Post University Online is a four-year, private, for-profit institution whose primary campus is located in the suburbs of Waterbury, Connecticut. While it focuses mainly on providing online education, it also offers programs on-campus.
Post University Online Degrees
Post University was the first college in Connecticut and New England to offer accredited, accelerated degree programs entirely online. A school ahead of its time, it started offering online education in 1996.i
As such, Post University specializes in providing online education and has for several decades.
Catering to an increasing demand for distance learning, Post University has followed technology trends over the years and established programs that meet and exceed students’ evolving needs. The majority of Post University’s degrees are offered online or on campus, making it easy for online learners to find programs that fit their schedules and help them reach their goals.
Post University History
Post University education started in 1890 when the school was founded as the Matoon Shorthand School. It offered commercial education in areas such as typing, bookkeeping, business writing, and shorthand courses. Between 1890 and 1931, the Matoon Shorthand School evolved through several names to eventually become Post University. From that point on, it evolved from a business school into a university with programs across disciplines.i
What Makes Post University Online Unique
As mentioned, Post University focuses primarily on providing online education and has for decades. Its extensive experience in the format enables it to identify how to best serve distance learners. Committed to providing a high quality online experience, Post University looks for new and innovative ways to facilitate discourse amongst students, teachers, and others involved in the educational process.
Post University’s mission is to “provide students with the knowledge, personal skills and experiences required to become leaders in their chosen careers. We prepare students to become confident, competent, and competitive participants in the global marketplace.”ii It strives to fulfill its mission through both its on-campus and online course work.
Post University is career-focused and pays particular attention to providing educational opportunities to non-traditional students and students in the military. The school first started serving veterans in 1976 when it aimed to help Vietnam veterans earn college degrees and return to productive working lives.i
Post University Degree Programs Online
During the 2015-2016 school year, Post University conferred 187 associate’s degrees, 1,025 bachelor’s degrees, 293 master’s degrees, and 144 undergraduate and postgraduate certificates.iii
For students earning associate’s degrees that year, the most popular majors were:iii
- Business administration and management
- Accounting
- Child care and support services management
- Criminal justice/safety studies
- Legal studies
Students who earned bachelor’s degrees that year, most commonly did so in:iii
- Business administration and management (nearly half of students earning bachelor’s degrees that year did so in this subject)
- Accounting
- Management information sciences
- Child development
- Criminal justice/safety studies
- Psychology
- Human services
- Pubic administration
At the master’s degree level, students most commonly earned their degrees in:iii
- Business/commerce
- Education
- Human services
- Public administration
Students most commonly earned undergraduate certificates in accounting, human resources management, and legal assistant/paralegal. At the graduate certificate level, students mostly studied education, counseling psychology, and business/commerce.iii
All of the programs mentioned above, amongst others, have options for fully online learning.iii
Post University Tuition
As a private school, Post University charges one price for in-state and out-of-state tuition. During the 2016-2017 school year, tuition cost full-time undergraduate students an estimated $16,510 plus $1,500 for books and supplies. Over the course of four years—which is the average time it takes for a student to earn a bachelor’s degree—students could pay an estimated $66,040 for tuition. This cost is just an estimate and does not include the price of books and supplies.iii
Full-time graduate students paid an estimated $7,500 for tuition in the 2016-2017 school year. They did not have to pay additional fees.iii
Post University Financial Aid
Of all undergraduate students, 59 percent, or 4,010 students, received financial aid by way of grants and scholarships in the 2015-2016 school year. Fifty-two percent of those students received federal Pell grants. That same year, 61 percent of undergraduate students, or 4,142 students, took out federal student loans. On average, undergraduate students who received financial aid in 2015-2016 received $6,199 in grants and scholarships (including Pell grants) and $9,491 in federal loans.iii
Post University Admissions
In fall 2016, 4,507 prospective students applied to Post University for admission. Forty-one percent of those students were admitted, and 76 percent of students who were admitted went on to enroll in classes.iii The Post University acceptance rate is 41 percent, making it less selective than many schools.iv During 2016-2017, Post University’s application fee was $25.iii
For admissions, Post University considers undergraduate applicants’:iii
- High school GPA
- High school record
- Letters of recommendation
- Admission test scores (ACT/SAT)
The school recommends that applicants submit evidence of having completed a college-preparatory program and, to students for whom English is a second language, their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores must be included.iii
Graduate students must adhere to application and admissions requirements specific to their discipline’s department.
For undergraduate and graduate applicants, Post University has rolling enrollment, so prospective students can apply and be accepted to Post University throughout the year.
Post University Enrollment
In fall 2016, Post University had 7,681 total students, making it a mid-sized school. 7,059 of those students were undergraduate students, and 622 of them were graduate students.iii
That same semester and year, the majority of undergraduate students, 64 percent, attended classes part-time. Thirty-six percent of the same student group attended full-time. Seventy-six percent of undergraduate students were age 25 and over, and just 24 percent were younger than 25. Eighty-nine percent of all undergraduate students attended classes entirely online. Three percent were enrolled in some online education, and eight percent attended classes entirely on campus.iii
Of Post University’s graduate students, 51 percent attended classes full-time and 49 percent attended part time. One-hundred percent of them were enrolled entirely in online education.iii
Post University Faculty
As of fall 2016, Post University had 60 full-time faculty members and 443 part-time faculty members. The school did not utilize graduate assistants nor have its faculty conduct significant amounts of research. The student-to-faculty ratio at Post University was 19 to 1 in 2017.iii
Post University Ranking
U.S. News ranks Post University #146-187 in Regional Universities North.iv
The Better Business Bureau gave Post University an A+ based on factors such as length of time Post U has been in operation and how it has responded to complaints.v
Post University Accreditation
Post University has institutional regional accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Highest Education.iii The school has been accredited since 1972.
Post University’s Malcolm Baldrige School of Business is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).vi
Victoria Media gave Post University the Military Friendly School Award for five consecutive years as well as the 2017 Military Spouse Friendly School designation. Post University commits to providing quality programs for veterans and their families and to actively recruit spouses of active duty service members. The school strives to “promote student retention and career development policies and programs that acknowledge and support the unique challenges of military life,” such as transitioning from the military to a civilian role.vi
Explore Post University Online
Explore Post University to find online associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees that fit your needs. Also consider pursuing an undergraduate or post-graduate certificate online to either enhance your education, launch a new career path, or try on a subject for further consideration.
i http://post.edu/about/history | ii http://post.edu/about/mission | iii https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=130183 | iv https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/post-university-1401 | v http://post.edu/about/awards-and-recognition | vi http://post.edu/about/awards-and-recognition
