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This is a letter of care that could get me in trouble with my employer, the University of Arizona, and I want to be clear about one thing: I write this as a private citizen and not as a university representative. If I do not say this explicitly, tomorrow I will get a visit from human resources or governmental relations. I digress …
My short request to you or anyone you care about is as follows: If you are thinking about enrolling in the University of Arizona Global Campus—don’t!
I’m speaking with you as a professor at the UA who has seen this disaster unfold, and I cannot be quiet any longer. I care too deeply about students who are potentially wasting thousands of dollars on an education that does not live up to its promise. You will be pursuing a substandard education, as I will detail; before I get to that, however, some context is necessary.
First, when the UA was acquiring UAGC (then Ashford University) from its parent company, Zovio, Ashford was under investigation by the state of California for defrauding students.
Second, those UA representatives involved in the negotiations had to sign nondisclosure agreements, removing meaningful oversight from the process. In the absence of NDAs, the deal likely would not have gone through. Why else would they have them?
Third, the UA bought Ashford (now UAGC) for $1. Some of UA’s own business school professors clearly showed how it was a bad investment. Ultimately, you get what you pay for, and we collectively got screwed in this transaction.
Fast-forward to the present, and things are not good. The UA recently commissioned a report on UAGC, and from that self-commissioned evaluation, released in June, there were some important takeaways:
- UAGC students only graduate at a rate of between 15 and 20 percent, compared to UA students, who graduate at a 60 to 70 percent rate.
- UAGC enrollments have dropped by approximately 18,000 students since 2021.
- UAGC spends disproportionately on online marketing. The Arizona Republic reported in July that UAGC spends roughly 20 percent of its annual budget ($49 million) on advertising, while UA spends less than 1 percent.
- About 95 percent of UAGC faculty are poorly paid adjuncts who in many cases make less than $2,000 for teaching a six-week-long class of 50 students.
All these factors highlight how UAGC invests in advertising instead of education. It offers a substandard product, as there is no way to attract talented instructors when you grossly underpay them.
There have also been recent reports of students who graduate and cannot find jobs despite UAGC’s promises, as well as reports of UAGC continuing to deceive prospective students, as Ashford did previously. In particular, there have been disturbing allegations of UAGC deceiving veterans about how their military benefits could cover their education costs.
The base conclusion of the June report was that UAGC had to incorporate into the UA in order to be viable long term. That is, UAGC cannot stand on its own. This kind of uncertainty does not hover above the heads of reputable educational institutions, and this is not a bet I would place my educational future on if I were you.
The overall lack of transparency coupled with mismanagement compelled Arizona governor Katie Hobbs to demand greater accountability regarding UAGC. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education recently issued a warning to UAGC about potentially deceiving students.
Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, the self-reported 15 to 20 percent completion rate is abysmal. This means more than 80 percent of students who begin UAGC never complete with a degree that can advance their career and financial goals.
In closing, please be prepared for the propaganda that is likely to ensue. Board leadership or central administration at the UA will likely issue a statement in response to my public declaration saying that this is a “different type” of education that “traditional” professors resist. Using the words of Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction, “Well, allow me to retort.” A 15 to 20 percent graduation rate is simply not acceptable. I have standards, and I hope you will, too.
Finally, administrators will likely find a UAGC graduate who was wildly successful to testify to how their success was the result of their education. Please take such testimonies with a grain of salt.
After all, Bill Gates is a college dropout. Does that therefore mean that people should drop out of college to become wealthy? Of course not! In the opposite direction, just because one or two people out of tens of thousands were successful at UAGC does not mean it represents effective or impactful education. Again, please use your critical thinking skills and consider what a self-described 15 to 20 percent graduation rate means in terms of you or your loved one’s long-term possibilities for success.
Please keep this one last issue in mind, dear reader. I have nothing to gain from this letter and will likely face repercussions. The above listed parties have everything to gain.
Please do not allow yourself to be used. This professor cares about you too much for you to waste your time, your money, your effort and your future on the failed experiment that is the UAGC. Please take your precious resources and go elsewhere.
No one wants to be the last person to sink with the Titanic.
Peace,
NC