Capella University Reviews

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About Capella University

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Capella University provides online higher education programs. The university offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in fields such as business, education and health care. Founded in 1993, Capella provides personalized learning paths to accommodate working professionals.

Pros
  • Flexible online learning options
  • User-friendly online platform
Cons
  • Poor communication from advisors
  • Financial aid issues and delays

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Capella University Reviews

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    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10
    Customer Service

    Reviewed May 13, 2026

    My opinion: Capella lacks Integrity. My recommendation: AVOID. I completed the Ph.D. program in Family Psychology and was actively writing my Dissertation when a medical emergency sidelined me for two months. When I tried to pick up where I left off, an apathetic voice on the phone told me my program had been discontinued and I could either a). Start over with a different program, or b). Walk away. I spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars working toward my Ph.D. only to have them pull the rug out from under me when I was almost ready to graduate.

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    Customer ServiceStaffLoan Process

    Reviewed April 24, 2026

    Dissertation/PhD Hurdles: I am 70 years old. I was just about to complete my doctorate. They had me continuously rewriting the same paper over and over. I was told that the winter quarter this year 2026, would be my last and I had to have it done. I have been rewriting that paper since the last July, they were never satisfied with it. My mentor told me, "Oh no, you don’t have to rush because you have until July 2026. You have plenty of time." By the second week of March, well actually the last week of class, they emailed me an academic withdrawal letter. Nobody discussed anything with me, I appealed it and they denied it. So I owe them $280,000 for a doctorate degree I will not receive. There was nothing but a lot of miscommunication the whole time. They didn’t care, they got their money from Financial Aid and I have to pay it back.

    In 2022 from April until December I missed 3 semesters (each quarter was 10 weeks) because I was labeled by the National Student Loan Data Services (NSLDS) as totally and permanently disabled. I spent all those months straightening that out. I’m not gonna be compensated for that time lost and that glitch in a computer. It was always some problem. I am trying now to finish out my last three months somewhere else. I will not recommend the Capella to anyone. My master's level was wonderful but the doctoral program was nothing but a lot of miscommunication and glitches. I got to my last three months and they pulled the rug from under me. All they had to say was, "I’m so sorry." I am very hurt and disappointed. If they were sorry they would’ve worked with me on those nine months. I missed out because of the mistake that was made. I have never been totally and permanently disabled.

    NSDLS had a race and gave my whole Financial Aid. If I were not serious about obtaining my doctor, I wouldn’t have taken that nine months to straighten it out, knowing that that debt would have been restored back to me. In other words to simplify, they blew me off at the end. They did nothing to straighten it out, and I guarantee you they didn’t say anything to the mentor who told me I had till July to complete my doctorate

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      Reviewed April 17, 2026

      I was set and prepared to complete the remaining fieldwork portion of my clinical masters degree when COVID hit. The closures impacted everything. My site was willing to amend the fieldwork to a digital format. However at that time Capella had not made a decision as to how it would address remote fieldwork. I was told I would either need to declare the program complete without the fieldwork (I had more than enough credits to graduate) or begin a doctoral program.

      I was not in a position to begin a doctoral degree at the time. Without the fieldwork my master's degree is useless. To practice you must be licensed and to be licensed you must complete fieldwork. When things began to reopen, I reached out to Capella and was told I would need to redo the degree I order to participate in any fieldwork. So now I'm left w a useless degree, no credentials to practice, and my only option is to redo a program and pay again. Please think again before considering this school.

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      PriceRates

      Reviewed April 10, 2026

      Joke of a "school". They take people's hard earned money and give them an education that's just as cheap as the paper the diploma is printed on. I do not recommend the RN to BSN program for anyone, go to a community college instead so you can get a good education at a reasonable price.

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      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedTransparency

      Reviewed April 6, 2026

      Attending Capella University was a costly mistake, and I strongly urge anyone considering it to think twice. After three years of work, time, and money, I was administratively withdrawn with ONE course left before graduating. I submitted my final paper on the last day of the term, only to be told afterward that it was “too late” and I “should be able” to retake the course a few months later. That decision alone set me back significantly.

      It gets worse! I waited three months for an appeal decision, only for it to be denied with a vague, one-line explanation: “non-satisfactory grade.” No real justification. No accountability. This, despite having a transcript filled with A’s and B’s outside of that final course. This experience exposed a complete lack of transparency, consistency, and student support. When you’re this close to the finish line, you expect clear communication and fair treatment—not policies that feel arbitrary and decisions that have no meaningful explanation. If you value your time, money, and sanity, do not take this risk lightly. There are far better institutions that will actually support you through completion instead of leaving you stranded at the very end!

      -signed a frustrated former student

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      Sales & MarketingHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed March 27, 2026

      This school is a scam. After my official evaluation I was told I only had 14 courses to complete. In the flexpath program. However, as I began the program there were more courses added. It went from 14 courses to 15 courses to 16 courses. Apparently they are allowed to lie to you and add courses along the way. Plus we had a week and a half of outage so there was no way of me continuing and completing my course in a timely manner because their system was down. And they refuse to credit you for that time that their system was down.

      Their degree program is a scam as they're all about making money. The degree is not respected by employers. As I have tried to apply for positions with my degree along with my experience that pertains to my degree. It's just as an efficient enough. I applied for a position at a hospital and I submitted over my transcripts, mind you my GPA is 3.53. And my application went from inconsideration to not in consideration once I submitted my transcripts. So apparently they don't take this school seriously.

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      Sales & Marketing

      Reviewed March 19, 2026

      This school only wants your money! They will send the money you “owe” them to creditors. Brought my credit score down 16 points! This school needs to close for good. I never even got a chance to attend this stupid scam school.

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      Refunds & PayoutsStaff

      Reviewed March 5, 2026

      I have been very patient with Capella on all the outages, but I am slowly running out of it. I have a time limit on classes with the Flex Path. Course links, materials, and websites are constantly down or having issues. I pay for these classes, and I am starting to get behind because I cannot get into class materials like I need to. When can students expect Capella to fully resolve all their technical issues??

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      Loan Process

      Reviewed March 3, 2026

      DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!! Systems are constantly down and especially at financial aid time! They create excuses and systemic barriers so that their shareholders keep the majority of a school loan IN YOUR NAME, on their books!!! I REPEAT STAY AWAY FROM THIS HORRIBLE SCHOOL!!!!

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      Customer ServiceStaffRates

      Reviewed Feb. 24, 2026

      I have been dealing with a rep called Erik Y. This man has been extremely disrespectful and is not interested in Capella making money. I reported him to his manager , but I think that they are both alike. Unprofessional. They don’t want to transfer me to someone else and he refuses to enroll me me. Like OMG. It has been two years. Eric ** should be fired!

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      Capella University author review by ConsumerAffairs Research Team

      Capella University is a regionally accredited, for-profit university that specializes in online education.

      • Offers degrees and certificates: Capella offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and certificates in criminal justice.

      • FlexPath programs: FlexPath is a unique program that is assessment based and allows students to complete as many courses as they are able to in a 12 week period for one rate.

      The ConsumerAffairs Research Team believes everyone deserves to make smart decisions. We aim to provide readers with the most up-to-date information available about today's consumer products and services.

      Capella University Company Information

      Company Name:
      Capella University
      Website:
      www.capella.edu