Working at American Public University System

Flexibility, opportunities to teach students who serve and are located anywhere in the world, and colleagues who are wonderful to work with.

Salary

Free coaching from Spring Health

They have innovative ideas and want to try them out.

Clearer and more transparent communication channels. Opportunities to get involved.

No specific guidance.

Slightly below average.

Fine.

The most enjoyable work I do is to connect with others at my organization to make things happen. We have an amazing team!

The most positive thing about working at APUS is the people. Caring individuals who really want to make a difference and who are professional, ethical, and kind. The environment fosters teamwork and collaboration which helps accomplish greater things. We have individuals in the highest levels (president, provost, HR) who really do listen to their employees. It makes a difference! APUS offers a good product and every day I see individuals working to make it a better, more engaging environment for students and employees.

Some of the decisions by those higher than APUS have been concerning lately, including the loss of marketing and IT/Classroom support teams - which had negative impacts across APUS - some were severe. Also, how do you outsource IT/Classroom Support when that is the lifeblood of APUS since it is an online school and all about the students? Contractors don't understand the culture of APUS, and there is difficulty in bridging the gap between the APUS culture, their "these are the rules I was told to follow" and them actually understanding what is being asked in context. It is really the decisions of the leaders who govern APUS that make the work environment more hostile, not the President of APUS, or the Provost. The other con for working at APUS is the seemingly reactive stance versus the proactive stance that seems prevalent across the University System. Reactive causes stress and additional work and can be counterproductive to the culture of APUS. Recently, there has been some improvement in this area.

APUS does unique things for its employees that encourages a positive working experience and collaboration. Graduation (and all its festivities) is one of the best perks, while working from home and having a flexible schedule is probably the best perk/benefit for me.

What I like best about the CEO (President of APUS) and the leadership team is that while they have a vision and goals, how we reach those is largely a creative and collaborative effort. From those specific individuals, I don't see a lot of micro-management, instead, I see encouragement to be creative (within guidelines and standards) and to bring fresh ideas to the table.

Ensure that those working from home are included, for example, with information sharing (this still needs work), fun activities, opportunities to provide feedback to leadership in ways that are truly heard by leadership, and continued transparency.

I listed out my best assets, included several examples of when I had successfully accomplished something, honestly listed areas I could improve upon, or things where I had struggled and the outcome could have been better, and then listed my skills, personal, professional, and technical.

In my experience, compensation at APUS is generally similar to other universities, although there are areas where it lags a bit behind, but then it's balanced by other positions where it might offer more. Overall, it's respectable.

We have many individuals with diverse insight within their area of expertise. It is good!

The most fulfilling part of my work that brings me the most joy is team collaboration that accomplishes a goal and makes APUS shine! The effort to improve upon, and further polish something together is amazing. The best part is when I am able to engage in that process and my thoughts and ideas are heard (they don't necessarily have to be used), and we can work together to improve whatever it is we are working on.

The environment is really exciting to be a part of. The culture my department provides makes me feel like I am a part of something incredible.

The pay is lower than an overnight support manager at Walmart which does not require a degree.

Working from home is the biggest benefit.

Nuno and the leadership team make me believe that they have a direction to take the university for the foreseeable future. I feel confident in the leadership team and that they plan to stay around for many years. Being able to have coffee with a member of the leadership team makes them approachable and part of the team instead of just their own group.

All the departments are siloed and feel more like parts of the university instead of feeling like they are all a part of the university. That may not make much sense but it is like being an inlaw. Yes, you are now part of this new family but you do not feel as close as the blood relatives do with each other. Have virtual hangouts or physical meetups and include people's families. This may not be possible for everyone but you could see if there is a volunteer from each state to plan something for the people in that area. We have military outreach teams that are located all over the US.

I have been fortunate enough to be able to practice with my manager or other colleagues to prepare for a job interview. Having mock interviews helps calm the nerves and boost confidence. These are two aspects that tend to lead to incomplete answers. If it is a general interview about myself or some skill set I possess, I tend to go over what were the hardships I learned along the way. These are the key steps to being better and learning from those mistakes. Confidence boosters are always a go-to solution.

A Google search of the national average of the starting pay for my position has the APUS starting pay below the national average between $5,000-$10,000. This is the starting pay and I have advanced above the starting position but I still make below the national starting pay average.

The diversity of the demographic of APUS is similar to its student population. There is representation from all demographics but this is only represented during meetings where people are on camera. Because the departments only speak to each other on the phone, we have no idea about the other members of the university.

The members of my team and department are the main reasons I stay at this job. While I absolutely love my job, some days can be rough. It is those silly team chats that make you feel you are a part of the university and not stuck alone in an office at home. Bonding with other people brings me the most joy at work.

Remote work, dynamic colleagues, aspirational vision.

Management can sometimes be inconsiderate of calendars. Their HR team is small, so unprofessional behavior that is not egregious is not always taken seriously (even though it can have big mental health impacts on the team).

Remote work is #1.

Vision, drive, purpose.

If toxic colleagues were more swiftly identified and precautioned.

It's great! I feel like we get paid well for higher ed.

The people I work with!

The biggest pro of working for APUS is the remote work. I can work from home and leave to get my kids, take them to the doctor, etc. without having to worry about a commute to the extra time to get to or from the office.

The biggest con of working for APUS is probably pay. It would be so easy to go elsewhere to get more money, but the benefit of working remotely makes the pay tolerable.

APUS is really trying to add additional benefits, but the biggest one I enjoy is working remotely

We hardly see or hear from the CEO so it's hard to say what I like best. There could definitely be some additional effort put on that face time.

