Pros and Cons of DeVry University: In-Depth Review

DeVry University is a for-profit school. If you research it, you will learn that it’s not just any other for-profit school. That’s because it is one of the most popular of its kind in the US.

Just like many for-profit schools out there, DeVry University offers online classes. However, it also has hybrid classes that are a mix of online and in-person courses. This is why the school has various locations across the US.

Read on if you are planning on going to DeVry University. Below you will come across some of the pros and cons of going to school. Knowing the perks as well as drawbacks of getting your college degree from it is a crucial part of making the right decision.

But First, a Brief History

Refrain from thinking that DeVry University was founded by a business person just because it is a for-profit school. Believe it or not, the school’s founder was a pilot and an inventor.

His name was Herman DeVry. Aside from coming up with the portable movie projector, DeVry also invented many other things that helped advance the motion picture industry.

It was back in 1931 when DeVry founded the school. That time, the school was called DeForest Training School. DeVry named it after his friend, Lee DeForest. DeForest was the inventor of the three-electrode vacuum tube.

DeForest Training School became DeVry Technical Institute back in the early 1950s. However, in the late 1960s, the school went through a name change once again. It became the DeVry Institute of Technology. So when did the school’s name become DeVry University? It happened back in 2002.

By the way, back in 1973, former teachers of the school, Dennis Keller and Ronald Taylor founded the Keller Graduate School of Management. As the name suggests, it offered all kinds of management programs.

However, when DeVry Institute of Technology was renamed DeVry University, the Keller Graduate School of Management got merged with the school.

Nowadays, DeVry University has over 50 campuses. It currently has over 17,000 students attending its online and in-person classes.

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PROS

Just because a school is online as well as for-profit doesn’t mean right away that there is nothing good about it. As you will see below, there are some benefits to going to DeVry University.

DeVry is a Good School Admired for Its Technology Programs

DeVry University is known to have good technology programs. Some examples of them are technology engineering, information technology, and software information systems.

It doesn’t really come as a surprise why this is the case. After all, as mentioned earlier, the founder of DeVry University was an inventor.

On the web, you will come across the posts of technology program graduates from the school. Many of them say that they are earning well. Such is proof of the school’s excellent technology programs.

Are you planning on taking a technology program from an online school? Consider going to DeVry University. There are associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees to choose from.

However, this does not mean that you are sure to have a fantastic job after completing a technology program from the school. No matter which school you get your degree from, be it online or offline, it is important to use your training as well as skills the right way to get hired.

You don’t have to worry about being unemployed after graduating from DeVry University. Again, the online school is a properly accredited school. This means that employers know that it is offering legit programs.

Offers Flexible Class Schedules

There are many reasons why some people choose to study online. Leading the list, however, is the inability to commute to go to a physical classroom on a regular basis.

Going to DeVry University means that you can complete a program without the need to leave your home.

Such can be beneficial, especially if you are living where there is no school that is offering the program that you want. Without having to commute daily, you can save a lot of money. This can help reduce the steep cost of earning a degree.

What’s more, you can attend the classes only when you have the time to do so. This is what makes finishing college a possibility for someone who is already working, running a business, or raising a family.

Another nice thing about going to DeVry University is that you can complete the program at your own pace.

For instance, if you are too busy, there is no need to be pressured to finish an associate’s degree within two years. It is completely up to you if you want to get your degree longer than usual or faster than normal.

Do you want to experience both online and in-person physical classes to become a well-rounded student? Then check out the next perk of going to DeVry University.

Availability of Hybrid Classes

It’s true that there are many benefits that come with going to an online school. Sadly, it keeps the students from experiencing what it is like to interact with their peers.

Such is important for developing one’s social and communication skills. Having these skills is a plus when the time to apply for a job comes.

Fortunately, that should not be a problem for DeVry University students. That’s because the school is offering in-person classes. They are different from classes that take place via the web. However, they can be taken together.

Hybrid classes are a mix of online and in-person classes. On a regular basis, students who wish to attend hybrid classes will have to go to physical classrooms.

This allows them to experience what it’s like to go to a traditional school. The good news is that the students do not have to commute daily. As a result, they get to save time and money.

Because it is offering hybrid classes, DeVry University has various locations across the US. According to the school, it has more than 50 locations that their students who prefer hybrid classes may visit.

For instance, the school has nine locations in California and six locations in Illinois. It has three locations each in Arizona, Florida, Ohio, and New York.

By the way, some of the locations of DeVry University are military bases. Such is because the school is also providing the needs of veterans and active members of the military.

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Transferable College Credits

While trying to earn a college degree, many things can happen along the way. At times, you may have to leave your school and go to a different one. In some instances, you may have to start college all over again.

Luckily, going from DeVry University to a different school is not going to be a problem. That’s because the credits that you will earn from it can be transferred to another school.

Such is for the fact that DeVry University has regional accreditation. This type of accreditation is more prestigious than the national kind.

Thanks to the school’s regional accreditation, the credits that you will earn from it will be accepted by another school. Such can keep you from ending up as a freshman student once again should you decide to transfer.

By the way, the different programs of DeVry University are accredited by different accrediting bodies in the US. For instance, the accrediting body of the school’s business programs is different from the accrediting body of the school’s engineering and technology programs.

This should not be a cause for concern, especially when it is time for you to apply for a job. What’s important is that the programs available from DeVry University are accredited. So, in other words, they are legit.

CONS

Although there are many benefits that come with going to DeVry University, there are also a few downsides. Below you will come across some of the things you should consider before you apply to the school.

More Expensive Than Average

DeVry University is one of the many for-profit schools in the US. Because they run as businesses, the cost of going to for-profit schools isn’t cheap.

