Strayer University Review [2024] A Review of Strayer University Online

With more than 36,000 students – over 99% of them online – Strayer University is one of the largest online colleges and most recognizable institutions in online education. It’s so well-known that students may take it for granted. But Strayer offers a lot to working adults and nontraditional students.

Since reaching university status in 1998, the for-profit Strayer (owned by Strategic Education, Inc) has merged with Capella University, built more than 60 campuses, and weathered the controversies of the 2010s that brought down many other for-profit institutions. It may be for-profit, but Strayer has a renewed commitment to giving its students opportunities other schools do not.

Is Strayer a good school?

Finding a good school can be difficult. Nevertheless, by taking the time to research online, you can find out how one school compares to another. In the case of Strayer University, it is a regionally accredited school, which meets the standard for quality set by the federal Department of Education. However, it is also a for-profit school with most of its courses online (though there are on-campus classes). This makes many people question whether it is actually a diploma mill, which is a school that essentially gives out diplomas to the vast majority of people who enroll in their programs and pay their bills. 

Strayer University’s Most Popular Programs

Strayer is known for business, computers, and education programs, including multiple computer discipline certificates.

Program of Study	Associate	Bachelor	Master	Doctorate
Business Administration	336	534	1038	N/A
Computer Sciences	39	83	42	N/A
Education	N/A	N/A	26	N/A

Is Strayer University for profit?

Yes, Strayer University is a for-profit school. This means it has the following traits:

• First, it is owned by a private business or company.
• It is managed by investors and/or stakeholders; these people help make the decisions in terms of how funds will be distributed. 
• Money and profits are made via fees and tuition. 
• It received little to no federal or state aid. 
• It offers primarily career-based occupational programs.

Is Strayer University accredited?

If you are wondering about accreditation, yes, Strayer is an accredited college. It is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the same accrediting agency that accredits and traditional college in the mid-Atlantic region. This organization helps by providing evidence that Strayer University meets the standards in terms of the quality of the curriculum, faculty, learner services, as well as fiscal security. Therefore, attending Strayer University can provide you with a degree that is well-respected by other institutions and potential employers. 

Strayer University Graduates’ Careers and Salaries

Job Title	Salary Range	Average Salary
Human Resources (HR) Manager	$55k – $93k	$69,404
Project Manager	$53k – $163k	$96,710
Staff Accountant	$31k – $73k	$57,950
Senior Accountant	$54k – $93k	$70,557
Accounting Manager	$54k – $116k	$74,268

Is Strayer University legit?

Given that many people question universities that exist primarily online, it’s only natural that people would question whether or not Strayer University is legit. This is especially true in an age in which the market is saturated with online institutions and many people have been scammed out of their time and money by attending such institutions.

Yes, overall, Strayer University is largely considered legit and can provide students with the following benefits:

• Well-Respected Degrees: Earning a degree from Strayer University means that your degree is more likely to be respected by employers. Moreover, other institutions and professional associations are also more likely to accept and respect your degree. 
• Better Schooling Opportunities: Depending on what your educational goals are, attending Strayer University may be a huge first step in your collegiate journey. Therefore, if you make the choice to transfer to another college, attending Strayer University may help put you on the right track. This is because each institution gets to decide whether they want to accept your credits or not. Moreover, the vast majority of institutions only consider transfer credits from accredited institutions.
• High Standards: Also, they go above and beyond to ensure that the institution meets a specific set of standards that are created by student support, faculty, etc. This is said to apply to everything from curriculums and to customer service, and more. 

Is Strayer University a diploma mill?

Strayer University is not a diploma mill. It actually expects its students to learn and develop new skills while enrolled. A diploma mill is essentially any institution that gives students diplomas freely in exchange for payment. In other words, the school may not necessarily provide students with all of the training and education needed, but they will allow them to pay for the degree in order to pursue employment without receiving the training required to do so. Therefore, students who attend Strayer University are actually expected to work hard in order to receive their degrees. 

Strayer University Reviews: Programs and More

As with most online institutions, the reviews for Strayer University are mixed. Depending on where you look, you will find those who rate the school everything from one to five stars. On the one hand, some students complained about things such as being pre-registered for classes and the lack of guidance in terms of financial aid. On the other hand, some former students were impressed by the staff, individual/group tutoring options, and more. In the end, it averaged around 3 stars out of 5. Therefore, it is not considered the best online college, but it’s certainly not the worst. 

Many who have attended Strayer compare it to community college – a convenient online school for those who can’t get to a local community college. Some students would prefer a more interactive online class environment, stronger student support offices, and a whole financial aid team, but many students only take a few classes. Strayer is less known as a graduate school.

Strayer has an exceptional proportion of women of color in its student body – more than two-thirds of students are women, and more than two-thirds are people of color. With its focus on minority women, Strayer puts its commitment to convenience and accessibility front and center. While this has often led to charges that Stayer is exploitative, professional-focused programs like business, criminal justice, health services, and others have been recognized for their quality.

For students who are working to earn credentials to improve their current careers – such as nurses, social workers, and human resources officers – Strayer has proven to be effective.

Can Strayer Graduates Pay Back Their Loans?

As of 2020, Strayer graduates had a 0% default rate, down from 8.6% in 2018. This shows that Stayer graduates are having a better time getting jobs and paying back their student loans.

SU Fiscal Year	2020	2019	2018
Default rate	0%	2.2%	8.6%
Number in default	1	425	1584
Number in repayment	22,446	18,700	18,398

Is Strayer University expensive?

Strayer University is considered reasonably priced. Courses cost around $1,525 for undergraduate classes. Other costs include approximately $150 per course for textbooks and supplies and a $65 technology fee per term. This makes Strayer a very cost-effective institution for those pursuing associates and bachelors degrees. 

Strayer University Pros and Cons

“Pros and Cons” lists help make important decisions. Using information from the school, national ranking programs, government education sources, etc., College Consensus offers a few pros and cons list to get you started:

Reviews of Similar Online Schools:

• University of Phoenix
• Southern New Hampshire University
• Grand Canyon University
• American Public University
• University of Maryland Global Campus
• Liberty University
• Arizona State University
• Purdue University Global

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