Liberty University Online

Review: I have taken 6 Christian Counseling classes in which each class stated that a certificate would be issued upon the satisfactory completion of the class. Upon completing two fall 2013 semester classes [redacted] & [redacted], I did not receive opt-in survey link which is required for the certificates to be issued from the department that the classes were taken. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, with the major being Christian Counseling in January 2014. I notified Liberty University the Psychology Department on February 6, 2014 of this matter. I received a response that I would received the opt-in survey link within about 2 weeks. I did not receive it, and I notified the school again on 2-19-2014 and the same promise was made that I would receive the opt-in-survey very soon, and stated the weather was a factor in my not receiving my request. It is now March 11, 2014 and I still have not received the information. I notified them today that I would seek other means to get this matter resolved. I have fully paid all monies due for the Fall 2013 semester and would not have received my diploma if I had not paid all monies due for that semester.Desired Settlement: I am due two certificates for [redacted] & [redacted], I would like the opt-in-survey sent to me via email as promised, so that I can receive my certificates due me.

Business

Response:

RE: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]

Dear Mrs. [redacted],

We are in receipt of your notice dated March

11, 2014 regarding the complaint number referred to above.

This student was sent the opt-in email survey

to her Liberty University webmail account on Wednesday, March 12th.

By responding to this survey the student will be eligible to receive the

certificates for the [redacted] and [redacted] courses that she successfully

completed in the Fall semester. We would like for the student to verify her

mailing address by visiting her ASIST account to confirm the address is

correct. If the mailing address is correct and the student has completed the

opt-in survey, please contact us at l[redacted]

for follow up.

Sincerely,

Director,

Student Advocate Office

Liberty

University Online

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 would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: I feel that Liberty University (LU) is not interested in ensuring their students succeed. I feel they are more concerned in revenue. each time I have contacted LU to get results I felt I was taken for a wash. I even attempted to speak to the president of LU but was unsuccessful. I even attempted to file a complaint with student advocacy but was unsuccessful. I have tried to speak to ad-visors, instructors, etc but was unsuccessful in reaching an agreement regarding the universities customer satisfaction policies.Desired Settlement: I seek a full refund/exchange of the services I purchased that have been unsatisfactory. I also seek contact from the president of liberty university.

Business

Response:

The following is in response to the complaint referenced above. After

the submission of medical documentation, the student was granted reasonable

accommodations based on their disability. After speaking with the student by phone, they stated that they did not know they had to request additional time for each

assignment, and felt as though they did not have to do so because it should be

automatic. the student also stated that at the other colleges that they had attended in

the past, the universities allowed them to have more flexible assignment deadlines, as well

as allowing them to complete reports or other written assignments instead of

quizzes and tests. It was explained to the student that our office would not be able

to grant them that accommodation. An attempt was made to clarify the academic

accommodations, and how to go about requesting additional time for assignments

as listed on the Accommodation Acceptance Form that we have received back from the student

initialed on each page and signed acknowledging that they agreed to the terms

and conditions set forth in the document. The student stated by phone that they did

not read the Accommodation Acceptance Form, just signed it and returned to our

office. The student has been encouraged to reread the Accommodations Acceptance Form to

gain a better understanding of her academic accommodations.Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Regards,

Review: I enrolled at Liberty University in the Fall of 2014. Financial aid processed and accepted. Mid way through the semester I was asked to turn in additional financial aid information and have notarized. I turned in all documentation on time. I don't know the time frame but a few weeks after that I was contacted by Liberty Student Accounts and told that I owed a balance. I asked why because I had received financial aid that covered my full tuition. I was told that Liberty University sent my aid back because of fraud and that I would have to contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group as they were investigating me for fraudulent activity. After about a month and back and forths with the representative from FSA Ombudsman office it was concluded that there was nothing fraudulent done on my behalf and that Liberty University could process my aid. I waited a few days before contacting Liberty as they needed to be contacted directly by the Ombudsman office. When I talked with a liberty representative I was told that they did not care what the Financial Aid office said they were not processing my aid and that I owed the balance. As I do not have the money to pay I have been trying to make monthly payments and now Liberty is saying that it is not enough I need to make more of they will turn me over to collections. Liberty University refused to accept my aid awarded by the financial government after they did a thorough research of my application and found nothing fraudulent and now they are wanting to mess up my credit. that has to be poor business acumen. I don't understand how a Christian University could deal in such unethical activities. You can never get anyone on the phone no one can tell you anything they want to tell you that you have to email them.Desired Settlement: Liberty University decided..against the Federal Government to not accept my financial aid. if I had the funds to pay for my education I would not have applied for financial aid. When I did my financial aid check in on July 29, 2014 I had been awarded $6,833.00. Of that $4,680.00 was to cover tuition and there was going to be a credit of $2,018.00They awarded me aid that covered my entire Fall semester then they took it away and want me to pay what I don't have. They decided not to accept the money so they should not bill me they should cover the expenses. Had I known they would not process my aid I would never have enrolled at their university. I should not be responsible for the remaining balance.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your notice dated July 22, 2015, regarding the

complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a Masters-level Liberty

student states that, midway through their first semester, they were selected

for a Fraud Prevention review. Though the complainant states they turned in all

required documentation, their federal financial aid was returned to the

government on the basis of Liberty’s findings in the review, leaving the

complainant with a balance. The complainant has stated that they have contacted

the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group and been informed Liberty should return

their financial aid as no fraudulent information was found. The complainant has

asked that their financial aid be returned to their account to cover the

balance for which they are being billed.

Liberty records show that the complainant was accepted to the

University’s online program on July 24, 2014, in pursuit of a Masters of

Business Administration. Their only semester of enrollment was the Fall 2014

semester, in which the complainant was attending classes from August 18 to

December 12, 2014. However, on October 16, 2014, the student was selected for a

Fraud Prevention Review by Liberty’s Financial Aid Office’s Program Integrity

team after inconsistencies were noted on the complainant’s account,

inconsistencies that appeared to be conflicting information which may have been

potential fraud. Per federal regulations (see 34 CFR 668.16(g)), universities

are required to have a system in place to review any accounts on which there

may have been potential fraudulent activity. Thus, the Financial Aid Office

requested the complainant provide certain documentation for review. While the

complainant did provide the requested information, it did not clear the

conflicting information noted on the complainant’s account.

As the complainant has previously been informed, institutions are

encouraged by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General

(OIG) to not divulge the exact information or reasons for their account

reviews. This may be an attempt by the Department to avoid informing those who

wish to commit fraud on the ways in which universities and other institutions

detect potentially-fraudulent activity. Thus, the complainant has not been

informed of the nature of the conflicting information on their account via

e-mail or phone by University representatives, in accordance with federal guidance.

