Jess1706
North Carolina,#2Author of original report
Wed, October 06, 2010
I am very pleased to say that GCU worked with me on the balance owed, they realized the finance counselor made a mistake and honored that and worked with me the best they could.
I will be attending to complete my degree and I am very happy with how it was settled! Some of the employees are wonderful!!
Jess1706
North Carolina,#3Author of original report
Tue, October 05, 2010
When I asked why I would have to pay for a class I failed, I meant why would I have to pay out of pocket. I already paid for the class, it was covered under my financial aid and I completed the course. I withdrew after all of my classes were completed because I did not want to enroll in any more classes at GCU.
They are saying I have to pay, out of pocket, for the classes I failed even though I have an e-mail from my finance counselor specifically saying I would not have to pay out of pocket for the classes I failed.
I was a full time student, enrolled in 2 classes at a time.
And as for the professor not accepting work during the 7th week of class - I understand that would have been very inconvenient on their part, but they told me I could submit my work late and that I had until the last week of class. I would have appreciated it if they just said I am sorry I cannot accept your work late when I asked instead of telling me last minute leaving me no other options.
If nothing else, this is to inform people that there are schools that are "for-profit" and they only care about making money.
I hope they honor their word and that this issue is resolved fairly. We shall see...
Jeanski
Buffalo,#4Consumer Comment
Wed, September 29, 2010
Whether or not your financial aid was processed would probably be dependent upon whether or not you were enrolled full time. As I understand it, federal student aid is processed for a full time enrollment, and the for-profit schools require students to complete the required number of hours before they process the aid. So if you were enrolled in 12 hours, and withdrew before completing all 12, you probably lost the aid. Thus, you have a balance due to the school.
As for this statement: "asked why I would have to pay for classes I failed" all I can say is I never heard of a school that DIDN'T require you to pay for ALL classes, regardless of whether you passed.
Can you please explain more about how your enrollment worked? That is, do you take two classes at a time, or four? It might help us understand a little better.
In any event, despite what the financial aid office told you, you are probably still liable for the balance. This is why I always encourage students to attend a traditional college if possible. Almost all of them have online programs for the working adult and they don't seem to generate the kinds of complaints posted on ROR about financial aid.
As for the refund checks being late, this seems typical of most online schools. Since you already knew the checks would not arrive in time for you to purchase books for the term, perhaps you should have made other arrangements so that you could start the classes will everything you need. As an instructor who teaches in an online program, I can appreciate the faculty response that turning in your work during the 7th week was unacceptable. I wouldn't allow it either. It truly isn't fair to the other students.