I miss the days where we had summer picnics, and other in-person holiday get togethers. I understand people work remotely and that has changed the culture.

My compensation compared to others with a same or similar title is about 1/2 of what the industry average is. It's disappointing.

APUS has a lot of work to do towards diversity. My team is predominantly female and Caucasian.

The people I work closest to bring me the most joy at work. They are kinds, wonderful humans who care for me as a person.

The ability to work from home and pursue your education at no cost.

Some employees are rushed through the training process before they are ready to start their position, inconsistancies in information given to others, and systems (specifically Salesforce) that always has something going wrong.

The ability to work from home and ability to continue your education at no cost.

I have not really had the opportunity to get to know the CEO personally but the things written about them are positive. The leadership does try to do the best for our students but feel that some are more inclined to satify the shareholders first, forgetting that we must put the student first.

Nothing comes to mind at this time.

I was actually discovered through a person friend's mother, who was the manager of the Admissions Department back in 2007.

My position is paid lower than average in comparison to other universities.

From what I can see, I feel that we are diverse.

Being able to make a change to help my colleagues and students have a better user experience with utilization of materials provided by the university.

The pros of working at APUS are that everyone I have met has been kind and helpful. I also love the work that I get to do and that there is a sense of everyone wanting to do what's best for the students we serve. If something doesn't work, for example, there's room for improvement without even a hint of resistance. I've worked in education for almost two decades now, so that's unique. APUS is like a breath of fresh air.

I cannot think of any cons for working at APUS, as upper management is always willing to listen to us to make changes or find some means of a common ground from which everyone can grow.

My favorite perk/benefit, other than getting to work remotely and helping students achieve their dreams, is the Continuing Education Benefit, because taking classes allows me to grow while also knowing how to help students navigate to find the information they need, as well!

Their ability to express compassion, humor, and provide an atmosphere where everyone can be heard.

I wouldn't change a thing to improve the company culture.

I prepared for an interview at APUS by researching questions that are commonly asked to those in the position that I was seeking, as well as delved deep into the company website to really get to know APUS.

I feel that my compensation at APUS compares really well to the industry average, as I was almost hired by a competitor before starting at APUS and their compensation was the exact same.

I feel great about the representation of demographics within the APUS community. There are people from all over the country working at APUS and we're like one big happy family!

The greatest joy I get from working at APUS is the opportunity to help others achieve their goals of higher learning, so that they can succeed on what they want to accomplish - whether it's getting a promotion, a better job, serving as a role model for their kids, or just for personal satisfaction. PLUS, I get to do this with kind, responsive, and such smart, sweet, and fun people!

I absolutely LOVE working in the Academic Advising department because the VP and Directors are top-notch and create an excellent work environment! We get a lot of work done but we have fun doing it!

My only con is that our pay is based on WV cost of living but the majority of our dept are remote. I live in NoVA and it's expensive here! I truly feel that we are underpaid and our benefits only continue to increase and I would love to see that addressed if possible!

My favorite perk is the in-person events we have throughout the year where we get to see everyone and hang out for a bit!

I don't really know the CEO very well but he seems nice and very open to feedback!

I feel like the culture is good here! Only pay and benefits would help!

I've had several interviews for APUS and they were all prepared for differently with clear instructions though!

I believe it is lower than most of the states in the country.

I think we do a great job in this area!

The people I work with and the students I help!

Being able to help students achieve their educational goals.

Corporate culture has degenerated. Employees are treated like office equipment rather than human beings with skills and understanding to offer the company.

Consulting with colleagues to solve problems for students.

I am not particularly impressed by the current leadership team.

After sufficient training give employees more autonomy in interacting with students. Treat employees as if they knew something rather than just expecting them to be robotic.

Thought of what I could offer the company.

In my experience the pay at APUS is adequate and fair although not necessarily competitive.

The organization is very diverse and open to all sorts of personalities and people.

I enjoy helping students, always have.

The pros of working for APUS are the people, including team managers and senior managers. Working from home is another benefit.

The cons of working at APUS include the lack of communication and teamwork between student-facing departments. Other cons are the 30-minute lunch break; this doesn't allow one to reset their focus and have a decent break during their workday. For all we do, the pay is lacking and many feel the work challenges are not worth the pay, thus leading to high turnover. Not many opportunities for growth or career development.

The free education is a huge benefit.

This new leadership seems to be focused on the needs of the employees more than leaders in the past.

Bring back 1-hour lunch breaks, and find better ways for departments to work together and communicate better.

Researching the company and reviewing the website for information.

I feel the pay is lower than the industry average.

Diversity is represented well at APUS.

The people I work with.

I love the ability to work remote, and the building of community over Microsoft Teams. The commitment to providing a college degree at a low cost to military is also a huge draw.

I believe we've hired too much higher management who rely more on tech than focusing on building relationships. I once had one person between me and the Provost, now it is five. I do not think that leaders are as accessible or open to hearing reality like in previous years (I've been with APUS nearly 20 years)

Working remote, serving military community

From what I can tell, a vision that understands the massive change in higher ed and technology is a priority to the leadership team. I also think the focus on international students is a good idea.

I feel like the leaders are aloof to huge concerns among staff faculty--stemming from the fact too many leaders and not enough workers. We've complicated things by hiring too many "chiefs"--we are not as relationship/people focused as we once were and leaning too much on technology than people. I would look to see what senior leadership positions could be eliminated and gather those who have been with the university a long time and seek their input

Have no idea why this question is here--interview for???