Since the complainant’s account was flagged for potential fraud, the

federal student loans they had been originally projected to receive while

attending the University were returned to the federal government. This is also

in accordance with federal regulations. Thus, the complainant has a balance at

the University due to having attended four courses without payment being made

toward the tuition.

In the complaint, the complainant indicates that they have communicated

with the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group which informed them there was

“nothing fraudulent” on their account. Liberty has not received any

communication from that organization in regard to this student’s account.

Additionally, Liberty has forwarded its findings regarding potential fraud on

the complainant’s account to the OIG, in accordance with federal regulations. Recent

correspondence from that office to the University has indicated that the OIG

noted evidence of potential criminal violations on the complainant’s account.

However, due to the minimal dollar loss to the Department of Education and

other factors, they have decided not to conduct an investigation. The OIG has

indicated that it is up to Liberty University to take further action on this

matter.

Liberty University has noted that the OIG’s investigation disclosed

evidence of potential criminal violations that were brought to their attention

by the University. The University does not consider the decision by OIG to not

pursue a further investigation as clearance of wrongdoing in this case.

Therefore, Liberty will not be reinstating the financial aid that was

previously removed from the complainant’s account for the 2014-2015 school

year. This matter is therefore closed unless the University receives additional

instruction from the Department of Education.

As stated above, Liberty does consider the complainant responsible for

the balance remaining on their account, as the balance stems from tuition for

courses the complainant completed at the University. Additionally, as the

complainant stated in their complaint, their balance could be sent to an

outside collection agency if the complainant does not make payment arrangements

for the balance with the University’s Office of Student Accounts (which the

complainant can contact by phone at ###-###-####). The complainant will not be

required to pay the entire balance in full but will need to make payment

arrangements to avoid the balance being sent to a collection agency. It should

be noted that collection agencies often charge an additional percentage for

collecting, which would increase the overall amount the complainant would need

to pay.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your notice dated August 24, 2015, regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a former Liberty student claims the University refused to accept financial aid for the complainant, and did so against the ruling of the federal government. The complainant indicates they know Liberty was contacted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). The complainant has also stated they cannot afford the outstanding balance on their account and should not be responsible for it.Liberty records show that the complaint was accepted to Liberty’s online program on July 24, 2014, in pursuit of a Masters of Business Administration. They registered for 9 credit hours for the Fall 2014 semester (8/18/14-12/12/14). For the Fall semester (and the entirety of the 2014-2015 school year), the student was packaged with $20,500 in federal unsubsidized loans and was initially approved to receive them. However, on October 16, 2014, the student was selected for a Fraud Prevention Review by Liberty’s Financial Aid Office’s Program Integrity team after inconsistencies were noted on the complainant’s account, inconsistencies that appeared to be conflicting information which may have been potential fraud. Per federal regulations (see 34 CFR 668.16(g)), universities are required to have a system in place to review any accounts on which there may have been potential fraudulent activity. Thus, the Financial Aid Office requested the complainant provide certain documentation for review. While the complainant did provide the requested information, it did not clear the conflicting information noted on the complainant’s account. Thus, on October 27, 2014, all the funds the complainant had been packaged with for the 2014-2015 school year were returned to the federal government, leaving a balance on the complainant’s account. Since the complainant attended all their courses for the Fall semester—earning 3 of a possible 12 credits for the semester—the complainant is responsible for the balance, which is comprised mostly of the tuition for the courses they attended. In addition, Liberty’s findings regarding the conflicting information and potential fraud on the student’s account were forwarded to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as per previous direction from that office. In the complaint, the complainant indicates that Liberty “decided against the Federal Government to not accept my financial aid” and “the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General when they stated that myself and my friend had committed no fraud in attempting to get federal aid”. Liberty is aware that the complainant reached out to the OIG and has also communicated with the OIG; Liberty has also addressed the friend separately on this issue. On January 5, 2015, Liberty received a letter from the OIG which explained that their investigation disclosed evidence of potential criminal violations that were brought to their attention by the University. However, due to the minimal dollar loss to the Department of Education and other factors, they have decided not to conduct an investigation. The OIG has indicated that it is up to Liberty University and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student AID (ED/FSA) to take further action on this matter. The OIG also indicated they had informed the complainant (and friend) of this ruling. Thus, Liberty denies the complainant’s claim that the University has returned their financial aid and charged them in refute of the federal government’s ruling. In addition, the OIG’s letter clearly indicates they noted evidence of potential criminal violations and also that the final decision on the matter of the student’s account is Liberty’s unless Liberty is directed otherwise by the Office of Federal Student Aid. Due to Liberty’s findings in its investigation on the complainant’s account—which included potentially fraudulent activity such as forging documents, impersonating another person, and deliberately attempting to deceive the University—Liberty will not be reinstating the complainant’s aid nor removing them from responsibility for the balance that exists on the account. As stated above, Liberty does consider the complainant responsible for the balance remaining on their account, as the balance stems from tuition for courses the complainant completed at the University. However, since the complainant has been informed multiple times that they were responsible for the balance and they did not make arrangements for it, according to the University’s Office of Student Accounts, the balance will be referred to an outside collection agency if the complainant does not make payment arrangements by August 27, 2015. If the balance is sent to a collection agency, the complainant will no longer be able to pay Liberty. In addition, it should be noted that, if sent to a collection agency, the complainant’s balance will likely increase, as collection agencies typically charge a small percentage in collection fees. The complainant is thus encouraged to contact the Office of Student Accounts at [redacted] at their earliest convenience to discuss payment arrangements for the balance. The complainant should keep in mind they will not be required to pay the entire balance at one time. Liberty will not be cancelling the complainant’s balance or reinstating their financial aid unless directed to do so by the Department of Education. The complainant should act with haste to contact the Office of Student Accounts to set up payment arrangements lest their balance be forwarded to an outside collection agency, at which time the complainant will likely owe more, overall, than they currently do.Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

RESUBMIT-Liberty University decided..against the Federal Government to not accept my financial aid. if I had the funds to pay for my education I would not have applied for financial aid. When I did my financial aid check in on July 29, 2014 I had been awarded $6,833.00. Of that $4,680.00 was to cover tuition and there was going to be a credit of $2,018.00They awarded me aid that covered my entire Fall semester then they took it away and want me to pay what I don't have. They decided not to accept the money so they should not bill me they should cover the expenses. Had I known they would not process my aid I would never have enrolled at their university. I should not be responsible for the remaining balance. Threatening to send to collections. The U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General when they stated that myself and my friend [redacted] had committed no fraud in attempting to get federal aid. Liberty decided that they would not agree with The US Department of Education to process then financial aid and then accused me of cheatin and stated that this was the reason that they were not processing aid. Since Liberty decided that they would not processed the aid. They decided that they would assume responsibility for billing. Had I known that Liberty would not accept/process my aid. I would have never enrolled because I knew that I could not afford to pay tuition out of pocket.Liberty needs to quit harassing me and threatening me to make payments on an account that they choose not to process my aid. They can either write the difference off but I should not be held eligible because they personally decided to ignore the The U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General when they stated that myself and my friend [redacted] had committed no fraud.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Regards,

[redacted] Liberty is not being truthful and to say they are a "christian" institution this says a lot about the integrity of the university and the validity of their claim. The Federal STudent Aid Ombudsman's office told me that Liberty is known for doing this to their students. When I reached out to Liberty to tell them that the FSA Ombudsman's office found no fraudulent activity and to reinstate federal aid I was told that they would not be honering the Ombudsman decision and then they went on to say that now they were not processing aid because I along with another student was cheating. So which one is it? You can't keep chaning the "issue to fit your need" I pay $25 monthly to Liberty and they are not happy with that. It is their fault that my aid was not processed. I should not be held liable for their inaccuracy or negligence. I am more than happy to make a settlement for a lesser amount and pay as I can.

