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University Of Phoenix/The Apollo Group A program designed to bamboozle and hoodwink education seekers out of their hard earned cash. Phoenix "Internet" Nationwide
I enrolled at UoP online in Feb of this year to obtain a certificate in Human resources management. The certificate program consisted of 6 classes for 5 weeks, each worth 3 credit hours. Enrollment was easy I filled out a questionnaire online and the enrollment counselor called. I filled out the applicable paperwork and shortly thereafter I was admitted. I started my 1st online class on 2/28/07 and passed with an A.
Although the work was not extremely challenging it did give me the opportunity to research new concepts and learn a few things about employment law. During the enrollment process I asked about financial aid and was told that if I was eligible, financial aid would pay for the 1st class in its entirety, half of the 2nd class, the 3rd class in its entirety, half of the 4th class an so on until the program was completed.
About the 2nd week of my enrollment a financial aid advisor contacted me and stated that my financial aid packet was in the certification process and once it was completed the full amount of financial aid I received would be relayed to me. I waited about a week or so and called my advisor to check the status. I was then told that we need another form from you, fill it out and fax it back. I did and placed a follow up call a few days later and at that time was told by the advisor, oh wrong form fill this one out and fax it back.
To make a long story short, the financial aid advisor and myself went through this type of thing for several weeks. However this did not keep UoP from demanding $629.00 from me on 2 seperate occassions. I asked the advisor how the $629.00 was reached if my financial aid was not certified and there is no way to know a students out of pocket expense until financial aid is certified. I was told that I needed to make the payments to stay in the program and that once financial aid was certified if a refund was in order I would receive one.
Needless to say I paid and then continued until they asked me for another $629.00. I questioned this because I was told that I would only have to pay $629.00 every other class and I was only in the 2nd class. I was told by the advisor to just pay and again once the packet was certified if applicable I would receive a refund.
In an effort to speed up this whole sordid tale let me inform you that before all was said and done UoP was asking me for a payment of $930.00 (due 5/30/07) and I received a disbursement letter on 5/20 that indicated that $2300.00 would be disbursed to my account on 5/10 and again sometime in June. This left me with an out of pocket expense of close to $5000.00. That is an incredible sum of money for 18 credit hours and I refused to pay.
I demanded information about how financial aid is certified and til this date no one is willing or can give me a clear response. Please be advised that UoP/Apollo Group appear to be about the business of bilking its students out of money while only providing educational resources that are fair to middlin (as my grandma used to say).
My advice to potential applicants for admissions at UoP would be to find an accredited institution near your home and go there. UoP was a waste of my time and money and i Would never reccommend them to anyone who is serious about furthuring their education.
L
Crete, Illinois
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Kimberly
Lawrenceville,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Class Action Suit Against UOP and Axia College
#7Consumer Suggestion
Wed, September 12, 2007
I have posted a report and rebuttals. The more I think about this situation that I am in financially and emotionally with this stupid school the angrier I get.
I am ready to file a class action suit against the school to put them out of business or at least force them to be truthful on behalf of the thousands if not millions that they have ripped off and the millions that they continue to rip off.
I do not want to take jobs or education from people who need and seek them, however if you work for this institution ask yourself can everyone that submitted a report be incorrect? If you are seeking education please find another place to attend. You will end up regretting your decision.
Edward
Omaha,Nebraska,
U.S.A.
One more thing....
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, June 04, 2007
To all here who want to do the right thing and stop all these questionable business practices...Write your congressional representatives. This can actually have an effect if enough voters make their voices heard.
It's easy, each state representative has her/his own website. Just google your particular state, go to their websites, and file your concerns right there....
Edward
Omaha,Nebraska,
U.S.A.
Sell, Sell, Sell!!
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, June 04, 2007
I posted this in another thread and funnily enough, it applies equally well here.....
"The hits keep on a comin'
That's right folks, get those new students in the door. What's that, the student isn't qualified? She won't be able to pay for the classes? She is wondering if those CC credits will transfer? Whatever!
Tell her to make the first few classes and she'll be drowning in financial aid and when she graduates she'll be making a fortune! Hell, tell her a leprechaun will leave gold under her pillow. Who gives a S@#T! Just her to sign on the line! And while you're at it, see if you can sell her the 'rust-proof undercoating', he he he..."
