How Good Is Purdue Global? Is It Worth The Money?
Whether you are fresh from high school or already working, you can go to college without having to attend any on-campus class, thanks to Purdue Global. It’s one of the many online schools that simplify access to higher education. The school makes getting your hands on a college degree easier alright, but is Purdue Global a good school?
Purdue Global is a good school, especially for working adults who would like to further their career goals. The online public school is also ideal for high school graduates with a GPA of 2.5 or those with a GED certificate or any high school diploma equivalent as it has an open admissions policy.
Many people have already heard about Purdue West Lafayette, which is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and other members of the Purdue University system, such as Purdue Fort Wayne and Purdue University Northwest.
However, not too many are familiar with Purdue Global (also known as Purdue University Global).
Well, no one can blame them since the school, which is an online public school, was established just a few years ago. And this is why many who come across it and think about applying to it often ask: Is Purdue Global a good school?
If you would like to know more about Purdue Global along with our review, keep on reading. Below are some of the most important things you need to know about the school before sending your application to it.
Is Purdue Global a diploma mill?
Purdue Global is not a diploma mill. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The accrediting body is recognized by both the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Purdue Global offers legit programs and diplomas.
When it comes to going to an online school, there is one very important thing that any student should look into. It’s none other than determining whether or not the online school is a diploma mill.
A diploma mill offers bogus programs and diplomas. The students do not have to go through a learning experience.
After shelling out a certain amount of money, they can get their hands on their diplomas already. The problem with the programs and diplomas from a diploma mill is that employers do not respect or accept them.
Diploma mills are not accredited institutions, unlike Purdue Global. Some diploma mills may claim to be accredited. However, if you pry any further, you will learn the fact that the accreditation bodies responsible for the accreditation of these diploma mills are just as bogus as they are!
Is Purdue Global regionally or nationally accredited?
Purdue Global is a regionally accredited school. The one responsible for its accreditation, which is HLC, is a regional accreditation body. Due to its accreditation status, Purdue Global has a better reputation compared to many schools with national accreditation, like technical or vocational ones.
In the US, a school can either be regionally accredited or nationally accredited. Between the two, regional accreditation is regarded as the more prestigious and widely accepted type of accreditation.
Being a regionally accredited school, transferring credits from Purdue Global to another school or vice versa should be trouble-free. Since credits earned from one school will be credited by another school, starting college from scratch can be avoided. However, both schools have to be regionally accredited.
Also, having regional accreditation means that some of Purdue Global’s students may receive financial aid. We will talk more about this matter in a few, so don’t stop reading now.
When was Purdue Global established?
Purdue Global was established in April 2017. The online school’s history began when the Purdue University system, whose flagship campus, Purdue West Lafayette, was established in 1869, announced that it would acquire Kaplan University, a private for-profit school, and turn it into a public school.
Kaplan University was established in 1937. Its name is in honor of Stanley H. Kaplan, the person who founded Kaplan Test Prep, which is considered as the king of test preps.
When it started, Kaplan University was predominantly a distance learning institution whose classes were conducted through the mail.
Thanks to the internet, distance learning became online learning. However, in 2018, Purdue West Lafayette acquired Kaplan University and rebranded it, which is why it’s now known as Purdue Global.
Although there is no more Kaplan University in the US, there are still existing schools that are divisions of Kaplan Inc. For instance, there are Kaplan International Languages schools in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and England. As a matter of fact, there are branches in the US, too, such as in Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and New York.
Are Purdue Global degrees the same as Purdue University degrees?
Purdue Global degrees are not the same as Purdue University degrees. Purdue Global is part of the Purdue University system. However, the two schools have different accreditations, although they are both regionally accredited. Purdue Global degrees are as legit as Purdue University degrees.
It’s been more than 100 years since Purdue University was established. On the other hand, Purdue Global, which is a part of the Purdue University system, was established back in 2018 only.
