Introduction
Kaplan is an international educational company that provides online tutoring to students of all stages, from early learners to professionals. In addition to online tutoring, they also provide services like early learning for kids, test preparations, language training, upskilling business enthusiasts, financial education courses, study abroad, and earning a bachelor’s degree and beyond.
They also partner with colleges and universities, helping them to reach more students globally through customizable offerings.
In this article, we will break down and explain the reviews, features, pricing, alternatives, and future plans of Kaplan to aid you in making a better decision in choosing online tutoring services.
Kaplan Reviews and Testimonials
According to reviews on Glassdoor, Kaplan is rated 3.7 out of 5 and received 2.6K reviews, out of which 70% of people would recommend it to a friend.
- Tutor reviews mentioned some positives like good work-life balance, flexible work type, insurance benefits, and amazing colleagues.
- However, tutors also highlighted that payment is very low, there is poor management support, no facility for training tutors, poor leadership, and a lack of broad mind to accept constructive criticism from employees.
As per reviews on AmbitionBox, Kaplan is rated 4 out of 5 and received just 75 reviews.
- Employees highlighted that Kaplan provides a good work culture, environment, and hybrid job options that help employees in work-life balance and self-development.
- However, employees raised concerns about poor management support, inadequate appraisals, and low payment.
Reviews on Indeed rated Kaplan 3.7 out of 5. They received almost 2.2K reviews from employees.
- Employees praised it for providing them with a good work-life balance, a flexible work schedule, and work-from-home options.
- However, employees raised issues like poor work ethics, lack of training, inadequate management support, and unexpected layoffs.
According to reviews on Consumer Affairs, Kaplan is rated 1 out of 5 and received 469 reviews from users.
- Few reviews praised it for offering the opportunity to pursue bachelor’s and beyond degrees through online tutoring sessions.
- Recent reviews by students highlight that there are issues with refunds, outdated content material, unexpected cancellation of classes by the company, inadequate rescheduling of the classes, and unresponsive customer support.
There is no specific page on the Kaplan website mentioning reviews. However, one of their articles informs us of the impact it is making through its services.
- According to the article, almost 95% of Kaplan students got into their top-choice schools.
- Kaplan started with a one-man operation and now has a global enterprise of 10,000 employees serving 1 million plus students, 4,100 educational institutions, and 13,000 corporate clients annually.
Is Kaplan legit?
Yes, Kaplan is a legit platform that has 85 years of experience in providing online tutoring to students all over the world. However, they have received mixed reviews,
- Students highlighted that Kaplan provides them an opportunity to earn a degree online, receive certifications, and finance education. However, they also mentioned that they faced refund issues, problems with scheduling sessions, and ineffective customer support.
- Tutors’ testimonials indicated that they experienced a good work-life balance through their freelance work. However, they also raised concerns like low payment, poor management support, and lack of leadership quality in the team heads.
- Employees praised it for its freelance and hybrid work options. However, they disliked the poor management support, low payment, lack of appraisals, and unexpected layoffs.
Kaplan Pricing
Pricing Range
The pricing range of services offered by Kaplan varies differently along its various websites. Hence, the pricing range of each of its websites is discussed in brief in the following,
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Kaplan Test Prep Pricing Range
The pricing range of Kaplan Test Prep is $79 to $3000. They offer the following tests for High School, and their pricing is mentioned alongside,
- ISSE Prep, SSAT prep for $299 with a self-paced option.
- The price of GED prep self-paced classes starts from $129, and live classes start at $79.
- They provide SHSAT prep books in the price range of $6.98 to $17.35 (Paperback version) and $12.66 (Kindle version)
Kaplan test facilitates students aspiring to college admissions by providing the following test prep:
- AP exam prep for subjects like Biology, Calculus AB, Human Geography, etc, costs $399
- On-demand PSAT Prep is free. However, live online PSAT Prep pricing starts at $499, and PSAT tutoring costs start at $399.
- Self-Paced ACT prep course costs $159, Live Online ACT prep course costs $649, and Online Tutoring ACT prep course pricing starts from $849.
To know more about the pricing range of their courses, which includes test prep and online tutoring, check out their page.
