University of Phoenix [UOPX] review: fraud 46

I agree the University of Phoenix appears to be a "For Profit" business rather than concerned about academic issues. Their reported seven percent graduation rate, which is well below academic averages of fifty percent, is troublesome. My own experience shows they have no accommodation for anything such as cancer. In my case, I endured cancer that caused me to lose energy to the point I was too tired after working 12 hrs a day, 7 days a week, in Iraq to keep up my studies. I found out about the cancer and was denied an incomplete and given an "F." Prior to my operable cancer, I had a very high GPA never getting less than an A- and was surprised to learn I am now on academic probation because of the last grade. I advise anyone considering attending the University of Phoenix to think twice.
Anyone interested in a lawsuit or congressional hearing against the University of Phoenix should contact me as soon as possible.

Ken Richards
Kenrichards.iowa@yahoo.com
MBA Student UoP

What lawyer did you obtain? I just failed a math class that I should have not been put into in the first place. It was an algebra class. i have not had algebra in years and failed that last one that I took. At a four year college they would have noticed this and put me in a pre-algebra class. My mistake for not checking the course out better. I started asking for help immediately to no avail from the instructor and academic counselor. I just lost $1000

I have financial aide which is supposed to be used for living expenses as well as college. They will not give me the money. In january they should have deducted all classes and then sent me the remaining money. They say now since I failed this last class that they are going to withhold the money until the next class is done. I will join you if you feel I can.

How do I get a hold of you?

I had a similar situation when I needed to take a leave of absence. I took the max allowable number of days and submitted my LOA form with the return date I was told to use. I later found out it was an incorrect date and I was asked to submit a new form. I did so with the correct date and was THEN told that time for an approved LOA had run out, therefore I owed money to pay back the federal aid UoP had sent back. My academic counselor told me they could just do a recovery of funds and not to worry about it. She basically said the finance counselors (including their manager!) were a bunch of newbies who didn't really know what they were talking about. So I started back once my LOA was over and toward the end of that class, I got an email saying I needed to pay out of pocket for the next class. I knew that was coming but I wound up not being able to pay for it. Worst case scenario, I was told, was that my class would be delayed. Some time later, I made the decision to put school on hold until my son starts school a couple years from now. I asked for a withdrawal form and my finance counselor responded by informing me I had a balance of almost $2700. I asked him what that was for and he didn't respond. This was in March. Yesterday, he emailed me asking me to re-fax my corrected LOA form. This is the second time he has lost correspondence. He also lost the original LOA. He told me my balance was due to the fact that the funds recovery process had stopped because I wasn't in class. As I said above, I was told at worst that my next class would be delayed. I was told absolutely nothing like "if you don't enroll in this next class, the process will stop and you'll owe nearly $3000." I told him I may still have it but also told him in no uncertain terms that I refuse to pay a dime to pay for his lack of communication skills. I also told him I would retain legal counsel if need be. He simply responded by saying he would "make a note of it" and begin the collections process. No ownership whatsoever. Count me in!

Kyndra Buitenhuis
kyndra.buitenhuis@gmail.com

I originally started UOP in Late December of 2008, ever since then I have been dragged around by enrollment counselors as well as academic "advisors" and financial aid "advisors."

My first BIG problem was in my Critical thinking class last block. In week 4 I received an e-mail from the instructor stating I had plagiarized a discussion question. This discussion questions was 10 points and I had a 98% in the class. I still called my academic advisor, everyday for 6 days and emailed her before even receiving a response. After she finally got in touch with me I was told I had to appeal to the board of academic affairs once I had received my letter. I did and did not hear anything back until I had called numerous people for many weeks. They told me they were standing by the teachers decision, and would not give me any proof of what I had done, or tell me what I had copied. Nothing I could do, by the end of the class I received a 97.61% as a final grade, but my participation points as well as discussion questions points were taken away which added up to 30 points. Being a A student with a 3.5 GPA this whole situation just astonished me.