Because of this, many people wonder if the degrees they can earn from Purdue Global are just as legit as the ones they can earn from Purdue University or other members of the Purdue University system. Although a relative newcomer in the higher education world, Purdue Global degrees are accredited degrees respected by employers.
Since they are both regionally accredited, credits earned from one of them are transferable to the other.
What is Purdue Global known for?
Purdue Global is known for being a part of the Purdue University system. It’s also known for being formerly Kaplan University that now offers online education tailored to the needs of working professionals. Program-wise, Purdue Global is known for business, engineering, education, pharmacy and nursing.
Especially in this day and age, online schools are extremely popular among high school graduates and working adults who would like to further their education.
Purdue Global is offering over 175 programs. A course is available for just about every student, including one that’s an active member of the military or a veteran. All Purdue Global programs are offered online exclusively, unlike other online schools that require the students to step foot on their campuses from time to time.
Also, it’s possible for the students to earn college degrees from Purdue Global no matter where they are on the planet.
Does Purdue Global accept financial aid?
Purdue Global accepts the very same federal and state financial aids that would be available at many traditional schools. Some of them include federal grants, such as the Pell Grant. Purdue Global also accepts financial aid types distributed via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The program cost per credit hour from some of the most affordable online schools can range anywhere from as low as $150 to as high as $549. It depends on whether the program is graduate or undergraduate.
As of 2019, most undergraduate programs Purdue Global offers cost $371 per quarter credit hour. The good news is that the school accepts not only financial aids many traditional schools accept but also others. Some of them include scholarships and private student loans. With these financial aids, earning an online degree is made easier on the pocket.
Make sure that you fill out the FAFSA before applying to know how much aid you could be eligible for.
Does Purdue Global offer special benefits for military personnel?
Purdue Global believes that active-duty military service members and veterans are deserving of high-quality education through their service. Also, they should not have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to obtain their educational goals. This is why Purdue Global offers military personnel benefits.
Current service members can save up to 55% per credit for undergraduate programs. What’s more, the school waives the technology fee, which covers costs such as technology improvements and online tech support. On the other hand, for graduate programs, current service members can save up to 30% per credit.
Veterans who are enrolled in undergraduate programs can save up to 38% per credit. Those who are enrolled in graduate programs can save up to 14% per credit.
Besides active-duty military service members and veterans, military spouses can enjoy special benefits, too.
What GPA do you need to get into Purdue Global?
To get accepted to Purdue Global, a student will need to have a GPA of 2.5. The average GPA of US high school students, based on a study conducted in 2017, is 3.38. Even below-average students will find it easy to get accepted to Purdue Global, provided that they meet other admissions requirements.
Besides making getting a college degree easier via the internet, Purdue Global also makes it easy for students to get their college lives started. That’s because the school has an open admissions policy for all students.
Put simply, an open admissions policy makes it very easy for students to get accepted to Purdue Global. Meeting the basic eligibility criteria, such as having a GPA of 2.5 at least, allows them to attend Purdue Global. Because of this, students who fail to meet admission requirements from other schools are given the opportunity to earn a college degree.
Many other things make it easy to get accepted to Purdue Global, and we will talk about this matter next.
Does Purdue Global require SAT or ACT?
Purdue Global does not require the submission of SAT or ACT scores. Like other test-optional US schools, Purdue Global does not believe that standardized tests, such as SAT and ACT, are a good measurement of the knowledge and potential of students. As a result, applying to Purdue Global is easier.
As a general rule of thumb, the more selective a school, the higher the SAT or ACT scores of applicants should be. This makes it challenging for students with low SAT or ACT scores to get into their dream schools.
Harvard University, MIT and other top-tier schools require students to have an SAT score of at least 1,450 — this score is still pretty low for many selective schools. On the other hand, students need to have an ACT score of 31 to 32. These scores make students eligible to apply alright, but they are still considered as low-end scores.
