American Public University System

Review: I am contacting the Revdex.com again because American Public University is not responding to any of my emails at all now and everytime I attempt to call the manager, [redacted], I get nothing but voicemail. My issues surround the fact that the financial aid department has yet to tell me what is going on with my October aid funding. I was told by a [redacted] on November 18th that the increase to my funding was satisfied but my inquiries into what this entails have gone totally unanwsered. Then, I was notified that all of a sudden the school had returned 210 dollars back to the lender and has now caused a balance due on my account and am now blocked from enrolling in more courses. When I had inquired about this issue, [redacted] had finally responded in one email on November 19th to me that I was accurately funded for my May semester except for the additional 210 dollar loan that was mistakenly processed by their system on 8/19 and was sent back to the lender on 11/14; he went on to simply say that my October award is correct for full Cost of attendance, but does not answer my questions at all. I have been attempting to ask what exactly my increase on my October funding in in several emails to [redacted], financial aid department, student account department, refunds department, and two other managers since Nov 19 and have gotten NO replies. None of my calls get returned either so I have given up on all that together. The school has created a major hardship on me and is making it worse by not promptly answering any of my questions. All I want to know is what is going on with the increase to my October aid, which should be the same as my May semester as I have taken 9 graduate hours the same as I had in May. With regards to the 210 dollar mistake that the school had made, I feel that I should not be penalized for THEIR mistake. I had inquired to the school in August about the 210 dollars because it was separate from my other aid that I had been waiting for, and I was told by the school that differences in federal loan fees had caused them to seek the 210 dollar loan and that it was to be a credit to me. Now, 3 months later, the school suddenly realizes it is a mistake and wants to penalize me for their incompetence in handling the financial aid. I do not think it is fair that the school gets to create this hardships for me as a student and my emails to them asking what options we can discuss on this issue have also been getting ignored. I am very upset and frustrated that the school is putting me through this financial aid nightmare as they keep messing all of this up and continue to ignore me. If this continues to be ignored and if the school continues to make mistakes with my financial aid, I do plan to complain to the Department of Education by sending them copies of their mistakes and all of my correspondence with the school to them regarding all of these issues in addition to even possibly seeking an attorney.Desired Settlement: I want the school to answer my questions in full detail as to what my increase in October award funding is supposed to be and what is going on with it. I also want the school to find an agreeable solution with me as to how to fix their 210 dollar mistake on my account as well as I feel that their mistakes should not be allowed to penalize me!

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,

While we cannot discuss any individual student’s situation without their permission, please be assured that our Financial Aid Department has worked directly with **. [redacted] to resolve the issue. At this time, **. [redacted] has indicated that he is happy with the resolution.

Review: I enrolled with American Public University System in April, 2013 with the intention of beginning classes for their June 2013 semester. I completed my 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 [redacted] and financial aid application information well ahead of time, as well as completed the entrance counseling and master promissory note for Federal Student Aid well in advance of the start of the semester. June 3rd came and went without a hitch, I entered and began all 4 of my online classes and am 6 weeks into the semester with a 3.67 overall GPA.

My concerns lie with the financial aid disbursement process. The APUS website states disbursements are processed within 30-35 days of the beginning of the semester. This has also been posted on their [redacted] page [redacted]. 30 calendar days was July 3rd, 35 was yesterday July 8th. There has been no activity in my account since my Pell grant posted in June. I emailed their financial aid department at [redacted] on the 3rd of July. To this day I have yet to receive any response. On July 5th I forwarded that same email to the student services department ([email protected]), and received an email the following morning from [redacted] in student services offering to help and asking for me to confirm my student information. I replied with the details she requested, and did not receive a followup reply until the 8th. I received the following response from [redacted] in student account services ([email protected]):

"Thank you for contacting the Financial Aid Funding Department. We anticipate you will have a credit balance of $4,277 for your June semester after your FSA payment is received. We expect to receive financial aid funding no later than Monday July 15, 2013. Once your payment is received it will be applied to your tuition cost first and the resulting credit balance refund will be handled as you requested during the application process.