Monday June 16, 2009 I called my academic counselor saying I wanted to withdrawal; she then 3-wayed my financial aid advisor and we had talked. Both of which were very rude, in the end I backed out of filing the paperwork because they both told me if I withdrew I would receive a penalty from Wells Fargo (Student Loan Lender) for not completing the 24 credits through UOP. They also stated they could not tell me how much this penalty would be and that I would not know until the whole withdraw process was already completed but it could be anywhere from $20 to $1, 200.

Today, Wednesday the 18Th I called Wells Fargo and was told there is no withdrawal fee from them and the withdrawal fee from Wells Fargo as a lender and that the fee must be from University of Phoenix.

Needless to say, I will be withdrawing and if there is a fee from UOP I will not be paying it.
They do not teach you ANYTHING. The instructors do not respond within the 24 hour said limit. Also, if you attend there good luck on getting a hold of anyone, it seems like all they do is transfer you to other workers voice-mails!

**Most of there classes are not transferable! Talk about wasting over $7, 000.

Sorry today's date is wednesday the 17th.

I too have just discovered that the University of Phoenix is taking people for their money--federal financial aid money. I have not withdrawn yet but I will. I am afraid what this will do to my finacial aid standing. I have only been in class for 2 months and have taken one class for $720.00 and am in the second one. The other two I was forced to take were not for "credit". when I asked my financial aid I was told not to get "stuck" on the chart she sent me because charges always varied! I asked why I only received $311 instead of the $560 that the chart showed I was to receive the first round of "credits". I also asked if they had a place on their website like state universities where I could ckeck my financial aid. Of course, they don't. My dispute is only questioning $249. but if they take $249 from 49, 000 people who are enrolled, they are bringing in $12 million dollars! I don't know what to do about my loan at the bank where I got my financial aid. Is anyone doing anything about the University of Phonex fraudualent practices?

I have been with Univesity of Phoenix for 2 years now I am trying to get my associates degree They have keep my pell grants twice saying that it ran into the next year but in my account it was posted a distrubation date and they never sent it they kept them also put me in math classes that I should of been innever been .they dropped from anothe rclass claming I did not post when I clearly did all my assignments all my check in but two never sent me a warning So I know owe them 975 for that class and 975 for a math class and now once agin I am suppose to get a pell grant and I am not getting that It is the principle we are not in for the money but it are money not theres . We take out theses loans and have to pay them back If you can help let me know laura091768@yahoo.com

If you are a student or an employee of UOP and you feel you have been treated unfairly, or even discriminated against please email me at takeastand09@gmail.com with a discription of what happened to you. Please also include the campus the incident occured. A class action suite against the university is being put together. Please only email if you are serious.

I have been a student since october 26th and I have been having the most miserable time so far. The school seams to be fun, but I have not seen a dime as far as grants or financial aid. I have been too two colleges and I have always gotton money asp. I have been having to use my daughters child support to pay for the internet and all my supplies. So as far as I am concerned I would not even give this school a referral. And I don't even drink or smoke or use any kind of drugs, But I know someone who uses her school money for drugs, just makes ya wonder what kind of school this is. so far I do not think very highly of this school.

They are way out of line when it comes to Financial aid and the return of funds.

Well if someone is using thier own financial aid and grant money for drugs that is thier problem and not the schools fault. I have been a student of the UOP for 2 years now and will have my associates in 3 months. I have not ever had a problem and I paln on continuing with my Bachelors. I have all so learend a great deal of knowledge from the instructors. You learn as much as you put into it. Online doesnot mean 1 hour a day!
I hear a lot of whinning and crying, but no eveidence to back any of it up. Sounds like everyone wants thier money ASAP and if they dont get it they talk crap ! Be pateint there is a process that everything has to go thru. The ones that are desprate for funding and are talking crap might have a drug problem !
GET EDUCATED and then you will understand how things work in the real world.

