calls 7 days a week from one of their Admissions Representatives. Anyhow, He was the nicest guy you could imagine, ran his mouth a bit too much, but hey, enough to convince me and get me suckered in for about 2 hors on my cell!! he kept saying he is no sales man, blah blah.. Next thing you know, I already applied for FAFSA, and completed their application process with essay and everyting. But this is where I STOP, I will email him tomorrow and cancel everything hahaha, I will not get trapped by their lies, even though they sugarcoated everything. Anyone can tell me if I’m better off gong to Miami International University of art & design? I live in Florida, so would I get more hands on and actual on campus experience?

    Please anyone who goes to such school for Fashion Merchandising in the Miami Campus email me at lolamartir@yahoo.com

46. 46 DustinW Sep 13th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    I have been a student at the Art Institute Online Division for over a year now. I’m in the process of working on my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Interactive Media with a minor in marketing. From day 1 of my enrollment the Art Institute has been absolutely amazing, and really showed me that I can learn outside of the “classroom” environment. I hear from my financial aid officer and student officer monthly, and if I call either of them, I hear back THE SAME DAY, most of the time within a few hours after I leave a message.

    I read all of these problems that other people have had with the AIO, and it really sends the wrong message to perspective students that are looking for a degree online. Some of the problems that I have seen posted, are common problems that happen with EVERY college, either on-ground or online. So, to each it’s own I guess you could say. I your are looking for an online degree from one of the Art Institutes, you should look into the program of your choosing, call them and ask in depth questions and if that still isn’t enough to satisfy your needs, make them put it in writing, ” everything they promise you, or tell you”. I did, and haven’t had the first problem. I have maintained a 3.95 GPA to date and have accrued 100 credits, some transferred in to the AIO.

    Just remember, you are wanting to learn online, don’t expect to be hand fed the information you will be studying. It’s not any easier than a ground school, the information is the same and just as hard. So, you WILL have to work extra hard to do the work at hand. They have tutors and classmates that are willing to help, at the clap of a hand, and teachers as well. Good luck to everyone in their educational journey!

47. 47 CJ Sep 17th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    I just recently withdrew from AIO. I had only spent two weeks total doing classes online, and I’m saddened that it was a total sham. I wish I had searched before doing everything to attend the school.

    The first quarter of classes were BS from what I read. The very first class was the dumbest, excuse my language, shit I’ve ever seen. $4,000 to teach you how to learn through classes online?

    It took two WEEKS for them to finalize my withdrawal from the school, which is horrible. I had to contact the financial aid dept, and student adviser several times to check the progress.

    As a lot have said, this school preys on the hopes and dreams of others. I won’t make this mistake again.

    What a waste of my time, and money.

48. 48 CJ Sep 22nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    A new update if anyone wants to know.

    I have a $1,000 balance on my account that I have to pay. My bank issued my student loans, and the first disbursement of it was sent, and they should have received it. The second disbursement is set to be sent in a few weeks. Yet I withdrew from their school. Something shady is going on with AIO.

49. 49 meg Sep 23rd, 2009 at 11:40 am

    I am unbelievably thankful to find this website. The financial advisor is supposed to be calling me today with my “financial plan” and I will definitely NOT be enrolling in this school. I wish I had found this site before wasting the $50 application fee. Thanks for saving me from wasting my time. It’s also nice to hear from someone who worked there and left because of their “unethical practices”.

50. 50 Chris Oct 11th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    I feel so terrible for everyone of you that had to go through an experience like this. I wish that you all will not let a school like this take your passion away for your career you want to be in. Im only 17 and a senior in high-school but my dreams and hopes will not be crumbled up and thrown away because of a unworthy school. I believe in God and him having a plan for everyone and he makes barriers if he doesn’t want you to do something. And maybe God used you guys, through your experience to help lead kids like me in the right directions. Well only God knows but I know for a fact that my lord Jesus will put me in the right school for my career. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience.