If you selected to have the credit balance refund returned to you, we will direct deposit the refund within 14 days of the date the credit was created on your account. You can check the status of the credit balance check via your online student ledger. You can find the ledger by accessing the "my student account" link on your campus homepage and then clicking the "ledger" link.

Please remember that your eligibility for Federal Student Aid can change. The information in this email is based on your current eligibility status. Any changes in eligibility can affect the timeframes and amounts given in this email. To understand eligibility requirements please follow this link to our FSA facts: [redacted]Please do not hesitate to contact our offices at ###-###-#### or [redacted] should you have any further questions or concerns."

I was a little concerned that she referenced the financial aid email address that I never received any reply from, but also had additional questions because the date and processing timeframe she was quoting me were outside of the "normal" timeframe specified in the FAQ regarding financial aid disbursements. Also, APUS uses HigherOne (a bank/debit card account company) for their refunds and per their website they claim they receive refunds typically within 24 hours of disbursement being processed. I replied to the StuAccounts email address (as no individual who assisted me ever provided a direct contact, only the general email and telephone number), and questioned the timeframe as well as the amount quoted because the amount didn't match any calculation I came up with in either the student ledger or the financial aid portal. The reply from **. [redacted] this time was:

"The amounts listed come from your approved award amounts and can be viewed through your My Aid Portal; and the timeframe provided are Department of Education timeframes for 1st time loan borrowers; which you should also be able to view on the [redacted] website. Please let us know if you have any further questions."

This is where I became 1) concerned and 2) extremely frustrated. I had already reviewed both APUS' and [redacted]/Studentaid.ed.gov's policies prior to sending my email questioning the timeframe. My concern was that the timeframe she'd quoted me was 15-30 days past the time estimated on both sites. I sent my final reply, at 3:21pm EST on July 8th, stating the following:

"Thanks again for replying. I guess I'm still confused, the figure I get when I go to the My Aid Portal, after subtracting what's already been paid by my Pell Grant and the remaining balance on this semester is $4325. Not a huge difference, but I don't want to overestimate and think I'll be receiving more than what is shown. I'm also still confused about the amounts shown in the Ledger, but from your last email it sounds like I shouldn't go by those amounts.

Regarding the timeframe, what I'd found on [redacted]'s student aid site was:

If you’re a first-year undergraduate student and a first-time borrower, you may have to wait 30 days after the first day of your enrollment period (semester, trimester, etc.) for your first disbursement. Check with your school to see whether this rule applies there.

If you’re a first-time borrower of a Direct Subsidized Loan or a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you must complete entrance counseling before you receive your first loan disbursement.

30 days from the start of the semester would have been July 3rd, not the 15th (plus up to an additional 14 days to receive the actual refund, which doesn't make sense when HigherOne states they receive refunds typically the same day they're processed; it's not like a check needs to be issued). I made sure my entrance counseling was completed and master promissory note was completed well ahead of time, so there should be no delays on the lender's end. I'm just not sure where the discrepancy lies, or if there is something I'm missing. "

They claim all emails are responded to within 24 hours. It is now 4:42pm EST on July 9th, well over 24 hours later, and my email as well as subsequent emails requesting assistance, remain unanswered. I also posted on their [redacted] page yesterday afternoon, and was TWICE assured by an admin of the page (both yesterday afternoon and again earlier this morning) that someone would assist me. I have heard nothing further from the school. I have witnessed similar complains from other students, both on the APUS [redacted] page and their LinkedIn account. Replies from admins assuring the students will be assisted abound, and there are a couple of posts from supposed student account representatives with canned responses similar to what I received, but no real resolution. Not even an explanation as to why it is taking almost twice as long as we initially understood to process the disbursements to our accounts. Especially since my loans consist of both subsidized and non-subsidized money, I am not only responsible for repayment of the money but also for the interest accruing from the day the school receives the funds. I have the right to know where my money is.Desired Settlement: I want my disbursement processed immediately to my student account and my refund processed within 24 hours of the disbursement. Otherwise I will submit a complaint with the Department of Education as well as the board of education responsible for APUS' accreditation.