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Kaplan Learning Pricing Range
A subscription is required to access Kaplan Learning’s services. They provide 3 plans for online accountancy courses like AAT, CIMA, ACCA, and ACA (ICAEW). They are:
- A monthly subscription is priced at $88.
- $216 price for 3 months subscription.
- Yearly subscription is priced at $780.
These plans are provided for each of the accountancy courses they offer.
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Kaplan International Languages Pricing Range
Kaplan International Languages has not provided any information about the cost of their courses. One must give the basic information like email, password, country name, mobile number, etc., and select the languages to learn to download the brochure and take from an education advisor to know the price range.
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Kaplan Real Estate Education Pricing Range
Kaplan Real Estate Education provides various real estate subjects. The pricing range of these courses starts from $169 to $1000
For Eg:
- Escrows OnDemand Course costs $169.
- Career Launcher Package costs $909.
Kaplan Financial Education Pricing Range
Kaplan Financial Education provides online tutoring, ebooks, and other subjects like insurance licensing, securities licensing, CFP certifications, professional development, etc.
The pricing range of all these courses is between $19 to $8,049.
For example, the Escrows OnDemand Course costs $169, and the
- All the Insurance Professional Development Online Courses costs $19.
- The Premium package of CFP Certification costs $8,049.
Kaplan International Pathways Pricing Range
Kaplan International Pathway aids students all over the world in studying abroad.
- The pricing range of degree preparation programs is from $2,270 to $39,000.
- Degrees cost from 32,769 to $70,000 per year.
To learn more about pricing on various courses, check out their pricing page.
Kaplan Professional Pricing Range
Most of the courses offered by Kaplan Professional cost $2,700.
Kaplan Business School Pricing Range
Kaplan Business School provides online degrees to students in various Business studies subjects.
- Their pricing range for domestic students only in Australia is from $18,000 to $60,000.
- For international students, the pricing range is from $25,000 to $74,000.
These are the pricing range of different services offered by Kaplan in virtual space for learners.
What do students say about Kaplan’s Pricing?
Student reviews on Consumer Affairs highlighted that Kaplan courses are too expensive, and issues like cancellation of assigned courses, poor customer support, and issues in refunds make students feel that Kaplan courses are not worth the money paid.
Hidden costs
Yes, there are hidden costs charged for students on Kaplan. Most of Kaplan’s websites charge hidden costs in the form of cancellation fees, inaccurate price information, registration fees, etc.
For example, Kaplan Learning charges a $20 admin fee or $100 cancellation fee as per conditions when courses are canceled within 8 days of the class. Also, if students want to extend their access to licensing classes, they must pay additional fees.
The Kaplan International Languages website mentioned that the final price displayed on their website could not be considered final, and they would proceed with the price by emailing you or providing support from an education adviser.
How does Kaplan’s pricing work?
Kaplan accepts all credit card online payments. Learners are also allowed to pay in installments, but it is mandatory to pay 30 days before classes start in order to access classes.
Discounts are also provided in several courses they offer; it mainly depends on the number of weeks learners study with Kaplan and the location they belong to. For example, discounts of about 60% on Kaplan Test courses are provided to US citizens or international students enrolled in a U.S. college or university.
Free trial
- Kaplan Learning provides a 5-day free trial of both OnDemand and Live Online classes for various courses.
- Most of the test prep offered by Kaplan Test has a 7-day free trial.
- Kaplan International Languages does not provide free trials. However, they provide free English online tests for learners to check their competency.
- Kaplan Financial Education provides a 5-day free trial for the CFP certification program.
- No free trials are offered by Kaplan International Pathways.
- Kaplan Professional offers a 7-day free trial for the CFA Study Package.
- No free trial is offered by Kaplan Business School.
Refund Policy
Kaplan has a different refund policy for each of its services. Their refund policies are mentioned below,
Kaplan Test Prep Refund Policy
Kaplan Test Prep provides a 100% refund for the first subscription month when the test prep course is canceled within 3 days of the initial purchase date. Afterward, they do not provide any refunds.
However, this refund policy may vary for different subjects. To learn more about their refund policy, check out their refund policy page.
Kaplan Learning Refund Policy
Kaplan Learning Refund Policy includes the refund policy for Kaplan Financial Education, Kaplan Real Estate Education, etc.
