I've had a genuinely positive and rewarding experience with Columbia Southern University, and I'm happy to give CSU a well-deserved five-star review. From the very beginning back in 2021, the enrollment and advising teams were supportive, responsive, and genuinely invested in helping me succeed. They took the time to clearly explain program requirements, transfer credits, and timelines, which made the process feel manageable and stress-free. 2021 was the year I started my Bachelor's program while stationed overseas, and I completed it in December 2024. That said, I am due to complete my accredited Master's program by Spring 2026. CSU's online learning format is one of its strongest features. The flexibility allows working professionals, veterans, and adult learners to balance school with careers, family, and other responsibilities. Course materials are well-organized, easy to navigate, and thoughtfully structured to encourage real-world application rather than just memorization. I especially appreciate how the assignments connect theory to practical scenarios that I can directly apply to my professional goals. The instructors are knowledgeable, approachable, and timely with feedback. Many bring real industry experience into the classroom, which adds depth and relevance to the coursework. I've also found the academic resources, such as tutoring, library access, and writing support, to be extremely helpful and accessible. Although CSU is an online university, its home base in Orange Beach, Alabama, reflects a strong sense of professionalism and pride in student success. Overall, Columbia Southern University offers quality education, flexibility, and outstanding student support. I recommend CSU to anyone looking to advance their education while maintaining a busy lifestyle, both abroad and at home, without sacrificing their current employment. read more

If you drop your courses before the drop date they still fine you to pay for your courses. I just want to make that abundantly clear. It is a rip off and I am rightfully unhappy with this thievery read more

I received my undergrad and grad degrees from this University but once completed there really is no support for career help. I had even applied for some positions there thinking that as an alumni, I would at least get an interview, not the case. So if you want or need a quick degree with not much meat behind it, this is your place! read more

One of the few good online schools. They are regionally accredited, have good prices and a great staff. Love these guys. read more

when someone seems so sincere And never calls when they say they are not interested in having my daughter sign up and was going to sign her up for criminology now finding a new school read more

CSU offers a variety of degrees and truly provides support all along the way. I was fortunate enough to get my MS in Occupational Healy & Safety from this wonderful inst. All classes were online and any time I had a question, there was someone on the other end of the phone to help walk me through things. Shout out to my former advisor Luke who always took time to answer my questions. Not only does the curriculum and advising get five stars but so does graduation! It's a pretty awesome event where students from all over the world come together to celebrate. Additionally, with respect to Safety degrees and careers, this school always represents at conferences and conventions in the industry. I know I can stop by their exhibitor booth and say hi. Everyone is friendly and helpful and they always put together great networking events to help current students and alumni meet other people in the field. Paul and Ernie- you are both awesome to say hello to during NSC and ASSP conferences. How could I almost forget about graduation?!? People from all over the world coming together to celebrate. The staff put on an amazing event and I met some people that I am still friends with! Definitely a must when you finish your degree. Make the weekend into a fun beach vacation to celebrate. If you are on the fence in deciding whether or not to further your education at CSU, I can tell you that my experience was amazing and I will go back when I am ready to get another degree! read more

Currently enrolled in a graduate program at CSU and thus far I'm very happy with the school. The staff and professors have been helpful, and the student portal, including Blackboard, is easy to navigate. I would definitely recommend this university as its curriculum is tailored for the working adult. read more

My advisor, Lexie Williams, ignored my emails and never followed up with me on any of my requests. This is terrible customer service. When I first signed up for this university, I was promised GREAT THINGS such self-pace learning, one on one sessions with my advisor. It is just terrible. read more

This college is the real deal! Nothing easy or soft about the curriculum or subject depth with this school .They will make you jump through hoops to get an A level and if you do not know how to research or write at a University level ,you will after your first few courses. The professors will make you earn every good grade and make you better at being a student. Excellent business programs here at Columbia Southern and I recommend this College. read more

