National UniversityReviews of nu.edu

I was accepted to the doctorate program in September 2025, it’s January 2026, and they still have not enrolled me in class. They keep stating it is financial aid files on hold. Then the so called advisor informs me today that if I am not enrolled by Feb. 15, 2026 that I have to reapply. This school is a fraud and needs to be reported to the department of education. The US government should not fund schools that are this inefficient. There are about 355 complaints on these pages alone. Please help place individuals like me that put the effort to apply and unprofessional and unethical practices break the stride of true students.

Is school is a DISASTER!!! Either they just don’t care or it’s just beyond unorganized. I was granted the ADT scholarship which is the only reason why I came here. Once I was all signed up and taking classes, all of a sudden I no longer qualified. I made a huge deal but they were able to “fix” it. For a little bit… and then it happened again… not once, not twice but I had to deal with the same issue at least five times. I never knew who my advisor was. Everyone just brushes you off to the next department and that’s where you keep getting the runaround for days, weeks and even months. My main advisor, David Le Claire, was so helpful in the beginning and stepped in when the scholarship department hadn’t applied my credits for 4+ months. Then once I got closer to finishing my last few classes… Mr. Le Claire fully abandoned me. I would email him several times each week and the he would apologize for the delay as he had been out of the office. I heard this excuse over 5+ times with him and it got to the point where I thought he was just not doing well in health/personal life. I was very persistent with him and he completely stopped answering my calls, emails, voice messages, etc. The advisors share a single email and it is just so wild to me that no one stepped in to help him out… not even ONCE. Fast forward, I get a message that I had been dropped because I was inactive too long…they didn’t have any classes available for me to take for 2 months… Which is why I was emailing, calling, leaving VM to AVOID being dropped (you’ll be dropped if you’re not in a class for one month - you have 35 days max). I felt like I hit a dead end because they didn’t have any classes I could take but then I get abandoned and dropped when all that time I had been trying to avoid such. Next, now that I had been ghosted and dropped… no one could help me, once again. Eventually, I was transferred over to re-entry where you had to start the WHOLE enrollment over, like you’re a new student. I ended up with a lady named Connie. Connie was rude and never explained the process to me and then got mad at me for being persistent and trying to understand without being explained to. She would always happen to be “on the line” when I would call to figure out my next steps… to be ahead… and not be abandoned again. I got the whole runaround with that department as well. I called and asked to speak with the supervisor and all of a sudden she was ready to talk (or answer the line but be overly passive aggressive). I continued to get the runaround so I had to email the dean of the school. I was reassigned a very helpful lady, Yvonne, once upper management got me back on track. She explained that Mr. Le Claire failed to file a “promise to return” for me and that’s ALL I needed to not be dropped (it’s not available for the public or students to fill out or view). That simple little form could have saved me from being dropped after being ghosted. She was empathetic about being abandoned and having to go through the whole admissions process again. Fast forward, I just finished my degree on 09/27/2025 but now I have an outstanding balance on my account of about $2,500. That $2,500 balance is because the scholarship department ONCE AGAIN hasn’t applied my scholarship credit for over 3 months now!!! Not one person has responded to my email in the financial or scholarship department. I have been trying to contact SOMEONE for over two months now. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to talk to the right department. I’m getting the runaround and they’re not getting back to my advisor either. NOW I’m getting collection letters in the mail!!! I have been calling the campus all day today and cannot get through to anyone at the front desk. I’ve had it with them! Thank god I didn’t continue my Master’s degree with them. WOW. My only last option is to show up in person at the campus but I’ll probably get the runaround there too…. This is not okay!!! They make you feel like you’re at a dead end and you have NOTHING to save or just assist you. This is just long story short - just to give anyone a heads up. The only thing GOOD about this school are the professors - they actually have a care and are actually organized.

I’m writing this review to share my deeply disappointing experience with National University’s Ph.D. in Psychology program, leading me to withdraw from the entire institution. There are simply too many better options available elsewhere. During a difficult time marked by a family emergency and mental health struggles, I found myself unable to engage in the course as required. When I finally reached out for a bit of flexibility, hoping for a reset or an extension to get back on track. I was told my only option was to withdraw, forfeiting the money I had invested. What’s most frustrating is that in a previous course, a compassionate professor did provide the understanding and flexibility I needed, which allowed me to successfully complete the work. This showed me that support is possible, but National University’s rigid policies and lack of care in this instance made it clear that it was not something they were willing to extend in this case. In the end, I’ve decided to walk away from the program because I value my well-being and future more than staying at an institution that fails to support students during challenging times. If you’re considering National University, I urge you to look carefully and consider whether this is the type of academic environment where you can thrive.