According to the refund policy of Kaplan Financial Education,
- Web-based courses and classes are refundable within 30 days of purchase only if the courses are not accessed by learners. The $20 administrative fee will apply to proceed with refunds.
- Live classes are refundable within 30 days of purchase but not later than 7 days prior to the start of the classes, and an administrative fee of $20 will apply. However, in the case where refunds are requested within 7 days of the class start date, then an administration/ cancellation fee of $100 or 50% of the original cost of the class, whichever is less, will be charged to students.
As per the refund policy of Kaplan Real Estate Education,
- Web courses and classes are refundable only if courses are not accessed by students and a refund request is made within 30 days of purchase. A $20 registration fee will apply.
- Live classes are refundable only if courses are not completed by students, and refund requests are made within 30 days of purchase with a registration fee of $20.
- The tutoring session payments are not refundable.
Kaplan International Languages Refund Policy
According to their refund policy, a full refund or all unused fees will be made if students cancel or terminate a program. However, tuition fees, application fees, course supplement fees, etc, are not refundable to students.
Kaplan International Pathways Refund Policy
Kaplan International Pathways refund policy mentions that deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable except following special cases,
- Cancellation is done by students within 14 days of accepting the terms of the agreement.
- Genuine refusal of student visa.
- University cancels the program for which students accepted an offer.
- Students fail to meet the required academic conditions.
For more detailed information, check out their refund policy page.
Kaplan Professional Refund Policy
Kaplan Professional provides full refunds on subjects withdrawn before the census date for the applicable study period, and an application fee is applied. However, tuition fees are non-refundable. To learn more, check out their refund policy document.
Kaplan Business School Refund Policy
According to Kaplan Business School Refund Policy, they provide full refunds if courses are withdrawn before the Census Date. Also, these refund rules vary for domestic and international students.
For example, if an international student withdraws a request by Kaplan at least four weeks before the course commencement date, they receive 80% of the first study period tuition fees as a refund. To learn more about their refund policy, check out their refund policy document.
Though Kaplan has very well-defined refund policies on each of their websites, reviews on Consumer Affairs by students highlight the concerns about inadequate customer support while accessing refunds, loss of money though they have canceled subscriptions, and poor management support.
Kaplan Alternatives
Kaplan’s expensive courses, low pay to employees, and ineffective customer and management support make users search for alternatives. In the following, Kaplan’s alternatives are discussed alongside their pros and cons.
Navitas
Navitas was founded in 1994 and provides educational courses to students and career development courses to professionals. Their purpose is to transform lives through education.
Pros:
- They Provide various courses by partnering with Universities and colleges.
- They offer an opportunity for a student to study in diverse cultures and educational settings.
- Personalized and one-to-one tutoring sessions for ease of learning are provided to students.
Cons:
- Courses of online degrees are expensive.
- Lack of self-administration and quality of service depends on partnered institutions.
- Reviews on Glassdoor mention that they have poor management support.
Study Group
Study Group is an educational company that provides global education solutions by partnering with more than 50 universities.
Pros:
- They provide opportunities for international students to study at top UK, USA, and Ireland universities.
- They provide a wide range of subjects, including engineering and finance.
- Personalized and digital learning solutions for students.
Cons:
- Their services are limited to higher education and do not provide certification courses to professionals.
- They do not provide homework help and test preparation services.
- Their reviews on Glassdoor mention that they have poor management support.
Achievable
Achievable is a website that provides Test preparation services to students all over the world.
Pros:
- Reviews on their website mention that they provide extensive study material for students to rely on.
- The website is designed in a way that makes it easy for users to navigate to required courses.
- They also provide scholarships for students to pursue desired courses.
Cons:
- The courses are a bit expensive, starting at $99.
- They provide a limited number of test preparations.
- Their reviews on Glassdoor mention that employees are micromanaged and lack adequate support to employees when required.
My Engineering Buddy
My Engineering Buddy is an online tutoring company that provides services like online tutoring, test preparations, and homework help.
Pros:
- The services they provide are affordable, starting from $20/hour.
- They have effective customer and management support.
- They have a user-friendly website, and no sign-up is required to access services.
Cons:
- There is still scope for the expansion of subjects.
- In-person tutoring is not provided.