Professors are asked to do quite a bit for the pay they receive. In other universities, professors can take time off. I do not feel like I can take a break due to the constant course load. More flexibility is needed for task orders and time off

It is improving, but our Board of Trustees demographics is embarrassing. We need more military/first responder representation and include diversity, especially LatinX

Knowing that I have access to students who are in the military. I served in the military and understand the importance of providing this opportunity

The pros of working at American Public University system include a collegial work environment where staff and faculty work together to solve problems in service of our students.

In my experience, the cons of working at American Public University System include a legacy of top down management that can disenfranchise lower ranks from taking ownership of their jobs and the challenges they encounter.

My favorite benefits at American Public University System include the people I work directly with, the team I lead, and my direct supervisor. I am inspired by their desire to do what is right and strengthen the student experience.

What I like best about the leadership at American Public University System is that even though we're in the business of education, I feel like they understand that we're a university in service of our students and the integrity of earning a degree.

I would improve the culture at American Public University System by empowering the lowest ranks to lead as opposed to follow orders. We need to trust that the people closest to the information are in the best situation to solve the challenges. To do this, those people need to be (1) empowered and (2) trained to take ownership.

I prepared for my interview with American Public University System by researching the website, speaking with current employees in advance of the interview, and by speaking to people who have interacted with the university.

In my experience, the compensation offered by American Public University System is in alignment with the education industry.

I feel we can do a better job of representing diverse demographics within my organization. To me, this is a continuous effort as diversity has many aspects which include, age, race, culture, and thought.

Personally, the most fulfilling aspect of my work at American Public University System is the continuous improvement of curriculum, systems, and processes in service of our students by continually adding value to the degree they have earned.

The only pros include good insurance and great low-level managers that hear your concerns.

The cons include terrible pay, infinite changes that have little to no planning behind them, and threats of job loss for failure to adhere to ridiculous new standards that are genuinely not designed for APUS's student population.

working from home

No comment.

I would promote a more honest approach and much greater openness in regards to changes.

N/A

Genuinely terrible. It is impossible to live in society at the moment with inflation and tax increases. Despite getting a measly 3% raise every year, I continue to make less when it comes to taxes and cost of living increasing at an exponential rate. It feels like the top dogs at APUS/APEI create more high paying positions to take money away from those of us who do work on the ground and actually interact with students.

Not great

The rare moments when I have autonomy and I'm trusted to do the work I was hired to do.

One of the pros of working at American Public University System is the flexibility. Given its online nature, there is more flexibility in work hours and location compared to traditional campus-based roles. This is beneficial for maintaining my work-life balance.

In my experience, a con of working at American Public University System is the pay scale. The pay scale at APUS is not as competitive as that of some traditional universities or private sector roles.

My favorite benefit is the continuing education benefit.

CEO and Leadership team have a lot of issues. Usually, satisfaction stops at the lower management to director roles. Higher than that there is a lot of dissatisfaction, enough so to where I can't think of something that "I like best" about them.

Higher leadership and CEO needs to listen more to lower level employees, the ones who are actually working with the students and can relay the changes that are just not working.

I prepared for the interview by reviewing my resume and how it related to the role I was applying for.

The compensation is not on par with industry average, about $20,000 below average.

There is a lot of improvements in the sector of diversity and inclusion that needs to be implemented within American Public University System.

Personally, what brings me the most joy is the people I work with and flexibility of working remotely.

Working remotely. Good management team. Friendly, supportive co-workers!

Systems not working properly, not paid much. I find it interesting that those that work in the Education field, helping others so they can make a good salary are not paid very well.

Working remotely.

It seems like they are trying to improve our systems, making efforts to make our jobs easier and improving student satisfaction.

Increase salaries for staff. Share in the profits.

When I started her nearly 13 years ago, I didn't do much to prepare myself for the interview. At the time the company was growing, and they needed to hire.

Based on industry average it is probably comparable but in our economy, it is not enough to support a family.

I believe we are diverse and represent all groups.

Helping a student succeed.

Work from home,

The university offers a lot of opportunities for growth and cross training. I appreciate that management within the university is always willing to help when asked.

The pay is lower than the national average and pay increases are minimal and far and few between. When asked about pay being raised to meet the national average, the question is continuously avoided. This has led to several vacancies within the university as employees are seeker better financial remote opportunities.

I enjoy the opportunity to utilize the education benefit as well as the remote work opportunity.

The leadership team offers several opportunities for "all calls".

Bringing compensation to the national average would drastically improve the company culture.

To prepare for my interview, I reviewed the company in detail. I reviewed the job description for my position and made sure that I had my questions written down beforehand.

It is lower than the industry average.

I feel that the university does a good job of providing a diverse workforce.

My team brings me the most joy.

Work remote from home, Employee and Family education benefits, decent amount of paid time off, able to flex-time, upward mobility.

healthcare/prescription benefits could be improved, pay does not meet national average, took away anniversary benefits for employees who stay with the company for 5, 10, 15 years, can get stuck on calls late after your hours

Vacation Time

Nuno and the leadership team at APUS have a strong vision for the future of APUS. They are transparent with their employees about their plans for the company and have the ability to inspire and motivate their teams toward achieving a common goal of fostering innovation, long-term success and positive organizational culture.