Review: I enrolled in a class at this online college. I attempted to withdraw after less than 24 hours into the class because I was having great difficulty with their online format. I was told that I could not withdraw from the class without encuring a $351.25 penalty because I had already "participated" in the class. This participation included an introduction to my classmates/professor regarding who I was, where I was from, my age, ect. on a discussion board. This "participation" included nothing about "Business Law" which was the class that I was attempting to take. Again, I attempted to withdraw only hours into the course because I had no way of determining the complexity of their online format until I was engaged in it. I am a military veteran and am entitled to certain benefits through the school as well, including a $100 book voucher. The school told me that this would take 3-5 days to process before I was eligible to receive a voucher number. Yesterday was the 5th day and I was told by the school that they would call me next week about this problem. Tomorrow my first assignment will be due and the school has not held up to their end of the agreement by provideing me with a voucher number so I can order my books to complete my first assignment. I was told that I could order the books without the voucher number but that I would not be reimbursed the $100 for the voucher so I elected to wait since I dont have $100 to waste.Desired Settlement: Liberty University needs to reimburse me the $351.25 charge, not only because this practice is unethical but because they have not held up their end of the agreement by providing me with a voucher number to receive the discount in which I was entitled. I cant complete my assignments withoug my books yet I am expected to pay for the class. This is not fair and extremely unethical.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your notice

dated January 20, 2013 regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the student’s complaint, he states that he

is being charged unfairly for a course from which he withdrew.

University records reflect

the student was taking an online business course as a non-degree seeking

student. The student was admitted to Liberty’s

Online program on December 26, 2013 and registered for his class on December

30, 2013 which began on January 13, 2013.

Liberty notifies students of

the attendance policy the week prior to the start date of the course, in

addition to providing access to the Withdrawal policy, which is sent in the

withdrawal confirmation email from the Advisor who received the withdrawal

request. The policy is also disclosed as

part of the University’s official consumer information.

Students who do not plan to

use federal student aid can request to be put in a special payment plan to

cover tuition costs out of pocket. Special

payment plans have $70 in fees ($25 administration; $45 participation)

associated with the plan. Upon

completing Financial Check-in, the agreement informs students their first

payment will be drafted within 24 hours toward the account balance. The agreement also informs students that

students who fail to attend courses, or complete the required coursework or

withdraw from the University are still liable for the full amount owed.

Military students who wish to

receive Liberty Military benefits must provide proof of military affiliation in

order to code his account with an attribute to receive Liberty institutional

benefits offered to military students. In

the complaint, the student refers to these benefits as an “entitlement”,

however these military benefits are not an entitlement. Instead they are institutional benefits (i.e.

military book voucher, technology fee waiver, discounted tuition rate, etc..)

offered to military students who qualify for these based on their provision of

proof of association to the military and other criteria related with the

benefit offered (i.e. enrollment in 6 or more credit hours). All necessary documentation for this benefit

was received and posted to the student’s account as of January 20, 2014. The student’s military benefits were

available for use the same day.

Fees associated with a

withdrawal are discussed and explained in detail with students prior to

processing their requested withdrawal.

Liberty’s Withdrawal Policy explains in detail the percentage of tuition

that is refunded based on the effective date of withdrawal. Upon review of the refunded charges for this

student, the remaining fees on account are correct and compliant with the

information given to the student at the time of his requested withdrawal. However, as an additional service to the

student, the University will remove the two fees, totaling $70, associated with

the student’s payment plan since the student will not be participating in the

plan as previously arranged. The student

can expect this amount to be adjusted off his account within the next

week. The student can expect an email

informing him of this adjustment once it is processed.

The student can contact the

Financial Aid Office or his Academic Advisor with any additional questions he

may have regarding his withdrawal.

Sincerely,

[redacted], MBA

Liaison/Compliance Analyst II

Office of Financial Aid

Consumer

Response:

I am not satisfied with this resolution because Liberty University failed to provide me with adequate customer service. They failed make themselves accessible to me in a timely manner (IT department) as I waited on hold for an extremely unreasonable amount of time. They failed to provide me with a voucher number within the 3-5 days promised so I could order my books for the class. This is an 8 week course and I do not believe that there can be a reasonable expectation for a student to perform well without a book for what likely would have been two weeks after the class started. It is completely inappropriate and unprofessional for Liberty to ignore these commitments that they made to me. It also needs to be made very clear that I had yet to begin the class (which is Liberty University's grounds for not providing me with a complete refund). An introduction to my classmates/professor (who I am, where I am from, etc.) clearly has nothing to do with Business Law. How can this be considered starting the class or participating in an assignment? Again, I recognized very quickly that Liberty University was not capable of providing me with the service that I needed to perform well in the class. Additionally, I have made numerous attempts to contact the school (particularly the Student Advocate and Registrar) to open up a dialogue regarding their policy for withdrawing from a class and lack of adequate customer service but I have been ignored. This has caused me even greater concern as to the capability of the school to address my concerns in a timely manner or even at all. Again, an attempt was made to withdraw less than 24 hours into the class. I believe that it is unreasonable and unethical for a student to be forced into accepting the service that Liberty University provides without first experiencing said services.

Business

Response:

February 12, 2014

Dear Ms. [redacted],

We are in receipt of the response notice dated January 31,

2013 regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the student’s rebuttal states that the

University has ignored its commitments made to him (regarding the book

voucher). The timing of the receipt of applicable military documentation

prevented the University to provide the book voucher benefit prior to the

beginning of class. The aid was made available to the student at the earliest

opportunity following receipt of the appropriate documentation.

In every online course, the very first assignment students

must complete is the Course Requirement Checklist. The completion of this is the student’s

assertion that they have read all the policies contained therein and agree with

it. Students are informed of the course

attendance policy which is sent out prior to the beginning of every online

class to remind students the importance of attending the class and also

provides drop and withdrawal information in the notice. Also, as mentioned

previously, at the time of withdrawal, students who contact Liberty’s Advising

office are again informed of the effects of the withdrawal and any charges that

will be associated with this action. The

policies and procedures the University enforces under the withdrawal policy are

in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations and

Institutional policies.