- Reviews on Glassdoor mention that it is difficult to navigate for tutors if they are from different time zones.
Mindful Education
Mindful Education is a digital platform that partners with colleges and universities to make the learning experience of adult students better.
Pros:
- They provide personalized one-to-one sessions to students.
- They also provide apprenticeship options to learners by partnering with employers.
- They provide both online and on-campus courses with a balanced blend.
Cons:
- They provide a limited number of subjects.
- The courses are related to advanced academic programs, and high school students do not benefit from this platform.
- Employee reviews on Glassdoor mentioned that it is still a small company and has limited growth opportunities.
Tutor.com
Tutor.com, which now also includes Princeton Review, provides test preparations and online tutoring on a wide range of subjects.
Pros:
- They provide a wide range of Test preparations like GMAT, MCAT, TEAS, etc.
- They provide a 7-day free trial for about 30 minutes.
- They offer personalized one-to-one tutoring sessions.
Cons:
- Subscription is required to access services.
- Courses are a bit expensive as they start from $39.99 per month (just one hour of session).
- Their services are not globally accessible and are limited to US and Canadian students.
How does Kaplan work?
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For Students
- The sign-up process for students.
The sign-up process for students includes signing up with their email address and password, as well as providing basic information.
- How to connect with tutors, and what is the process for scheduling sessions?
After signing up, Kaplan will communicate with you about the courses with the aid of an education advisor (in case of degrees), and scheduling will be done after the discussion or as per the schedule previously provided.
There are many self-paced courses provided by Kaplan where it requires no scheduling. Students can access the courses whenever they want.
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For Tutors
To become a tutor, check out the required job role vacancy on the respective websites and apply by providing your education credentials. You will be communicated further if you are selected as a Tutor.
FAQs
- Can tutors set up their own fees, or is it fixed by Kaplan?
Tutors cannot set up their own fees, and their remuneration is fixed as per the salary structure at Kaplan.
- How much a tutor can expect to earn on an hourly basis?
According to reviews on Glassdoor, the estimated pay range for tutors on Kaplan is from $26 to $48 per hour.
- How many hours of work a tutor can get per month?
As per the reviews on Indeed, Kalpan provides 3 hours of work per week.
- Is it easy to get students on Kaplan?
As Kaplan is partnered with many universities and organizations, it is relatively easy to get students. Reviews by tutors on Glassdoor mentioned that it is difficult to become a tutor at Kaplan.
- Tips on how to get more students on Kaplan?
Improve your teaching skills, collect reviews from your past students, and improve your profile by updating with the latest information to get more students.
- What do tutors like about Kaplan?
According to reviews on Glassdoor, Ambition Box, Indeed, and Consumer Affairs, tutors like Kaplan for its flexible work policy, work-from-home option, and decent traffic of students.
- What do tutors do not like about Kaplan?
According to reviews on Glassdoor, Ambition Box, Indeed, and Consumer Affairs, tutors do not like Kaplan due to poor customer care support, inadequate management support, no appraisals, and low payment.
Kaplan: Company Information
Founding Year and Background
Kaplan was founded in 1938 by Stanley H Kaplan. Initially, Kaplan was just a test preparation business in the US. Eventually, it was expanded by the efforts of Stanley Kaplan.
As per information on Wikipedia, Kaplan’s business boomed after the Second World War due to the G.I. Bill giving education to returning veterans. In 1984, Kaplan sold the company to The Washington Post Company. Presently, it is under the control of Graham Holdings Company.
As of now, there are many sub-branches of Kaplan operating all over the world, providing various services to learners all over the world to help them realize Stanley Kaplan’s dream of making higher education accessible to students regardless of background.
Founder’s details
According to Wikipedia, Stanley H Kaplan (May 24, 1919 – August 23, 2009) was born in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents. Stanley Kaplan originally aspired to be a doctor but couldn’t make his aspiration come true despite his excellent academic records because of anti-Semitic admissions policies at that time.
In the basement of his parent’s home, he started tutoring his classmates at the age of 14. He expanded his venture to include the test business as he was fond of tests. It eventually expanded to numerous sub-branches all over the world.
Mission and Vision
Kaplan’s vision is to be the private education institution of choice, and its mission is to help individuals achieve educational and career goals.
