Capella University — Attraction in Minneapolis

My experience with Capella University was mixed overall. While I successfully earned my Master’s degree through the FlexPath program, there were several challenges and frustrations along the way that future students should be aware of before enrolling.

Financial Aid: The financial aid process was extremely slow and difficult to navigate, as many other reviewers have also mentioned. It took much longer than expected for everything to be processed, which caused unnecessary stress and delays at the start of my term. Communication from the financial aid team could definitely be more efficient and transparent.

FlexPath Program: I chose the FlexPath option because of its advertised flexibility and ability to study at my own pace. In theory, the model is convenient — you can work when it fits your schedule and complete courses at your own speed. However, there are major limitations that students should know. You cannot move on to the next assignment until your previous one has been graded. Professors can take as long as they want to grade your work, which can stall your progress for weeks. For example, a course that could be finished in two weeks might end up taking a month or longer simply because of grading delays.

Each course typically includes four major assignments, each taking about one to two weeks of full-time effort to complete — and that’s assuming grading turnaround is quick. If professors delay grading or request revisions, those two weeks can easily become three or four. This defeats the purpose of “self-paced” learning and can feel like an intentional way to slow students down.

Program Duration & Policy Issues: I managed to complete my master’s degree in about nine months, though I originally planned to finish within six. A large part of that delay came from grading bottlenecks and administrative issues. At one point, I missed completing a course by a single day and was required to extend into another term, with no flexibility or forgiveness from the administration. That felt unnecessarily rigid and disappointing.

Technology & Platform: The student portal and online platform frequently experienced glitches and slow performance. There were several times when the system would not load or save work properly, which added to the frustration. Given the tuition costs, I expected a smoother and more reliable platform.

Overall Experience: While I was ultimately happy to have completed my master’s degree at a relatively affordable price, the overall experience left me frustrated. The delays in grading, inflexible policies, slow financial aid processing, and technical glitches made the program feel more stressful than it should have been.

If your main goal is to earn a degree at a reasonable cost, Capella can be a practical option — but go into it knowing that “FlexPath” doesn’t always mean fast. Be prepared for administrative delays, limited instructor communication, and a process that can easily extend longer than expected.

In the end, I was relieved to finish and move on. While I appreciate the opportunity to complete my education affordably, I often felt stuck and slowed down by the very system that was supposed to provide...

I enrolled in the DSW program. It was rocky in the beginning but I thought everything would be ok. Capella accomodated with a grant towards my titution for a small miscommunication. My advisor was great and available when needed and communicated if she couldn't be. The first 4 weeks of class were great, one of my professors took the time to assist with areas I was weak in and even made time for a phone conversation to ensure nothing was lost in translation. The first assignemt in my Leadership class is where things went wrong. I followed instructions exactly how they were provided, I even emailed my professor to inform her of my concern, as we were supposed to turn in writing coach feedback and I didn't get it back from the writing coach until 3 days later. When I sent the email she didn't address my concern then continued throughout the following days to accuse me of not turning in my assignment; meanwhile never addressing my orginal concern. I continued to email her for clarification and wouldn't get responses back timely on top of not being provided clarity as to why she was saying I didn't turn in my paper. I provided proof of my turned in assignment and sought help from another advisor because this professor was the only one I was having issues with. I watched my grade go from 87.8% to a 32.1 in a matter of 2 days with no explanation. She began to grade my discussion board as basic without explanation, which dropped my grade. My discussion post were always proficient until my communications about my paper started. Another faculty got involved to try and mediate because I explained she was using accusatory language, explanation points and "..." in her communications which is unprofessional. Not feeling as though I had his support I withdrew from the university. I was already aware I would get a bill but the unprofessionalism continued. She called didn't leave a voicemail and sends an email saying she called several times (once) and wasn't allowed the option to leave a VM. I withdrew on 11/07, called Fed loan on 11/14 and they hadn't gotten notification yet from Capella. 11/17 I was informed by Fed loan that they received notification I WITHDREW from the SCHOOL. 12/01 I received an email saying I had a past due balance (I'm sorry what happened to the first bill?). So I called the business office and the agent was rude. Kept saying I withdrew from the COURSE and the payment was late for the course ( mind you I had financial aid, that they had to refund because I withdrew from the SCHOOL) I kept explaining myself and he says "look we going to keep going in circles bottom line it's late and needs to be paid. " I asked for a sup and he says no one was available and transfers me to a robotic VM. To make matters worse I received an email hours after I talked to him notifying me my request to be withdrawn was processed 11/27 and I will have a bill to settle. So you're just sending me this 12/1 but I'm past due?..Bottom-line don't attend this school. I asked about the bad reviews before I signed up and was told by my advisor that I could rest assure the school was great and the...

I had a terrible experience here the people didn't help me at all they were focusing on enrolling me in school and when I had the patience to get with them about signing up they still wouldn't answer my questions and kept giving me confusions about turning my information in for Admission. I recieved a email from Ms. Karli Haegele who is a enrollment counselor at Capella University I decided to contact her about the Benefits for Avon Representatives. I told her that I was a Avon Representative and I told her that I read alittle about the information they sent me and wanted to know more information about it and I asked her a question about the situation I was having at my company with Avon that I noticed I was having difficult keeping my business going because of the money issues. Now since I have enough money to invest in my business I told her that I was still interested in participating in the Benefits for Avon Representatives Program at Capella University. She had a nerve enough to ask me why didn't I try to sign up for school the last time I contacted her Capella University and why did I lose so much money when it comes to Pell Grant and loans and I explained to her why by telling her that the previous school that I went to at MVSU and Delta State University were waisting my money and they weren't trying to help me finish up at their school. It was so bad that some of the other students were cheating their way through school I refuse to do that and they still made it difficult for me to succeed. Not only that I was bullied emotionally, verbally, and physically almost everyday at their school where there were times I wanted to kill myself and ask the lord why I'm here on this earth. Something told me to look at their mascot that they use for their football and basketball team and it was the devil and it make sense why the lord didn't want me there and the minute I left that school and went to another school I started to do well and I almost graduate but I ran out of funding and the school I was attending was about to close down because of the funding so they encourage me to go to another school to finish up but try to apply for outside funding to help pay for school. I felt that Ms. Karle totally disrespected me on my phone asking me strange questions about my personal business instead of helping me its making me remember those horrible memories I had at my previous schools where every school I go to will always be the same. Its making me think that college is right for me or I should give up on life but I will pray for her and...