51. 51 Delilah Nov 12th, 2009 at 2:30 am

    I basically have to drop out. In 2008 I graduated and was ok with having an A.S.
    With the crap economy I had no luck getting a decent job. No one cared I had a degree.
    Then in the spring I get a call, how did I like Ai and would I come back. I said I can’t afford it and he put me on hold and said you have the funding and my loans were not all used up.
    The cap was not reached. Well now I get a bill for over two grand and am expected to pay 8,000 to stay in school out of pocket. I was told this would not happen.
    I wrote to the White House about this, I know who reads that mail but it was worth getting it off my chest. Why do colleges lie and break our hearts and souls. It crushes us and hurts to be lied to. This is like a car sales man saying drive it away you can afford it, you know you can’t but they tell you oh yes you can! Is there any reason in the world that this is the right thing to do. Why run a college like a car dealership. I thought it was there to teach us good values and subjects that would make us professional.

52. 52 FED UP Nov 14th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    I have run into the same problems as many of you. I got suckered into attending the school by relentless phone calls from the admissions salesman, who literally called me every other day and generally was just annoying as hell. Anyway he wanted me to start right away and I was still attending another school trying to finish out my degree there. And I later found out that once you start at this school you CANNOT TRANSFER ANY OTHER CREDITS in unless you don’t attend for like a year. So I am sooo glad that I didn’t start when this admissions person started harrassing me.
    So I started after I finished with my other school, the first classes being pointless; how to be an online student and learning about microsoft programs. They were too easy, made me believe that the rest of the classes were going to be like that. So not true! They got way more difficult. I work a very part time job (15 hrs/week) and I barely have time to get all the work done. It is about 30 hours a week of work. I barely sleep and have no free time.
    I have been here since Jan. of 2009 and this term I will have 44 assignments due in 5.5 weeks. That’s over one assignment a day. I dont know how I will handle it.
    Also the teachers are not that great. They are not that helpful either. They dont “Teach”. And sometimes I don’t think they know what they are talking about. When you have questions with an assignment, it takes them forever to respond. Sometimes they respond after the assignment is due, which is no help at all at that point.
    Also. I don’t like the way that second session of the term is set up either. It starts on a Thursday, so all the assignments are due on the weekends. Why can’t they just give you those 4 days off (We need them anyway) and start every session on a Monday? It would be so much easier.
    Another thing is if you turn in an assignment late you lose 25% of your grade. I have found this for almost every class. I think that is ridiculous, things come up, people are busy. I have only had one teacher so far that has let you turn in ONE assignment late without losing any points.
    Five and a half weeks is not enough time, everything is too condensed and I feel like I don’t learn anything. And having taken about 10 classes so far here I feel overall that I haven’t learned that much. In community college I learned so much more, for so much cheaper.
    Regarding financial aid, I have used loans since I started and all the sudden I got a $3500 bill that is due in January. I have a loan, so I should have no bills! So I called the fin. aid advisor and it has been a week and she has not responded. $3500 is kind of important. Also since I have started here they have sent me numerous .04 cent bills. My loan should have covered this 4 cents. And even if it didn’t, why did they spent the 48 cents to send this 4 cent bill to me. They could have save the stamp and been 44 cents richer!
    Overall it is just way too much work for anyone to handle. It might be easier to only take one class at a time, but at that rate you will never be done. The teachers are pretty awful and not remotely helpful or undertanding. I wouldn’t recommend this school to anyone. Go somewhere else, go to a community college. You will learn so much more, not be disappointed, and get more sleep. I wish I had researched this school more before I started. Because I definitely would not have gone here had I known

53. 53 Tom Nov 17th, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    Truth well spoken, Chris (Oct 11th, 2009)!

    I am a professional photographer, original art reproducer, and printmaker.