Let us know if you have additional questions regarding this

complaint.

Sincerely,

[redacted], MBA

Liaison/Compliance Analyst II

Office of Financial Aid

Consumer

Response:

Liberty University again has failed in providing me answers to several of my complaints, choosing to answer only the questions or parts of questions that they feel they can legally back up. For instance, one of my primary complaints is that the university failed to provide me with a book voucher within the time frame that they promised. How can a student be expected to perform without having a book? Perhaps they should not allow students to sign up for a class as late as I did but since the school allowed me to, the expectation was that I would be able to have a book and not have to wait until the expiration of the first week to even get a voucher number...let alone even order the book. Liberty also failed to provide me with the service that I felt was needed for me to adequately and competently complete the course. Again, the school forces new students (such as myself) to make the decision to withdraw without being provided an adequate amount of time to determine if the school is capable of meeting the students needs. In essence, I am expected to buy a car without first having a chance to test drive it...or even see it! As I stated earlier, the schools policy forced me to make a decision to withdraw in an extraordinarily small window of time (within 24 hours) as to avoid the very fees that I am fighting to recover. How can the school have the expectation that their services will be adequate enough for every potential student without the student having experienced the service that the school provides? This is an extremely unreasonable assumption and grossly unethical policy yet this is exactly what the school is assuming as clearly evidenced by my case. Is it really ok for me to wait on hold for over 30 minutes to get assistance? This is exactly what happened. I hung up without getting the help that I needed yet Liberty has chosen time and time again to ignore this. I emailed my professor with a question regarding my withdrawl but she did not respond. I emailed again two days later and she stated that she "didnt get my first email". Again, confirming the incompetence displayed by the University. I want to know what service Liberty University provided to earn $350 of my money? I got absolutely nothing for free from them but yet this "Christian" University has done nothing more than steal my money. I not only want a full and complete refund but I want an apology and more importantly for them to change this unethical policy. I dont expect Liberty to "give in" at this point as they have displayed the highest levels of stubbornness in regard to this issue. I have lost all faith in this so called "Christian" organization. I want Liberty to answer all of my questions, not just the ones that they want. The first step in my complaint process was directly emailing the school but they chose not to respond (other then their initial denial of a full refund). The second step was the Revdex.com, we'll see what happens here. The next step will be the Liberty University Board of Directors, and the final step will be a news organization to expose the stealing of my hard earned money for a service that they did not perform.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of the response notice dated March 6, 2014

regarding the complaint ID referred to above. The student stated in his

rebuttal of our proposed resolution that Liberty University failed to provide

him with the book voucher within the time frame that was promised. The student

was notified of the need to submit additional documentation ten days prior (1/3/14)

to classes starting; however, Liberty University was not in receipt of this

additional documentation until the start date of the course (1/13/14). The book

voucher was made available to the student on the 5th day following

the receipt of documentation (quoted policy is 3-5 business days following the

receipt of the appropriate documentation).

Liberty University experiences high call volumes at the

beginning of each semester. Online live chat is also available for students to

who need immediate assistance but prefer not to wait in a phone queue.

The student also stated in his rebuttal that he was given

only 24 hours to decide whether to withdraw or not. According to the posted

withdrawal policy and in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education,

students may withdraw from a course at any point while the course is in session.

The date of the withdrawal does impact the overall tuition owed for the course,

and at the time of the student’s withdrawal inquiry the student had two weeks

to withdraw before the tuition charge increased. The only way a student may

avoid incurring a tuition charge for a course is to drop the course before attending.

The student attended the course by completing the Course Requirements

Checklist, thus the window of opportunity to drop the course without financial

penalty was closed. Students are notified of Liberty’s Attendance and

Withdrawal Policies prior to beginning each course, in addition to the

information contained in the Course Requirements Checklist.

Liberty offers Blackboard tutorials which are available to

all students who need to understand how the Blackboard course works. Students may

“test drive” the course during the first days of the course before the Course

Requirements Checklist and Week 1 assignments must be submitted. They are

dropped from the course if no activity (submission of assignments) is evident

by the end of the first week.

On December 30, 2013 the University provided the student a

list of the start dates for each sub-term in addition to Attendance policy

requirements and the information needed from him in order to receive military

benefits. Had the student provided the appropriate documentation during the

timeframe (12/30/13 – 01/10/14) to the start date of the course, the situation

could have been avoided. The student was

informed of alternative sub-term start dates as and chose to begin in the first

sub-term available.

Let us know if you have additional questions regarding this

complaint.

Consumer

Response:

Again, I am deeply disappointed that a Christian college would not only lie but refuse to return money that they did not earn which I was taught many years ago is stealing. I have asked. Liberty University has now all of the sudden chosen to lie and say that a voucher number was in fact provided to me on the 5th day as promised when it wasnt. The 5th day came and went..all 24 hours of it. In fact, the book provider couldnt figure out why I hadnt gotten it yet because they too realized that 5 days had come and gone. I sent in a copy of my DD-214 as requested to Liberty (military division) but they did not accept what I sent them because a bottom portion of the form was cut off so I sent it again as soon as I could. Another one of the many problems that I have here is that I believe, in the interest of collecting as much money they can from whomever they can, they continued to allow me to maintain my spot in the class rather then telling me that it would be very difficult for me to even start my class without materials. I know that you are telling me at the beginning of a semester that various departments are very busy and wait times are long but put yourself in my position...how am I suppose to know this? With the amount of money that I am paying I believe that I am paying for a premium service, not to sit on hold and have my emails ignored. I also understand that I have longer than 24 hours to withdraw from the course. I think that completing the Course Requirement Checklist provided nothing to me yet you feel as though this authorizes you to $350 of my money. Understand, I am 43, I am not as technically savvy as many younger kids. I spent hours stumbling around on your site, watching different tutorials, etc. Not once did I learn or even attempt to learn anything about Business Law....which leads me to the question that has now been ignored about 7-8 times already, at least twice previous through Revdex.com correspondence but also in previous ignored emails to the school. If you'll remember, I highlighted in bold this question previously. What service did Liberty University provide me to earn $350 of my money? This is an easy question to read but not such an easy one to answer is it? I learned nothing about Business Law, I introduced myself to my classmates and that is about it from what I can recall. This does not entitle you to not only $350 but probably not even $3.50. Sin has penetrated this college and I am ashamed of you for doing this to me...absolutely ashamed. This is not Christian behavior at all. I'm sure that you've seen the bumper stickers, bracelets, etc. but I take WWJD rather seriously. Just do this for me, picture Jesus himself in you shoes, would he refund my money? You know for an absolute fact that the answer would be yes because he would say that he did nothing to earn it! Liberty has proven to me time and time again that the service that they performed was inadequate and I am entitled to a full refund. Keep in mind...I am not trying to get one penny for free but rather recover what has been stolen from me. I will not stop until the right thing is done here I can promise you this much.