Business

Response:

Check Message tab or see attached.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. While the refund was processed well after the expected timeframe, I have received my funds and am satisfied with the service of 2 members of the staff: [redacted] in Financial Aid and [redacted] in student services. Both men were extremely helpful.

Regards,

Review: AMU has violated several of its own policies and procedures (two appeals they never even responded too)located within the student handbook. In addition, AMU failed to allow me access to my course and and it's resources, an obligation AMU is required to provide. AMU has has falsified transcripts.Desired Settlement: Refund of 750.00 & adjustment of transcripts

Business

Response:

May 27, 2014We have conducted a thorough review of **. [redacted]’s file, including his interactions with the relevant university departments and found that the matter has been handled in accordance with the published policies of the American Public Education System. We have also offered **. [redacted] several opportunities to address his concerns, which he has declined. In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), APUS cannot share further details about university/student interactions with a third party entity without the student’s written authorization. At this time, we do not have a signed release so we are unable to provide more specific information to the Revdex.com.If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.Sincerely,

Review: AFTER graduation, AFTER finance department approval, they falsely claim I owe them money for course I was forced to drop because of psychotic, stalking instructor. Now they will not provide official transcripts when requested.Desired Settlement: Send official transcripts when requested.

Business

Response:

November 13, 2013We've conducted a detailed review of **. [redacted]'s student record, interactions between him and his instructor in the contested course, the conclusions from the investigation conducted by academics and his payment record. **. [redacted] legitimately owes the contested amount to the American Public University System for tuition.Due to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we are not permitted to share information concerning the student's education records without a signed FERPA release document from the student or a power of attorney from them indicating such.While we cannot discuss the specifics of his account with anyone without a signed release from **. [redacted], we can share with you that in general, reversing a credit card payment for tuition after the student was cleared for graduation does not relieve a graduate from their obligation to pay the tuition for a course they have completed.If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

Said document is a screen shot of the ledger that was available to me online as of that date. Why they show future dates is a mystery to me.

Attached is a screen shot taken today, showing a zero balance. Their own system shows I owe them nothing.

Business

Response:

From: [redacted]

Date: Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 1:02 PM

Subject: [redacted] Revdex.com-[redacted]

To: "[redacted]" <[redacted]>

Cc: "[redacted]>

Good afternoon [redacted],

Attached is the APUS response to **. [redacted]’s latest rejection of his initial complaint. This is being emailed as the complaint is listed as closed unresolved.

Sincerely,

Dear [redacted], we regret that this matter has not been put to rest and we also are disappointed that **. [redacted] has not authorized us to share the details of his student record with the Revdex.com. We remain confident that if we could share all of the pertinent information with you, you would understand our position on this matter.Thank you for attempting to assist us to resolve **. [redacted]'s complaint.Sincerely,

Review: Before the start of my October semester, I had inquired about why my financial aid award was in a lesser amount than it had been for the same 9 graduate credit hours that I had previously taken just the semester before. At first, I was told information that did not make much sense, so I got on to chat with a live representative and was told in that chat that a request could be made to increase my award and that the request would be processed within 7 business days. After those days passed, I inquired why I did not see the request being processed, and then received an email from the financial aid department that I had received conflicting information and that no request would be honored. I then asked why my financial aid would be decreased when I had previously had a bigger award amount the previous semester and for the same amount of hours because I do not understand why they would decrease the aid. After that email, I then received an email from the financial aid department from a [redacted] that I was not packaged for the full cost of attendance and that she would make a request to package my award to the full cost of attendance and that she apologized that this was not done previously and it would take some weeks to process this request. After this email, I could see on my financial aid student account page that she placed this request on Sept. 30, 2013 and that it has been received by financial aid. Now that it is November, I had sent an email asking if they could please give me a timeframe on when this request would be finally processed to package me to my full cost of attendance, and today I received an email back from an [redacted] that I was simply given conflicting information and that I will not receive anymore funding at all for my October semester. Needless to say, I am completely frustrated and upset that yet again my financial aid at this school is in shambles and I keep getting the run around from those who work in the financial aid department. I have kept all of my correspondence to prove how I keep getting told one thing and then getting told another and it is ruining my student experience altogether. I don't understand what is going on and why I keep getting different information. All I know is that for some reason my financial aid has been decreased despite the fact that I am taking the same hours and that I was told they would packaged me to the full cost and then they turned around and changed that to no I am not getting anymore funding. I am really about to seek an attorney if this cannot get resolved because I am tired of being totally crushed by the financial aid department's incompetence.Desired Settlement: I would like for the school to package me to my full cost of attendance as I was told by [redacted] and as is seen by the request that has been made in my student account since Sept. 30th as soon as possible, preferably before this semester ends!