Hi everybody! In my forties I thought it was too late to go back, I was so wrong, and glad that I did. Online schooling is a challenge as one needs to think outside the box and sometimes be a mind reader of what their professors might be looking for. I recieved both my BS and MBA at Columbia Southern University and learned confidence in areas and schools of thought that I did not have before. The courses will challenge you and the college is at a great price. And before any of you go running away at the challenge, remember that the challenge is what you learn from and need to overcome. In many of the programs you will learn more than your education, and will find a staff that has your success in mind. The extra things I learned were patience, professionalism, and the courage to seek clarity like a pro and within academic policies and chains of command. They are flexible and even had life flexible terms that you can choose from. Although only a nationally accredited institution and a member of the Distance Education and Training Council, they are as of 2022 under review for being regionally accredited. They also have an alumni association that students can be recommended to. Check them out. Good luck to all of you on your degree pursuits, and good luck to CSU on becoming regionally accredited. ~Sincerely, a CSU Knight Ambassador. read more

Columbia Southern University - This was the logo when I started CSU. - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

I'm unhappy about how this school treated me after I had failed one class while going for my masters degree. The reason I failed the class is because the Army put me on orders to move. While moving I did my best to complete the class. Then after the time period pass for the academic probation I then submitted a request so I could re-enroll back into CSU. I waited for the reply and the academic board denied my request. CSU is an amazing school for the military. I did receive my Bachelor's degree from CSU after starting their in 2014. read more

Affordable tuition, excellent teachers and staff, very willing to work with your schedule to help you succeed. MILITARY FRIENDLY to the max. I really hope they get Regional Accreditation soon so their credits will transfer and be recognized at a higher level. They are currently Nationally Accredited by the DEAC, the same accreditation as the "free" college, University of the People. I put quotes around free because at UoP, the online courses are free but the final exams are $100 to take and receive credit for the course. From what I was told by my advisor at CSU, they are working diligently towards a Regional Accreditation sometime in the near future. Once that is achieved I will highly recommend this school. In the meantime, I can definitely say I like their platform and I like where they are going! read more

I received my BS from CSU after attending several other online universities. CSU is one of the best online universities around. The curriculums are current and relevant to each program. Compared to other online universities the tuition is very affordable and this university definitely caters to military and veterans. If you are looking for a Nationally Accredited, excellent online university, do not hesitate to enroll at Columbia Southern University. read more

My only regret is not looking into this doctoral program before I signed up for it. No real guidance and while interviewed I should of listened to the negativity. My counselor didn't bother to guide me as the school instructed and truly went into deaf ears. My Masters Degree was awesome with Richard Beatty as my counselor. Just be very careful this school uses tokenism lots and lie. Don't care about the student and if your not a match they play one as stupid. I even had a professor say ,"Your in the wrong class, go back to junior college." Well I am in the University. I was humilated, disrespected and harrassed. Now I found a better place. BECAREFUL HERE. read more

Fellow alumni from this college. Man oh man if you think online college is easy boy you are so wrong! This school had me working my butt off blood sweat and tears but in the end I get to see that pretty degree plaque on my wall. Totally worth it. read more

They now have the GSP. A little late for me but new BS grads will get to skip the ASP https://www.columbiasouthern.edu/blog/october-2017/columbia-southern-university-program-recognized-by read more

I am currently attending CSU and I must say I absolutely love this school. I never like doing essay's and research papers but now I am excellent at them. They professors are great and the amount of time given to complete assignments is great also. I have recommended this school to a few people already, and plan to return to achieve my Masters. read more

Great experience with this school. Consistently well-structured courses and support.

My only advice is that if you do not like essays and projects, CSU is not for you. Alternatively, if you are willing to learn and follow instructions, you have nothing to worry about! Through CSU, I developed my writing skills and became proficient. The university is good and many of the professors are ready to support and guide you toward realizing your academic goal. read more

I loved this school and really think it's the most affordable online degree program. Yes it requires a lot of writing and extensive research on most assignments but most of the instructors are lenient and understanding. They will work with you if you really want to achieve a good grade. In my opinion it's a great school to earn your degree and it's very doable with my busy full time job. Highly recommend! read more

No stars. This place is terrible please don't enroll here. So I was enrolled in the fire science program and had to take time off came back to finish my degree and they changed it to fire administration and had to take one more class than needed before. Unfortunately I was unable to get back into the program and finish. I start up again take a class and unfortunately personal issues come up again. Try again to finish and sign up a week ago, I needed to be "reevaluated" and even though nothing changed and I was still going for the same degree they screwed me over and instead of 24 credit to graduate now I need 30 and they are not even for anything good just a math and humanities class. Really?? And no one has helped me just basically said that's the way it is. Hate this place no help and I wasted so much time effort and money on this scamming bunch of people saying they are for education. Hope they go out of business because they only care about your money. Go somewhere else because no matter what you want to do there is another college that will be much better. read more

For the most part I don't have a problem with the home office staff. But some of the professors need to work on their people skills.