I am currently having issues with the UOP regarding my degree. I clearly stated my goal of obtaining a BSED/E in 2007 when I became a student. I first needed to pursue my Associate's Degree. My enrollment counselor assured me that I was on my way to becoming the elementary teacher I always wanted to be. 11 credits from a previous college I attended (with a major in elementary education) 10 years prior was applied to the 60 needed through UoP. I received my Associate's from the UoP in Nov, 2009, and just began my BSED/E program in Jan, 2010. I recently was informed by my academic counselor that 24 of my 60 credits from my Associate's program will not transfer. Apparently, I was enrolled in an AAPE program rather than the AAEE program that was necessary for a smooth transition to the correct BS program. I now owe $20, 000 for classes I never needed, and have put forth a year of "extra" schoolwork, studying, and time away from my three children that I can never reclaim. Thanks, UoP. apparently money means more to you than the lives of those who pay you. If I have any chance of successfully suing this school in any of your class-action suits, please let me know. I'm in.

Amber Farnot
vegasescapee@yahoo.com

In the early fall of 2009 I enrolled at the University of Phoenix via a enrollment counselor in Orange Park, Florida. Her name is Diane. She was all about "helping" me enroll.She even gave me her home telephone number to complete the enrollment. With her "help" she more or less told me what to do on the computer to enroll me in my first class and "helped" me with my financial aid. She rushed me through everything.
Anyway long story short I paid for and finished my first class from my financial aid. The cost for one class and e books? $ 1, 675.00 USD !
I called Sallie Mae and told them that this was a rip off and they told me since I already had my financial aid money I could use it at another school.So, I did.
Now I am being billed by UOP ($4, 600.00 ) for classes i did not attend. I did drop from the the school. Now they are threatening collections. I am having to retain an attorney to deal with this so called University. Do not waste your time or money with UOP!

I don't entirely agree with the above but I do say UoP use "bait & switch" tactics to sign you up.

I had credits that needed to be transferred in and kept asking them for two months to verify everything with transcripts I had. My enroller showed it to their transfer guru and came back with an answer that worked for me. My out of pocket expense was to be around $600 every 15 weeks or so. On the 5th week of my first class I was told my OOP was to be $1500, something I am unable to pay. I had been very insistent to know my OOP before signing and was assured that the $600 was reliable. Now I owe $1675 for completeing my first class and because I am not willing to continue have no student loan to help out.

They asked me to get a personal loan to cover the additional expenses. I told them I had already calculated out my payments I could afford and signed based on their intial assessment. To me this is no different than making a deal with a car salesman and when walking into the finance office finding out the salesman was wrong. The only difference is that I have the option of walking away with nothing lost except my time. UoP has taken my time and my money!

I have emailed the campus director only to be told he was out of country when I wrote. I received a phone call from him once he returned but was unable to answer when he called. I returned the call within 20 mins but got his voice mail. I left a message for him to get back in touch with me and have not heard anything back. I understand his time is valuable and all but so is mine. I can't just sit around calling everyday in the hopes the director isn't to busy on the day I call so I would hope he'd call back. I've sent a second email to him. If I get any response I will post back here later.