Review: I contacted the Financial Aid department on 11/11/2013 in the afternoon to inquire about a refund that I am supposed to have in my account for overpayment of books ordered. I received an automated email stating that I would be contacted within 24 hours (which would have been 11/12/2013); I was never contacted, and no one responded to my inquiry or request for information as to why the amount of 99.09 had not been deposited to my account, as the voucher had expired 11/01/2013.Desired Settlement: The school has had 12 days to process and deposit this refund to my account, and there is no reason why it should not be there.

Business

Response:

This student's $99.09 unused portion of her book voucher was returned from our book store on 11-NOV-2013. This portion was refunded to the student's Higher One card today, 14-NOV-2013, along with a portion of the student's financial aid disbursement. If the student has further questions regarding the refund process please contact our student accounts office via email [redacted] or phone at ###-###-####.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.[I checked my account, and there is NO disbursement there. I will check it again this afternoon to see if it has been processed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.Regards,[redacted]

Business

Response:

All disbursements and unused book voucher allocations have been added to the student's account and refunded to the student's higher one card. The student would be best served by contacting the student accounts office for clarification on the refund process as no contact has been made with the financial aid or student accounts office since an email on 11/12/13. If the student has further questions regarding the refund process please contact our student accounts office via email [redacted] or phone at ###-###-####.

Review: The problem that I have with Liberty, as an online student, is their auto-grading testing system. The testing system that online students use for each exam is flawed. The system marks correct answers as being wrong. I only became consciously aware of this problem a few semesters ago, but I informed the instructor and nothing was done about the issue. The problem is that students are likely not reviewing the questions to see if each question has been auto graded correctly(this is an auto-grade system being used) so a one or two point error could cost a student his/her grade. A failed course means that the student would be expected to repeat the course, unless this is an elective class.Desired Settlement: The purpose of this complaint is as a first documented attempt to alert the attention of the school and all online students. (I'm not sure if campus students use the same testing system) I also want all of my previous tests submitted to be reviewed, as I feel that I have been cheated by this system. There is a required class that I failed a year or so ago, and had to repeat. Perhaps I would've passed the class had I reviewed the test. I believe that I had noticed this problem quite some time ago, but may have shrugged it off initially or mentioned it. If further information is needed, I could skim through the school emails that I have which serves as a document for previous complaints sent through email.

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]

We are in receipt of your notice associated with the

complaint ID above and have the following response to the complainant.

After review of the stated issue on the referenced complaint

submission we searched to see what action was taken by the complainant with us

directly while going through this issue. At this point no formalized complaint

has been submitted to us directly so that the issue can be further researched

and escalated to our IT staff for resolution as needed. Regarding the final

grade in the course no steps were taken at the time of the issue by the complainant to pursue a

formal grade appeal review to be done. Due to the amount of time that has

passed this is no longer possible. This would have been an option for the student

within 30 days of the stated end date of the course per our stated policy made

available to students on our website.

At this point if the complainant is continuing to experience

the same technical issues they have had previously we would request they reach

out to us directly at [redacted]

to investigate the issues they are seeing.

Sincerely,

Review: Liberty University decided against the Federal Government to not accept my financial aid. if I had the funds to pay for my education I would not have applied for financial aid. When I did my financial aid check in on July 29, 2014 I had been awarded $6,240.00. Of that $7,460.00 was to cover tuition and there was going to be a credit of $3,819.04They awarded me aid that covered my entire Fall semester then they took it away and want me to pay what I don't have. They decided not to accept the money so they should not bill me they should cover the expenses. This was not my first semester attending Liberty so this was very unnecessary. I have the response from the OIG and the email where they were contacted by the OIG. Had I known they would not process my aid I would never have enrolled at their university. I should not be responsible for the remaining balance.Desired Settlement: reinstate my aid and have my balance resolved.

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]

We are in receipt of your notice dated August 21, 2015,

regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a former

Liberty student claims the University refused to accept financial aid for the

complainant, and did so against the ruling of the federal government. The

complainant indicates they know Liberty was contacted by the U.S. Department of

Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). The complainant has also stated

they cannot afford the outstanding balance on their account and should not be

responsible for it.

Liberty records show that the complaint was accepted to Liberty’s

online program on July 23, 2014, in pursuit of a Masters of Arts in Executive

Leadership. They registered for 12 credit hours for the Fall 2014 semester

(8/18/14-12/12/14). For the Fall semester (and the entirety of the 2014-2015

school year), the student was packaged with federal loans and was initially

approved to receive them. On September 8, 2014, $6,760 in unsubsidized loans

disbursed on the complainant’s account. They received a refund of the excess

funds from this disbursement on September 11, 2014.

However, on October 3, 2014, the student was selected for a

Fraud Prevention Review by Liberty’s Financial Aid Office’s Program Integrity

team after inconsistencies were noted on the complainant’s account,

inconsistencies that appeared to be conflicting information which may have been

potential fraud. Per federal regulations (see 34 CFR 668.16(g)), universities

are required to have a system in place to review any accounts on which there

may have been potential fraudulent activity. Thus, the Financial Aid Office

requested the complainant provide certain documentation for review. While the

complainant did provide the requested information, it did not clear the

conflicting information noted on the complainant’s account. Thus, on November

4, 2014, all the funds the complainant had received during the Fall 2014

semester were returned to the federal government, leaving a balance on the

complainant’s account. Since the complainant attended all their courses for the

Fall semester—earning 9 of a possible 12 credits for the semester—the

complainant is responsible for the balance, which is comprised mostly of the

tuition for the courses they attended. In addition, Liberty’s findings

regarding the conflicting information and potential fraud on the student’s account

were forwarded to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as per previous

direction from that office.

In the complaint, the complainant indicates that Liberty

“decided against the Federal Government to not accept my financial aid” and “I

have the response from the OIG and the e-mail where they were contacted by the

OIG”. Liberty is aware that the complainant reached out to the OIG and has also

communicated with the OIG. On January 5, 2015, Liberty received a letter from

the OIG which explained that their investigation disclosed evidence of

potential criminal violations that were brought to their attention by the

University. However, due to the minimal dollar loss to the Department of

Education and other factors, they have decided not to conduct an investigation.

The OIG has indicated that it is up to Liberty University and the U.S.

Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student AID (ED/FSA) to take

further action on this matter. The OIG also indicated they had informed the

complainant of this ruling.