Scale of Operation
According to Wikipedia, Kaplan is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kaplan has branches in various places like Singapore, the UK, Australia, the USA, etc.
Kaplan has provided services to about 1,000,000 students across 30 countries, comprising almost 400 locations all over the world.
Types of services
Kaplan provides various services through their various website,
- Kaplan Test Prep provides test preparation services like ACT, SAT, GMAT, etc.
- Kaplan Learning provides online courses for all accountancy subjects.
- Kaplan Financial Education provides various licensing exam prep and wealth management programs.
- Kaplan International Languages provides online tutoring sessions to English, German, and French language learners.
- Kaplan International Pathways provides opportunities for students to study abroad.
- Kaplan Professional aids busy professionals in obtaining in-demand certification to excel in their careers.
- Kaplan Real Estate Education aids professionals in the real estate, contractor, and home inspection industries with a course that helps them obtain a license to excel in their careers.
- Kaplan Business School provides graduate diplomas, master’s degrees, and graduate certification courses relating to Business Studies, and they also provide numerous MBA specialization courses like MBA in Digital Marketing, MBA in Entrepreneurship, MBA in Women in Leadership, etc.
Subjects Offered
Kaplan offers its services in various subjects like Accountancy, Business Analytics, Languages, Finance, Medical science, Insurance, Real Estate, Engineering, Design, etc.
Unique features of Kaplan
- Kaplan is one of the oldest online tutoring companies that has been in operation since 1938.
- They have branches in 30 different countries and 400 different locations.
- They provide on-demand self-paced courses, live classes, and test prep options for various subjects.
- They also provide various graduate degrees, master’s degrees, and certification courses to students all over the world.
- Kaplan also has a Kaplan Education Foundation, which is a non-profit charity that provides scholarships to merit students to eliminate barriers to pursuing higher education.
USP of Kaplan
- Kaplan provides flexibility and work-from-home options to its employees, which allows them to balance their work-life balance. Also, positive reviews on Glassdoor mentioned that employees are fond of working at Kaplan due to flexibility and work-from-home options.
- Kaplan claims that they provide effective customer policies and refund support. However, the reviews on Consumer Affairs highlight that they have poor customer support and issues in processing refunds.
- Kaplan mentions its mission to provide higher education accessible to students, but providing higher education and pricing it expensive itself is a disincentive for students to pursue higher education.
- Kaplan claims it fosters employee wellness and their needs and has also been recertified as the most loved workplace by the Best Practice Institute (BPI) for the second consecutive year. However, the employees’ reviews on Ambition Box and Indeed mention that no appraisals were provided to them, accidental layoffs, and inadequate management support when required.
Drawbacks of Kaplan
- They have only three language subjects: English, French, and German.
- Reviews mention that they provide poor customer support when required to students, tutors, and employees.
- Many students faced issues while claiming refunds on Kaplan courses.
- Reviews by employees highlight management is not open-minded enough to receive constructive criticism. The work culture is not suitable for individual growth, no adequate appraisals, and accidental layoffs without information.
- Courses are priced high, whereas tutors are paid very little.
Comparison with My Engineering Buddy
| Slno | Features | Kaplan | My Engineering Buddy |
| 1 | Types of services | They provide online tutoring, test preparations, certification courses, and degree and master’s courses. | They provide online tutoring, homework help, and test preparation services. |
| 2 | Rating | They have a 3.7 out of 5 rating on Glassdoor. | They have a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Glassdoor. |
| 3 | Sign-Up process | Requires registration through email ID and password, and in some processes, it is necessary to provide basic information. | No sign-up process is required; users can directly access their services through WhatsApp support. |
| 4 | Accessibility of services | Their services are to students all over the world. | Students all over the world can access their services. |
| 5 | Mode of tutoring | Online | Online |
| 6 | Price | Prices of their courses are expensive, starting from $79 | The prices of their courses are affordable, starting at $20/hour. |
| 7 | Subscription | Some services offered by Kaplan require subscription or full payment of course fees. | Subscription is not required, and payment of fees is on an hourly basis |
| 8 | Free trial | They provide 5-day to 7-day free trials on various courses. | No such free trials are provided. However, they provide a 30-minute online tutoring session trial for just $1. |
| 9 | Refund policy | They have very specific and strict refund policies. However, user reviews mention that accessing refunds is difficult with no customer support. | They have a refund policy that is user-friendly and accessible to users with effective customer support. |
| 10 | Customer care and management support | User reviews mention that they have unresponsive customer care and poor management support. | User reviews mention that they have very effective customer care and management support. |
Testimonials from My Engineering Buddy users on Glassdoor, Trustpilot, Reviews io, and Ambition Box.
