American Academy McAllister Institute

I attended AAMI from 2018-2021 it was a really unique experience I gained so much knowledge that I didn’t have going in. It wasn’t always easy but I learned so much. The classes were challenging and interesting and they prepared you for the boards and the profession in general. The instructors being funeral directors as well was something I appreciated. During my time there covid happened. I could say the school adapted and handled it all very well. Overall I would say if you put in the work at AAMi and with the support from your teachers and classes you’ll be confident and prepared for the future after you graduate.

After working as an assistant at a local Funeral for several years, I realized I wanted to get into professional funeral service work. I was in my 60's and enrolled into McAllister Institute. The application process was simple, I transferred some credits from a previous degree I had. The staff at AAMI helped me get some financial help, and I began my journey. The educational process was very understandable, AAMI staff was very supportive, and I graduated 2 and a half years later! I had no problems with the final exam, the National Conference Exam, nor the State Law exam. I'm very happy with my progress. I've been licensed for 5 years now!

I had a very positive experience at American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service. The program was well structured, and the instructors were knowledgeable, and supportive. I was very prepared to take my board exams, which I passed them the first time. This is not an easy career to do and the schooling definitely reflected that. It is not easy by any means and students should be prepared for the course load, but I am very happy that i chose AAMI!

I graduated from AAMI back in 2017 and my experience with the school was a great one. All of the teachers there work in funeral service so you know you’re getting the most from your classes. The rest of the staff is amazing too and are always there to help in any way that they can. I’d honestly recommend this school to anyone interested in pursuing a career in funeral service. You’ll be getting a great education from teachers well versed in their field and they’re there to help in any way that they can; they actually want to see you succeed.

I am a proud 2017 graduate of AAMI. My time spent there was a true blessing as well as helpful in increased knowledge of funeral service. The President as well as the Staff were extremely supportive and helpful through my journey! I began my own funeral service: Plese Professional Funeral & Cremation Services in September, 2028 and obtained my Doctorate in Ministry May, 2025 with an emphasis on “Re-envisioning the role of funeral director to funeral minister.” I strongly recommend and encourage those who feel called to funeral service to consider AAMI as your educational path!

AAMI was truly a very intense program. It gave you everything (and more) than you needed to succeed. Leaving no stone unturned towards learning. The NBE pass rate is Always top rated when you've attended this institution of learning. Would I recommend this school?? Without a shadow of a doubt!! My own success story is still being written. (Update coming soon!) However I do know many that have succeeded. So as long as you believe in yourself, and have the drive & ability to Go for what you want... Go for it!!! Stick with it, (even when your ready to quit, Lord knows we've all been there) See it through!!! Go let AAMI work for you to achieve your dream/goal. You Got This!!!

I’m a proud graduate of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service. My experience there was challenging but incredibly rewarding. The instructors really know the profession and care about preparing students to serve families with compassion and professionalism. The online coursework is intense — from embalming and restorative art to psychology, ethics, and funeral law — but it gives you the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed in the field. I also appreciated the flexibility of the online and hybrid options, which made it possible to keep up with work and life while studying. I left well-prepared for the National Board Exam and ready to begin my career. If you’re serious about funeral service, AAMI is a great place to start your journey.

My experience as an in-person student at AAMI was phenomenal. The small class sizes allowed for plenty of individual attention from both the teachers and staff. It’s clear that everyone who teaches and works there is passionate about what they do, and most—if not all—have real, hands-on experience in the funeral service industry. The connections and knowledge you gain at AAMI will stay with you long after graduation.

2 years in, a few notes to share. 1. They do an excellent job making you feel fully cared for while you are in the application process. 2. They mention there is so much support or access to support upon entering. Meh, they will do the minimum. 3. If you take online classes, you have to PAY more money to take your midterms and finals. Thats right, you pay the same amount per class for on campus bit you cannot take your test on campus. 4. Some of these teachers are burnt out or annoyed at their classes filled with young immature folks out of high school. 5. The dress code is definitely compromised. Ive seen people in sweats, scrubs, jeans, etc. 6. The library is more like a storage room.

Completed the rigorous program years ago and got into the profession only to regret it. No real money to make. The funeral home owners rake in all the dough and pay their hard working employees peanuts! Every funeral job I went to does this so its a common theme. You'll only make it big if you're well connected like in the mob or something.