My honest experience with National University I normally don’t write reviews but I feel like I have to share what happened to me in hopes that it helps someone else avoid going through the same thing. I applied and got accepted into a master’s program at National University. I had finished my bachelor’s degree and was waiting on the official conferral date, but I was told by the school, specifically by my advisor Cubris James, that I could start the program on July 7 as long as I provided a letter of completion. Based on this information, I was excited and fully prepared to start school, move forward with my career change, and begin receiving BAH to support myself and my family. Unfortunately, it turned out that information was completely false. After weeks of unclear communication and getting the runaround, I was finally told that I could not begin the program until the actual conferral date of my bachelor’s degree. By that time, it was too late. I was left in limbo, with no classes, no BAH, and a lot of wasted time and stress. Trying to get in touch with anyone during this process was incredibly frustrating. I could never reach my enrollment advisor, Amy Shilson. The communication with the registrar’s office, evaluations, and records departments was slow and unclear the entire time. No one took responsibility for the confusion, and no one made an effort to fix it. This experience was very disappointing and stressful, especially because I had been hopeful and ready to begin a new chapter in my life. I wish they had told me the truth from the beginning instead of building up false expectations. Thankfully, I ended up leaving and getting approved to start right away at the University of La Verne. The process there was smooth, clear, and respectful. Honestly, the best experience compared to what I had gone through before. If you are thinking of applying to National University, especially if you are a veteran or someone relying on BAH or a timely transition, I would not recommend it. This was my first review ever, and I really hoped for a better experience. Instead, I was left feeling misled and unsupported.

Applied as a Post 9/11 GI Bill student, was told I have to submit letters of non-attendance for every university that shows up (the transcript request rejections straight from each university stating there is no record for me should be sufficient, but they’re not). And though I was initially offered a waiver for those schools, it was retracted weeks later because “the VA doesn’t allow that” (contacted the VA and that’s not true). Submitted the letters of non attendance by the deadline of 30 June for the 7 July start date and received a text from my “advisor” that my start date has to be pushed back to August because they need a week or two to process all the actual transcripts they’ve HAD for weeks. I provided this information to my advisor Paul Kensor requesting to speak with someone in the transcript office about this and he ignored my message like he does each time I have questions or concerns about how this is being handled. The finance office was helpful in confirming my FAFSA & VA funding were good to go as of May.

The initial application process was very simple, and the admissions staff were as helpful as they could be. However, the School of Law admissions criteria are vague, and when you're denied, no reason is cited, and no opportunities to bring yourself up to a standard are provided. Their back office seems behind the times, as I'm still getting emails about financial aid for a school I wasn't accepted to (I'm glad I was accepted to a better school, in the end). I'm sure that the School of Law does what it's meant to do for some, but for me, the experience proved lacking at best.

I was searching for an online law school and National University popped up in the search. Of course, as with most online schools, you can't get past a certain point without giving them your info. Once I did that and I was on their site I could not find anything about a law degree (even though they do apparently have a law school) so I just backed out of the site. Then the texts started. I just ignored them. Today I got a call. The young lady that called me asked me about my interest in their Master's of Education. At no point in time did I ever choose that as what I was interested in seeking so no idea how that ended up on my information. She then asked what kind of degree I was seeking and I stated a law degree. She asked "what level?" Huh? A law degree is a law degree, but officially it is a Juris Doctorate and I stated as much. She asked me IF I would be completing my Master's degree within the next 6 months and I stated that I wasn't seeking a Master's Degree to which she replied (and I kid you not) " you can't get a doctorate without a Master's". Uh, yes you can especially if it is a law degree. She disconnected the call (albeit politely) because NU couldn't help me until I got a Master's Degree. Knowing that not even Harvard requires a Master's Degree to apply to their law school, and figuring this person was just ignorant, I called back and I got a young man. Despite treating the call as if NU was the one who initiated the call and not me calling back after the first lady basically hung up on me. He proceeded to asked me what kind of degree and I stated law. This prompted him to ask me if I was seeking a law degree at the undergraduate level, graduate, or doctoral?? Again, what??? He didn't seem much better versed in what a law degree is but at least he was willing to connect me through to an advisor. I guess because of the whole M.Ed error the call transfered to the "education" pipeline and that advisor had to transfer me to the law school pipeline. That advisor, after asking me a few questions, informed me that in order to enroll in their law school, I first had to obtain a bachelor's degree in pre-law studies. (My current degree is a BBA.) Now, I have no idea if that is actually true (it isn't at any law school I'm familiar with, including Harvard) but at this point I am so frustrated (and also somewhat amused) at the sheer stupidity of the 4 people I dealt with today, that I can safely say that the very last school I will ever consider for any degree let alone a law degree is National University. National University this is your introduction to people, your "first impression" so to speak, and this the caliber of people that you serve up to the public to represent your University?? Really? Based on what I can find online, your school has a pretty good reputation, although it does appear to be most highly rated in Education degrees. After my experience today, I think it is safe to say, that you do not practice what you preach.

National University has extensive Financial Aid delays in processing. I believe the staffing is inadequate and they will not reveal what the manning is. They all work remote. Trying to get finacial aid is really stressful, tiring, and simply exhausted me.