- They provide efficient customer support.
- Tutors are knowledgeable and provide quality tutoring sessions.
- MEB provides employees with room for growth.
- Fair pricing that balances the interest of both students and tutors without compromising quality.
- Flexible work option for employees that helps in work-life balance.
Why should students consider My Engineering Buddy for help with complex subjects and homework?
Students have to consider MEB for complex subjects because,
- They provide quality tutors in an affordable price range.
- Tutors in MEB are well experienced in their subjects and make your learning easy.
- They have effective customer support to aid you when required.
- Interactive online tutoring sessions will make you study complex subjects with ease.
Customer Support and Policies
- How responsive is Kaplan’s customer support?
According to reviews on Consumer Affairs, Kaplan has poor customer support when required for users in situations like accessing refunds and cancellation of classes.
- Refund policy or guarantees offered by Kaplan?
Each and every Kaplan website has a specific refund policy. However, reviews mention that users face issues and a lack of support while claiming refunds from Kaplan.
- Areas where My Engineering Buddy provides better support.
My Engineering Buddy offers responsive customer and management support. They also provide quality tutors to students and solve issues in case of problems faced by students or tutors. MEB provides services that consider user satisfaction without compromising its quality.
Global Reach and Localization
- Is Kaplan’s platform tailored for specific regions or global use?
Kaplan is not limited to specific regions; it provides services to students all over the world, and it has sub-branches in 20 different countries that are comprised of almost 400 locations.
- Does it cater to non-English speaking users or offer multilingual support?
Yes, they offer multilingual support and cater their services to non-English speaking users. However, it is limited to specific regions and to specific courses, and it is not universally provided for all the courses.
- How does My Engineering Buddy compare to Kaplan in terms of global accessibility?
My Engineering Buddy’s services are accessible to students all over the world. In addition to this, they provide multilingual tutoring to students by matching bilingual or multilingual tutors to students for a better understanding of concepts.
Kaplan’s future plans
There is no mention of Kaplan’s future plans on their website. However, one of the articles mentions that Chairman and CEO Kaplan has plans to expand and shape higher education in the future. Kaplan is also using AI to enhance the learning experience of students on its website.
FAQs about Kaplan
How does Kaplan compare to My Engineering Buddy?
Kaplan and My Engineering Buddy both offer services like online tutoring to students all over the world. In addition to online tutoring, Kaplan also offers online bachelor’s and master’s degrees to students. However, reviews of Kaplan mention that they don’t have responsive customer and management support.
My Engineering Buddy is known for its effective customer and management support and for always prioritizing providing a better user experience through its services.
What is Kaplan famous for?
Kaplan is famous for its services in the field of higher education to students in the form of online tutoring, test preparations, certification courses, online bachelor’s and master’s degrees, etc.
What are the benefits provided by Kaplan to employees?
Kaplan provides comprehensive benefits to full-time employees: life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, medical insurance with prescription drug coverage, a vision discount plan, dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, and short-term and long-term disability.
How many questions are in the Kaplan Qbank?
There are more than 2,600 questions in the Kaplan Qbank.
What is the purpose of Kaplan?
Their purpose is to make higher education accessible to everyone, irrespective of their backgrounds.
Is Kaplan a product-based company?
No, Kaplan is not a product-based company. It is an educational company that provides services in the field of higher education.
Conclusion
Kaplan is an educational company that provides services to make higher education accessible to students all over the world. They provide various services like online tutoring, test preparations, professional certification courses, online degrees, comprehensive financial education courses, etc.
However, reviews highlight that they provide poor customer and management support and that their courses are expensive. Hence, My Engineering Buddy will be a better choice as it provides affordable services with effective customer and management support without compromising quality, which makes your learning joyful.
