2025 Best Online Elementary Education Degrees

I am in my third, going on forth, class at GCU. For me, I have had excellent instructors who give accurate feedback. In addition to their feedback, they provide rubrics breaking down each instructors grading process. I have yet to have a bad or unprofessional instructor. Additionally, I have had success with my counselors, unlike many others who have reviewed. Maybe I just got lucky? or maybe a few bad apples make all appear ill informed. I previously attended community college for another degree,... Read More in a different field. I believe education is what you make of it. It is the student's choice to learn all of the information, no matter the format of the course. I am not religious and have not been pressured or graded negatively due to personal beliefs. Everyone I have come into contact with seems to have student success as a priority.

I am genuinely confused by some of these reviews, I think a lot of them show that some of them never actually attended WGU. It's against the rules to help a student understand their material and they're told to read it again? There are only mentors, not instructors? What? If that's the case, who did I make 30-45 minutes appointments with that had a doctorate that literally sat with me and explained exactly how to be successful, how to interpret the material, how to search and comprehend various concepts,... Read More among other things. They were a ghost? A random program mentor? WGU doesn't accept anyone, so not sure where that came from either. They have a pretty extensive admissions process, and they absolutely do reject applicants. They just give them a chance to meet their admission standards via their academy, and not at a community college. All in all, my experience has been AMAZING. The proctors are kind of off sometimes, but I had this issue at my previous college too. It's obnoxious but it's not anything that would ruin your time there. Some of these people need to get a life and realize that maybe they need to go to a community college and have their hands held, because they clearly weren't able to hang on at WGU.

I have enjoyed doing school through WGU so far but I feel like they should help you more when it comes to observation and student teaching. I was misinformed about students placing themselves and I feel like I have had no help with Complio until after I ordered the wrong package. I have done everything by myself because I did not know who to contact. I will say my mentor has tried to help me as much as she could. I feel as if WGU should have someone reach out to the students to help them way before... Read More the students plan to observe. Now it looks like I won’t be observing this term as I had hoped for.

I TECHNICALLY graduate in October but have completed all of my classes for my degree as of June. I would like to start by saying that I was very reluctant to attend GCU for a variety of reasons including (but not limited to) the horrible reviews I have seen online. While I did run into a couple of small snags with Student Services and Financial Aid, my overall experience in this university was pretty good! The vast majority of the instructors were knowledgeable and helpful, the workload was challenging... Read More but certainly doable, and the assignments were pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. I will say that this school is quite expensive. That much is absolutely true. However, all the other nonsense I have seen about not finding a career and not being a 'legitimate' degree is WILDY inaccurate. I am not a Christian and did not find my program overly religious nor was I penalized for my beliefs. I haven't even completed certification and have already received offers of employment at public district schools. If you are driven and know how to solve your own problems, this program is a breeze and gets you where you need to go if you are willing and able to put in the time and work.

Honest review: started in the BAELED program finished with a degree in BAES (non licensure skipped PCE/DT). Enrolled 2/1/22 graduated 9/2/22. I'm overall satisfied with the program. I completed my associates but all of my credits did not transfer. This was mainly my fault I kept switching between nursing and education at the associates level so while some courses were more advanced than teaching required WGU did not allow me transfer. Let me explain why I was okay with this a regular college make... Read More you take a class over a 3 to 4 month period. Even though I was technically taking the class over I knew the information and passed within one week. The CI are like professors helping along the way. For those who didn't recieve help no offense they probably didn't ask. CIs have a calendar to make appointments and a booking link for all CIs (meaning access to multiple professors not just the one assigned to you) I took advantage of this alot usually preferring other professors than the one assigned. The course is laid out so you can access all information up front and fill in your specific gaps of knowledge. No need for group discussions and projects your education is yours and yours alone. I skipped pce and dt because my state has a high need for educators, dt is generally unpaid (not in my state), and it come with too many extra tasks onto of edtpa. I graduated with bachelors have a job and will complete the ppat within my own classroom for a standard certificate through my state alternative route. Which is less stressful than having extra task and a possible extra term to finish dt. Every state alternative route is different so make your best decision. I'm satisfied compared to others because I skipped pce dt. A bachelors in education or any field is a great thing to have. My experience with financial aid upon my switch to baes was one for the books. I was told on four occasions my Pell grant would cover the full tuition. That is not true. I advocated for myself after receiving a nearly 800$ bill to graduate. The fee was removed as the manager learned his team needed more training. But for reference any term of less that 6 cu will incur a fee. Wgu agreeing to work with me is why I'm satisfied as I was given an honest case review by financial aid. There are things I wish wgu told me upfront but as they provide teacher lisscensure they will not help you learn about your state alternative route which might be easier. All states alternative routes are not always easier.