Thus, Liberty denies the complainant’s claim that the

University has returned their financial aid and charged them in refute of the

federal government’s ruling. In addition, the OIG’s letter clearly indicates

they noted evidence of potential criminal violations and also that the final

decision on the matter of the student’s account is Liberty’s unless Liberty is

directed otherwise by the Office of Federal Student Aid. Due to Liberty’s

findings in its investigation on the complainant’s account—which included

potentially fraudulent activity such as forging documents, impersonating

another person, and deliberately attempting to deceive the University—Liberty

will not be reinstating the complainant’s aid nor removing them from

responsibility for the balance that exists on the account.

As stated above, Liberty does consider the complainant

responsible for the balance remaining on their account, as the balance stems

from tuition for courses the complainant completed at the University. However,

since the complainant has been informed multiple times that they were

responsible for the balance and they did not make arrangements for it, the

balance has been referred to an outside collection agency at this time, per

University policy. On July 15, 2015, the balance was sent to Reliant Capital,

whom the complainant will need to contact to make arrangements for the balance going

forward. Reliant can be reached at [redacted].

Liberty will not be cancelling the complainant’s balance or

reinstating their financial aid unless directed to do so by the Department of

Education.

Sincerely,

Review: I have actively attended Liberty University courses for over a year. Upon beginning courses in 2013, I was told that if I repeated courses that I failed in 2008, the would drop the failed grade. I repeated two courses and passed, now Liberty University will not honor what I was told and continually evades e-mails and phone calls I have made regarding this issue. I want the failing grades for the courses, THEO 350 Fundamental Theological Issues and CHHI 301 History of the Christian Church, removed from my transcript and my overall GPA. I understand that I will not be refunded the money, I am not concerned about that. I want the university to honor what they told me and to not simply ignore my concern as they have with so many students.Desired Settlement: I want the failing grades for THEO 350 and C HHI 301 removed from my transcript and overall GPA.

Business

Response:

The repeat policy for the two courses in question has been

added. The student can confirm this by reviewing his academic transcript on his

ASIST account. The failed courses have a denotation of “E” on the right side of

the academic transcript indicating that those grades are excluded from his cumulative

GPA calculations. The courses that he passed include a similar denotation of “I”

indicating that those grades are included in the cumulative GPA calculation.

The repeat policy is automatically applied for undergraduate students following

the term in which they repeat courses and earn a higher grade in their most

recent attempt. If the student has any further questions regarding this, we welcome

him to contact academic advising or the registrar’s office.

Consumer

Response:

I do not accept because now this raises other issues. I am grateful that they have finally figured out or "automatically" calculated my GPA with the failing grades excluded; however, I am confused now as to why I have been told for over a year that I was barking up the wrong tree and that it was impossible at this time to get the grades excluded. Which is why I resulted to sending e-mails to deans in regards to my situation. My next questions is this, have I been lied to for the past 6 years regarding my MATH 100 Fundamentals of Mathematics grade? I was advised that I had to take the course because my credits did not transfer. (Mind you, this was prior to the degree completion audit.) In January of 2013, I found out that my credits did transfer, I did not need to take the course for my degree and that I wasted $1,300 on a class I did not need and failed due to family issues. Since I was told that I HAD to take the course, which I did not, will the college also remove or "exclude" that grade from my GPA. The grade would not be there had I been advised in the correct direction. Instead, I was suppose to take MATH 115 Mathematics for Liberal Arts which I received an "A" in the course which would have excluded a prior MATH 115 grade had I been advised properly.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I have reviewed the students transcript evaluation sent on

10/9/2007 in which it included an evaluation of the student’s [redacted] MA111 course and transferred into Liberty University as MATH

110. The student should have retained and reviewed this information prior to

enrolling in courses with Liberty University. Regardless, the student was

enrolled in MATH 100 during the spring semester of 2008 after the evaluation

had been made and sent to the student. MATH 100 would be considered a pre-requisite

of MATH 110. In light of this, I will petition to the registrar’s office that

the grade of F earned in that class be administratively changed to a W. While

this response does not indicate that this change is definite, it does confirm

that the request will be made based on the information above on the student’s

behalf. Grade change policies are ruled upon by the administration within the

registrar’s office and their rulings will be final.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. I do hope that the registrars office does grade in favor for me because there is no way that I could have viewed this information in 2008 considering that I registered for the classes over the phone at the recommendation of my advisor.

Regards,

Review: This is a copy of a email I sent to the student advocate group for Liberty University.

Hello,

I enrolled in the summer semester with the assistance of academic advising. I was told I only needed 1 course but would need to take 6 credits for financial aid so they assisted in my selection. I did this over the phone, and they assured me that this was the right course of action. I completed financial check in and everything went fine.

I was told yesterday (7/29) on a financial aid chat on liberty.edu that because I did not need the course in D term that my financial aid would be declined. I took CSPA 102 (originally enrolled as CFRE 101).

Yesterday, Financial aid told me to speak to academic advising and to ensure that whatever my degree completion plan would be that it would need to cover my D term.

I spoke to academic advising. They stated I needed to contact the registar and request that the AA degree that I applied for be unconfered and converted to a BA degree plan. I applied for the Associate degree last week. I requested through my registrar, [redacted], that this be done and correspondence made to the financial aid ensuring that D term is covered. [redacted] got back to me yesterday and said there was nothing that he could for me. He further told me that I am now responsible for the entire summer term tuition of $1600. I was conferred the degree last night in a email at 915 PM. I made request starting at 0800AM on 7/29.

I wanted to share with you some of our frustrations and concerns that this is causing our family. Over the last several months these two courses have proved to be very challenging and time consuming. I have sacrificed so many hours on the course, and chose to cut back on my work so that I could maintain balance in my family, school, work equilibrium. I justified cutting back on my work in anticipation of the student loan refund (over $2400.) I checked my account many times and always saw a credit reflected so I felt comfortable letting go of some of my income temporarily.

I know this seems trivial, but it really has put our family in a bind. The stress and tension in our family today is overwhelming. Not only did I find out that my confidence in the student loan refund was misplaced, but now that I am responsible for paying for this semester without the assistance of any financial aid. I simply do not have the funds available to pay for these courses. If I had had any idea that this would have happened I would have delayed taking courses until we were in a place financially where it would not have been such a burden.

I have every intention of returning to Liberty to finish up my BA, but thought it prudent to get my AA along the way so that I'd have the efforts I've made thus far compiled.

At every step along the way, I did whatever a staff member of Liberty University told me to do. I enrolled with the assistance of Academic Advising, I completed financial check in, and kept in contact. I contacted Financial Aid last week to check on my refund, and they said they would get back to me. I did everything I could and should have, but now my family is going to experience severe financial hardship for following their direction.

I have no idea what to do. [redacted] told me to contact you the student advocates and explain my situation. I am waiting for a reply but nothing yet.

I really have no idea what to do or where to turn. I am strongly considering Legal advise, but I am hoping that this can resolved and I continue my experience at Liberty University.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and effort on my behalf,Desired Settlement: I would like them to unconfer my associates degree. Change my status to a BA student for the summer semester, and correct the financial aid information so the summer is covered by aid. If they can not do this, I believe they are responsible for the summer semesters tuition.