    You young folks on here that are looking to get into your particular art/field of interest, take this advice: You can have all the degrees, all the certifications, all the right words put to fancy music but if you can’t dance, no one is going to hire you. That counts as much in life as it does your portfolio. You are only as good as your last assignment/gig. Many have made it this far without all the degrees and formal learning and I can tell you that there are VERY few people I meet, who are at the top of their game because of some school they went to. They got there by self-study with lots of trial and error. Mistakes teach – often times more than doing it right the first time. That’s not the case in all fields (Nuclear Engineering), but in the arts, practice, with mistakes, makes perfect (subjectively speaking lol). Schools like AIO are banking on your fear and sense of dependence on an institution to raise you up. It is unfortunate that many students will see their schooling as the means to an end – getting a job – but the reality is you could have engaged all the time and money spent on school, in learning on your own; reading books, surfing google, and buying proper equipment, and in half the time be running circles around 4 year graduates, all the while having built a real portfolio from real – paying – customers. Not to mention you will have the inverse effect on your bank account that all those student loans are going to have when you graduate and discover people want to hire experience – not a piece of paper backed by a purely academicly inspired portfolio. I have NEVER, nor have any of my clients asked me, about education. I’ve only been asked about my inspiration, my experiences, and how much I charge. They also want to see what I just did for the last guy. If you notice in most of these school program’s intros, they talk about helping you find a job in your field… guess what? Unless you already have some killer skeelz, these are entry level, and pay poorly. Something you probably could have qualified for after a week or two of diligent study on your own. If you finish your schooling, get your degree, and land a great job out the gate, I bet it has far less to do with the school you went to and everything to do with your natural talents. Talent is not learned, it is honed. Zero times any number is always zero. If you’re like me and have no talent as a sculptor, no amount of schooling is going to make me into the next Alexandros. After many years of training I may be able to fashion a handsome ashtray or coffee cup but that’s about it. God gives each of us a unique set of talents in which you NATURALLY are inclined to accelerated proficiency. If that is what you are pursuing with your life, AIO is just riding your wave and charging the mess out of you for it.

    I don’t mean for all that to sound like a discouragement but rather a bit of gentle sobering.
    If you want to get your feet wet with some real, valuable experiences, start looking in your city’s Craigslist for gigs and art jobs. There are plenty of individuals and businesses looking for service. Many even post that they are looking for noobs. It’s a trade-off: you get paid less because you have to learn as you go but you also get the experience, a feather in your cap, and hopefully a whole lot of real education. If you are already enrolled, good on ya. Keep at it but don’t rely on it. Count it as a reallllly expensive library card and add to it by seeking jobs, even if that means doing the first few for free just to get your foot in the door. After you are feeling more confident about your work, don’t be bashful to start charging accordingly. People love our art but they never want to pay us for it. (That goes for any of you who steal music/images and try rationalizing it some how) Research your area and find out what others are charging and keep it around there. Next thing you know, you’ll have people calling you regularly; people who you don’t even know how they got your number. Word travels fast when you are good and fair. Word travels faster when you’re not. AIO ARE YOU READING THIS?

    In our knowledge economy, fueled by the internet, there is no reason why those of us in the arts need to shell out $78,000 to some institution in order to gain some false sense of accomplishment. Doctors… Lawyers…EE’s… sorry but you guys have no choice. But for us, take alllllll that money that was going to be spent at AIO and put it back in your pocket. Get books for free at the library. Join local clubs where there are often times working pro’s as members. Even pay a professional to work with you one-on-one as he/she is doing real, paying work. Those things will wind up costing you wayyyy less in the long run and you’ll learn more in the process.

    My 99 cents.

54. 54 Michael Jacob Nov 18th, 2009 at 8:03 am

    Hi Chris,
    I am the Assistant Director of Admissions and wanted to assure you to loook into school son your own and pay less attention to these horrendous “blogs”…..there are about twenty negative comments on here. As a counter to that, we have over 96,000 students with us right now and over 186,000 alumni…tens of thousands of people just like you that love the school.
    You can contact anytime at 1-877-872-8869 (x2209)

    Thanks,
    Mike Jacob
    The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

55. 55 Angie Nov 18th, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Yes, it did seem kind of strange that I received a call almost every day from the financial advisor to the 2 both, my home and cell numbers including a couple of emails insisting for me to submit my application. I just submitted my application online today and ended up paying the $50 dollar fee. Obviously it all seem to good to be truth and kind of strange, so I decided to do some research on this institute and Thank God I found this website. I will make sure I call them tomorrow and cancel my application, hopefully I won’t get stuck with a 100 dollar bill that will later become a 1k bill. Has this happend to anyone? If so, please email me to
    hernandezboc@msn.com

56. 56 Shane Nov 18th, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Mike Jacob,

    First off, for you to call this a “horrendous blog” is quite amusing seeing as I was a student of the Interactive Media Design program when I created this website/forum while enrolled at AIO as a place for students to communicate outside of the online “classrooms” since AIO didn’t provide anything of the sort even after years of students asking for it. I got fed up waiting for AIO to do it and so I did it myself and originally created the forum (now closed as I don’t have time to administer it). Not that I learned how to do it in any of the classes….no….I had to figure it out on my own.