Kevin
PHILADELPHIA,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Let the victimized UNITE!
#7Consumer Suggestion
Sun, June 03, 2007
I, too, have been ripped off by the University of Phoenix, and I figured there had to be many others like me. I just discovered the "Ripoff Report", and I am interested in uniting with other victims of their various scams for the purpose of gathering a compilation of information for a class action lawsuit. I don't know how many thousands, or tens of thousands, of victims are deserving of recompense from them, but I DO know that the overwhelming majority of them have just accepted the losses and moved forward, thereby allowing the scams to live on. Please send a brief synopsis of some contact information such as your name and email address and a brief summary (about 100 words) of your complaint against them.
I'm sure the predator we seek to punish views individual complainants as mere bugs that it can easily crush. But, if all the victims band together to create a mammoth swarm against this predator, the University of Phoenix will surely be crushed!
I urge you to join this movement and help create a force that cannot be defeated! Send your contact information...
LET THE VICTIMIIZED UNITE!!
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Earl
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Business as Usual at the UOP
#7Consumer Comment
Sat, June 02, 2007
L, sorry to hear about your experience. I am all too familiar with UOP recruiting machine tactics, and know how upset you must feel. You are in GREAT company here!
One gets the impression, after reviewing a few complaints here, that employees routinely "forget" to educate students during the recruiting process. Here is another example of a student who, after dealing with UOP recruiting, believed she would recieve funds in a way she did not. A big deal, not if you are independently wealthy!
Practices like these echo a U.S. Department of Education report on UOP recruiting, from way back in 2003, stating UOP recruiting "systematically operates in a duplicitous manner." (See NYT story Feb 11 2007, "Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits.") For us mere mortals, this means they had a plan to be deliberately deceptive. This is from a report 3-4 years ago!!!...It appears like its business as usual at the UOP....
Donald
La Crescenta,California,
U.S.A.
Disbursement Information
#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 01, 2007
From the amounts you describe I am going to assume that you already have at least 24 credits but less than 48, qualifying you for a $7500 for the academic year. Again, assuming that you chose a lender that does not charge an origination fee, then you should have been eligible to receive $3750 in two different disbursements. The disbursement periods work off of 12 credit intervals meaning that you must complete 12 credits to be eligible for the next disbursement.
Your first disbursement of $3750 is used to cover your first 12 credits in the degree program. Assuming $494 per credit on a 3 credit class with $70 for books in each class, the total per class would come to $1552 x 4 classes for a total of $6208 for the first 12 credits in that certificate program. $6208 less $3750 for that first disbursement equates to a total of $2458 for the expected out of pocket expense.
The second disbursement would only equate to two classes totaling $3104. The difference between the $3750 disbursement and this amount is $646 which is yours to use as you wish towards any educational bills you have. I typically advise my students to save any extra money they have leftover from disbursements to cover out of pocket expenses during their next academic year.
Now what your campus may have been trying to do by requesting you pay $629 each month is build up to that expected out of pocket difference listed in my second paragraph. I think what they failed to do is inform you of what the total out of pocket would be and set up expectations on how you were going to pay that difference.
When I advise my students, I like to break things down for them in a spreadsheet where they can see the expected expenses for each class. If we find there is a gap that cannot be covered in the near future then we may have to hold off on classes until we can be sure the gap can be covered.
Sometimes the Pell grant can cover that difference but that is not certain at the beginning of class until the school receives the money. We may be able to calculate a projection based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) code but it can still be altered by FAFSA. Anyway I hope this makes a bit more sense. I can get more accurate figures if you would be so kind as to post the actual disbursement amount or the level of Financial Aid you were qualified at (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th).
First Disbursement period $3,750.00
Tuition Books Total Balance
1st class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $2,198.00
2nd class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $646.00
3rd class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $(906.00)
4th class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $(2,458.00)
$5,928.00 $280.00 $6,208.00
Second Disbursement period $3,750.00
Tuition Books Total Balance
5th class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $2,198.00
6th class $1,482.00 $70.00 $1,552.00 $646.00
$2,964.00 $140.00 $3,104.00