When applying to Purdue Global, in contrast, there is no need for students to worry about their SAT or ACT scores.
How many students attend Purdue Global?
Around 31,500 students are attending Purdue Global today. Of those, about 60% are over 30 years old, the majority of whom are already working. Being an online school, Purdue Global tends to attract a lot of working professionals who would like to further their education for promotion or better jobs.
In the US, more than six million students are pursuing online learning. As a matter of fact, over one-fourth of all college students in the country are earning their college degrees via the internet.
As mentioned earlier, Purdue Global is part of the Purdue University system.
These days, a total of 74,759 students attend the entire system. More than 44,500 students attend Purdue West Lafayette, which is the flagship school of the system. Based on these figures, a little more than 40% of the system’s students attend Purdue Global.
Many are enrolled at Purdue Global due to its open admissions policy and perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are online classes like at Purdue Global?
Online classes at Purdue Global are divided into one-week units. Students, during every unit, participate in class discussions, take exams and submit at least one paper. Because Purdue Global offers online education primarily, every learning activity takes place or is carried out via the internet.
Some online schools offer online classes and on-campus classes. The combination of the two classes allows online students to also experience what it’s like to have traditional classes.
Just because Purdue Global offers online classes only doesn’t mean that its students will miss out on the unique experience of having traditional classes. Class discussions, for instance, happen in real-time while all the participating students are in front of their laptops. Purdue Global refers to this experience as “seminars”.
Also, Purdue Global professors have online office hours at designated times, allowing the students to consult them.
How much time is spent online by Purdue Global Students?
The amount of time Purdue Global students have to be online will vary, depending on the program and enrollment status, too. For instance, students enrolled in a 10-week term will have to spend a minimum of 15 to 18 weeks per week per course. This includes time spent online and studying offline.
Many students choose online learning because they think that it’s the easier route schedule-wise. However, this is not always the case. In many instances, the students will still have to devote some of their time to attending classes, although via the internet, such as in the case of Purdue Global students.
And this brings us to a very important matter: Purdue Global vs. SNHU.
Both schools offer online education.
However, Purdue Global requires its students to spend time in front of their laptops to participate in real-time class discussions, quizzes, etc.
On the other hand, SNHU does not require its students to participate in real-time online classes, which is why its students can finish a program at their preferred pace.
How does the change to Purdue Global affect Kaplan University Graduates?
Graduates of Kaplan University before it became Purdue Global should still refer to the school as Kaplan University on their resume and other documents. On the other hand, those who graduated from the school from April 2017 onwards should refer to it as Purdue Global on their resume and elsewhere.
Some graduates of Kaplan University wonder if they could get their hands on diplomas that bear the name of Purdue Global instead of the name of the school before the Purdue University system acquired it.
Unfortunately, according to Purdue Global itself, Kaplan University graduates will not be issued updated diplomas. They can still request copies of their diplomas issued by Kaplan University alright.
However, it will not be the same as the diplomas issued to students that have graduated from the school since April 2017.
The good news is that the students, no matter when they graduated, can request for updated transcripts.
Just Before You Apply to Purdue Global
So, is Purdue Global a good school?
Purdue Global is a good school for anyone who would like to consider earning a college degree purely online.
Unlike other online schools that require its students to attend online and on-campus classes (hybrid learning), Purdue Global offers purely online classes, albeit in real-time in the form of discussions and seminars.
Getting accepted to Purdue Global is easy, too, because the school has an open admissions policy. This means that anyone with a high school diploma or an equivalent, such as a GED certificate, may apply.
Being an online school, many can’t help but think that Purdue Global is just a diploma mill.
Above, we talked about the fact that Purdue Global is a regionally accredited school, which means that it’s far from being a diploma mill.
The school offers legit programs and legit diplomas that employers accept and respect. And being a part of the well-known Purdue University system is a testament that it’s a reliable school.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the College Reality Check.