    So one of “your” students created a “horrendous blog” in your opinion. Congrats. Doubt that will make any upcoming Alumni Connection newsletters. Honestly, though, it’s beyond the skill of what a student would acquire through the bachelor degree in the interactive media design program that I went through. If you think otherwise, then I honestly hope that program has grown leaps and bounds since I earned my degree in 2006.

    I hope you took the time to actually read through and take notice of all of the “negative comments” above as they are true & honest accounts of what “your students” have experienced at AIO over the past few years, which gives people the opportunity to “loook into school son [their] own”. The best “defense” of The Art Institute Online would be to fix the issues that have been stated above and elsewhere and then come here with great news of advancements, additions, corrections, etc instead of spitting your opinion in the face of the students that are literally paying for your position.

    Look at it this way…the salary that you’ll most likely earn this year…I’ll be paying that off over the next 15 years.

    I appreciate you and whoever else at The Art Institute taking notice of this “horrendous blog”, but I sincerely hope that you all take a better approach at acknowledging and addressing issues that are brought up by your students (customers) on one of the only websites that allows them to freely and openly express their opinion specifically about the Art Institute Online. Feel free to contact some of your 282,000 students that have experienced The Art Institute Online and have them share with us some of their positive experiences. This isn’t a place to solely “bash” AIO…hence the title “Pros and Cons”.

    I don’t request negative comments.

    I don’t delete the positive comments. There just aren’t many.

    My original and continuing intention is to a) provide prospective students with a REAL expectation of what attending AIO is like and b) to provide AIO with continuing feedback from REAL students. Remember…complaints most often come from passionate customers that can then become your biggest supporters. Good businesses recognize such opportunities.

    Sincerely,
    Shane Eubanks
    Bachelor of Science in Interactive Media Design
    The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (Online Division)
    President’s Award

57. 57 Michael Nov 24th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    This is a response to the “Michael Jacob’s” post above. The one thing thing that The Art Institutes do very well is advertise and sell that dream of the creative professional.

    Is your school bad? No, but clearly not on par with what you might get at another institution, ESPECIALLY for what you guys charge. That’s highway robbery. Almost anyone in the creative field will tell you that a portfolio is nearly everything, and the degree?? Not so much, so lets look at what you get for your massive student loan debt.

    A degree, if you finish and pay up, lackluster classes, and dated curriculum. (really, you can learn more at the tutorial websites, and still find good places to get crits of your work).

    A portfolio, which may or may not be up to snuff, depending on the skill of the student. Personally I was a little taken aback at some of the shoddy work people were doing at the end of the “class” and getting positive feedback from the instructor. Certainly made me feel as though I wasted the hours and hours I put into projects. I had to take an Algebra class, what was to stop me from doing it all out of the book or at some algebra website at test time? Nothing. Joke. It’s called a proctor, a 3rd party that administers an exam, look into it, it’s what all the “real” colleges do.

    That’s it.

    What AIO sells is the dream of being creative and making a living at it, all while not going to a brick a mortar school. That’s why you have 96,000 students and 200k alumni. It’s a business model, not an educational system.

    My personal experience with AIO was not a positive experience. Were there things that I could have done differently? Sure, nobody is perfect, but you guys gave me the shaft, and I’ll never forget that, and neither will my pocket book.

    Slagging this particular website is a little low. I, for one, wished I would have found it long before I signed up.

    I had high hopes for AIO, and I’m sure some of the students have positive experiences, I just don’t know of any.

58. 58 Jessica Dec 11th, 2009 at 3:00 am

    I am so glad I decided to research for background rather than jump into things. I am interested in finding a good BA Program for “Game Art and Design” and had interest in AIO. I talked with a person on chat and he kept pushing to get my number, full name, address, and HS graduation date. Unfortunately he had no luck with me, I said sir that information is confidental.