Many of these things we are already doing but I will reiterate some of the things we can continue doing and some we may be beneficial to implement to help improve company culture. Continuously assess the company culture through surveys, feedback sessions, and other means, to make adjustments to the ways we do things as a company. Encourage work-life balance by ensuring our work schedules allow for work life balance, our time off policies promote work-life balance, and we offer wellness programs that promote mental and physical health. Recognize and reward employees for their contributions to the company and for their achievements. Provide growth opportunities for employees through mentorships, trainings, conferences, etc.

To prepare for the interview I researched the companies history, mission, values, statistics, the specific position I was applying for. I practiced common interview questions. I highlighted my skills and abilities from my resume that fit the role and prepared a few questions that I had for the interviewer about the company and role. After the interview I sent a follow-up to let them know I was interested in the position and was grateful for the time they spent interviewing me.

Compensation at American Public University System compared to the industry average is below average.

American Public University System is diverse.

My co-workers, the community we build.

I love the flexibility in my department. Working from home has allowed me to be a better coworker, mom, wife and friend. I can easily manage my life as well as be productive. Another pro is our commencement weekend. It's my favorite time of the year and makes everything feel full circle for what we do.

Salary and career growth are my only cons. It's hard to live off the salaries provided when inflation continues to skyrocket and raises aren't enough to cover it. A cost of living incentive would be very beneficial to help the employees not live paycheck to paycheck.

Working from Home

The new CEO and leadership have been very transparent over the last 2 years and their progress has shown in multiple areas of the university. I appreciate President Nuno's enthusiasm on pushing APUS forward and modernizing the university.

Honestly, I am satisfied with our company's culture and have no recommendations.

Being appreciated by our leadership team. Gifting incentives for our hard work is always a nice touch.

I am unsure.

I think some of the pros are working remotely, I really enjoy my direct team, and I think we have a great PTO, with the exception of the recent change in the Service Recognition Program.

In my experience, the cons of working in American Public University System are poor interdepartmental communication and change management, high workloads and low staffing, poor growth opportunities within the organization.

My favorite benefit is the PTO.

What I like best about the CEO and leadership team is that they are actively making changes and efforts to improve APUS overall.

I would improve APUS by updating and streamlining the systems and processes for both students and employees. The poor student experience makes it difficult on student-facing employees.

I prepared for the interview by reviewing the job description and finding examples within my work experience to explain how I fit the listed requirements of the role.

In my experience, the compensation at APUS is below the industry average, with minimal opportunities for growth and development within the organization.

I feel APUS has diverse demographics of representation.

My favorite part of my job at APUS is helping my direct reports grow and develop within their role.

The great working environment and extremely friendly and helpful coworkers.

Working remotely and the sword health benefit

None

The leadership team is very involved and understanding

none

researching the school and what we have to offer.

I do think that the compensation could be higher, especially because I live in California and the cost of living is higher.

very diverse

helping others to reach their educational goals

Great benefits and vacation time, flexible, I can do what I love to do and what I am passionate about.

No possibility to promote within certain teams.

Helping our service members and military families achieve their educational goals to provide a better quality of life overall; Coworkers are amazing!

They are motivated, straightforward, and great communicators.

I would improve the company culture by examining leadership on the director level and holding them accountable for their leadership style and the work they do, and the work they refuse to do. Our team has been very demotivated due to our director recently.

I prepared for an interview at APUS by asking people who worked here already how theirs went, and by writing down my accomplishments, supported by numbers.

In my experience the compensation compared to other universities is less than what people in my current role make at other schools.

I do not know.

The most fulfilling aspect of my job is to work directly with our military students, assisting them from application to graduation, helping them receive promotion points through their education, and seeing how going to school fulfills them.

Remote work opportunities, some room for advancement, many excellent colleagues

Highest levels of administration are out of touch with frontline operations and tend to fixate on a narrow (and sometimes short-sighted) set of priorities, diverting resources from other essential functions.

Remote work options

I like their willingness to try new things, but believe that they need to nurture a "big picture" perspective and listen carefully to those who work "in the trenches" before making changes or directives that negatively impact frontline teams.

I would refocus priorities in a way that enhance "the basics" and nurture the talent within our frontline teams, rather than chasing after every shiny new trend.

Could be better, but there is an effort to be inclusive.

Helping students and working collaboratively with colleagues.

Remote work.

Unskilled managers Pay is too low for what is being asked to do on a daily basis. Your day is micro managed

due to zero visibility. Can't make a comment about this... I have been here 6 months and have never joined a meeting where he led or he was in it.

Leadership needs to be more accessible and want to know what is going on under their management.

Researched the company and prepared for my interview. However, my interview was easy... nothing out of the ordinary. Since its a low paying job, I figured that the demand would be the same.

In my experience, the compensation at American University Sytems compared to the industry is WAY below average. Again, the demand is more than what is being paid.

The representation of diverse demographics is low. A few people of color and 1 Hispanic in my area. And then yet, they want to expand "Globally". It is a joke

Personally, what brings me most joy at work is to speak to the students that want to speak to me and know that I will help them advance in their careers or personal achievements.

Remote family first environment, great mission of teaching students for whom a traditional educational path won't work.

Pay is quite low

Remote work

New CEO and leadership team are shaking things up.

Find a way to pay people more. Be at least closer to sector standards.

It was so long ago...

It's very much below the industry average.

It's very diverse - more diverse than my field in general, which is good.

Working with students to help them meet their goals.

It is a student first organization that often looks to improve systems and experiences proactively. For my operations department, there is a great sense of community and effort to be welcoming and transparent at all levels.

Academic consistenty and oversight is lacking. Deans, Department Chairs, and faculty are siloed by school or program, which has it's advantages, but for overarching policies and expectations there does need to be more training and oversight to ensure an exceptional student experience no matter the subject.