They acknowledge your emails and messages if you're looking for admission info...but good luck hearing from someone when it comes to any info on actually securing a job in the oversaturated market that is New York. Not sure where they're even placing apprentices. Ms.Lentz gives people the run around unless they're looking for admission info. She seems incapable of properly answering and staying on top of correspondence, is it because she has several titles now that others no longer work there after the well-known scandal they caused which hindered the careers of so many directors? Or is she simply just highly disorganized? At this point, McAllister not only setback hundreds of former students in their careers due to the scandal with the funeral conference, but they're awarding degrees to people in a field where if you do any sort of job search for 'funeral director' in New York State nothing comes up more than half the time. Could the money spent on a mortuary science degree perhaps be better spent at another funeral school, far away from the remaining stench of Ms.Dunn, an FBI scandal, an under the rug sweep of the fact students had to twice or more retake their board exams only to in the end be left unemployed? While people had their exams invalidated and in some cases had their licenses suspended or taken away, others swooped in to take their jobs. The school held an umbrella over Dunn and kept her as a hired employee until many years after the fact. She was the common denominator in the entire thing. The lawyer hired by the school was as useful during negotiations against the Funeral Conference as self legal representation would have been. Don't you want to go to a school where the staff actually does their job? Protects the students in case of yet another future scandal, and not just their staff?, a school without a tainted reputation? Where's the prestige at this point? What's so great about AAMI now that we're headed to the year 2020? Would the students affected by the scandal not have been better off attending a more affordable and helpful school? Absolutely! Not only that but they would have probably not have had their careers interrupted and would still have a job in this dying industry. How would this school given the way they handled the first scandal, handle a second scandal? Would you still have a license? Would you have to go through the entire ordeal all over again? Lookout for yourself and make the right choice that protects you, because AAMI surely won't. At no point did AAMI reassure or apologize to the students affected by the scandal. Some were forced to contact the NYSFDA which for a few years initially also did nothing. It wasn't until 2018 or so that they decided to take action, too late for many others who had already been affected and walked away from the field altogether. AAMI left the students holding the bag and walked away unscathed.

Excellent school BUT.... NO school automatically turns you into a good (or even a borderline proficient) practitioner. What do I mean by that? There was a famous story of the founder of an embalming chemical company(Mass,eh?) who got an angry funeral director on the phone who was complaining that the new fluid they had spent 10 years developing, testing, researching, testing, refining, testing some more wasn't working the way they thought it should. The owner's response was "Sir, we couldn't put brains into a bottle of fluid." In other words it takes knowledge and ability to make 'good stuff' work. A good school will only take you so far. The rest of the way is up to you. You will pass the State Board jurisprudence exam with no problem. You will pass the National Board examination in Arts and Sciences will flying colors, which many in other schools will not be able to do. You will be able to recite every bone, artery, vein, nerve in the entire human body, every fact, term, concept and rationale in funeral service, chapter and verse. But then you have to go out on your own and decide how to make it 'fit' over your signature, and under your community's. In the state of NY, after school, the students have to find a firm in which to apprentice and this begins the second phase of their training. This is where the 'rubber meets the road' and for some students, this is where they fail with flying colors. Will the school automatically make you a good embalmer? No. Will it insure that you are a good listener when making arrangements? No. Will it turn you into a distinguished gentleman who directs funerals with flair, finesse and precision? No it will not. It WILL teach you what you HAVE TO DO behind the scenes to make funerals happen every day. But YOU have to add the fine details to give it it's own personality. AAMI has a great faculty of professionals like Meg Dunn who keeps a level headed and even temperament to keep the institution going, Regina Smith who keeps steering you in the correct direction, Father John Fraser who makes Funeral Directing memorable, in tune and timely along with all the teachers like Ms. Hutchins, Ms. Hazell, Mr Moran, Mr. Bechtold, Ms. Coffey, Ms. Chiffriller, Mr. Goldstein, Anna Maria and over at Bellevue, Mr. Flooks and Gene Santomauro who are true professionals, and those I can't remember off the top of my head are all excellent professionals. If I could then talk about the other end of the school, that would be the students. My honest opinion is that as a Licensed Funeral Director, I would say, based on their appearance, speech and 'deportment', I would have a hard time hiring them and putting them in front of a client family and/or clergy, community leaders, etc.. Those with family background in funeral service would be different but in school, they are very "rough around the edges." Standards in this profession are part of daily life and how we present ourselves to the public. I understand the fiscal and enrollment necessities engaged in maintaining a school in NYC. However, once standards of students as members of the funeral service profession are allowed to slide, none of us benefits. I can make a suggestion that perhaps the program can be extended to 2 years and a supplement to the curriculum be started such as 'Funeral Service-The Real World' - with a dress code - be started to address these very noticeable shortcomings in students because I can't realistically see these students employed in anywhere other than the 'back room'. It's not enough to pass tests and talk the talk, you've also got to walk the walk. AAMI Alumnus 2008 in New Jersey