I am disputing this amount due on my account. I have sent this letter to over 5 people, and hoping you will get it as well. I am disputing this because I stopped attending classes based on I was lied to by my enrollment counselor and felt pressured into taking classes here at UofP. Lyn Hatton sent a letter in response to my complaint filled with AZ BBB, and I never contacted UofP, they came after me. In February 2007 Valissa Armistead had been calling me 2-3 times a month. I believe that I met her at a college fair we had at where I work. Yes, the dates and times in her letter are correct, but she is wording it as if I made contacts. Either or I made the choice to attend, but not until June…if I was so EAGER to get in, don’t you think I would of in Feb. Also, I SENT THEM my transcripts from each college. They did not request them. I have the fax cover sheets and verifications of time and date sent. This is where I am very upset. I felt rushed into attending and had concerns about taking an online class, I explained to Valissa that I plan on using the degree to go to St. Mary’s Hospital, from there I was going to work at the Job Corps in Cassadagga New York. I just found out though if I did get the degree from UofP that it would not be good in New York, they will not recognize it. This was verified through our HR department. Your accreditation also lacks what I am required to have through my work, I need the University to have AACSB accreditation for when I would complete my masters. This was told to Valissa as well, but she went ahead and enrolled me without saying a thing. My boss was very upset because she told me that my degree would not be valid where I would be working NOW. Also, regarding title IV financial aide. I talked to Wachovia and they said that University of Phoenix includes other funds in this money as student living expenses. They stated only $550 has been returned to them out of the $3237 dispersed. So, I am confused at how UofP puts living expenses into my financial aide when I am living in my own apt, paying my own rent and not even going to your college. Also, I have a very close friend who works at your Grand Rapids location who states that it is University of Phoenix policy to hold the funding in accounts until the person has completed the first few weeks of class. This allows them to send the money back if the student does not complete the class without reporting anything to the lender. The student is then in debt to UOP collections and not to the lender. Not to mention, FA doesn't pay for dropped or failed courses. What of the money in the holding tanks for months at a time. Hmmmm. Well, when you have over 100, 000 students, 80% of which use FA in the sum of roughly 15K per year, they are basically counting that money as income for the organization even though technically it does not belong to them yet. Oh just to remind you MY money still has not been sent back to Wachovia...it is gaining interest in U of P account until I pay. Regarding Mr. Harmon contacting me by phone and email on August 18-29 and on July 1, 2008, are also false. I received one letter and email, which I still have. Also, I was not happy with the classes. I did not receive feedback from the Instructors. One instructor did not even come to class for a whole week. I asked that I not be part of a learning team as I wanted to do the research on my own. I was told I HAD TO DO THIS. Also, the AMOPS manipulation process Valissa used to get me enrolled did work. I have been forced to seek a lawyer about this since no one sees that what UofP has done is wrong. I have taken classes from other University’s and switched, without this trouble, which leads me to believe that there is some fraud being committed on your end (not you personally), but I am having my lawyer pull Valissa Armisteads financial and payroll records to see exactly what she is earning for her enrollments. I have filed complaints with:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Reports
BBB of AZ
MI and AZ higher Education
Attorney General
Office of ombudsman
I truly am not looking to get any money out of this, and education, which I did not. I feel that your company used me and many others. I will talk only and directly to you, and I will be civil. But, I want ALL of the money returned to Wachovia, you can have your grades and credits back, since I will not be able to use them at any of the University’s I attended, or want to attend. Davenport and GVSU said they will not transfer them, in fact Davenport called them FLUFF and a waste of money. This is the worse experience I HAVE EVER HAD!
Thank you,
Ken Rogers

Will any lawyer represent honest citizens who were mislead and taken advantage of by the University of Phoenix? emartin63@carolina.rr.com

We are a private investigation firm, with class action lawsuit lawyers on our side. We are on a hunt to bring this company, University of Phoenix of Apollo Group to justice, due to manipulation and theft of their company.

If anyone feels like they have been treated wrongly from University of Phoenix, UOP, Apollo Group, or any affiliates of this company please contact our fraud email uopfraud@gmail.com

It is very important to inform us of your experience at their school. This will be a class action, civil suit.

I have the same problems as some of the students have in trying to get back in school, and the school has not

gave me an pay scale plan as yo how I am going to pay the school back.

I was also tricked into thinking University of Phoenix is a great school and enrolled. I was very disappointed with their online degree program after jut 1 short week so I withdrew from the school.

I was in shock when University of Phoenix "decided" that I owe them $750 for withdrawing after just 1 week. And the thing is, they don't tell you any of it and they keep insinuating each and every student to just try it.

The top people who are running Univ. Phoenix absolutely do not care about the student's well-being. They JUST WANT YOUR MONEY ANY WAY POSSIBLE.

I spoke with a UoP relations specialist and she assured me that they are continually looking for improvements in their educational methods. So that was good to hear, that they are changing their ways.

I enrolled at UOP in June of 2009 to get my AA in Business Management. After a year and a half and coming close to completing my degree I began to talk with public universities about enrolling and obtaining my B.A. I was informed that UOP degrees do not meet the state of Florida educational guidelines therefore most of my 64 credit would not transfer and I would have to attend an school that meet these guidelines and complete another AA from the school I chose. So I finished the classes I was currently in at UOP, made sure I passed and withdrew from the school and enrolled at another school to finish my A.A. degree which I practically have to start from the beginning with. Now my financial advisor from UOP is calling me telling me that I owe them $2350. When I ask why, they tell me that they had to return funds to the government that were due to be disbursed next year and I have to pay them for the returned funds. I think not, they are saying if I do not return the funds that they will hold my transcripts until I pay the money I owe. Well at least I was smart enough to request the transcripts the day before I withdrew and have already received them and they can take their threats and stick them. I was made to get loans by my financial aid advisor and now am in debt for a useless degree. I will be contacting an attorney for the cost of the loans, the lost time of getting a worthless degree and harrassment.

should have researched this before going to UOP - quite a few stories like this all over the place...not to mention most employers dont even look at UOP as a real school...