Not a bad school, my issue is the national accreditation. Hard to transfer credits from this school, but not impossible. Overall pleased.

I received my bachelor's degree from here. I think High School had a harder curriculum. The chewbacca defense works when submitting essays to about 90% of the staff here. If you want an easily attainable nationally accredited degree without having to exert basically any effort then this is your place. Its pretty expensive too, but I don't mind. The American Taxpayer paid my tuition! read more

Great university. From a former student, my advise is that you do not get student loans. Pay as you go and finish with NO DEBT. For a very source of information Google "Dave Ramsey" and learn how to manage your money, how to avoid debt and pay off what you currently owe. A university degree is personally meaningful, but make it a personal goal - not necessarily a career goal. read more

I am enrolled in the MS Occupational Health and Safety. Seems like they are trying to teach you the proper way to write an APA research paper rather than to make sure that you are learning the subject matter. English prof and engineering prof whom I dealt with have zero people skills and seem to want the student to feel small and inferior to them. I will eventually finish my degree, but there has to be a university that treats their students better. I'm in my late 50s and I will never need the skill of properly writing an APA research paper. read more

Taking online classes, most of the teachers are great resources. Word of warning, keep in contact with your advisor and student services rep. They are helpful if you do run in to problems with professors or course work. read more

Nothing against the school 5 stars for CSU, I believe they've done a great job at making these programs affordable and effective. The online format has been amazing. My issue is with the professor Todd Senft. He is one of the worst professors I have every come across. Horrible ratings on Rate My Professor . com will back this up. He grrades very harsh and not in the "you could do better as far as writing your content" type of way, he gave me an F on the first two papers because my headlines were spaced slightly differently than his template. An F? Tried to talk to him and the man was disrespectful and wasn't willing to change the grade. Its funn too because I copied his template and pasted it onto my document and then added my content so I explained this to him and not sure how it would have been different or if headlines really warranted an F. In mine, and the other people in my class and online I've talked to's opinions, this man does not belong in the teaching world. He may be a good businessman but is a horrible teacher and will not even give you the time of day to sit down and help work through your issues or questions on an assignment and give clarification to any of your questions. As someone who went to 3 separate colleges online during high school for credits, got an undergrad degree at another university and is now at CSU for a masters, I've had plenty of annoying professors. This man is THE worst professor I've ever encountered and it would be in CSU's best interest to high a stats professor that can better suit the needs of the students and help them learn to do and apply stats into real world settings which is what is intended when getting an education, to apply the learnings to the real world and in your career. Horrible professor, CSU could do much better as an accredited university. read more

Great school with good people. Attended my wife's graduation this week and CSU showed us s great time. Go Knights!

Great online university! Flexible hours and exceptional student services!

Graduated with a Master's degree in Human Resource Management. It was cost efficient, the classes were great. Received credit for prior graduate coursework. It's an accredited college with the Department of Education. I'm glad I chose CSU as my graduate school. Go Knights!! read more