I received my BA in Elementary Education from WGU in 2022, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately re-enrolled to pursue my MA in Elementary Education, which I am currently working on. It seems that reviews here are mostly either 5 star or 1 star reviews. Keep in mind that most satisfied people never leave reviews. People, in general, are more likely to vent about a negative experience online than they are to write about a positive one. That said, I think the fact that so many here are leaving... Read More 5 star reviews shows how well this educational model works for many people. I'd like to address some of the complaints I've read here: 1. The idea that course credits don't transfer because WGU wants to charge you extra money is ridiculous. Most of the credits I earned during my Associates Degree DID transfer. A passing grade at WGU is 80%. If you passed classes at another school with less than 80% those classes will likely not transfer. If your previous school was not accredited, they probably won't transfer. If you are required to retake a class that did not transfer, but you know the material, you can usually complete that class in under a week - and often in as little as a day or two. If you know the material, you take the exam and do any tasks (written assignments that are often only a few pages long) required. If you pass, you just move on to the next class. It isn't a big deal. It isn't like other schools where you have to waste time and money sitting through material you already know for an entire semester. WGU charges a flat fee for a 6 month term. They don't charge per credit. This means that you can work at your own pace. You can take the minimum 4 classes to be considered a full-time student if you don't have a lot of time, or if you need longer to absorb information. However, if you are a fast worker with industry experience, you might be able to blast through 10 or 20 classes in a single term, at NO EXTRA COST. You won't find a more affordable college anywhere. 2. One person said that it is a lie that you can work at your own pace. She said that work interfered with her ability to be scholastically productive and she had to fight to stay enrolled. You CAN work at your own pace, but you are required to log in to your courses at least once every 2 weeks. You don't have to DO anything, take any tests, or submit any work. But you are required to log in to your coursework, just to show that you are still serious about being a student. Also, be transparent with your course mentor. Let them know that you are still committed to earning your degree, but work is crazy at the moment so you won't be accomplishing as much as you'd like. Work WITH your mentor to come up with a study plan that works for you. 3. Someone said that their mentor was not helpful and only had 2 minute conversations. Someone else didn't like having weekly check-ins by their mentor. If you don't like your mentor or s/he is not helpful, contact student services and request a new one. It is not a big deal. Some people go through 3 or 4 mentors before they find the one that really meshes with their learning style. WGU WILL work with you if you reach out. I love my mentor. Finding the right one really improves your learning experience. Also, if you don't like the weekly check-ins, they probably won't last past your first term. In the beginning, the mentors check on you weekly to make sure things are going smoothly because many have problems adjusting to an online learning platform. After your first term, once you've proven that you can deal with online learning, typically you will hear from your mentor less often. My mentor never calls anymore unless I schedule an appointment to speak with her. She simply sends me an email every couple of weeks asking if I need anything. If your mentor is still checking in with weekly phone calls after the first term, and you don't like that, then tell him/her. If s/he won't respect your preferences, request a new mentor. 4. There are no professors. The course instructors are unqualified. The course instructors don't teach. Blah, blah, blah. This is all poppycock. Every course I've had has had a team of instructors. Every instructor I've had has held a doctoral degree. Most of the classes include teacher created materials which might include written information/charts/graphic organizers, videos/podcasts/and cohorts live and/or pre-recorded. If you need individualized help, you can book an appointment with ANY instructor of the class - it doesn't have to be the instructor specifically assigned to you. Like any good school, WGU employs many excellent teachers, but even good schools can sometimes employ a few duds. If you are assigned a dud, reach out to one of the others. Also if you have a quick question, you will usually get a prompt response by shooting an email to the instructors' group email. Someone in the office will get back to you. I've found that most of the teachers are eager to help. As others have said, WGU is for self-motivated individuals. It is also geared toward those with excellent reading/study skills, since the vast majority of information you receive will in the form of e-textbooks, online articles, and book exerpts. You will do a lot of reading and writing, and you will be expected to seek out additional help if you need it. WGU offers far more support for students than my community college did. If you need extra help with math or writing, there are labs you can visit to get one-on-one assistance from a teacher. You have teams of instructors waiting for you to book time with them so that they can help you. If you need to, you can book several sessions a week. You have a course mentor who is dedicated to helping you succeed. The help IS there. You just need to ask. If one individual sucks, ask someone else. One or two crappy teachers doesn't mean the whole school stinks. I love WGU. I got my BA here. I'm working on my MA. If they ever offer a doctoral program, I'll be back for that, too.

I am grateful that I completed my Education, however, I was not able to have my transcript, because of a $300.00 balance. I pleaded with my student counselor but I was not successful. How about bending the rules for students that owe less than $500.00? Flordia Education allows new teachers to apply for a temporary certification, I would have gotten a teaching job, but since GCU is money hungry for $300, I had to wait to clear my balance. Then the calls were a pain, GCU wants to help further your... Read More education after graduation but then the last words from my student counselor were, how can I help you clear your balance? I did request my transcript but now I have to wait 90 days for eligibility and now I'm doing substitute teaching and sleeping on my friend's couch.THANKS A LOT GCU

Like others have said I wonder what school many of the negative reviews are referring to? I majored in Educational Studies, though I had planned on getting certified as an elementary school teacher. I knew that Educational Studies would not lead to teacher certification, but Covid was spreading at the time and I could not get into the classrooms to do my field work like I wanted to, so I decided to pursue a degree that required minimal classroom participation. After I finished the degree in Educational... Read More Studies I applied for a Substitute Teaching position with the Atlanta Public School system. After working as a substitute for a time, I was offered a position as a Paraprofessional. I took the position and am currently working in that field. I will be attending GCU to complete my teacher certification soon in a Master's program. I would like to say that there was no problem with getting a position in the Atlanta Public School. The interviews went well and the bachelor's degree from GCU was accepted without question by the Atlanta Public School System. What really surprised me was when I entered the classroom as a Paraprofessional I discovered that the classes I had taken at Grand Canyon University were so relevant to the curriculum of the Atlanta Public School system. I found myself constantly saying things like, "Wow I learned that at Grand Canyon." The degree in Elementary School teaching at Grand Canyon University is highly recommended. When reading one of the student's IEPs as a Para (I had a one on one student) I was comfortable with what I was reading, because I had studied similar wording and situations in courses at Grand Canyon University. While attending Grand Canyon University I found the teachers and administrators extremely helpful. Whenever I needed help they always responded to me in a timely manner.