Complaint Review: Western Governors University - Internet

I began my tenure at WGU in January 2012.  I already had an associate's degree in computer science but wanted to move into business, hence matriculating for a B.S. in business management.  The matriculation process was straightforward.  My enrollment counselor gave me all the information necessary to get started.

Before going forward, it is important to understand how WGU works, because it's different from other school.  We do not have professors directly; we have course mentors, who purport to be experts in their fields.  (Based on my interactions with a few of them, I question this.)  We also have a student mentor, a person who partners with you to get your classes scheduled to ensure that you are doing enough to continue to meet financial-aid requirements and remain in school.  The rest of the departments are like other schools:  financial aid, student services, etc.

Coursework functions a little differently, too.  You have tasks that you submit to third-party graders who, if they find errors in it, they send it back to you for revision.  This concept is unique, because you don't feel like you're submitting and praying for a good grade.  If you make mistakes, you get minimal guidance on how to work through the mistake.  It does strike me as a little intellectually dishonest, because you essentially get to submit revised tasks as many times as you want until you get it right.  This is not how business works.

WGU transferred in a significant amount of my credits from A.S., so I only had to do half my coursework starting out.  I was paired with a stellar mentor, and through her motivation, I finished all my competency units, referred to as CUs, within four months, earning my bachelor's degree and walking away with a project-management certificate.  Not bad.

I decided to continue my education for my MBA.  Seeing where I am now with this school, this was a serious mistake.  For my graduate studies, I experienced the following:

• Four mentor changes in less than one year
• A glut of inaccurate information, causing me delays in my studies
• An overall unprofessional, less-than-educated staff

The reason I am writing this review, however, is the issue that I am facing.  I took a break from WGU due to family issues, resulting in my not completing any CUs for one term.  When I came back, I was under a financial-aid warning, and rightfully so.  The goal, then, is to come out of the warning by catching up and doing all the assignments.

When I came back, I had a new mentor.  (See my bullet point above about this ridiculousness.)  She knew I was under a warning and made it a point to tell me repeatedly what I needed to do to qualify for financial aid for my next term.  She scheduled my classes, and off I went--writing dozens of 20-page papers, dealing with revisions, and piss-poor course mentors who really don't seem intelligent in the least.

I worked hard and completed all my coursework with two months to spare in my term.  I had some time to focus on my family and work, right?  Wrong.  Two weeks before the end of my term, I get a notification from my mentor that I would not qualify for financial aid for the next term because I had not completed sufficient CUs.  Considering she scheduled my courses for me, you could understand how angry I was.  What made me angrier was in her e-mail notification, at no point did she take responsibility for the issue.  She just gave me directions on how to appeal.

And that's when the issues got worse.  I started loudly complaining about how I was put in a terrible situation due to incompetence of the mentor and the rest of the staff.  Yes, I came into the term with the warning, but I did everything I was told to do to get out of that warning.  I wouldn't even have to submit an appeal had the mentor known how to do her job.

The appeal process was ridiculous and really struck me as the school's way of doing whatever it can to compel a student to leave.  I was told that I needed to submit documentation showing extenuating circumstances on why I did not complete my current term.  When I retorted that it was the mentor's fault, they replied that that was not a valid reason.  I ended up speaking with a program manager, someone in the liaison department, and even on the appeals team, and they all were obstinate and refused to take accountability for how they caused this issue.  And what's worse:  They didn't seem like they cared.

During the appeal's process, I was told by several people that I just needed to submit documentation for the CURRENT TERM to justify why I didn't complete it.  There weren't any impediments to my success; I completed all my courses.  I wrote that in the appeal letter, and they pended it and requested documentation.  (A look into my account notes can clearly demonstrate that the mentor set me up for failure.)  They said that reason wasn't justifiable; they needed something else to protect them from the Department of Education in case of an audit.  They knew that there was nothing else that I could offer--BECAUSE I COMPLETED MY COURSES.  This doesn't take rocket science to understand.

After I began to post call-outs on social media about my treatment, the assistant director of financial aid got in contact with me again to see what they could work out.  It was THEN that the goal post had moved.  They weren't actually looking for documentation for my current term; they were actually looking for it for my last term in which I did not complete any CUs.  Interesting how I was speaking with up to six people on the appeals process, they were all requesting that I submit evidence for my current term, only to find out that I really needed something for a different term.  Interesting how the goal post continues to move.  The assistant director told me that she would do some additional research and requested that I submit documents for that timeframe.  She also committed to call me back that following Monday, three days away.

On Saturday, I submitted documentation showing stress I was under for work that essentially forced me to quit work to look for another job.  I also submitted the offer letter for another position nearly six months later.  THAT information was denied as unacceptable justification.  Unemployment affecting family finances and causing substantial stress aren't justifiable reasons for why I did not complete the CUs.  (Keep in mind that all of this would be moot had my mentor set up my term correctly.)

It should go without saying that the assistant director did not follow up on her call.  I had to call the school and spoke with a CSR in financial aid whose customer service was an aberration and offense to anyone in the field.  She connected me with a financial-aid supervisor whose customer service was just as poor.  She connected me with a liaison officer who told me that my appeal was denied.  Not the assistant director.  Of course, the liaison officer didn't have details, which I wouldn't expect.  It was not really her department.  (I will say that she was very nice to talk to.)  The liaison officer did say that she was going to do some research and call me back tomorrow to see what she could do to help.  (Obviously, I am not holding my breath.)

Shortly after I got off the phone with the liaison officer, the assistant director conveniently called me to follow up and let me know that the appeal was denied for insufficient evidence.  Although she was apologetic, she still did not seem as if she cared about the situation.  It was as if this was just another business interaction for her.  The apology was incredibly stiff and sounded forced.

Here's the reality:  I can't afford to pay the upcoming term, which is more than $3,000; this is why I seek out financial aid.  I have all of TWO courses left, one of which I already have completed and am waiting for my next term to start, which would be November.  I have made plans for graduation in Orlando, including booking hotels with nonrefundable terms.  I have family out where graduation will be held that I won't be able to see now.  I have to embarrass myself by explaining to the rest of my family why I won't be getting my MBA as planned.  And I'll have a mark on my student record, with two classes shown as withdrawals.  All because I have to disenroll because of WGU's intransigence and unprofessionalism.

And all of this was avoidable had my mentor set me up properly for this current term.  At that point, whatever happened in my prior term was irrelevant; it would have been corrected for this term, anyway.

I was initially angry about this entire situation, but I am actually happy that I went through this.  Life is a learning process, and you really start to understand the necessity of 1) compassion when dealing with others, 2) professionalism in the workplace, and 3) having a solid understanding of what you're doing, because it affects your customers.

The concept of WGU is notable.  The execution, however, is far from it.  I would warn anyone against attending this institution, if that word is even appropriate for it.

And for anyone thinking that I am simply being difficult or making any of this up, please provide your e-mail address.  I'd be happy to show you EVERY e-mail interaction