Capella University Reviews

They are a for--profit and a huge scam. They'll falsely accuse you of violating academic policies and kick you out and still expect you to pay the tuition fees. I've seen it happen to a lot of people including myself. Please consider other reputable online colleges like WGU, UMPI, etc. #Scam-pella University

Horrid. If I could give it zero stars I would. The professors are awful, I have no idea where they find them. The “coaches” do nothing for you. I am not sure what their purpose is. It’s a total waste of time and money. I wish I would have listened

Absolutely do NOT attend the school I went to for my RN-to-BSN program. I deeply regret enrolling. I spent far more money than they led me to believe, and the entire process was a nightmare. They took an unreasonable amount of time to approve my preceptor site, and their communication and support were terrible. Save yourself the stress and choose a different school — this one was a complete disaster.

I attended the university online. I was informed I was going to need 8 classes to complete the BSN program. I took 4 classes and took a break due to life events. Before taking the break, I spoke to an advisor and said I could because they is a cut off time before you can take a break, if you don’t tell the school in advance they would charge you for class even if you don’t attend. The advisor never told me if my break was pass a year mark all my credits would be annulled. I took a year off, when I returned, they told me, the school would not accept any of the class I took. I was hurt, discouraged and disappointed, each class was 4 cited papers in 2.5 months, it was a lot of research, late night, yes they say, you can take as much class as you want but they work is a lot, they make sure that the students can not take more than 2 classes a class period.

If I could rate them a zero I would. When I applied, a lady reached out to me really pushing me to enroll for classes. I didn't want to register for classes until my financial aid was processed by the school. I immediately began to have problems with the financial aid office. I kept receiving emails about them missing documents, I called multiple times to get more information and explanation about what they needed, I had already given them everything I had (tax documents). At this time the enrollment counselor (not sure of her title) began pushing me to enroll, I made it very clear that I didn't want to until I knew I had received financial aid because I couldn't afford the fees and didn't want any financial issues.

They will have to pay for things without warning. Asked for transcripts. I paid for them and they would not accept them from the school because they were not password protected even though it came from an official email. Had I known that I would’ve paid to send them through regular mail. It was a complete waste of time and money.

It’s been over a month since I submitted my financial aid verification. I’m currently on my last week of class, and I have still yet to receive my financial aid. I’ve been constantly calling, emailing, and texting them and I haven’t received a response. I’m currently on the line and have been waiting 33 minutes. The portal was “broken” for weeks, and they keep directing me to a live chat where no one is available. At this point, I believe that they scammed us! Why does everyone have the same complaint?

Capella has a complete lack of transparency regarding Financial Aid. I have contacted their financial aid department a total of 13 times since July 8, 2025, regarding my FAFSA disbursement. Every time I call, I get a different story, on one call I actually got 4 different stories from one rep. Their chatbot does not work, their live chat is not operable, their dashboard is down, no response on email, and hold times are over 1.5 hrs. to talk to someone that cannot assist you. I have asked to be escalated numerous times and have been told there is no one else to speak with other than the rep reading a script. The reps are rude and argue with you when you try to explain your situation or you catch them in a bold lie, which makes it all worse. Recommendation: DO NOT OBTAIN YOUR DEGREE FROM THEM.

If you are looking for an option to further your education online do not utilize Capella University. It has been an ongoing headache for me. No one answers the phone for financial aid which I do not qualify for, but student loans are apparently labeled as such. Funds were supposed to be processed on July 23, to date, the website is still "DOWN"... how convenient. Random selection for verification with ridiculous timelines with threats of being dropped from enrollment however, they do not follow through with business on their end. If unprofessional was an institution, this is it.

Lots of non transferrable courses. Also avoid Chelsea ** and Kinsey ** and Leslie **. Avoid avoid avoid. I would say if you value your GPA and have worked hard, then don't risk it with these instructors.

Capella University’s Financial Aid department is a nightmare to contact. I called four times three times, I waited over 30 minutes before giving up. On the fourth attempt, it took 1 hour and 30 minutes just to speak to someone. This is completely unacceptable for a university charging thousands in tuition. If you need timely financial aid assistance, look elsewhere, Capella clearly doesn’t prioritize student support. Poor service, wasted time, and zero accountability.

