Stenotype Institute

"This school closed down in March of 2016. I am one of the few that graduated from it. My student loan debt is staggering and I don't make much money in the North Florida area. I love what I do, but could be making more money with less student loan debt if I had followed any of many different career options. My heart goes out to the teachers that hung on at the school because they cared about the students. Some of the teachers and staff are very nice people and deserved better than the owners of that school did to them. For those students that dropped out, don't feel bad. When I graduated, the school was excited because they had such a high number of graduates, a whopping eight graduates! That was in the fall of '11. The best I can tell from the rumor mill is that two-thirds of those graduates are not even working as court reporters now. The owners of that school screwed over a lot of people."

"The teachers are awesome, they really care for their students. However, the organization itself is horrible. They are unorganized and the teacher turnover is ridiculous. They don't keep their promises. They offer only one class which is machine shorthand for a while year to me. While their catalog clearly states additional academics are offered during the first year. They just don't have enough teachers to provide the classes they state they offer. I truly enjoyed my time with all my teachers, they are great,but you just don't get your money worth by the school itself.. Its funny how the employees are giving it 5 stars but the students only give 1 star. IJS."

"As a graduate of this school, I have many good things to say. I was very pleased with my experience there and the personal attention the staff gave me. I received excellent instruction, and am currently a reporter, as well as an instructor. When I went into the field, I found I had been completely equipped with the skills I needed on the job. As far as my experience as a student, the instructors and administrative staff went completely ABOVE AND BEYOND to be considerate and accommodating with my schedule and needs, both personal and scholastic. All of the instructors are graduates and court reporters. When I enrolled, I was told up front that the graduation rate was very low and that it was a program that required A LOT of out-of-class practice time. It is a self-paced program and requires discipline on the students' part. The school has undergone some very positive changes in the last couple of years and has just acquired NCRA's endorsement once again, and received rave reviews. They now provide both in house and online classes, day and evening and work with a students' schedule. I have friends who are graduates and court reporters, and are very successful and accomplished. This is an excellent career for those who are willing to put in the work. The tools are provided for every student to complete the program in a reasonable amount of time IF THEY ACCESS THEM and PUT IN THE WORK OUT OF CLASS AS WELL AS IN CLASS. The amount of time and debt a student incurs is completely up to them. This institution provides EVERYTHING needed to become an outstanding court reporter. As far as teacher turnover, this school has high standards and will not let any student be mistreated or not receive the very BEST care and will do what is necessary to make sure that is being provided. When any sort of mistake is made or misunderstanding, it is immediately addressed and remedied, with the students' best interest in mind! I have witnessed this many times. If you are considering this school, I would pay them a visit and do my own research before letting disgruntled students' reviews decide your future."

"The Stenotype Institute is great if you have about $60,000.00 for tuition and other expenses, or are willing to take out massive student loans. It takes about 4 years to complete the program and once you do, you will need about $10,000 for equipment to begin work. The drop out rate for court reporting school is extraordinarly high - most folks don't graduate. The demand for court reporters in Jacksonville is not great and neither is the earning potential. Also, the Stenotype Institute is currently being sued by former students as a result of alleged bait and switch for a prior 2 year program that was impossible to complete."

"The Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville will be closed down within a year. They charge a huge tuition to every student, yet cannot even update the computers in their school, some of which are five years old. Do you ever wonder where all that money goes? It goes right into the pockets of the owners of the school. And who are the owners? Most students don't know and have never seen them. The owners know nothing about court reporting, hence the condition of the school. The dropout rate at the Stenotype Institute is very high, much higher than normal schools. The program is not designed to let you pass tests. It's designed to keep students there as long as possible to get the maximum amount of money out of each of them. If you talk to the administrators of the school, they will tell you that you can get through school fast. This is a lie. It takes most people at least four years to finish school. In many cases, it's five to six years. They paint a wonderful picture of the school and court reporting. You should be aware that this is just what they tell you in order to get you to enroll. They are beginning to incorporate an online program in the classrooms. This is what happened with the Orlando campus, right before it closed down. Yes, the Orlando Stenotype campus is gone. All of their students either dropped out or went online. If you go into the Stenotype Institute, you will find nothing but confustion. Many students have questions. "What's going on with online?" "Is the school closing down?" "Why doesn't anyone tell us what's happening with the school?" They do their best to keep everyone in the dark. They do not want word getting out that they're running out of money. The enrollment is the lowest it has ever been in the school's history. They cannot even afford to keep the people they used to pay to clean the school. If you wonder why all of this is happening, it's because word is getting out that the Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville is nothing but a scam to get your money. Get out now while you still have some money left. Get into a good career, one that doesn't lie to you, one that tells you exactly how many years it takes to graduate."