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Key Items
Latest Updates
Degree Requirements
Proper Disclosure
E-Mail Responses
Approval Process
Payment Policy
Address
Degree and Photos
Refunds
Miscellaneous
Other
About me
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Degree Requirements
According to Almeda University, Almeda University's minimum requirement to be considered
for the Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA) is 5 years of
work experience in a field directly related to the major or a combination
of both work experience and college credits totaling a minimum of 5 years.
"Work experience considered may include military service."
Proper Disclosure
FULL DISCLOSURE: Almeda's website states: "The applicant understands that Almeda University degrees are not legal for academic or business use in the following states: FL, IL, OR, NJ, ND, TX, WA, and ID. While Almeda is not aware of these states dictating hiring requirements to private businesses, the Almeda degree should not be used in these states for satisfying educational requirements in public sector jobs."
E-Mail Responses
After my initial inquiry that asked what it would take
to qualify, they wrote me back the next morning and gave me a comprehensive answer about various kinds of life experience they take into account. The
e-mail stated, in part, “Our program is based on
'experiential crediting' which means the degree is based on your extensive life/job experience. No courses or lectures are required.”
Additional Miscellaneous Information
Their website states that Almeda was founded in 1997 but doesn't say how many alumni they have. They have the following accreditations: Council for Distance Education Accreditation (CDEA), The Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAEX), and the Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM). They have the following verifiable 3rd party
(broadly known) memberships: USA Chamber of E-Commerce, United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), Association of International Education Assessors (AIEA), ePublicEye.com, The Netcheck Commerce Bureau, and the National Black Business Trade Association (NBBTA.
Almeda states that all their reviewers are certified by the National Association of Online Academic Assessors (NAOAA).
Approval Process
When I applied, I experienced some glitches. When I missed entering my phone number, my application was rejected and said I need the phone number. All the info I'd typed in was deleted and I had to start all over again, which was very frustrating. But I did it
anyway. I listed as experience what I listed for all the other 6 colleges: "I work real hard for long time at Dairy Queen." I received a response the next day that I was denied a degree. Here is their reply: "Thank you for your interest in Almeda University. While you may have excellent learning experiences, you do not clearly demonstrate this on the evaluation form. In order to meet the criteria for consideration by us for equivalency of knowledge gained to college level academic work, we will need to see many years of growth and progression in a particular area of expertise with a previous college base for which we could consider accepting as credit toward a degree. We recommend you consider attending a traditional college or other institution so that you can gain college credits toward your objective. We wish you much success."
On 10/15, I reapplied. I had more trouble doing so. Like I said, my entire application info was deleted because it said I need to list the phone number. So I had to reenter everything.
When I reapplied, I gave them my real resume. I also gave my
real resume to Glendale, Redding and Suffield when I reapplied there. On 10/16, I received an email saying I was approved.
Furthermore my qualifications were good enough for two degrees (bachelor
and master). I did not
want two degrees. Only one. Also the website says, "We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Personal Check, Money Order, or PayPal," I could not find anywhere to click for money order payment instructions. So I wrote them for instructions on how to pay by money order for one degree, not two. I received a prompt reply and everything was straightened out.
Bogus Approvals
Did the college accept my factitious and negligible 7-word description of my life experiences?
No.
Almeda stated the following (copied from above): "Thank you for your interest in Almeda University. While you may have excellent learning experiences, you do not clearly demonstrate this on the evaluation form. In order to meet the criteria for consideration by us for equivalency of knowledge gained to college level academic work, we will need to see many years of growth and progression in a particular area of expertise with a previous college base for which we could consider accepting as credit toward a degree. We recommend you consider attending a traditional college or other institution so that you can gain college credits toward your objective. We wish you much success."
Payment Policy
They accept
PayPal, Credit cards online, personal checks, wires, or money orders. They have a
true finance plan, whereby you get your degree immediately and are able to make payments later.
Address
Almeda Educational Services, Inc.
10400 W. Overland Road #224
Boise, Idaho 83709
Degree and Photos
Click to view all Photos
Refunds
Almeda honored their refund policy. Their website states "full refund (less $55.00 processing fee) if materials are returned within 7 days of receipt." I contacted them five days after the package arrived asking for a refund, This was their response to me:
Dear Madison: Thank you for your note. We have a no questions asked return policy. Please return all the materials you received within the next 7 days. The return MUST be made using a traceable shipping method such as FedEx or UPS. Please send us the
tracking number after your order is shipped back to us. Please write your
STUDENT ID number on the OUTSIDE of the returned package. Upon receipt of these materials, Almeda will provide a refund of monies paid in accordance with our return policy. Please see
http://www.almedacollege.org/life/fees.html for policy details. Please note that the number of days are from the date you received your package and not the date you placed your order.
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