I wouldn't be in the role for as long as I have if it wasn't for the people I work with and the sense of accomplishment that comes with supporting students. It's wonderful to have earned a master's degree here entirely for free. Benefit wise, our department takes care of us with praise and day-to-day perks, but bigger than that it'd be neat to see bonuses again or bigger annual merit increases.

The more I interact with the CEO and leadership team, I see they are genuine and honest and committed to supporting great student and employee experiences.

Being a leader in PTO benefits and salary I think would be a great way to show we are not only student first but people first. Large scale cross trainings or exposure for everyone at the university, staff and faculty, to see how every branch and department functions at APUS would be helpful for job knowledge and building relationships beyond our teams.

Staying calm and considering examples that showed how my personal experience and character align with the company's mission.

I believe it is at the top half of the industry standard for student support in higher education though that is mainly do to having been in the position for 10+ years. If it's looked at purely as a manager, I believe it is at the low end of the industry average.

There is certainly room for improvement, but I am happy there is diversity.

Having fun with the people I work with every day and working together to make positive impacts for students.

Great people and amazing mission of providing educational opportunities to students.

Not getting to be in person as much as I would like

Schedule. Remote work. Great environment

The CEO and other leadership are open and honest. They are talented and have a vision for the future.

More ways to network

Researching history and accreditation

It is slightly less, but very competitive

There is good representation.

Connecting with colleagues and students.

Flexible working hours, plenty of sick and vacation time, decent benefits

Low salary, heavy workload, upper management sometimes listens

sick time and vacation time accrual rates

I researched the website and learned the history of the university, as well as some of the base stats

I think the culture is good - everyone is welcoming and kind

They are willing to listen (or pretend to) and make changes

The industry average is about $60k/year, putting the APUS base salary at the low end

I feel APUS is diverse and inclusive, and makes an effort to encourage diversity growth

Being able to talk to and connect with people, especially coworkers

Forward thinking, inclusive environment which is great for those seeking a remote position.

Some teams will not have as many opportunities for promotion, but there are such opportunities throughout the organization for those willing to change teams.

Travel, travel, travel!

I like the respect our university's president holds within the higher learning community.

Listen more to the ideas of those on the ground before implementing a policy.

The people at APUS make all of the difference, especially on my team of military veterans. Let's face it; "Military is our middle name lest we forget our roots.

very nice people to work with management is good

salary although I LOVE the Education benefits, the process is difficult

continuing education

working from home, not having to use gas to travel to an office, being in casual wear all day

the pay could be a little higher

working from home

the leadership does do a good job of letting us know what is going on with the school, but in cases of layoffs they could have done better in the past

I think we should be based out of a national perspective and not just soley based on a schools average salary

flexibility, immediate colleagues

currently a lot of new leadership trying to incorporate too much change at once. There are not enough staff and faculty. The teaching load for full time professors is way to high. The compensation model for part time faculty is atrocious.

Time off is generous.

The middle layer of leadership and management is ok. The CEO and executive level leadership of the parent company are detached.

Improve the work load of full time faculty.

Be able to demonstrate and clearly articulate that you truly understand the principles of adult education and show heart and enthusiasm for teaching.

Below average for my industry.

I believe that diversity is celebrated.

Being able to interact with my colleagues and work collaboratively on problem solving and ways to improve processes for our students.

American Public University System is the most positive work environment I have every worked in. The Advising Management team goes out of their way to make this a fun place to work! The company culture is above and beyond what I've encountered elsewhere. My direct manager has been the most pleasant person to work for. She is understanding and compassionate, which is unfortunately, not something seen in the corporate world often. I have already recommended APUS as a work place to everyone I know.

The only con is the salary. Based on the cost of living, I do feel that the salary is pretty low. It is very difficult to live on $40,000 a year these days. I think more needs to be done to adjust salaries for the cost of living increases.

I appreciate the amount of PTO that is given, along with the floating holiday, volunteer time, and flex time. I also appreciate the early release days and the fun meetings. Those are definitely perks!

I haven't had much of a chance to interact with the CEO, but the leadership team, at least on the Advising end, is amazing! Carolyn and the Advising managers really go out of their way to make sure we are happy and that our voices are heard.

I cannot think of a way that the culture could be improved.

I prepared for the interviews by researching APUS and reading through the APUS websites.

The salary for an Academic Advisor at APUS seems to be lower than the industry average.

I feel our organization is very diverse. On the Academic Advising team alone, I have encountered a ton of different backgrounds!

The ability to connect with my coworkers brings me the most joy at work. I love that we can use Teams to stay in contact throughout the day. Also, feeling supported is a huge contributor to my joy at work. I feel constantly supported by my colleagues and management.

I have the opportunity to shape the future of education. I work with a dynamic team of educators and administrators to develop innovative programs and initiatives that meet the needs of our diverse student body. With the flexibility of online learning, I have the ability to reach students from all over the world, provide them with access to high-quality education, and directly support the faculty's success in the classroom.

Like other online universities, APUS relies heavily on technology, which can present challenges if there are technical issues or if students or staff are not comfortable using the necessary tools.

As an employee, my favorite perk about working for APUS is the opportunity to contribute to and shape the ever-changing landscape of teaching and learning--adapting to and adopting new technologies and supporting the diverse student body and faculty.

The University's President is innovative, passionate, and a true advocate for the adult, online learner. He is also incredibly supportive of the people who ensure APUS is meeting its Mission and serving its students.

