I started Crichton College in 2009 and in the midst of attending, they changed the name to Victory University. I received financial aid loans to pay for tuition the first semester. I attended the Adult Program where most of my classes were online and maybe a few was in the classroom. When I received my very first financial aid check, I signed for the loan funds received to pay for classes and other student fees related to attending school. I also utilized loan to pay for books that semester. After everything was paid, I received a refund check of the balanced.
When the second semester rolled around, I informed the business office that I would not need to full loan amount and I only wanted to utilize what I need to pay for my tuition and my student fees. I actually did this same thing for the thrid and fourth semester as well. I only signed for enough loan funds to pay for for my tuition and my student fees. Each time I informed the business office that I wanted the funds that I rejected to be returned to the Student Loan Issuer, and each time I always confirmed that the school would return the unused loan funds. I also paid for my books the second, third and fourth semester out of my pocket, not with loan money.
I can not stress that the Victory Business Office always confirmed that the funds would be returned and the only thing that I would owe is what I used for tuition and student fees.
I graduated from school in 2010 and when my loan bill started rolling in, it looked very high, so when I called the loan company to make sure that they had deducted the loan funds that I rejected at Victory all of those semesters and I was told that they did not show any funds sent back to them from Crichton/Victory. I immediately contacted the business office at Victory on multiple occasions and I was told that they would call the loan company because they are showing that the funds that I rejected/refused was returned to the student loan company. The school kept telling me that I was fine and that they would handle it. Well unfortunately, I did not see the balance change on my student loans and I continued to call the school, because I did not want to pay for funds that I did not receive/refused. Unfortunately, the school stopped answering their phones or the people in the business office was never available, I just assumed that they were short of staff, but I kept trying to resolve it locally at the school. Well Victory unexpectedly closed for financial issues and then there was no one to contact to get records or proof that the loan monies were sent back to the loan issuer.
The student loan company showed pity but they said that they could only go by what was in the system and no funds were ever sent back to them by Victory or Crichton. I have been stuck with paying for a loan amount that I should not be paying. I told myself today again that it has to be someone else that have experienced this same dis-service concerning financial aid(loans) from Crichton/Victory and when I googled on Victory Scamming students out of loan money, this site came up and I hate that students were scammed by Victory, but I was relieved to know that what I thought Victory University did to was not all in my head, that they actually kept those loan funds that I rejected and left me owing more loans than I should have. They not only did this to me but they did this to multiple students and I hope and pray that something is done about it.
Victory and schools like them, should not be able to get a pass just because they close or shut down. Someone connected to Victory should be held accountable for scamming students by taking their financial aid grants and loans. I pray that even more Crichton/Victory Students that received this same dis-service speak out too!