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted] The complainant's situation was resolved on 7/31 through an internal complaint submission and resulting adjustment of the balance that was showing due to $0. The complainant contacted us post the submission of this complaint and was notified that the balance is now resolved. No further action will be taken on our end as the complainant's request in your system as well as our internal complaint system has been fully realized.Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. Has been resolved.

Regards,

Review: I have been enrolled in Liberty University Online's Masters of Science in Sports Management and Administration - non thesis degree since 2011. I have completed 27 of the 36 requred hours with a 3.14 GPA to finish my degree. I am unable to enroll in my required internship until I successfully pass my Comprehensive Exam. I have gone through the first round of Comprehensive Exams (as they allow 3 attempts) and I passed 1 out of 7 exams. I had written the University asking for assistance and guidance and they offered nothing. I emailed the Education Academic Advising on June 29, 2013 asking for assistance and received a response the same day from that they do not have any practice tests or tutoring available for the comprehensive exam. I addressed that I have all textbooks and notes from the courses and was not able to find some of the answers in the books or the course material. I received a response from the University on July 1, 2013 that "The answers for all of the questions can be found within your course tests. With multiple choice questions, you are required to choose the best answer for the question. Questions may have answers which ere all discussed in your text but the text does identify one as being the best choice". I proceeded to attempt to pass the comprehensive exams with no success. I wrote the University in July 23, 2013 asking for assistance once more or to allow me to take 1-2 coureses in lieu of the comprehensive exams if they cannot offer me tutoring assistance or a practice test. I received a response on the same day stating, in an excerpt, "Hence, if some questions/answers are not seen as coming directly from a particular textbook, while this is not an intentional item, it is also not see as a problematic issue for the entire comprehensive exam". This goes against the previous statement that all answers can be found in the textbooks from the course. The respondant offered to speak with me if I wished to have further discussions so I wrote back on July 24, 2013 stating they did not address my original questions and I asked that they refund me the amount of financial aid I had taken out with them or they accommodate me by other means to allow me to successfully graduate. I have not received any emails, phone calls, or communication of other sorts (besides their automated telemarketing phone calls) since this date (July 24, 2013).Desired Settlement: I wish to receive a full refund for all courses taken with the University which amounts to $17,378. If they refuse to refund me I wish to be accommodated by other means, such as allowing me to take 1 or 2 courses in lieu of the comprehensive exam. I find this fair as they would be making additional profit off me for attending extra classes and I would be allowed to graduate should I successfully pass the additional courses.

Business

Response:

Dear Mrs. [redacted], We are in receipt of your notice dated September 16th, 2013 regarding the complaint number referred to above. This individual’s dispute contains many details that we cannot respond to without violating FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations. Liberty University will be happy to provide a more detailed response, if required, as soon as the student provides the necessary authorization to respond in detail. After reviewing the students concerns in regarding to her capstone course as well as the contacts that the university has had with the student, we request that the student contact the Liberty University Student Advocate Office in regards to her complaint at [redacted]. It appears that the student has not yet exhausted her options in regards to appealing to the academic departments through the published processes here at the university. We would be happy to assist the student should she contact our office. Sincerely, [redacted] Director, Student Advocate Office Liberty University Online

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that they have provided me another path for my complaint. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.Thanks, [redacted]

Review: I attend Liberty University online in COMS [redacted]--Strategic Communication Campaigns for the Digital Age under Professor [redacted]. I have followed the grading rubric for Discussion Board Forum 2 (Module 2) in which I received a failing grade. Then I wrote a 28 page paper for Professor [redacted]'s class and she failed me for that assignment as well. Although it did exceed the page limit, there is nothing in the grading rubric that says she can take points off for going over. In other words I made overtures to get a better grade and still received a failing grade. Then she speaks about [redacted] website when in the syllabus she says she is going by the [redacted] Manual. There is no mention about [redacted] or being allowed to take points off for going over the page limit. To make matters worse, she misled me as I have asked for help and she never made any mention about [redacted], which is deceptive behavior on her part. Also, she said she has a right to not accept my completed work, but again it does not say she reserves this right in the syllabus, which is the contract I have with the school. Therefore, she is behaving deceptive and performing work outside the contract and/or agreement.Desired Settlement: Allow me to get through her course based on what the syllabus says and not what she wants to throw in at the last minute to fail me. In other words, follow Liberty University Online policy and grade according to the established rubrics in place and do not go back and re-alter my grade for any submitted assignments unless it will benefit me in terms of a higher grade. I have worked hard and acted in good faith to please this teacher, yet I am being penalized for being a good student. Therefore, she needs to stop the practice of that behavior.

Business

Response:

The student has been in contact with their academic advisor as of 2/18/2015 and been informed of the proper method of appeal in regards to course grading. The student is encouraged to continue to progress in the course and complete their coursework in accordance with the stated instructions and rubrics. Should the student feel that the grading of their assignments is done so in a way that does not align with the published rubrics in the course, the student may submit a formal grade appeal for the course after the final grade of the course is posted. Information regarding the grade appeal policy can be found on the following webpage: [redacted] and includes the following information regarding the policy and process. Liberty University Online Grade AppealsLiberty encourages students to have open and respectful communication with their professor to resolve any concerns regarding individual course assignment grades and/or the final grade for the course.Please click here to access the grade appeal form.(To access the form, you will need to login using your Liberty username and password)Criteria for appeal:Only final posted grades may be appealed beyond the professor. Appeals are accepted only when the grade assigned conflicts with: The published grading rubrics for the course assignments Written communication (i.e., email, announcements, etc.) Calculation error on an assignment (resulting in a change to the final grade)Appeals, other than those mentioned above, will not be reviewed.The student must provide written documentation that demonstrates the occurrence of one or more of the above grounds for appeal. Documentation may be in the form of email correspondence, graded assignments, proof of timely submission, etc.Appeal process:A student wishing to appeal a final grade must submit the appeal to their professor and seek to resolve the situation with them. If the student wishes to appeal further they must follow the process outlined below: Within 30 calendar days of the end of the term, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Chair/Chair, but should do so through Liberty University Online Advising. The student must include the information required above. The Online Chair will consult with the instructor and review the student's written appeal. The Online Chair will then notify Liberty University Online Advising, the instructor and the student of his/her decision. If the student has additional support for their appeal, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Associate Dean, through Liberty University Online Advising after receiving the decision by the Online Chair. This written appeal must be received by Liberty University Online Advising within 5 business days of the Online Chair’s email. The Online Associate Dean will review the student's appeal, as well as any information provided by faculty member. When a decision has been reached, the Online Associate Dean will notify Liberty University Online Advising, the Online Chair, the faculty member and the student. If the student has additional support for their appeal, after receiving the decision by the Online Associate Dean, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Academic Dean through Liberty University Online Advising. This written appeal must be received by Liberty University Online Advising within 5 business days of the Online Associate Dean’s email. The Associate Dean will review the student's appeal, as well as any information provided by faculty member. When a decision has been reached, the Online Academic Dean will notify Liberty University Online Advising, the Online Associate Dean, the Online Chair, the faculty member, and the student. The Online Academic Dean’s decision is final.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The details of why this would not resolve my Revdex.com complaint are as follows: The grading criteria for an appeal in regards to Professor [redacted]'s grading does meet the three areas stated by Liberty University in their response to the Revdex.com. However,because professor [redacted] is not going by the published grading rubrics and has acted in a deceptive manner (in which nobody at Liberty University has taken an active role in preventing), has not made a good faith effort and is actively lowering my grade based on information she has stated that is not located in the published grading rubrics, not located in the published instructions, nor is located in the published syllabus, which constitutes deceptive unethical behavior, then this proposed remedy will not satisfy the resolution of my Revdex.com complaint. I have asked several people at Liberty University for help regarding this issue and have gotten no where, which has resulted in my filing a complaint with the Revdex.com. For example, what if you bought the [redacted] movie [redacted] and then find out later (by someone knocking at your door) that part of the purchase was loaning it out once a week to neighbors in the community, but the purchase contract never made any reference to that being in the contract. Well that is what has happened here in regards to Professor [redacted] taking points off ( and still taking points off) for information not located in the above-mentioned documents as well as is not located on any announcement boards within the course itself. I am going to complete my studies in course COMS [redacted] and want to finish my MSM degree, but the remedy they proposed is not acceptable. In other words, am I supposed to incur unjustified failing grades that adversely impacts my financial aid as well as my continued education at Liberty University, then hope that Liberty University will make it right on the back-end when no one is correcting the professor's behavior on the front end? That makes no sense and is unacceptable. Prevention is the key. See attached documents.