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

Please see the attached APUS response referencing [redacted], Revdex.com complaint # [redacted].

Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.

Sincerely,

Director of Student Appeals

Submitted for,

Executive Vice President

American Public University System

We have been unable to reach **. [redacted] by telephone and as of today, he has not responded to our emails. In the emails, we provided the contact information for a Federal Student Aid Manager who is standing by to discuss his concerns and explain the Federal Student Aid award calculation.

While we cannot discuss any individual student's situation without their permission, please be assured we are doing our best to resolve this complaint as per Federal Student Aid administration and university policies.

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), APUS cannot share the details university/student interactions with a third party entity unless the student provides written authorization. At this time, we do not have a signed release; we encouraged him to share his findings with the Revdex.com.

If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

Hello, this is [redacted] and I completely REJECT this business response because I have emailed [redacted], the financial aid manager, TWICE and have gotten NO response back from him at all and I have emailed the financial aid department again as well but have gotten NO response back from them either. I am working in the field right now and cannot always answer my cell phone and I had missed only ONE call and I have tried to return this call TWICE but am not getting anyone to answer back at all. I think it is clear to me that the school is simply trying to avoid this issue altogether and is now trying to make it seem like I am ignoring them when it is the other way around. I guess I will need to make a formal complaint to the Department of Education since this school is not doing their job properly when it comes to dealing with Federal financial aid.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Sun, Dec 15, 2013 at 8:04 PM

Subject: Complaint [redacted]

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

Hello, this is [redacted] and I had opened up a complaint back on 11/8 against American Public University and had previously rejected their offer. However, the school has since resolved the issues that were raised to my satisfaction and I just wanted the Revdex.com to know that so they could close the case. I appreciate the help and assistance from the Revdex.com in resolving my complaint issues on my Complaint [redacted]. Thank you!

Review: I have been a student with American Public University for four semesters and upon my first and second semester, the financial aid was awarded and disbursed without any errors. Once they changed their MAP software and the financial aid system had changed, my third and fourth semester were a disaster. First, it wasn't until my fourth semester that I received financial aid disbursement for my third and fourth semester. They had to override the 'balance due' notification on my account TWICE just so that I could register for classes on time after I spent hours on the phone with the financial aid office. Their communication with students is horrendous, they would tell me that I receive a phone call from a representative in 10 days, only to have to call back to get an update with the same answer of "we still don't know what's going on" every single time. Once my disbursement came on my fourth semester, the representative with the school told me that they still had not received any funding for my studies at that time and had to 'push through' a refund check, which was sent to their financial aid vendor (unbeknownst to me) and still had to wait an additional 10 days to receive it. The financial aid rep told me that upon sending me this check, my financial aid problem had been resolved and that there was no further issues. Now, upon registering for my fifth semester, I get a notification that I owe over $2,000 to the school due to 'wrongly allocated funding' and they are claiming that I received aid that I should not have received and that I would be barred from registering for classes until this has been paid in full. This is all two weeks before my semester is supposed to start. When I reached out to a representative and explained the situation, I was told the balance was still due. Upon requesting to be contacted by a supervisor, I was told that my account was being forwarded to a supervisor and that they would be reviewing my account within 10 days. This is ridiculous, as the financial aid disbursement was not an error on my end and I am not responsible for wrong funds that the school disbursed and now, due to the error on APUS' end and the short amount of time before the next semester starts, I may not even be able to register for my classes at all this semester, which further delays my education that I have been willing to pay for up until now.Desired Settlement: The $2,000+ dollars that have been added as a total due on my account needs to be cleared immediately and I need to be cleared to register for my classes for September. I am not responsible for that amount, especially since it was told to me by the financial aid department more than once that the issue of financial aid disbursement had been corrected and there would not further error occurring.