    After reading all these posts, I have made my decision to find a different school. Lastly, what the hell? They don’t use Maya! >:O

59. 59 Stef Dec 20th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

    I attended an AI in Minnesota. while it was on campus they still have alot of the same problems you are all describing on the online school. I really did learn alot while I went there and the teachers and staff were really helpful and friendly. I had the most awesome academic director EVER but he got promoted and we got stuck with the 3D nazi, he SUCKED as an advisor so much he even had to have a crabby assistant.

    I have a few friends who made it though there degrees, and about half of them who graduated have really good or decent jobs. Nothing that makes paying back loans easy or anything.

    About the credits not getting accepted ever thing….
    I had quit cause of money and i HATED my advisor, He didnt care and his assistant was a REALLY MEAN person. SO i left and went to the nearby community college. I was a junior at AI and when I left I was once again a freshman, with TONS of debt….. I attended that college for a while and it was a good school I was still really pissed off that I had to start over. SO after about a year of taking classes like painting 1 again, and things like that, I decided to go on a hunt for a school that WOULD accept my credits. I dont take being $70k in debt to lightly. Anyways, a community college in my hometown would accept any and all classes that were relevant to your degree choice. SO FINALLY It felt like I hadnt wasted the last 5 years of my life wasting money id more than likely never have. The school im going to now, I think their classes are GREAT! im learning the same things I learned at AI and the classes are focused on one thing a little better, its more than just running around a bush and throwing like 3 different things in your face for 11 weeks. The quarter set up is the same at the CC im at now. And I feel like im learning more than I did.. OH and the best part is!!!!!! three classes 3! only cost a little more that $600 for the SAME EXACT THINGS more than one learns at AI. Im still a bit mad that I was pushed so hard to move out of state and go to college when I was 17. to young to be making decisions like that. I REALLY didnt understand the concept of student loans at the time. I wish I had never gone to AI. BUT at this point I just want that damn piece of paper. I only have like 5 classes left. *I had 8 left in total. Im taking a few extras That interested me like actionscript. so thats pretty awesome but its just for an AA. but since its SO cheap my FA covers all of it so i get to do it for free.
    I REALLY URGE EVERYONE WHO DROPPED OUT TO SEARCH HARD FOR A CHEAP SCHOOL THAT WILL ACCEPT YOUR CREDITS! That feeling you get after your leave is just horrible. especially when you are told the whole time you are there that the credits WILL transfer when they do not. accredited in their terms means they are accredited with themselves. BUT it IS possible that some small school actually cares and will take them.

    this CHAIN of schools IS a bussiness! THEY ARE OUT TO GET YOUR MONEY! they tried desperately to keep me there. At one point I dont really remember the detail but I should have left then and there. something happened with my FA and the only way to keep going was to take out the Celp loan. I did * this is the STUPIDEST THING I HAVE DONE MY WHOLE LIFE!* again i was 18 and the whole student loan thing didnt click. the interest rate on those loans will RAPE you!

    Ive met people thing about going to AI, In their first quarter…. I tell them to RUN FAR FAR AWAY! ive seen that school screw over WAY WAY WAY more people than it has actually helped. I found this site cause I was curious about the online degrees. I was thinking there is NO way they teach this stuff online. While it SEEMS like a great idea. the ground schools suck in the first place. You would think it would be CHEAPER to attend online. since the class isnt actually taking up a physical space. while the Idea has passed threw my head a few times, maybe once im done with school where I am at I can go back to AI for the handful of classes I have left just to get my BA. But I dont think its worth it. the Idea of having a Bachelors sounds really nice. but that will still cost way to frickin much. though attending a university is about the same over all as going to AI. I think Community colleges are the way to go!

    just ask most people who actually graduated from the school….. the will tell you to NOT go.