This "University" hides behind the guise of Christianity and education in order to make money. On numerous occasions, the "professors" censored my comments in the discussion board because they THOUGHT it might offend someone. The same professors were offended by my questions in emails and reported me to administration. They don't like you to ask questions or inquire about the curriculum, grading, or material being used. It's bottom of the barrel. Professors give no legitimate feedback. They use cut and paste responses. "Good job (student's name). Keep working hard." Professors add nothing to the pre-made courses - no video lectures, no supplemental material, nothing. It makes one wonder why they work in education since they have no knowledge to share. They are merely paper graders. "Professors" will nitpick you over APA and the appearance of your assignments rather than on the content. Many of the pre-made study guides were filled with errors and broken links to articles and videos they wanted you to view. When you contact the student resolution office, they play the game of "you didn't complete the complaint form" even though you wrote a lengthy explanation of your complaint via email. They will "conduct and investigation into your complaint" but not address any of your concerns. The professors are always "within the grading rubric", even though they don't actually read your assignments because it's a rubber stamp process, so making a complaint is pointless. Your complaints get escalated to a different person, but it's always the same generic response you receive. Administration has no genuine interest in student's concerns OR improving their program. Their goal is increasing enrollment only. This "college" was a disappointment. It is nothing more than a correspondence school, not a university. The tuition is low for a reason....very little human labor involved. You're paying for automated feedback and responses. The assignments are cookie cutter - meaning they are the same for each course. An essay, an article review, a powerpoint, and research project. Nothing original or unique...nothing to stimulate the student's interest in going deeper or allowing their creative juices to flow. Very boring courses and you come out feeling like you've learned nothing. It's probably better to go to the library and read books on the topics because you don't get much from the courses and there's no interaction with the professors to stimulate learning or discussions. This "university" does the bare minimums to get by. read more

This ended up being a colossal waste of time. When I tried to transfer 30 credits from here to the University of Maryland they wouldn't accept a single one. This school is a joke and a diploma mill. Don't waste your money. read more

My experience with CSU has been horrible. 1. During the first class I took at CSU, my experience is that the online library significantly lacks resources. When searching the History database for "Federalist Paper number 1", the result I get is "Media Discourse and the Yugoslav Conflicts...." which has absolutely nothing to do with American History and the Federalist papers. When searching for a book referenced in one of the reviews provided by the school, "Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, The Federalist Papers", my first result was "The irony of Barack Obama: Barack Obama, Reinhold Niebuhr and the problem of Christian Statecraft". Again, nothing to do with the search criteria. When searching for "American Revolutionary War", I get "Islam and Political Violence". When requiring use of the online library, it would seem to make sense that adequate resources are provided. The Instructor was understanding and allowed me to use alternate resources to successfully complete the assignments. 2. During the second class, I encountered instructions for assignments in a syllabus that conflict with the grading rubric, a requirement to submit assignments in a system that they know won't accept the required formatting (they tell you that it won't accept the required formatting in their tutorial), was given a textbook that is a different version that what is referenced in the material, experienced a Professor who graded not based on the instructions for the assignment but based on rubrics that don't match the instructions given for the assignment. When attempting to point this out to the staff, they admit that the instructions are confusing and sent it to the Instructional Technology and Design department for review but agreed with the Professor grading based on instructions that were not provided. After completing an assignment with instructions of "Cite the text", I was graded based on yet another rubric that was different than the instructions that were provided (the rubric said to provide outside resources but the instructions for the assignment say "Use your knowledge...." and "Cite the text to support your ideas...") and was threatened with being referred for an Academic Integrity Violation. I have been asked to be unenrolled from their University. read more

Columbia Southern University is an excellent university. I have to disagree with the person who said that this college is as easy as or easier than high school. Yes, most of the work you submit is essays; however, that is the challenging part. The coursework is very rigorous. I have attended both a b&m college as well as CSU, so I can attest that this college is definitely harder. You can't plagiarize essays because they use Turn It In for many of the classes and major points are deducted if the redundancy rate is too high. I have had this happen, even when none of my material was plagiarized. So, I had to learn to use more of my own words and and not quote so much material. If you can easily write essays, you might consider this university easy. However, if you struggle with writing and thoughts don't come as easily to you, like me, then you might have a different view of this school. In one class alone, I had to write 18 essays. It would be much easier to have multiple choice, like I did in high school or like I did when I went to my b&m college. However, I will say that I have retained more information through my coursework at CSU than I have at any other school. I retain more information when I have to write than when I have to just memorize information for a short term. There is no extra credit or making up assignments. If you don't do the work, you will not get a good grade. I would recommend this university to any working adult who does not have time to go to college the traditional way. If you enjoy independent learning and don't have to be in a classroom, you will like CSU. I am a senior at CSU, graduating this year. I do not feel like my degree is being handed to me; I have worked hard for the degree that I will receive. This journey has been more time consuming and stressful than I could have ever imagined, but well worth it! read more