SleepingInsomniac
United States of America#2Consumer Comment
Sat, December 03, 2011
Luckily I looked into Kaplan after requesting information from them. I heard and read a huge number of stories similar to yours. I requested information from them about 3 weeks ago. Within 5 minutes of the request, my cell phone rang, within 10 my dad called to tell me they called the house, and about 10 minutes after that, they had the nerve to call me at work. To be fair, that was my fault, because there was no reason to put my work phone on the request, but i try to fill all the fields in applications.
It is now 3 weeks later, I have told 4 different "student advisers" that I am not interested. I have told them to remove me from there mailing, calling, and emailing lists. Today while I was leaving for work, a 5th new salesman called me to talk about Kaplan. It seems that asking them to remove my name, just means to forward my name to another sales rep.
Thankfully, I did not get sucked into actually paying for and attending classes. If their tactics of recruiting students is any representation of the quality of the school, it should not be a school at all. I am currently taking a semester off from NOVA (community college), and I had a gentleman in my Western Civ. class who had a "degree" from Kaplan but had to retake all the classes because most of his credits were non-transferrable.
Webwench
Louisburg,#3Consumer Comment
Sat, December 03, 2011
There is a petition opened that you need to look into, it is 50,000+ looking to get their money back from Kaplan University for all the lies, stealing student loan monies, and double posting classes to receive even more student monies. They turn full time students over to collection agencies to harass students when no money is due. Please sign this petition http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-kaplan-the-washington-post-stop-cashing-in-on-low-income-students. The Washington Post as the parent company of Kaplan University is under investigation for securities fraud.
We could use your input and story to further help all of those that have been ripped off by Kaplan University.
Jeanski
Buffalo,#4Consumer Comment
Sat, December 03, 2011
"education beyond the secondary level must be from an institution recognized or accredited by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education as a post-secondary, degree-granting institution."
not only was my degree not going to be recognized by any jobs in New York state that require further education but also my credits would not be recognized in any college in the state
when I looked up which states Kaplan actually is accredited in, I was devastated
The reason that Kaplan is not accredited by many states is their low standard of admitting students.
I am not looking for some reward I just do not feel that I should have to pay my tuition back. I am sure that there is a legal way to obtain this.
Let me start by saying that I am not now, nor have I ever been, employed by Kaplan or any other proprietary institution. My experience was earned at a small, private University and Id like to address some of these comments just as a way to educate you and others.
Kaplan IS accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In the higher ed business these organizations are considered as regional bodies, but they are also bottom tier. The NCA has the lowest standards of any of the regional bodies. Accreditation is two-fold and the best schools will have both regional and program-specific. Im not sure what the program-specific accreditation would be for criminal justice, but Kaplan holds program-specific accreditation for some of their other programs. This is different from state approval or authorization to operate in a specific state. In those states where authorization is required, Kaplan has received it.
Kaplan is NOT approved by the NY Board of Regents, but they dont have to be in order to operate in the state unless they maintain a physical presence. This is HUGE issue in higher ed right now because many of the proprietary schools are ripping off students who are physically located across the nation, and the states want to exert some control and oversight. This is generally a good thing. :-) However, NY does not currently have this requirement, so Kaplan is free to market its services and have students who physically reside in NY without having the approval of the Board. This doesnt have anything to do with the quality of education they might provide.
The job you wanted to apply for is a county job, so it makes sense they want to recruit a candidate from a NY school. This is a good way to keep residents in the state system, rather than having them pursue their education through one of the out of state schools (land-based or otherwise).
Your instructor may have been incorrect about whether your credits would transfer. Thats ALWAYS up to the receiving institution.
You do not have any basis for a lawsuit. You received an education, albeit one that wont qualify you for this particular job. Im sure there are lots of employers who would hire a Kaplan grad of your caliber. You strike me as a motivated and articulate young woman.
I hope that students who are reading this will do their research before attending one of the proprietary schools. Unfortunately, your case exemplifies the concept that most time students dont know what they dont know. In other words, students dont always know what information they need to seek before making a commitment to a school. There is a lot of good information on the Department of Education website (www.ed.gov).
Good luck to you!