60. 60 sarah Rohr Dec 25th, 2009 at 2:15 am

    I’ve been here at AIO since april 09 and it was great til I too changed advisors. I want to take 2 classes instead of one so I’m not getting my associates in 4 years when I should have it in two.
    I paid no attention to the tuition thinking it was normal til my parents said WHAT???????
    I’m 36 but first time in school college wise.

    what made me pissed was that I took remedial math because I suck at it and graduated high school in 91. I was in tears the entire 5 weeks AND the WORST, you’re NOT gonna believe:

    we had quizzes end of each week – AND THE GRADES DIDN’T COUNT AT ALL. I did NOT get more than 1 or 2 questions right out of 10 to 20 every time – always did bad, forgot what I learned within 10 minutes of using the tutors…

    and he passed me with a B.

    I wrote saying NO DONT PASS ME! I failed all quizzes. How DARE you send me on when I don’t know what i’m DOING.

    he merely said I did great and earned the B.

    what?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I don’t know HOW to get out of school else I would immediately. I’ve been there since april 09 and who knows how much I owe now but is it true I can’t attend any other schools til I pay back what I owe AI?

    I’m stuck I feel. Any advice PLEASE send to
    sarra1833@gmail.com

    thank you.

61. 61 s0ke Dec 30th, 2009 at 11:07 am

    I’m still waiting for the “real” diploma. I graduated in sep 09 with a BS and all I got was a diploma that looks like an advertisement. It’s such a tacky pos. I’m ashamed to hang it on my wall. The paper isn’t even parchment it looks like photopaper, I could have done a better job with my laser printer.

62. 62 Michael T. Hertz Jan 6th, 2010 at 11:46 am

    I really appreciate your candor in this website. I’ve been searching around for online graphic design courses and had a long discussion with one Gary Russell at AI Pittsburgh Online. I’ve looked through the AI/tours website. After reading what you all say (echoing things I’ve read elsewhere), I’m not really sold on AI.

    I would like to take online design classes, although I’m not looking for a degree. I could use “lynda.com”, but that provides no feedback or “tests.” Does anyone have any suggestions about a reliable, reasonably priced alternative to AI Online? Thanks very much. You can write me at mmmickey55@yahoo.com.

63. 63 VaNessa Feb 6th, 2010 at 1:03 am

    I just “graduated” from AIO in December and I am still waiting to receive my Design Diploma. I’m not going to say that my experience was bad BUT it totally could have been better and yes, this school rapes you for money. My only complaints are that the teachers don’t teach but just simply monitor the classroom, some of the classes were outdated and repetitive, and it’s way expensive! Also, my goodness, there were an overabundance of horrible “designers” that would produce terrible work to where my 2 year old could have done better and yet the teacher would comment and say that it looks great. I still can’t get over that one. I often wondered how they are passing their classes or even how they got accepted into the school.

    That being said, this was the most perfect school for me. At the time I was a stay at home Mommy and this allowed me to “attend” class whenever I wanted letting me work around my daughter’s schedule without having to put her in childcare.

    Here’s the thing though, this school is not for everyone. It’s for people who can teach themselves and learn on their own. It’s for people that are passionate and already have artistic abilities/talent. If you are someone who needs their hand held and one on one time with a teacher I would strongly advise you to not attend this school.

64. 64 ANon Mar 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Here’s an example of my first experience at AIO. The teacher continually graded my papers erroneously. When I would point it out- here’s a few different times. I paid 1300 bucks to be talked to like this by the “professor” who happened to admit she’s a drinker and likes her wine at night. Great.

    1)Oh, I found it. I don’t know what I was thinking but I was looking for you in the wrong class.

    2)I am not seeing a post from you on that assignment. Are you sure that you did post it?

    3)I don’t grade the assignments when I write responses. I don’t criticize or tell students what they did wrong or are missing in those responses. You can read the grading criteria for each of the assignments to see what you are missing, and I hope that you do this for the remaining assignments of the class. No, I am not going to increase your grade because you did not meet the assignment criteria.

    I can’t help but notice that you have argued grades for every single week of class so far. If you put the same time and effort into reading the directions for the assignments carefully that you do in arguing your case for grade increases you may see an improvement in your scores.

    She didn’t like her job and barely barely did Anything. When you asked her something she either ignored you or snapped at you. Very unprofessional and even less concerned about the students she was rollin in dough to “teach”. If this was a daycare I’d call CPS.