Business

Response:

August 14, 2014One of our Financial Aid Managers contacted [redacted] to discuss a proposed resolution to her financial aid concerns. She verbally accepted his proposal and was appreciative of the personal contact. She was provided the manager’s direct contact information, should she have future questions concerning her Federal Student Aid funding.In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), APUS cannot share the details university/student interactions with a third party entity unless the student provides written authorization. At this time, we do not have a signed release.If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.Sincerely,Dr. Sharon v Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer American Public University Systems

Review: This is a long and very involved story which began almost immediately upon applying to and enrollyin in The American Public University System. I do not wish to write a novel here. However, I will say that in the early weeks of my first semester and during my induction into APU, I was mislead verbally by an admissions representative from APUS, which then sent me on a path of administrative and financial aid inequity. My participation and subsequent ability to successfully navigate the graduate school I am trying to attend are being undermined by the universities administration; student services and financial aid offices. There has not yet been one correct date, fact or figure given to me by this university, since my November 2013 enrollment. I sincerely feel that I have been deceived in multiple ways, and have indicated this the university staff on several different occasions, with little to no acknowledgement, other than "one-line apologies." followed by more deceptive and misleading information. This university has a multitude of complaints from current and former students with various consumer advocacy groups and reporting agencies. A vast majority of the complaints are all of the same nature, indicating to me that there is definately something going on. What I mean to say is. How can so many people be affected in the same way (s) by only one businesss/institution, and all of them be either lying or wrong? It just isn't possible for so many complaints to be unfounded.

In my case, I have experienced so many wrong-doings on the part of the university towards me, that I will never be able to get past them and continue with my graduate education at APUS. Not to mention the damage that this university is causing me daily, by continually failing to abide by their own promises and continually practicing a zero-accountability policy with regards to student-support. I am literally beside myself with grief for going down this educational path with APUS, but they really looked pretty good at first glance. And being a veteran and former military person, I felt assured that they would have their students best interest (s) at heart. But I was very wrong.Desired Settlement: I would like to see American Public University involved in a class-action lawsuit with all of the students they have wronged. Some of these U.S. universities are becoming a nuisance, especially of the many on-line or distance-education only schools. They are virtually robbing college students of their educational funds, and exploiting the TitleIV financial aid system. Student Lenders are just as bad charging ridiculous interest rates, for borrowed educational money. I no longer wish to attend APUS and am planning on leaving after the completion of this semester in June, regardless of grades or further administrative actions.

However, as of todays date the university owes me from student loan money reflected by in my account by the department of education, somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000.00. Since the university has not seen fit to update my information through the student portal, I have no access to the actual amount that they are reporting as being credited to my account. The last confirmed entry that I have was entered on February 18, 2014...almost 90 days ago.

Business

Response:

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address [redacted]s concerns. APUS contacted him in April 17, 2014 to discuss his refund. He expressed to [redacted] that he was satisfied with the outcome.In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), APUS cannot share specific details about universitystudent interactions with a third party entity unless the student provides written authorization. At this time, we do not have a signed release; we encouraged him to share the findings with the Revdex.com.If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter. Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: This response is farcical. I did speak with an APUS representative...a gentleman who identified himself as [redacted]. He made no mention of calling me that day in regards, or having knowledge of this Revdex.com complaint. [redacted] and I spoke on the phone for approximately an hour (maybe a little more, maybe a little less). But I must say, I was anything but satisfied with the outcome. The ONLY portion of the outcome that I am somewhat satified with is the fact that the university finally released my funding...almost 8 weeks (2-months) into the semester, a 4-month semester. It has been my personal experience that most universities allocate these funds to their qualifying students about a week prior to the first day of class up to about the first week after the first day of class, unless there is some unusual or extenuating circumstance. This allows students to buy books, computers, pay for student housing, food, transportation, etc. Making students wait until 8-weeks into the semester to get their funding, in my mind is completely and totally unacceptable. When I spoke to [redacted] about this issue, he informed me that it was primarily due to the universities new computer system, that no-one is yet familiar enough with. I have very little belief in this excuse. But let me just say, that this financial aid issue is the least of my complaints, in a very long list of complaints regarding APUS.I'm not sure what [redacted] is talking about. But what she wrote here for a reply seems consistent, with the universities "one line replies, and apologies" that I briefly spoke about in my original Revdex.com complaint. It seems to be a tactic of APUS to glance over actual/real-world problems, in favor or some administrative or beaurocratic stance. I am by no means satisfied with anything about APUS. As a matter of fact I am currently pursuing formal legal action against the university, and plan to leave the university at the end of the current semester. I will not be satisfied until my complaints have been addressed and some sort of measurable action has been taken, and I am privy to it's outcome. In addition, I am going to request that my tuition be refunded for the 2 classes that I enrolled in that had but one other student in them. Which I was required to interact with in forums and other assignments, as a contingency for earning a passing grade in the class. Classroom interaction, whether it be on-line or in a bricks-and-mortar based classroom environment, is supposed to aid in the success of all of a class's students, on the whole. It is a critical component of a successful learning experience. However, if there are less than 2 other students in a classroom, a student cannot possibly abide by the professors required interaction schedule in his/her own syllabus. The syllabus is the contract between the student and the professor...and there-by the student and the university.It has been my experience that if there aren't a certain amount of students in attendance at the beginning of a semester, then the class is usually cancelled due to low enrollment. As an undergraduate in both Ohio and Kentucky, it was required that 15 students be in attendance for the university to offer an accredited class, worth it's monetary value, and value of attendance, ie., it's tuition. Whether those same rules apply to APUS, or to on-line schools in general. I do not know as of this date. However, it is my contention that it should be I currently have a list of unacknowledged grievances that the university continually glances over. The largest issues being no less than: Theft by deception. False statements being given by admissions representatives to coerce student enrollment. Inaccurate advising in reference to policies and procedures by advisors, administrators and financial aid specialists. No-accountability practice on the part of financial aid and student services...just to name a few. I will not stop untill the APUS is held accountable for what it has done to me and to an as-of-yet-undisclosed amount of students, who have suffered the same educational inequities that I have. It is my hope that I may be able to assist in rallying former and current students of APUS to come forward and fight for their rights...for an equitable education in both traditional and on-line universities.This universities corporate body and administration should be ashamed of itself.

Regards,

Review: I and five members of my family have been "customers" of American Public University System, Inc., a publicly trade for profit corporation for the past four years. During this time, I and each of my family members have experienced multiple counts of complete and total incompetence in duty perpetrated against us by the employees of the corporation. The most recent set of events, and reason for this complaint began to occur July of 2014 when I received the following correspondence from the corporation entitled "Information Regarding Your 2013-14 [redacted] Award:



Dear [redacted],

On July 11th, an enhancement to our Federal Student Aid system caused an inadvertent [redacted] Grant return from your account to the Department of Education for a semester you previously completed. We have reviewed the amount that was returned and determined that you were eligible to receive those funds. We are in the process of applying these funds back to your student account and expect the [redacted] Grant amount you are eligible for to be restored within 5-10 business days.

You may have received an email notification stating that you owe a balance on your account. Once this amount is restored, you should stop receiving balance due notifications related to this inadvertent return.

