DeVry University worth the money?

[Timb0Slice]

I am completely stressing out over whether or not I should attend DeVry. For the past year I have been completely confident in my decision to attend there. I have gone to a community college for the past 2 years and have completed my Gen. Ed. courses which will help out in my costs for DeVry, however I am still looking at $65,000+.

I am going for a Computer Engineering degree. Which I hear is one of the better options at DeVry. It's the 90% employment rate after 6 months of graduating that is attracting me. As long as I can get my foot in the door with some experience in the field it will be much easier to get better future jobs and get my career on the road.

Just looking for some input on whether or not all the "For-profit schools like DeVry are the devil's work" hype is actually true. Thank you!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Have a look
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/education/devry.html

 

[leright]

DeVry does not have a computer engineering program. It has a computer engineering TECHNOLOGY program. There is a big difference.

Also, there is a stigma regarding the for-profit schools among many employers. You will get a more reputable education by attending your local brick and mortar state university.

And the 90% employment rate after 6 months doesn't mean much. A lot of those people could be significantly underemployed or employed in a completely different field.

I am not saying DeVry is bad as I have never attended there. Just make sure you do your homework.

 

[leright]

Based on the reviews Greg posted it definitely looks like you would be better off going elsewhere.

 

[Cake]

They're called "degree-mills" for a reason. Don't do it.

 

[axmls]

I wouldn't say DeVry is a degree mill, as it is accredited (i.e. the degrees are actually worth something). Now, whether or not these degrees are as valuable as a degree from a standard state university depends on the employer. I've worked for someone over the summer in the IT field who had a degree from DeVry (I believe), and he was very knowledgeable (though it's entirely possible that this is from on-the-job training). Overpriced, yes, but not quite the level of a degree mill.

 

[leright]

You will probably save a ton of money going to an in-state public university also. Your call.

If you do decide to do the CET program at DeVry I would make sure it is ABET accredited.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I'm not a fan of DeVry, but I'd rather we pilloried it for what it is, and not what it isn't.

It's a real college. It has real classes. It's regionally accredited (North Central).

It's positioned itself as a way for people whose career paths are held up by the lack of a degree can overcome this. This naturally attracts people whose career paths are being held up for multiple reasons, but who are told it's the lack of a degree. These people are naturally disappointed when they earn a degree and their careers are still stalled.

One needs to look carefully at what is being offered - as pointed out earlier, they offer a Computer Engineering Technology degree, which is not the same as a Computer Engineering degree. One needs to look carefully at that, and the price tag, and make certain one is comfortable with this proposition. I would make the same comment about Harvard.

I think DeVry is reasonably good at what it tries to be - certainly better than many of its competitors. It's been around for 30+ years and has a good reputation in industry for placing its people. You hire a DeVry grad, and you are assured a certain level of competence. It's not cheap, and it has no interest whatsoever in placing people who didn't complete the program. However, I could make the exact same comment about certain state schools as well.

 

[phinds]

Based on the reviews Greg posted it definitely looks like you would be better off going elsewhere.

I think one has to take that kind of online carping with a HUGE grain of salt. Of COURSE folks get online to complain when they are dissatisfied. It's human nature. But how many of us go out of our way to offer praise? Doesn't happen all that much so those online rants are not part of a proportionally balanced discussion.

 

[leright]

I think one has to take that kind of online carping with a HUGE grain of salt. Of COURSE folks get online to complain when they are dissatisfied. It's human nature. But how many of us go out of our way to offer praise? Doesn't happen all that much so those online rants are not part of a proportionally balanced discussion.

Valid point. However, it seems like the people that had positive experiences at DeVry would be coaxed into writing a positive review when they see a preponderance of negative reviews. After all, the negative reviews are detrimental to the reputation of their Alma Mater.

 

[phinds]

Valid point. However, it seems like the people that had positive experiences at DeVry would be coaxed into writing a positive review when they see a preponderance of negative reviews. After all, the negative reviews are detrimental to the reputation of their Alma Mater.

But why would you assume that the go online and SEE the negative reviews?