I withdrew from this college due to no aid and now being charged 4700 from a creditor them saying I never withdrew from the college and they returned my aid and now I have to pay. This is unbelievable. I did everything right to leave the college. And now they want me to pay bill because they messed up.

I have no idea who to talk to but a lot of these reviews are spot on and what I’ve also experienced. Unfortunately, I have to finish because I promised my dad before he passed. After five years of dedication as a student at Capella, going for my DHA, and consistent participation in the financial aid program, I am walking away deeply disappointed and disillusioned. Recently, I was informed that due to changes in my loan status, changes that were never clearly explained to me, I may not be able to complete my degree. As someone who has worked tirelessly while relying on financial aid, this situation feels like a betrayal. I trusted Capella to provide clarity and support, but instead I’m left facing a financial burden I had no way to prepare for.

This was the worse university, total fraud, I dropped out BEFORE starting (less than a week). Paid the initial $1800 of which they are not returning and sent me a bill for an additional $2400. The onboarding was horrible and information wasn't given prior to enrolling. Stay away from this institution of fraudsters. They can forget taking any money out of my account, the bank has been notified.

If I could give them negative stars I would. You'd think with the recruiting process that things would be smooth. As soon as they get you enrolled communication stops there. I probably wouldn't have had an issue if it didn't take weeks for me to get a response in regards to my classes. I ended up dropping the class. So if they send a bill oh well! Luckily I didn't have any credits with this institution yet to go through all the **. This is June 2025 and I haven't even been at Capella a full month.

Here’s an updated 2025 review for Capella. If you don’t have any patience find another school. I'm in pre counseling and therapy guided path and so far everything has been a breeze. Some instructors are great. Some not so great. I have never spoken to my academic advisor but I have been able to speak with others by calling and they have been a lot more helpful. Financial aid on the other end the representatives can’t do much so it's no use taking your anger and frustration out on them. They constantly have system errors and usually can not tell you how long it will take. If you really need the degree and don’t have any other options enroll just be mindful however if you do have other options please go to a different school. Save yourself the stress. Life is hard enough.

I am currently dealing with a credit agency for a $3,000 bill. Why? Because they withdrew me from my class one day after I was supposed eligible for a refund. How did I find out about the withdrawal. I submitted an assignment, logged out, realized I forgot something, went to log back in and couldn’t find my class. I had no formal communication that I had been withdrawn. No warning that I would be either. No calls from my advisor to check in. No emails from my advisor or professor. If I hadn’t done my own research I would have still been trying to access a class I was no longer a part of! I had no communication. Just withdrawn and I tell this to the financial officer and got 0 help.

After completing a two-year journey to earn my master’s degree through Capella University, I can honestly say the experience was both challenging and rewarding in all the right ways. As an entirely online institution, Capella comes with the usual skepticism that many people have about distance learning, but I found that much of the criticism out there stems from unrealistic expectations or a lack of understanding about what online education truly requires. Online programs demand initiative, discipline, and self-accountability, and Capella offers a structured yet flexible environment to foster that kind of growth. The curriculum is certainly rigorous enough and relevant, especially in my field, and it’s clear that the university is committed to academic integrity and the development of real-world skills.

Very bad university for **, they accuse you that your degrees are not legal, even if they are translated and evaluated in the United States. They made me wait 2 months. I submitted everything they required, I got my credits and only 4 days after starting my program they sent me a denied email. They are very racist and discriminate for being **. Very bad experience. I tried to find out the reason for the denial and the response was that they do not give a reason, they denied it and that was it. Very disenchanted with the treatment.

They would only try to reach students through emails and somehow if you failed to check your email, they would drop your course. They would never try to reach students by phone calls and text messages even if you request them. I think they do it intentionally to rip more money from the students. It is a horrible experience to drop the course and then repeat it again even when the course was almost finished.