Hello,

Have you tried working with the Office of Dispute Management regarding this issue? They are a department within the University that works with students regarding issues of this nature, and they would be glad to look into your dispute. Please contact the Office of Dispute Management at UofPhoenix@phoenix.edu or at [protected].

Kind regards,
Libby Bailey, Sr. Student Relations Administrator
for the University of Phoenix

I agree... I think that the University of Phoenix online is not all truthful about their educational business practices. I think that they set students up to fail at least one or two classes just so that they can make extra money. I also think that the way that their GPA system is calculated with B- being like a 2.7 is a bunch of bull^$#@! Any B should be a 3.0. I also think that they do not always give students their correct amount of excess funds that are due to them. I think that we should all report them to the Better Business Bureau.

Look at how many Fair Debt Collection laws have been violated in an attempt to collect an alleged debt. Look at how many Fair Credit Reporting laws have been violated to attempt collection of an alleged debt or embarass soemone into paying an alleged debt. Another good question: What authority does UofPhoenix have to collect debt on behalf of the U.S. Dept of Ed? NONE! They try to collect PELL GRANT money from anyone who thinks about attending or actually attends! I have spoken to an authorized represenataive of the US Dept Of Ed and the formal statement is: Uof Phoeniz HAS NOT EVER been authorized to attempt to collect any PELL GRANTS for the US govt! The CEO of Apollo Group which owns UofPhoenix paid $45Million cash for his son' s Malibu, CA mansion while he attends Pepperdine! Where did that money come from?
Individuals like you and me who are not sure what to do. I think IU know what to do-SUE THEM IN FEDERAL COURT AND MAKE THEM SPEND CASH ON LEGAL FEES! They are a corporation and CANNOT represent themselves! Classify the lawsuit as a 440-other civil right case- then they will have spend more money to hire a Civil Right Defense lawyer! Remember- it is only about the laws and civil right that were violated and broken causing you damages in the attempts to collect an alleged debt. When you sue them - it has nothing to do with whether you or owe anyone or any entity money! You did break any laws trying to collect allegded debt! Why do I refer to an alleged debt - because until someone can prove I owe them money- it is not a valid claim! It can be legalized extortion! marcie.salmon@yahoo.com [protected]

I was with phoenix university for my batchlor degree and the finacial aid office never gave me finacial but gave me 3 classses I know owe the collage 50000 dollare. My name is beverlt torrance contact me at [protected]. My email address is beverly.torrance@my, iadtchicago.edu I am tring to sue the collage as well.

There seems to be a lot of disgruntled people on this and as a former finace advisor at Cal State San Marcos I can tell you that it is not a scam. The difference is that at a public/private school there are deadlines for students to fill out their paperwork for the next semster where as the typical for profit private school allows you to start while you are being certified by the federal financial aid. A school does not determine how long the government takes to certify your funding for school and the school waits just like you do. Furthermore it is completly untrue that financial aid gains interest while in the hands of the school. Interest on a student loan is accrued in the name of the student for them to pay back a loan. So that should be common knowledge. For example a bank can lend you money but you still pay them interest. The school is not lending you the money the government or whoever your lender is. As for the student who was in the wrong program I see that all the time at a lot of schools both private and for profit. A lot of for profit schools are a joke but I will say that with UOP having so many students and happy graduates you wonder how many peopl are actually upset about their education. I went to UCLA and there were plenty of people who were misadvised and told to take courses they didnt even need. The bottom line for people to remember to read what you are doing and ask someone you trust because often strangers either dont care about you really or what to do whats best for you.

