I received a special request from a reader and fan of my blog (I’m blushing) who asked me to compare Ashford University to Bellevue University and to guide her through my thought process of choosing Ashford over Bellevue.  For those of you who do not know, these two schools were my final two in weighing options of over 25 or so MBA programs that I gave serious consideration to.  So I decided to go ahead and put it in a blog post for anyone else considering these two fine schools.

First a caveat though.  Choosing a school is a highly personal and individualized process, a lot like choosing a spouse only once done with the degree it really is permanent.  Nobody can tell you what is right for you.  They can however show you the differences, provide opinions on the matter and even at times may try to suggest their view of what is best for you. Ultimately however you are the one who will pay the tuition, do the work, get the degree and apply it towards your ambitions in life.

That said, let’s compare side by side.

The Ashford University Saints vs. The Bellevue University Bruins

Bellevue University is a non-profit campus based school with several online programs. Ashford University is a for-profit campus based school with several online programs.  The difference in a for profit and non-profit is generally going to be negated here by the fact that both schools are in fact private schools and of somewhat comparable tuition.

Bellevue has athletic teams, a mascot, school colors and probably even a fight song.  Ashford University has all of the same.

Bellevue and Ashford are both regionally accredited.  Neither hold program specific business accreditation, which I honestly find to be redundant, anyhow but then that’s my opinion.

Bellevue and Ashford both use Blackboard online software and are probably very much alike in how they approach a degree.

Bellevue offers an Executive MBA designed for mid to senior level managers working in a cohort format.  Ashford does not offer this and does not use a cohort format.

Bellevue also offers a full MBA which is not cohort but independent online learners just like Ashford University does.  

Ashford offers a concentration in Organizational Leadership, Bellevue does not but Bellevue has more concentrations offered than Ashford.  I personally was looking for a leadership oriented program so this was a factor in choosing Ashford over Bellevue, but again it was a highly personal and individualized factor.

Both Ashford and Bellevue are about equal in their requirements for quantitative methods.  I know, I know, the math can be scary but then that’s a big part of what an MBA is all about.  Don’t worry, if I can do it so can you.  

Both schools have a leveling course required of anyone who has not met certain undergraduate requirements.  This is to ensure that you understand the basics of such topics as Accounting before you attempt a graduate class on the topic.  I know from my experience Ashford’s leveling class has really saved my bacon, though at first I resented having to take it upon retrospect it was essential to my survival in this program.  

Ashford University is slightly more expensive than Bellevue University, but only slightly.

From what I understand from Bellevue students upon speaking to them, Bellevue allows the professors to pretty much determine how students will be assessed as to their comprehension of the materials which is very traditional in nature.  This means a professor may require a student to go to a testing center to have the student take midterms or a final in front of a proctor or what have you.  Or the professor may require extensive research papers.  There is a lot more autonomy for the professors from one class to the next including how the course is laid out, grades administered, weight of the assignments on the final grade, you know, the format.  Ashford however seems to have a template by which the various professors go by but all the classes are not assessed the same way.  I have had to take online quizzes, answer discussion questions, write research papers, etc. but for the most part the classes are approached much the same way from one course to the next in format.  I personally like how Ashford does this as it enables me to focus more on the materials and less on the professor’s idiosyncrasies and preferences.  This was a major consideration for me as I do better with uniformity in format.

Ashford University has very friendly, patient and knowledgeable admissions staff who will not pressure you to enroll.  Bellevue is the same way.  

Ashford University has 6 week classes, designed to be take one at a time.  Bellevue has 12 week classes designed to be taken 2 at a time.  This was another major consideration for me as I would prefer to take one class at a time and focus on that topic alone while I learn rather than trying to juggle two different courses at once.  I did attempt 2 of the 6 week courses at a time for a while though, I recommend you not ever do that.  The 6-week courses were the clincher for me in selecting Ashford.

Ashford University will give you a student representative upon enrollment who is your contact for pretty much everything but financial aid, in which case you have a financial aid person just for you.  I’m not sure about Bellevue.  

Ashford also has a research library online that functions a lot like Google.  I’ve been to several online schools and have never seen a better set up, user friendly and thorough library than Ashford’s.  Ashford’s library is one of the more impressive things about their school, it’s a shame more schools don’t follow suit.  Ashford also has a Student Portal that is pretty much a one stop shop for all of your school administrative needs including a cool little graph that shows how far you’ve come along and how far you have yet to go.  It’s a minor morale booster but that type of attention to detail and thoughtfulness is truly what sets Ashford apart from anywhere else I have seen.  Is Bellevue the same?  I don’t know, but I do know that I have not regretted picking Ashford one bit.

As you can see, when I compared these two schools they had much more in common than they had differences.  I was truly splitting hairs when I made my choice and I made a choice based upon details that other people may not consider as important or have a difference of opinion than me on.  I do not believe that with either school you can lose. They are both winners.