I read every Infosec Institute review on PissedConsumer, all 18 of them, plus the one complaint on file with the Better Business Bureau. Fifteen are complaints, two are neutral, and one is positive. Here’s what they say, grouped by problem, with the date of each so you can judge how current it is.
A few ground rules. I’ve quoted reviewers word for word, typos included, and left out their names, contact details and the names of Infosec staff they mention. Most of these reviews are from 2012 to 2020, before Cengage bought Infosec in 2022, so they describe the company under its previous ownership. Two pairs are near-duplicates that appear to have been posted twice by the same people. I’ve included the good review and the BBB facts too, because a page that only shows one side isn’t worth much.
How do Infosec Institute’s PissedConsumer reviews rate overall?
PissedConsumer shows Infosec Institute at 1.9 out of 5, “based on 5 reviews from registered users.” The site’s own star breakdown lists four one-star ratings and nothing higher, and most reviews carry no registered rating at all, so treat the number as thin. The written complaints are more useful than the score.
Did students really fail Infosec boot camps as a whole class?
This is the most repeated complaint, and it clusters around Infosec’s Microsoft boot camps in 2015 and 2016.
- July 15, 2015, MCSA boot camp: “The class is a 0% pass rate for the MCSA2012R2 out of a class of 10 – 0 passed the test.”
- August 5, 2015, MCSE boot camp: the reviewer says Infosec “advertised that they have a 93%+ pass rate” and that after the first test “only one person passed the test out of 12 students.”
- August 2015 letter, reposted in February 2018: a student wrote that “every single person in my class failed the first exam” and that their calls and “at least eight e-mails” went unanswered for the first 24 hours. I’ve published that letter in full in a separate post.
- April 21, 2016: a reviewer titled “SAME CLASS AS JAMES” wrote, “THE WHOLE CLASS FAILED 410 EXAM.” and “THE MAIN OFFICE WOULD NOT TAKE ANY OF OUR CALLS.”
A whole class failing one exam can happen anywhere. Several different people describing the same collapse, while the company advertised a 93% pass rate, is a different thing.
What did reviewers say about Infosec’s pass-rate claims?
Reviewers quote a different figure almost every time. Besides the 93% above, a February 19, 2019 reviewer wrote, “InfoSec boasts that 94% of their students pass,” and called it “a totally manufactured number.” A November 10, 2017 reviewer who took the PMP boot camp online wrote, “They say they have a guaranteed pass rate of 99%,” then, “I did not pass.” I can’t check Infosec’s internal numbers, and neither can they. That’s the point: nobody outside the company can.
Were the instructors qualified?
- January 2012, CISM boot camp: “On the 3rd day of class the instructor revealed he had obtained his certification just two months prior to the class.” The same reviewer says the class was sold as 9 to 5, but “from the second day onward, every day was done by 12:30 PM.”
- July 15, 2015: “The instructors are all new so they have no idea on how things are supposed to be setup”
- April 21, 2016: “THE INSTRUCTOR WAS READING OFF POWERPOINT SLIDES.”
What was the online version like?
A July 6, 2016 reviewer, who reported a $3,500 loss, said the “online” class was really an in-person class with a camera: “They run a traditional class room in an hotel conf room and throw up a Lync web conf with a cheap webcam.” They added that “the instructor even only responded to any of the online questions 50% of the time” and that “They charge the same onsite or online.”
A January 30, 2019 reviewer of the online CCENT/CCNA/CCNA Security/CCDA “Quad Four” course called it “the worst training course I’ve ever taken” and described slides with “SO many spelling errors” and audio that “doesn’t even match up with the slides on the screen.” More on that review here.
What about vouchers, charges and refunds?
- May 2, 2016, CAP boot camp: the reviewer says they asked Infosec not to charge their card during the sales call, “of course they did,” and that the course was advertised with “a CAP exam voucher and a re-sit guarantee.” When they asked for the voucher, “they said they are not given vouchers,” and when they called for a refund they were told they’d be charged 20%.
- November 10, 2017, PMP: after failing, the reviewer says Infosec promised help with a study plan: “I have reached out and heard nothing. They did provide the 2nd voucher”
- July 23, 2024: a student says they enrolled by accident and asked for a $53 refund, later adding, “i am taking legal actions from here.”
What does the Better Business Bureau say?
To be fair to Infosec: the BBB gives Infosec Institute, Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin an A+ rating. The company is not BBB accredited, and the BBB lists just “1 complaint in the last 3 years.”
That complaint, filed December 1, 2025, is about a refund. The customer says they prepaid for three boot camps, finished one, and asked for a refund on the other two “all within infosecs’ refund policy guidelines.” They were told on September 12, 2025 that the refund was processed, but by December it still hadn’t arrived. Infosec’s Director of Customer Experience replied on January 23, 2026 that the delay came from setting the customer up in its SAP system for a wire transfer refund, and that “On January 20th, 2026 a check was mailed to the customer for the refund amount.” That’s more than four months after the refund was confirmed.
Is there anything positive?
Yes, one review. On August 20, 2023, a student who took the CompTIA CySA+ boot camp in April 2023 gave Infosec 4.2 stars. They wrote that “out of the 6 of us who attended and took the CySA+ 002, taking our exam, 5 of us passed,” praised the instructor as “truly an expert within the Cybersecurity field,” and pushed back on other reviewers who failed. That’s the most recent first-hand class review on the page, and it’s a good one. I’m glad that class went well.
What should you take from this?
The old complaints follow a pattern: big pass-rate numbers, classes that fell short of them, and slow or no answers when students complained. The newest items are about refunds, and the one recent class review is positive. If you’re considering Infosec, ask in writing for the pass-rate figure for your exact course, how it’s calculated, and the refund terms, before you pay. Then compare that with what Infosec’s owner says in its own filings: Cengage has written off all of Infosec’s goodwill.
Sources
- PissedConsumer, Infosec Institute reviews (18 reviews, page last updated July 23, 2024; dates as shown on each review): pissedconsumer.com
- Better Business Bureau, Infosec Institute, Inc., Madison, WI (rating, accreditation status): bbb.org
- Better Business Bureau, complaint filed December 1, 2025 and business response of January 23, 2026: bbb.org
Part of my full Infosec Institute review roundup: every complaint, the pass-rate claims, and better ways to prepare for the CISSP, all in one place.