 

[Timb0Slice]

Now from an employer's standpoint what is the difference between the two degrees? Will an employer see that I have a CET degree and not a CE degree and assume I am not qualified? Or is a CE degree just preferred?

I know two people that graduated from DeVry, one got a job the week after graduation and is making $60,000 a year. The other is stuck at working at Walmart.

In the case that I do not get accepted into any GOOD schools, would I be better off going to a mediocre traditional university or do I take my chances and hand a blank check to DeVry?

 

[leright]

Now from an employer's standpoint what is the difference between the two degrees? Will an employer see that I have a CET degree and not a CE degree and assume I am not qualified? Or is a CE degree just preferred?

I know two people that graduated from DeVry, one got a job the week after graduation and is making $60,000 a year. The other is stuck at working at Walmart.

In the case that I do not get accepted into any GOOD schools, would I be better off going to a mediocre traditional university or do I take my chances and hand a blank check to DeVry?

I would recommend a CE degree over a CET degree. CE is more in depth and has more theory. CET is more hands on. You can go to the website of a university that offers both CE and CET and compare the curricula to get an idea. Generally, CE will get you an engineering job and CET will get you a technologist job. However, I have heard that hiring managers prefer to hire people with engineering degrees instead of people with technology degrees for the technologist jobs just because they can now. That's not to say a CET grad can't get a technologist or engineer position, but a CE grad will be more desirable in almost all cases. I would go with the CE degree over CET because it is more versatile and you can cast a wider net when searching for jobs. Whatever degree you get and whatever school you go to, make sure the school has both regional accreditation and ABET accreditation for the degree you are going for.

If the "mediocre" traditional school has the engineering or engineering technology program you want to do and it is regionally accredited and ABET accredited AND is significantly cheaper (which it likely is if you reside in the same state) then I would go to the mediocre in state public traditional university.

FYI - http://www.abet.org/engineering-vs-engineering-technology/

 

[leright]

http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/academics/majors/engineering-tech-or-engineering

 

[donpacino]

Now from an employer's standpoint what is the difference between the two degrees? Will an employer see that I have a CET degree and not a CE degree and assume I am not qualified? Or is a CE degree just preferred?

I know two people that graduated from DeVry, one got a job the week after graduation and is making $60,000 a year. The other is stuck at working at Walmart.

In the case that I do not get accepted into any GOOD schools, would I be better off going to a mediocre traditional university or do I take my chances and hand a blank check to DeVry?

For entry engineering positions in my experience CETs are not even considered.

 

[HuskyNamedNala]

No, that debt will bite you in the butt. Education now-a-days is a scam and it is a shame. You are better off chancing school in a foreign country where you will pay much less for the same thing.

 

[Not Telling]

Facts:
I was one if the first CET graduates from KC DeVry University in 2004. The CET program became ABET accredited while I was there. I previously attended a private liberal arts school, a community college, and a state university. I can assure you that in my experience, the electrical and computer engineer courses at DeVry were every bit as challenging as the courses elsewhere. The Physics, Calc 3, and Differential Equation classes were the real deal and required a great deal of studying and homework. I spent 1-2 hours nightly per class for each semester. I ended up having two bad professors and several good ones at DeVry. I had more bad professors at a state university. I went to a Kansas University career fair and applied at several companies. Three companies followed up with repeated interviews. 1 was engineering and 2 non-engineering related. I accepted the software engineer position one month before graduating from DeVry with a start date one month after. My starting salary was 50k which was more money than I'd ever thought I'd see. I worked hard and now make 150K as a software architect. I know several successful DeVry graduates at my company though I will warn that my company quit hiring from there for reasons unknown. I heard from a peer whose father was let go or left a teaching position that the school has gone down hill. I'm not sure what caused it. On a side note, thank goodness I got the engineering job. Else I might be working as a Target manager or Cintas delivering uniforms or at my father-in-laws networking company. I was going to get a job somewhere with my degree... :)

I occasionally wish my degree was from a state university simply because of street cred. My neighbor got really angry when I told him I was an engineer with a degree from DeVry. He said it was a horse sh!t degree and went off about how hard he worked for his own engineering degree. He likely had no idea that I worked my tail off also and probably make more than he does. Oh well... life is good and DeVry helped enable me.\