Marcie Salmon is a fraud

One thing I am certain of at Univ of Phoneix, if you pay the money, you will get the degree. It is so beautiful! You can not fail, and you get a degree, just no education guarantee. Remember that if you ever look at resumes.

I have attended the university of phoenix for almost 3 years now. I recently withdrew from the university because of the lack of quality for my program and I could never get a response from either my financial advisor or my academic advisor. I am now receiving threatening phone calls and I am being told that I owe the university $3610.00 for two classes that for some unknown reason my FAFSA won't pay for. This school is a joke and a rip off! I am unable to get my transcripts to attend another university until I pay the balance. I am a single mother and I don't have that kind of money even if I believed that I owed them the money. It is terrible what they do! I still have yet to receive my diploma from my associate degree that I obtained back in February almost 5 months ago...

Hi, Kendra:

I'm sorry that you're upset. Please know that I would like to assist. If you would like to file a formal grievance with the University, please contact me at libby.bailey@phoenix.edu for assistance.

Libby Bailey, Dispute Operations Manager
University of Phoenix

Don't worry about your transcripts, Kendra. Having worked for many years at colleges and universities, I am comfortable saying that the majority of your classes will not transfer. I don't say that to be mean. It's just a fact. You just need to get away from that school as quickly as you can. Don't give them anything you don't owe them. Don't worry about your transcripts. Just act like it never happened. They're not worth it. Just ask...well...everyone in the academic community.

Good luck!

Robbie

I have been "attending" Ashford University for 2 years now and I am 4 classes from getting my degree. I will be recieving a good size raise from my company for earning this and I have not one had to pay Ashfrd a dime while using my Post 9/11 GI Bill. Some people have said on this forum that they were billed and collected, well it isnt happening to me. Perhaps there are a few loose screws in this university but with only a few months left I have been getting a decent education and have not paid a dime... I also get books for free through them (and sell them back to an online company and make money off of them). So don't be judgemental on one person's review. It has been bad to some students, but it has been good to others.

I am currently a third year student at UoP. I am $31, 000 in debt. I recently (March, 2013) had to drop a class due to an unexpected health issue but instead of sending leave of absence forms, my academic adviser just put me in the next available class. Needless to say, I could not attended weeks one or two of this forced class. I have now, done more research on the history of UoP and I also believe they have misappropriated my federal funding to improve their bottom-line profit. This accusation alone should be a concern to someone at the Department of Education but I do not know whom I should contact. I have not officially withdrawn from this fraudulent for-profit school but I have currently been blocked from accessing my payment history information. I am very concerned I will become just another statistic and my current FASFA eligibility may be used or returned by them, which will leave a balanced owed on my account. I need help.! I am determined to finish my BS of Business, concentrating in sustainable enterprise management, but it will not be at UoP. Please contact me at jgrace010@gmail.com if You have any information that could help me and hundreds of other people who have been defrauded by this institution.

DO NOT ATTEND University of Phoenix! You will loose time and Money Period! This is a set up! A person with no previous math experience will fail! There is no support here and you will lose! They have no one on one support with your math! If you are an online student for the associates program...you cannot attend on-campus math courses unless they can sell you some more education, which isn't worth the paper it is written on! Customer service sucks! You can call their nonchalant academic and financial advisers all you want! RUN FROM THIS INSTITUTION!

We’re working on a project centered on improving transparency and increasing student success at for-profit universities. We need input from you! Please take our student survey to tell us more about your experiences. Here is the link to the survey: http://action.seiu.org/page/content/respondent-survey/

I found no respect in the business world with a MBA from UoP. Before you earn it you will be required to do more work and pay more in tuition then at other universities for a degree that for me has been worthless. The reasons are many. The caliber of the student body extremely low because of open enrollment anyone can attend UoP, and as you will see, most of them could not get accepted anywhere else, so you will be forced to carry those students through the program in the Learning Team environment. UoP does not employee professors or licensed teachers only facilitators who do no teaching only facilitate the class according to a predetermined curriculum. Everything you learn, you will learn on your own, and those who not want to learn anything and just want a degree, they can get that here, which is why I have found their degrees are not respected in the business community. That has been my experience.