Hi,
Saw your post and thought I would weigh in. First let me qualify my opinion by saying that I "attended" Ashworth College and graduated in 10/2005.
My experience with Ashworth College has left me with mixed feelings but first let me answer your questions.
Does anyone have experience with this school?
Well I do anyways.
Is it a credible online college?
The short answer is yes, the long answer is "it depends". Here's the skinny, Ashworth College is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) which is recognized by both the U.S. Dept. of Education and the CHEA which as far as I know is the only national accreditation agency recognized by both, but it's been a few years since I've last checked. The DETC is a national accrediting agencies (NA)which focuses primarily on vocational or professional degrees unlike regional accrediting agencies(RA). Regional accrediting agencies are also recognized by the CHEA and U.S. Dept. of Ed but offer a wider array of degree offerings up to the PhD, which is not available by any DETC school.
To clarify, the DETC accredits "distance" learning schools like Ashworth College, Columbia Southern University, California Coast University, etc.
RA accredit state schools like the University of Texas or Louisiana State University and some other big name tier one schools through non rated schools from Harvard University to Thomas Edison State College. By large and far there are way more RA schools than DETC accredited schools. Most if not all the big name or household name schools are RA, like your University of Phoenix.
In the real world there will be limitations to a NA degree. In Texas for example a Peace Officer cannot get credit for any NA degree per commission regulations which specify RA degrees only. There are other instances where NA degrees have limitations, primarily in government and education work but also at times in the private sector as well.
I personally have been well served by my DETC degree, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I did have some limitations, which is why I finished my RA Bachelor of Science.
As such if it is at all possible I strongly urge you to consider getting a RA degree, but since DETC degrees are at times more flexible and a cheaper, then a DETC degree may be the best fit for you. You can always finish your BS or BA at a RA school later if you choose to. Just be aware that you will hit a lot of walls trying to get into a RA BS or BA program with a NA Associates. Some schools that accept NA degrees are:
Southwestern College (my alma mater)
And a quite a few "for profit" schools like
Kaplan University
University of Phoenix
American Public University
Possibly Ashford University (not to be confused with Ashworth)
American Intercontinental University
Colorado Tech
Etc. Most state schools like UT or LSU will likely not accept any NA Associates degree towards a BS or BA. Be forewarned.
In the real world it still plays somewhat of a factor depending upon what you do, where you work, etc.
You can get a real degree through them?
Yes, they offer Associates degrees and Masters degrees.
Do you think my credits from UoP could transfer there...or any other college?
Most likely, NA colleges are much more likely to accept RA college credits than visa-versa like I said above.
Now here's my story.
Ashworth is cheap and easy to enroll in. They provide all of your books and you can submit your answers online or via paper correspondence. They are flexible with timelines, etc.
On the flip side their customer service was abysmal in my experience. There were times where I would wait 4 weeks between books just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. There were also times where I would wait on hold for up to two hours only to be forced into a voice mail which was never returned. Emails were rarely answered and when they were they were often something vaguely resembling the topic of my questions, more often than not, they were canned answers to specific questions. I never used their academic help but their administrative helpline has got to be one of the worst customer service experiences of my life. Both of my brothers and one coworker of mine enrolled shortly after I did but couldn't put up with it and dropped out. I stuck with it and have definitely seen a handsome return on my investment. So is it worth it? Only you can answer that.
I would also recommend you look at some other regionally accredited school offerings which are very inexpensive. For example:
Fort Hays State University
Peru State College
Chadron State College
Or if that doesn't work for you then check out California Coast University, which is NA just like Ashworth College, they offer no interest financing like Ashworth and they use correspondence, deadline free (within reason) work. Unlike Ashworth though they do not provide books but you CAN rent them instead of buying them. As far as price, they are a tad more expensive (only slightly) but from what I understand from some of their grads their customer service is out of this world.
The reason I mention this is because as a distance Ed student, poor customer service can be frustrating to the point that it just makes you want to quit altogether. Trust me, going back to school is frustrating and freighting enough without the school compiling your problems by leaving you to face the wolves alone.
Hope this helps.