DeVry University is one of the most popular for-profit schools in the country. Due to this, it doesn’t come as a surprise why it has some of the most expensive tuition fees per year.

Before anything else, let us make it clear that DeVry is not a diploma mill. A degree from a diploma mill not only comes with a very expensive price tag but is also bogus. This means that no sensible employer will accept it.

For the school year 2018 to 2019, the tuition fee for an undergraduate or bachelor’s degree from the school is $15,835. This amount is for the Illinois branch of DeVry University.

The tuition fee per school year may also be higher or lower. It all depends on various factors. Some of them include the program as well as the location.

You will see further that going to a for-profit school is costly once you have an idea of how much a degree from another school costs. For the school year 2018 to 2019, the average tuition fee of a community college is $3,660.

Fortunately, DeVry University is a regionally accredited school. This means that its students may be given federal or state financial aid. Because of this, the steep cost of going to an online school can be reduced.

By the way, DeVry University is also offering financial assistance for veterans and active members of the military.

Employer Preference for Traditional Degrees

More and more employers these days indeed respect online degrees. This is especially true for degrees from legit schools. DeVry University is one example of those schools as it has regional accreditation.

Despite this, there is still some stigma attached to online schools. It’s not just DeVry University that has a certain reputation, but other online schools as well. No one can blame some employers for steering clear applicants with online degrees, as many controversies surround online schools.

For instance, not too long ago, DeVry University was in the news. That’s because of a costly settlement and a lawsuit filed against it by its former students. We will talk more about this matter in a few, so don’t stop reading now.

It is hard to tell whether or not the stigma surrounding online schools will go away. You can think of it like online dating. A lot of people claim that they have found true love on the internet. Still, many are sure that relationships as a result of online dating won’t last.

However, it is important to note that sometimes it is not the degree’s fault. No matter where it is from, an employer will frown upon a degree if the person who has it is showing lack of drive, commitment, and skills.

Lawsuits and Settlements

Have you tried researching about DeVry University on the internet? Then there is a possibility that you have come across news reports about the school getting a class-action lawsuit from some of its former students.

You may have also read about how the school had to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a huge sum of money.

All of these things took place back in the early part of 2018. A total of 39 graduates from DeVry University sued the online school. Their reason was that the school lied about employment and salary rates.

These former DeVry University students said that they were unable to find jobs within six months of graduation. What caused them to be frustrated about it is the online school’s advertisement.

The ad said that 90% of its graduates are able to find jobs in just half a year within earning their degrees.

Unfortunately, the judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the graduates. He said that the students were unable to prove that the damages supposedly caused by DeVry University could not be measured.

However, the school had to mail a total of 173,000 refund checks that amounted to over $49 million. This was in line with a settlement with the FTC over false advertising.

The FTC accused DeVry University of lying about the employment records as well as employment rates of the graduates to attract students to go to it.

Some of the Employers are Unhappy

There are many reasons why some students refuse to consider going to DeVry University. One of those is the bad reviews of the online school’s employees regarding their work as well as how they are being treated.

For instance, some of the school’s former admissions advisors posted on a website that, despite their job titles, they were just telemarketers.

They added that most of their working hours were spent on the phone to promote and market the programs. Other than being too sales-oriented, they complain that their tasks were boring.

However, some of those who made such a complaint admitted that they were happy with their salaries. The benefits that they were getting from their employers also made working at DeVry University less unpleasant.

Some of the reviews posted on the site said that being employed at DeVry University was like walking on eggshells. That’s because things tend to change all of a sudden. For instance, there was very little to no job security, say some of the school’s past employees.

When you check out the rest of the reviews on the same website, however, some of them are positive. For instance, a lot of the people who posted said that they were making good money.

Some are happy that they were given enough training upon getting hired, which made carrying out their jobs easier.

How Do Employers View DeVry University?

While getting a bachelor’s degree is good in general, the main reason why most of us attend college is to get a better job after graduation.

One of my favorite places to check whether employers hire people graduating from certain schools is LinkedIn.

If you have an account, go to LinkedIn and search for the company. Then click on the Alumni tab and filter the last 5-10 years. Here’s what I found about DeVry.

As you can see, there are many military members among DeVry graduates. The most likely reason is that online education is very popular in army. Another way to use LinkedIn is to see whether someone in the field you are interested in has graduated from the school.

For instance, if you want to know if a school’s DeVry’s engineering program is worth it, then check if there are engineers that graduated from the university and contact them.

Just Before You Make a Decision

Above are some of the pros and cons of going to DeVry University. If you are a working adult, it is a smart move to go to school because its online classes have flexible schedules.

The good news is that you don’t have to be in front of your computer all the time. That’s because you may choose to go to hybrid classes that DeVry University is offering.

Through them, you can have the chance to experience going to a traditional school. Such will allow you to improve your social and communication skills.

Refrain from thinking that there is such a thing as the perfect school. No matter if online or offline or for-profit or non-profit, a school has its pros and cons. It’s a reality that all students who want a degree should accept.

Make sure that you carefully weigh the pros and cons of going to DeVry University. Refrain from rushing when making a decision. This is especially true since it is your future that is on the line.

Other than choosing the right school, it is also a must that you choose the right program for the career path that you want to take.

After making your final decision, come back to this site. Feel free to post in the comments section below your reasons for choosing to go to DeVry University or another online school.

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Warning

In October 2021, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent notices to 70 for-profit schools seeking civil penalties. While the notice claims that this is “NOT an indication that it has done anything wrong”, the FTC’s goal is to prevent using illegal or deceptive tactics that leave students with high debt and poor career outcomes.

DeVry University was on the list. Whether it’s a scandal or not, the history will show, but at least you have all information you need to make a decision.

There are also the University of Phoenix, Strayer, Capella, and Grand Canyon.