N/A.

I was comfortable discussing the latest trends in my discipline. I also researched the University so as to comprehend its Mission, Vision, and Values. I wanted to ensure I was a good fit for the organization.

This response isn't based on the document: My compensation package is competitive and in line with industry standards, ensuring that I am fairly rewarded for my contributions.

The University's staff and faculty body is diverse, although the representation to the student body could be more balanced. That said, the shift in demographic representation has been improving in recent years.

I am most fond of the opportunity to accomplish meaningful tasks, develop positive, collegial relationships with colleagues, and to explore industry trends.

Remote work and PTO plan Meeting new friends

Remote work environment Supportive managers

Salary- The salaried being paid is low for the work being done. Promotion-You have to be working for the dept 3-4 years before being promoted to a senior rep Pushback from other departments-Other departments do not like to take calls when SSC has to transfer for further assistance Career opportunities- Hard to get selected for different positions within the company

To improve the company culture at APUS, I would focus on promoting transparency, open communication, and inclusivity among employees. Additionally, implementing regular feedback processes and recognition programs to acknowledge and reward employees for their hard work and contributions would help foster a positive work environment.

I reviewed my previous experience from my resume and went for it

Being able to assist a student with their needs.

It's very low. Some SSC reps from other companies are making up to $20-23 hr.

The opportunity to earn a degree.

The salary doesn't match what other local universities offer for the same role. The salary at the schools in the area (both community colleges and Universities) are typically several thousand dollars higher for a role that has a much lower title than what we offer.

The pros are the people you work with, the sense of community with the school, the opportunity to work from home, and our student population.

They tend to be responsive.

I think our culture is fine.

It was several years ago, I don't remember what I did to prepare.

In my experience compensation is much lower than the industry average.

I think our diversity is good, no issues or concerns.

Working with my peers.

Work is remote

Management top heavy and often aversion to improving workflows or change.

Work is remote

Not much, lots of turnover at leadership level.

Not sure it is possible

Background research

Mediocre

There is diversity in the leadership teams; board of directors so there has been some progress.

Getting paid

Good management, not a toxic work culture, rewarding work in some cases, time off opportunities (Work life balance).

It's a call center just like any other customer service job. An employee could find a basic no thought required customer service job and make almost, if not the same pay. The changes without consulting agents who these changes impact is truly wild to me especially working for a university. This is something a NACC would do.

The amount of time off opportunities we get.

I have seen Nuno a handful of times. He seems like he wants the university to succeed which is always great. I would say some members leadership team are out of touch. I read the reviews about apus and they are not great. It seems like leadership for some reason wants that to continue being the trend moving forward. Maybe make changes that changes the image of us being a diploma mill.

The culture is fine. There are not really many toxic aspects outside of leadership, and again, those are minimal. Let's make sure our most tenured reps decide to leave because we want to implement three strikes or you're out. then backtrack and say we never wanted it to be taken like that. What? The outcry of dissatisfaction was not enough. Thats all. We are an admissions department, not collections with strict money-based metrics. Let's reflect that.

I looked into the university, but my interviewers were literally the best people I could've asked for as they allowed me to fully explain answers and expand upon my thoughts rather than just quick questions.

APUS is behind. I live by 4 major universities and apus is nothing compared to them. As I said previously, the compensation is comparable to a simple customer service position.

I don't really pay attention to this. I mean I see a lot of diversity in my co-workers but it's not something I actively think about as long as there's no racism or toxicity.

The opportunity to accure time off and the ability to not be micromanaged. Its refreshing to not have to look over my shoulder constantly for harsh metrics.

One of the pros of working at APUS is the opportunity to work from home and excellent benefits.

In my experience, the cons have been taking away our bonuses, taking away our hour for lunch, making us fill out a time card, limited PTO time, no one is listening to a front line staff to know what the workload is like, threatening to fire us if we didn't get these consultative calls down, QA calls like we are a call center instead of a university, low pay, no incentives.

My favorite benefit about working for APUS is the benefit to work remotely.

What I like best about the leadership here is nothing.

I would suggest taking away things like leaving the making of numbers up to front line staff, we used to never have to worry about that, now all of a sudden we have to do some special call. Like that makes numbers go up. I'd get rid of the whole bunch and start over.

I prepared for an interview with APUS by requiring a one on one interview.

In my experience with APUS, compared to say Frederick Community College or UMUC is low. But the compensation package with benefits is awesome.

APUS is very diverse.

Talking to veterans, which they have taken away, after promising we would not lose our genre of students.

Schedule is decent & free schooling

not enough transparency between departments & upper management, pay is less than 20% of market rate.

Free schooling

I would restructure the QA to be more black & white to assist with the moral of front facing departments

I read the website

Compensation is less roughly within the 15 percentiles of market.

The representation of diverse demographics is very good.

My manager & peers

The people we work with are amazing and our direct management (managers, Directos, and VP) truly care about their people.

The salary is low for the position and the responsibilities. The benefits are also getting worse for new employees. We are seeing a high turnover because people with degrees can get higher paying jobs elsewhere with less stress.

Working from home

They truly care about their team and making the university successful for staff and students.

I cannot think of anything, other than salary and benefit increases.

The compensation at American Public University System is low compared to positions in my area.

American Public University is really good with representation and works to ensure people feel included and heard.

My co-workers and students bring the most joy every day!

Department culture is a high priority, and that is evident within the operations departments. Being a part of student success and positive student experiences.

Working from home, and the Continuing Education Benefit.