Please note that you will continue to receive notifications for any balances owed that are not related to this return. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any concerns and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Sincerely,

Financial Aid Services

American Public University System

[redacted] | American Public University [redacted], WV [redacted] | www.apus.edu

The first week of August, after hearing nothing further on the issue, I contacted American Public University System, Inc. and spoke to a very kind, polite and upstanding woman by the name of Rebecca Long. I questioned Rebecca regarding the letter and was placed on hold while she contacted her superiors. Rebecca returned to the line after an estimated 15-20 minutes and informed me that APUS, Inc. had indeed made a mistake and I was owed a total of $2,297.00. I once again asked her if she was certain this was the case. She once again placed me on hold and returned an estimated 10 minutes later telling me it was definitely true and the money would be disbursed to my Higher One account on the 4th of August. True to her word, $2,297.00 was disbursed to my Higher One account.

Three weeks later as I was attempting to register for new classes, I received a notification screen informing me I was restricted from registering for classes due to my negative student account status. Upon reviewing my student account, I noticed I was negative the amount of $2,297.00. I promptly contacted APUS, Inc. student support and voiced my concerns. I was then told I was not owed the refund and I was required to pay it back in full before being allowed to register for further classes. The employee refused to admit APUS, Inc. had any responsibility in this unfortunate turn of events and shifted the blame on myself.

After becoming very upset with the employee, I was then rudely placed on hold with no prompting. When the telephone was again picked up, it was a collections agent employed by APUS, Inc. The agent immediately began to inform me it was my fault and must be paid back. I informed the employee of the situation to which she replied "I'm sorry, what type of payment arrangements would you like to set up?" This further infuriated me and I informed the employee this "debt" falls at the bottom of my list of priorities. After voicing my extreme displeasure, the employee transferred me to "Sierra", whom she informed me was her supervisor.

Upon entering the conversation, I was understandably upset and angry. Sierra sensed my degree of displeasure and immediately set out to calm me. After several minutes, Sierra accomplished what she had set out to do, I was calm, but disjointed at the sheer incompetence and inability of APUS, Inc. employees to maintain intelligent and honest conversation. I informed Sierra of the situation and of the many times I had been blown off, misled and lied to by her fellow employees each and every time I contact them. Although Sierra is a kind and professional woman, she is a servant of her master. Sierra also refused to accept responsibility on behalf of her employer and also told me I owed the money and gave no explanation as to how this event occurred. The one small bit of relief Sierra was able to afford me was the ability to further register for classes. This was very little consolation, if any at all. To this day, my student account remains untouched and in complete despair. I have received no e-mails, no telephone calls and no messages from any employee of APUS, Inc. regarding my student account or financial aid status.

This is not an isolated incident. Other members of my family have had APUS, Inc. victimize them as well in the exact same manner, thus my reason for questioning Rebecca L[redacted] so thoroughly. APUS, Inc. began collecting an additional $50.00 per class under the guise of "technology fees". Since they began collecting these fees meant to improve their technology, I am given the excuse of "computer glitches" each time I have contacted them. These so called "glitches" have been occurring for a period of more than one year and have cited more frequently although public outcry from the paying customers (students) is increasing.Desired Settlement: There are a few outcomes which would be acceptable.

1) Accept responsibility for their mistake, restore the balance for the period in question to $0.00 and return my account to "Good Standing".

2) Dis-enroll me from APUS, Inc, restore my balance for the period in question to $0.00. Along with myself, I will dis-enroll three of my family members.

Business

Response:

On 9/8/2014, one of our Federal Student Aid Managers spoke with [redacted] regarding the current status of his Federal Student Aid. It was explained that the credit balance was processed within the DoE guidelines and currently available to him as was the prior Academic Year balance. We believe that we have resolved his complaint.In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), APUS cannot share the details university/student interactions with a third party entity unless the student provides written authorization. At this time, we do not have a signed release; we encouraged him to share the findings with the Revdex.com.If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this matter.Sincerely,Dr. Sharon vExecutive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer American Public University Systems

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Clyde was VERY helpful in resolving my issues.

Regards,