65. 65 anon Mar 1st, 2010 at 10:25 pm

    I’ve been in class for over a year now and i haven’t had these problems yet. I can see how it would look like they don’t care but I am glad to say alot has changed in the since06. I went in knowing that nothing was ever handed to me and it def. was easy coming up, why should school be any different. but then again ask me a couple months ago and i might have said different. Its like anything if you quit before you finish its always a regret.

66. 66 anonymousss Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    I’ve read all the reviews and all the negative comments and have found few good ones. I have applied to this school and I will be telling them that I accept their plans and will be attending online.
    I see it like this, everyone has a bad review about money and about how much this school costs, but ALL colleges cost. Art colleges are more than your average community college and basic degrees. Some complain about having to pay for books. You have to pay for books at EVERY college.
    Some talk about how there facilitators didn’t treat them the way that they should have and the like, but this is online. If you want to be taught by teachers, then online probably isn’t for you. You are going to have to teach yourself.
    I do understand the complaints about older ways in teaching and some students not being good at certain things, but even if it is old, you learn. Everyone gets in WITHOUT having a full portfolio. They are giving people with the passion for the subject the chance, where if you went somewhere else they would deny them just because they don’t have a portfolio.
    You can’t have things fed to you. And when they bill you the FIRST time, keep a receipt saying you paid it and you wouldn’t have as much a problem.

    Also, out of how many negative comments there are, think about how many people haven’t commented on their wonderful experiences. One of the reasons their are few positive reviews is because those with good experiences haven’t come across all these negatives, they don’t need to search reviews.

67. 67 Mike Mar 29th, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    It’s not really about bad reviews, you can get those through any college, it’s what you get for the price you pay. The Associates graphic design programs at local colleges here run about 8-10k for the WHOLE program. Online is convenient, but you have to decide if the debt you incur is worth it in the long run, and whether or not a salary you might get is going to be enough to pay back those loans and live at the same time. Last I looked, art majors were not paid all that high.

    If you are not paying your tuition, or get a GI bill, go for it, other wise I’d think twice, but then people dream about doing what they love, so is it that different than getting a bachelors in German or romantic literature? In this economy, it’s about the same.

68. 68 Melissa Apr 11th, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    I have recently started attending AIO around 7 weeks ago. I am enrolled in the Web Design and Interactive Media Bachelors Degree. I am currently only able to do 1 class every 6 weeks will in turn take about 6 yrs to complete even with transfer credits from previous college work. After reading all the negative reviews on numerous sites I feel that this college is definitely not the one for me or the one to increase my knowledge in the web development field. I already have previous knowledge so I was hoping on a college that would build on that but so far it seems most people really learned nothing different than what they came in with. The course work so far is dumb and anyone with half a brain could do it. Also, I feel that its more or less teaching yourself instead of a teacher actually teaching you which $85,000 is so not worth. I’m guessing thats one reason the admission guy would never tell me the complete tuition each time I asked him..it was always don’t worry about it ur fiinancial aid will cover it. Even tho it didnt and im expected to pay about $150 every 6 weeks. The main reason I’m withdrawing and finding education elsewhere is the price. There are other online schools with tuition half that and probably more worth it. I don’t want to waste all my financial aid on 1 college and end up getting a worthless piece of paper in the end. I will say AIO will do anything to get u in. they even waived my application fee becuz i had to wait until i got paid to finish it so they waived it just to get me in which at the time i saw as weird. Even looking at their student gallery in web design half of it looks like crap and I can design better pages than that with the intermediate knowledge I do have. My advice to anyone looking to go to college online is definately shop around and check out tuition rates.

69. 69 Yuki May 19th, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    Ai, honestly I used to think it was the greatest college there was since they tried recuiting so much at my high school.
    But the truth is theres only a handfull of good teachers in all of their schools. Yes it would have been worth it if they had more than just a small handfull of good and decent teachers that were direct with comunication. So I ended up leaving the AI after two semesters since I knew that it wasn’t worth my time. But last december I was having to look at schools just for a single online class to learn maya.
    Since I was taught in XSI; from the school I switched to after AI.
    And to top it off it had to be online. So I ended up calling the AI of pittsburgh online divsion.
    They shoved me into filling an aplication and even made me dish out 50 dollars of my own money that they even won’t refund when it was a mistake; and when I when get it refunded they didn’t they kept it.
    Then the following months leaving voice mails on my cell still trying to get me to finsh the aplication, even though I told them I’m not intrested I found another place.
    honestly their like those car salesman that won’t leave you alone at all.
    That’s what the online division was like for me. I even reported it to their head of admiisons, No response so either gotten blocked or ignored.