Higher university leadership (above department heads) does not communicate with staff in a timely manner or effectively. Staff salary is on the low end. Does not always match responsibilities.

I think the CEO has some great innovative ideas especially surrounding AI and the move towards the future. The leadership team directly under that is lack luster at this point.

Make transparency a great priority and reevaluate our values as a university. Many individuals are having trouble buying into the company because recent changes seem to be outside of our value system as whole.

I researched the university, and called the admissions department to get a better understanding of why individuals want to attend school at APUS.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for this position is $53,999. My current salary is well below the industry average.

Helping students and interacting with my teammates.

Within respectable range. There is diversity of thought and innovation.

Flexibility, culture, working with military students, providing opportunities to students

Poor leadership and communication at the Director level. Team members feel lost often times due to lack of guidance or completely non-existent managers. Lots of frustration with the salary they make but very little value they bring to the team.

Working with students and business partners

I don't have any experience working with the CEO. I can only speak for the Military Outreach Team leadership team. As mentioned in a previous question, Directors are next to non-existent and are behind on technology used to work with students

Hold leaders accountable for their lack of guidance, communication, use of tools, resourcefulness, in addition to their roles within the team.

Understanding the student population and the programs offered. Knowing the culture by networking with other team members.

Above average but low compared to the amount of work, travel, and value added to the team

great

Bringing brand and program opportunities to new student populations

Pros are that the company is predominantly remote and the company provides technology and IT support. The process of hooking up your computer is streamlined and the IT department is wonderful. Pros also are employee recognition and dedication to responding to employee requests and concerns. I feel heard while working at APUS and valued. Another pro is the PTO and sick accruals. I have a wonderful work life balance and have a fantastic AVP, VP, and President.

Cons are the pay. The company is based out of WV and often seems to mimic WV higher education pay. We do receive annual raises for cost of living but they average about 3% and the cost of living is raising way above that. The pay is also impacted by the price of benefits, especially if you choose the best coverage. I would appreciate a minimum of 5% pay increase each year to try and combat living price increases.

Working remote!

President Nuno Fernandez is a visionary and focuses on innovative programs and ideas to help push APUS into the future of virtual higher education. If there is a software or program that can help advance the university he has open ears. President Nuno also cares about all employees and what they have to say. He values the concerns brought up by any individual and implements procedures and practices to meet those needs. He shows exemplaray leadership.

More professional development opportunities and funding to send employees to in-person or virtual conferences.

I researched the university.

The national average is about 58,000 a year and I make 10,000 less than the national average. I do need to receive more compensation that better aligns with the national average or I will be looking to leave within the next year.

It is so, so. I would like to see more DEI trainings available to employees such as Safe Zone Training (especially for student-facing departments).

My department and team!

The Pro's of working for APUS are that I can work from home everyday, based on my tenure I accrue 4 weeks of vacation PTO, the people I work with are great and I can manage my own time while working.

The Con's of working for APUS include that our IT systems don't work well all the time, the department head won't allow us to have early outs anymore, we have restrictions on how many people can take off each day, there's a lot of delegation of work which cuts into our production (files) time.

PTO accruals!

APUS leadership seems to be overworked, but they generally keep positive attitudes when they interact with the employees.

I would improve APUS culture by not being so concerned about DEI. What staff do in their off time is their business and really doesn't need to have a place at work. What matters is how the staff are able to do their jobs and that people are recognized in a way that they can appreciate.

I was hired by APUS almost 16 years ago. If I remember correctly, I prepared by checking out the website, reading up on it to have a sense of what APUS is all about. I also prepared by reviewing my work history, getting professionally dressed, etc.

From what I did to research comparable salaries, my compensation at APUS falls in the below average range.

I think the diverse demographics are fine. What matters first is one's ability to do the job they were hired to do. Everything pasted that should be a secondary consideration. We shouldn't hire to fit into certain demographics as this will likely cause turmoil in the long fun.

Receiving praise, raises, PTO and knowing that my peers at work have my back (at APUS.)

From a personal perspective, the benefits have declined over the years due to costs, the compensation isn't necessarily inline with our competitors. From a business perspective, we lack budget to make needed improvements. We are stretched very think from a staffing perspective. Initiatives are rolled out sometimes without necessary vetting due to need and time constraints.

The mission, the students we serve. A flexible work environment. Great people that I work with. Leaders who now understand the challenges.

Flexibility.

The present leadership team understands our challenges, which I cannot always say for prior leadership teams. They want to make changes, but sometimes lack the ability or bandwidth to do so.

Researching the company online.

More bottom up vetting of initiatives. A little more transparency with the staff and faculty wouldn't hurt, although there are limits.

Lower than average.

I feel we are appropriately diverse.

Serving our students and making an impact on their lives and the lives of my staff and colleagues.

Every team within the company operates differently depending on the leaders. I can speak about what I experienced with the Military Outreach Team. The directors have fostered a toxic work environment by their lack or moral compass, empathy, compassion and singling out people who challenge them. They also made it known to everyone that they are close friends with their own direct supervisor, so accountability does not apply to them. Directors are not held accountable for their lack of action, and they do not hold anyone accountable on the team. They lack the ability to analyze a problem and strategize to roll out to the team for execution and follow up. They do not support or believe in new initiatives and platforms, and clearly do not share the same vision as the president. If there is a particular task that your director feels uncomfortable doing, he will have a team member do it instead. This shows that they value their subordinates differently than themselves. Most of the time, our director does not reply to any emails we send out. The team is often left to figure out what to do day by day since we really do not have anyone leading the team. The university can see a return on their investment if the Military Outreach Team was given new leaders, from director up. Given the right leader, they can be a valuable asset, or even broken up and repurposed to help other teams. Their work load can easily be done by a group of 5-7 people instead of a team of over 20. The biggest con of working for this company is having to seek medical intervention for my mental well being due to my leaders unfair treatment toward me. HR did their best in supporting me during this time, but like I pointed out, only new leadership will bring change. Directors up have never believed in or supported any vision, initiative, new platforms the company has and will verbalize that as they roll things out to the team.

