Portage Learning — Local services in Chippewa Township

Portage lacks ethics, expertise, accountability, and decency. I'd advise anyone I cared about (and even someone I didn't care about) to stay away.

I was a student at Portage Learning in summer 2025 intending to complete a biological science requirement for my undergrad program at another online institution. Sign-up and payment was easy (which makes sense, they were glad to take my money!) as was accessing my course on Canvas.

Portage promotes itself as affordable, accessible, and for students who require an individualized online learning experience. Instead of an individualized approach, I was discriminated against, manipulated, and blocked at every attempt of asking for help. My professor was pleasant enough, although I often felt that course material was outdated, boring, and exams written and graded by artificial intelligence.

Portage refused my disability accommodations, claiming to have never in 15 years encountered a student who required noise-cancelling earbuds during an exam. They insisted that the only accommodations they would provide were the ones deemed reasonable by their staff, who are not disability or learning specialists. Portage will avoid taking accountability for any of their processes and insists that their faculty and staff speak only by email, and sign off from the ambiguous team, never their own name. A call to their phone line will send you on a wild AI goose chase, until you leave a voicemail that won't be returned, or speak to a human who will refuse to provide additional information or pass you to a supervisor.

When I lost my home in the middle of the course and had no idea where I'd be sleeping each night, I asked for special consideration so that I may take my exams from a non-private but quiet corner of a hotel lobby, library, or cafe. I was ultimately granted this accommodation, but only after a week of painful back and forth with receptionists, the only staff Portage will actually allow you to speak to by phone. They suggested I sooner do my work at three in the morning (when my family would be sleeping and the hotel room silent), have hotel staff remove the TV from my room (showing it turned off wasn't enough) or ask my family - in crisis - to avoid taking insurance phone calls and stay out of the room while I studied.

Finally, after two weeks of waiting, calling, asking, advocating, and pausing my coursework so that I wouldn't fail (if my accommodations were approved, I'd be offered no remediation for past work completed without them), Student Success Director Josh Huey admitted that Portage did not have the infrastructure or processes to adequately support students with disabilities or for accommodations beyond extra time. He apologized, though refused to provide any written documentation about Portage's existing infrastructure.

Their accreditation partner, Geneva College, held little accountability when I expressed my concerns. It was only after threatening to contact the PA Attorney Generals office that I received timely communication from anyone at Portage. I was ultimately offered a refund and destruction of my transcript. Net no harm done, right? I suppose. Portage's failure to abide by their own values and meet me with basic dignity meant that my diploma, set to be completed August 2025, was delayed. Huey refused to provide me a contact within the business department, but did ask that I cancel the PayPal dispute (and sacrifice any protections thereof) I'd opened.

Thankfully, when my Paypal dispute timed out, my refund was processed within 72 hours, and signed by name of their business manager, Joe Andino. I am completing this last requirement elsewhere and will have my degree soon. I'm grateful to be receiving equal access and be to free from the heavy anchor of...

My experience has bee horrible with PL!! I don’t recommend taking any classes here! Please don’t waste your money. I took 2 classes, Microbiology 121 and Chemistry. I barely got through Micro because my “professor” would always target me and gave me 0’s on my exam! I did pass micro with a C. Chem on the other hand… I was passing with a B and was doing well in it, but my “professor” would keep docking me bc my answers was matching with the answer key. Me and my mom were doing research and we found out that PL “professors” use AI to grade your exams. I was suspended because my math based answers matched the answer key by 80%… I’m sorry but 2+2 is always going to be 4. No matter who solves 2+2, AI or a human it’s going to be 4. I also have a learning disability and had an IEP in grade school since 2nd grade. I put all of that info in and this is a fact, it’s illegal to not accommodate kids with IEP’s or anything like that. Another reason they gave me when they suspended me was bc I have a learning disability. This has set me back a full year of college. I was supposed to start my dental hygiene program but they suspended me a week before I was supposed to move into my dorm. I was recommended this school through my college and didn’t do any research because I trusted my college word for it. I’m not saying it’s my college fault at all… they probably doesn’t know that any of this is happening. PL is screwing so many students for the wrong reasons, it’s so wrong!!

I have made a Facebook group (public) for the students that had bad experiences, problems, has been screwed over, etc with Portage Learning! Or if you're a person that wants to rant about things with Portage learning this is the group for you!

The group is called: Screwed over by Portage learning

Anyone can join! Students, friends, family, family friends, parents, etc!

I am the admin of this group and you can always ask me about my experience with Portage learning! I'm open to answer anything. I've been very much screwed by PL that it set me back a year in college. What PL is doing, is wrong and not right at all. What they did to me is illegal. I'm also not the only person that this was happened to. This is the group for you! Please, take the time to join and read what others have to say because I promise, they only...

I just finished A&P I & II with labs today. After reviewing the syllabus the material was made available to me. Lecture exams opened every 48 hours from the time you "submit" your exam not start it. The affordability was GREAT! If you have been a science student like me for years, you will highly agree that affordability is key in your college career! I was on a time constraint and was able with the help of Jesus to complete both classes with labs in 7 weeks. Caution: I would not advise anyone to do this if you do not have to as concepts can be difficult and you MUST know them. (I work well under pressure). I will say however that is was VERY nice to have the option to move at the pace I needed. I took these classes 11 years ago and though I knew the knowledge, a refresher was needed before matriculating into South College DPT Hybrid program. Portage making it available for me to take the courses I needed at the pace I needed help prepare to move at a very similar pace for the hybrid DPT program. I passed both classes with a B-. I was shooting for an A but he B's get degrees! If I needed to take a class to progress to the next phase of my career and had to do it within a certain amount of time, sooner or later, I would DEFINITELY suggest Portage Learning! The faculty and staff at my college asked me my thoughts about Portage Learning and I spoken very highly of the program. But again, I do not advise anyone to do what I did unless it is dire necessary. And if you can avoid the dire necessary (i had to wait to get the money to pay for my classes) please do! Sleep and healthy eating is HIGLY beneficial for learning, masticating, understanding and regurgitating information correctly, effectively and efficiently. Oh! And Dr. Burtt was SO helpful, positive and encouraging and it was genuine! Those characteristics go a long way! To the faculty and staff of Portage Learning, Thank you! May Jesus continue to...