    And to top it off. The Admmisons people most of them act nice- but when they call you to follow up on trying to coax you to finsh signing your life away for online classes. They just turn in complete jerks, that to be quite frank.

    They just want to dish out money not really caring about how you will do in the long run. As long as it goes in their pocket.

    If someones reading this thats looking into any feild at ai please just look at a diffrent school, yes AI has a large network but long run, but not alot of good comes out of that college.

70. 70 michelle Jun 24th, 2010 at 10:00 am

    First of all, i attended AIP and AIPOD and am doing quite well…along with thousands of others who were actually smart enough to go to college. Not only did i go to the school, but i work for the school. No teachers nor advisors do no hold your hand…are you in kindergarden??? do you really need that much help?? we don’t learn for you…we provide the information and if you can’t keep up…maybe you shouldn’t have graduated high school….

    AI is NOT accredited by ACICS–we are accredited by the middle states and if you do your research on what accredidation is…is has to do with the location…all of our ground schools have a different accredidation due to state recquirments…retard.

    When it comes to financial aid…that is not up to the school…its FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID. it’s determined by the government..if you have a problem of what money you have left over for books or whatever…take it up w/ the government.

    we have thousands of students…i guarantee that you could find bad reviews on starbucks…but that doesn’t change your opinion because you have had the experience…so if you had a bad experience…that doesn’t mean its the schools fault. yeah maybe someone dropped the ball…but look up reviews for EVERY college…THEY ALL HAVE BAD REVIEWS…ppl never post good reviews…but when somthing goes bad…of course they post it…so yes, you can view more bad than good.

    if you are looking for a cheap school..go to the community college down the street…AI has one of the best program list that is offered…and we are one of the best art schools in the country..how did that happen if we were so bad??

    i hope you only apply for the lowest paying jobs or only buy the lowest priced car…that’s what you are doing when you choose schools by the price. and no one is making you go to school here…you are going on your free will…there is nothing unethical…you request information…you get the information and then if you show interest..we call back…until we reach you again…if you never say that you are not intereted…we continue to think that we just can’t reach you…and if you are that upset over callings…PUT YOUR NAME ON THE DO NOT CALL LIST—GOOGLE IT…oh and also…don’t put your phone number and ADDRESS online…what do you think is gonna happen?? do you really think Obama is sending you money?? or your getting a free xbox??? or free money?? NOTHING IS FREE!! and if you don’t know that you shouldn’t be allowed into college…cause you are DUMB!!! quite complaining…i’m sure you’ve had bad jobs in your life…or your parents smacked you around when you were a kid…you aren’t puttin a lawsuit on them…your being childish and need to seriously grow up…

71. 71 Mitzi Jul 3rd, 2010 at 8:27 am

    Who says AI is one of the best schools? I work in the industry and at my company we consider their degrees useless. We’ll look at the person’s portfolio, but our experience has been that a Bachelor’s from any Art Institute (online or not) means nothing except that the applicant has a lot of debt.

72. 72 Whitney Jul 18th, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    I was going to attend AI Pittsburgh, on campus, right out of high school, back in 2001. Glad I didnt. I soon realized I was trying to be sold something when I would get 10 mailings a week. Finally in 2006, my parents said the mailings started to die off and they gave up.

    Recently I thought to reconsider the online thing and glad I found this. Take a look at the Better Business Beauru (www.bbb.org), or definetly file a complaint against the business if you have one.

    I am even surprised to find that the ASID (American Society of Interior Design) has accreditation for this school. And that they think that this college prepares students enough to pass the NCIDQ Examination. I can’t imagine that from the people I have talked to who have pursued AI degrees. From what I gather, AI wants you to think they are a school that could have trained Coco Chanel, when actually they lean toward more of a diploma mill. I’m sure there are positive aspects, but is it a 70-90K gamble I want to take? I think not.

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