The company offers the same basic perk and benefits that other companies do. We used to be able to take free classes as employees and our dependents get half off, but they changed the way the paper work gets processed. Now you have to turn in the request months ahead of time which makes planning harder.

The biggest pro of working for them is that now I belong to a team that functions the way it is suppose to I have supportive leaders who value each member of the team, and mentors everyone.

The president seems to truly care about the employees and company, but lower level management do not share his vision or moral compass.

The only way to truly affect culture by bringing in a change in leadership on troubled teams.

I prepared by looking the company and job description up. I also looked over my resume ad highlighted previous experiences and skills that is transferable to this role I am applying for.

Now that I moved to a different team, I love working for a normal leader who treats people with respect. Being treated like a regular human being, being seen as an equal means evrything.

They is not much diversity within the university, even on their social media postings.

Average......

Great team, great focus, excellent leadership, and goals are articulated. Leadership is visionary and wants to move into the future. They embrace change! Excellent amount of paid holidays.

Remote work is convenient but I miss face to face interactions with coworkers. The pay is decent, but, it takes you awhile to make a good salary. Advancement opportunities are few. Takes forever to get hired.

My favorite perk is getting to go to graduation! We have a very generous paid holiday schedule.

President is engaged! He is not afraid to move the university in a new direction and has instilled agility into the culture. After the recent climate survey, the university has worked to incorporate some things that employees asked for. It feels like they actually listen!

I would like to see better employee recognition.

I studied up on the university. I talked to people inside the university. I used search engines to find interview tips.

I am well compensated. Industry standard is probably higher than APUS for certain teams but I believe my compensation is fair.

I think we're fairly diverse, but, like any other company there is always room for improvement.

Helping to guide students through their education journey! I have students that I started working with over 7 years ago and they still stay in touch with me and keep me up to date on their progress and accomplishments.

I believe that APUS is one of the best companies I have worked at due to the "work family" feeling. Everyone is so helpful, welcoming, and do their best to always help one another succeed. They provide an excellent work/home life balance with understanding of life events.

In my experience, there are some positions that are not paid out at the current national average rate. With cost of living continuing to rise, pay increases should take that into consideration.

I love my team and all of the staff that I have come in contact with.

I am still getting to know the leadership, but it seems they are always looking for new innovative ways to improve the company.

I believe there is already a great company culture.

I went into my interview with an open mind and confidence. I answered the questions honestly and gave examples to back up my answers.

In my opinion, I think that my compensation is below the industry average. I have heard many higher-level employees mention that my position is severely underappreciated in terms of pay for the amount of work done.

In my experience the company is fully diverse in its demographics.

I personally enjoy working with everyone on my team. They are appreciative of the work that is done and consistently voice their appreciation.

The value of remote work is appreciated and the flexibility it offers is my number one reason for staying on as long as I have. My individual team leader is absolutely amazing.

The pay scale and opportunity for raises are on the low side and not comparable to other organizations on the market. The benefits package increased in cost by 20% this year, after increasing 17% the year prior. It is now so expensive that employees are actually taking a significant - often prohibitive - pay cut if they use company benefits. The company used to offer a waive credit (or financial incentive) to staff who did not use company benefits which was a huge help especially to military families already covered by government healthcare. This was abruptly discontinued without explanation or recourse, resulting in those staff members seeing and feeling a significant reduction in their yearly compensation. The turnover rate is high and recent reductions in force have resulted in significant stress and unsustainable workload on the remaining staff, without any additional pay or incentives to compensate. The company uses a shared services model where certain offices such as HR, Marketing and IT are smaller staffed and serve all different areas of the organization. While this model may serve to reduce cost on paper, it is not helpful from the perspective of the staff. The priorities and needs of each area of the company are different and the lack of availability of these vital services becomes a hindrance to each entity being able to produce quality work and meet goals. Everyone is spread too thin.

Flexibility of remote work

I appreciate the CEO's energy, fresh ideas and openness to share his vision with the staff. To be very honest though, I have seen 5 university Presidents in my tenure with the company and even more change in executive leadership roles. It is difficult to get excited and remain excited about a vision when leadership changes as often as we have seen in recent years, with each bringing in new priorities, goals, and overhaul.

Compensate staff fairly, allow and encourage opportunities for growth, support staff in ways beyond financial compensation such as revising the benefits package (specifically the cost), hiring additional support staff, reviewing the shared services model, encourage more interaction and collaboration between divisions and entities within the organization.

I prepared for my interview with APUS by researching the university's history and Fast Facts as well as the staff members I with whom I would be speaking. I prepared questions that would allow me to better understand the needs of the role, determine what a successful employee in that role would look like and gauge the level of commitment and satisfaction each team member felt.

In my experience, the compensation and benefits package offered by APUS is below the industry average.

I believe the company is taking steps towards better diversity and inclusion though I will say with a fully remote staff, I often am not aware of how demographics are represented across the organization.

Personally, I am most fulfilled by being of service to my team members who spend their days helping our students/alumni and changing lives.