A series of unfortunate events is what led me to DeVry. My father was in an accident and caused me to take some time off of school. I went to DeVry to quickly graduate and picked CET because I liked computers and the recruiter showed me that it would make the most money as the average starting salary was like 48K with 55K within 5 years. My mother paid my tuition in full with dad's insurance money. If it was my money, I'd had stuck with the state college and probably would be a chiropractor today ;) (90 pre-med credits). Since I had partial credits transferring in, my tuition came to like 45K. I'd say it was worth it since I made more in my first year and am now 3x that amount. The school can get your foot in the door -- your hard work and some luck will help you advance. I think I was making about 80K in 3 years and 100K in 5-7 years.

 

[CalcNerd]

I worked with two DeVry graduates, one with a CET and another with an EET. Both were competent and knowledgeable. However, any school is what the student makes of it! So a motivated student can attend any reputable program and come out of the experience with a good education.
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However, if you want to avoid the stigma of a Technology degree, you should at least compare the DeVry program to other programs as well. If you are restricted by circumstances to an Online type program, look at other Online programs too. As others have noted DeVry is costly. But from the positive experience I have had with DeVry graduates, their program is good.
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I suspect most here have problems with a Technology degree vs the Engineering degree. Speaking from experience of interacting with both, the technology degree is more of a hands on type program, often focusing on labs and practical problems vs engineering will involve lots of math that may not be immediately useful at the entry level. Often, it is thought that this will hinder the technology graduate and in many companies, it will. However, it doesn't have too. If your choice is between DeVry and nothing, I would suggest you chose DeVry every time. Your schedule and opportunities for higher education may also limit you to DeVry. However, you have attended a community college and should have built up a fair amount of credits to transfer to any school. You might consider other reputable online programs as well. One that WON'T cost you $65K is Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ. I believe they have some Technology type programs as well.
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Good luck with whatever you pursue.

 

[phinds]

... any school is what the student makes of it! So a motivated student can attend any reputable program and come out of the experience with a good education.

True dat !

I've met enough DeVry grads to know that they are just as much of a mixed bag as those from any school. I certainly would not put Devry up against a solid STEM university, but I don't think it's as bad as some folks seem to think.

 

[ZapperZ]

It seems that most of the complaints that I read from Greg's link were about their Financial Aid people and their apparent 'deceptive' practice. So if anyone plan on going there, you might want to pay closer attention to what you are signing, and have everything in writing.

Just in case people missed it, DeVry had a "house purging" recently. The DeVry group got new CEO and management, and I also heard that most of the campuses got a revamp of their management. How this will translate on any changes is anyone's guess.

I kinda agree with what Vanadium said. There are many issues with the way they affect the students' debt, especially if they aren't being transparent about this. But I've heard almost similar complaints from many students attending expensive private institutions. And as far as their degrees are concerned, there's an interesting article in WSJ regarding such for-profit institutions:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-diplomasand-jobswashington-wants-to-kill-1462833161

They are not teaching the traditional degrees, and they don't pretend to. If you consider it as a vocational institution, then you won't be misled into what they are and what they are not.

Zz.

 

[ModusPwnd]

I've met enough DeVry grads to know that they are just as much of a mixed bag as those from any school. I certainly would not put Devry up against a solid STEM university, but I don't think it's as bad as some folks seem to think.

I've had my negative thoughts about them challenged since I started working in industry. I work with dozens of Devry (and some ITT) grads that make six figures. Many hit their social security maximum in the summer! They make more than I ever will. Not only that - companies fight to get them. I was once told about their career fair... The company I work for was being a kind of bully and attempting to get graduates before other companies could and started signing them before the career fair. Companies fight for those graduates. My graduating class in physics? The only organization that bothered to try to recruit us was Teach for America.

I don't doubt that my coworkers are some of the better graduates from Devry and are not necessarily representative of the whole lot. But there sure are a lot of them with many varying aptitudes making a lot of money.