Down to my last 3 classes, then get an email I been dropped from the school saying someone else did my work. First of all, you put your work in tutitun to check your work for plagiarism before you turn it in. Got to my last 3 classes and they said I had someone turn in my work from 3 classes ago. No proof and no one to reply. Automatically guilty without a defense and still getting billed. This school is a scam.

I’m sharing this review to strongly urge anyone considering this school to look elsewhere. While the school comes off as helpful and responsive during enrollment—calling and emailing you constantly—that support disappears the moment you start classes. My advisor has been unresponsive and offers no real guidance. It takes days to get a reply, and when I do, it’s either vague or not helpful at all. Once you’re in, you’re pretty much on your own.

I am currently enrolled in Capella's Flex Path DNP program. My advice: (1) If you enroll in this program, go very fast with your first seven to eight courses because Capella will slow you down once you hit 8045, 9100, and all 9000 level courses. Note: The faster you finish coursework, the cheaper the program will be and the quicker you will finish the degree. (2) I believe Capella slows you down to make more money. Consider a school that cares about their students. (3) Look at the other reviews here. We cannot all be deceiving you.

I enrolled in 2021 for the flex path program. I should have done my research before enrolling. I started with completing an interest form and the response from the "university" was overwhelming. I quickly received a text message and more text, calls and emails daily. I sent my transcripts from my prior colleges and credits were given. I applied for financial aid, totally aware that I didn't think much aid would be available. Let's just say, I spent way too much time on my associates degree! I proceeded with enrollment based upon what financial aid would be available. I had a start date for classes and still no answer on financial aid. I expressed my concerns numerous times stating that I could not afford the school without aid. When class officially started, my advisor or whatever they call themselves simply would say contact the aid office. Which I did numerous times with a response of we are working on it or no return call.

Do not attend this university for a doctoral degree. I attended this university during the pandemic and started in July of 2021 and was on my way to being completed in 2024 with a PhD in Behavioral Analysis. During this time not only did I get COVID, but I also had major surgery and still managed to get my assignments in and graded. By the time that I was in the Comprehensive Examination course my GPA was a 3.7. This is where my problems started; I took the course twice. The first time I did not pass the course and missed it by a few points. Instead of my counselor advising me on how to proceed by way of either taking a break and coming back to do the course and go over what the readers suggested, she just rescheduled me for the course again. The second time around I failed miserably. Not only did I fail, but I was insulted by the readers.

I worked with an executive manager graduated from a Capella University and frequently doubted his comprehension. He claimed to hold a PhD, but couldn't even write a grammatically correct email. This speaks to the quality of his education. The only reason he managed to keep his position for a few years is because English is his first language.

I have come to realize that Capella University prioritizes profit over student success. This is the first school I’ve attended where I learned nothing from the instructors, yet I was required to spend an extensive amount of time completing assignments. The teaching approach consists of instructors reading from a text in videos, providing unclear instructions, and then holding students to extremely high grading standards. Essentially, I had to teach myself while paying a significant amount of money—without gaining any valuable knowledge from Capella.

I recently completed the RN-BSN Flex Path program, and I actually told two of my peers about it, who ended up finishing it before me! One of the wonderful aspects of this program is that you can progress at your own pace. I found the program challenging enough to push me to work hard and give my best, but not overwhelming to the point where it affected my work-school-life balance.

I graduated with both a BS and MS degrees from here. 1-2 months after graduation and obtain both diplomas and transcripts I get a letter saying I owed almost 2k because of some kind of error that was made. I kept asking how I owed this as when I graduated my account was free and clear. They really couldn't answer and just wanted the money.

After attending two other universities and earning two degrees, my best advice is to stay clear of this school. During the recruiting phase you can always get the support you need, but for anything else, it's like pulling teeth. I had questions about my financial aid as I kept getting communication that I owed for my current term via text. I knew I was approved for aid but could not speak to anyone to confirm how the loan disbursed. They have an app called ELLA and this is how you reached out to the FA office. WELL, this is a joke. I did not receive any of the support I requested to clarify what I owed as I knew I could not pay the entire balance in that term. I also emailed and called and could never get anyone on the phone.