Regards,

Business

Response:

The student is overlooking an important portion of the grade

appeal policy as it is presented in the previous Revdex.com

complaint response as well as the information presented on the university website: [redacted] Only

final posted grades may be appealed beyond the professor.

Appeals are accepted only when the grade assigned conflicts with:

The published grading

rubrics for the course assignments

Written communication (i.e., email, announcements, etc.)

Calculation error on an assignment (resulting in a change to

the final grade)

Appeals, other than those mentioned above,

will not be reviewed. The student is encouraged to follow the university

policies as presented and may appeal the final posted grade of his course at

the end of the term on the grounds that the published grading rubrics for

course assignments were not followed at that time. At such time the student should include the completed/filled in rubrics reflecting the grade that was assigned to his assignments to support his appeal. This appeal would then be

reviewed by the Online Chair.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Due to my being defrauded by [redacted], and [redacted], as well as had my civil rights violated and have been illegally criminally harassed out of Liberty University by the three aforementioned individuals, then this complaint is being handled by the Office for Civil Rights and the respective Police Departments in two different states.

Regards,

Review: I was attending Liberty University. I had a 3.21 GPA. I submitted required information requested for a review. Initially the information was accepted and approved. A few days later the information I subm itted was rejected and I was accused of fraud. I completed my bachelors degree at [redacted] University and never had any problems. I am who I say I am: [redacted]. I was born on November 1, 1958.. The last four of my social is [redacted]. They have returned all the student loans and have told me I am ineligible to receive further financial aid. I was working on my masters and have completed almost half of the required classes.Desired Settlement: I would like them to review my information and to request anything else that would help clear my name. I am willing to submit what ever information that is needed. I want to receive my student loans and complete my masters degree. I want to be able to clear this accusation of fraud.

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com Case # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted], Liberty University is in receipt of your letter dated 8/30/2013, regarding the Revdex.com case mentioned above. Liberty University takes very seriously the risk of abuse and fraud that can take place in the distance learning environment. Liberty University, in compliance to regulations the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued in the Federal Registrar (Oct. 2010), in addition to protecting the U.S. Taxpayer, has developed procedures to identify and halt potential fraud. Regulations require schools to have a system to identify conflicting information and resolve the conflicts before disbursing federal funds. If discrepancies are found after disbursing the funds, the school remains responsible for resolving the conflicting information regardless if selection occurs as a result of ED or the institution. The school is also required to take “appropriate action under the specific program requirements” (34 CFR 668.54(a)(2)). Liberty University applies the same action to a finding of conflicting information as it does to ED selection of a FAFSA for verification. Thus, federal aid eligibility for the applicable aid year is removed and returned to the source until such conflicting information is reconciled. Additionally, the University is required to send the conflicting information to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for their investigation and determination for aid reinstatement (34 CFR 668.16(g)). The University is limited as to the detail of information that can be divulged at this time pending receipt of a determination by the OIG. Communication with the student will continue, however, it will be limited to written communication only. Sincerely, [redacted] Liaison/Compliance Analyst II Office of Financial Aid

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I was a student in good standing and I have never had a problem with my financial aid. This is the first time I have been a distant learner and the first time I question about my financial aidRegards,[redacted]

Review: My issue against this school is that they removed all my financial aid and didn't pay for my classes after. I provided all the information they requested. I'm left with a 15,000 tuition fee for 2012-2013 school year.Desired Settlement: Reinstatement of my financial aid so I can receive my degree. Plus fix my balance

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com Case # [redacted] Dear Ms. [redacted], Liberty University is in receipt of your letter dated 8/30/2013, regarding the Revdex.com case mentioned above. Liberty University takes very seriously the risk of abuse and fraud that can take place in the distance learning environment. Liberty University, in compliance to regulations the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued in the Federal Registrar (Oct. 2010), in addition to protecting the U.S. Taxpayer, has developed procedures to identify and halt potential fraud. Regulations require schools to have a system to identify conflicting information and resolve the conflicts before disbursing federal funds. If discrepancies are found after disbursing the funds, the school remains responsible for resolving the conflicting information regardless if selection occurs as a result of ED or the institution. The school is also required to take “appropriate action under the specific program requirements” (34 CFR 668.54(a)(2)). Liberty University applies the same action to a finding of conflicting information as it does to ED selection of a FAFSA for verification. Thus, federal aid eligibility for the applicable aid year is removed and returned to the source until such conflicting information is reconciled. Additionally, the University is required to send the conflicting information to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for their investigation and determination for aid reinstatement (34 CFR 668.16(g)). The University is limited as to the detail of information that can be divulged at this time pending receipt of a determination by the OIG. Communication with the student will continue, however, it will be limited to written communication only. Sincerely, [redacted] Liaison/Compliance Analyst II Office of Financial Aid

Review: I owed a balance on my account with Liberty University,and I was contacted by a representative with student accounts from Liberty. Upon speaking with the representative I informed him that I was currently unemployed, he stated okay and that was the end of our conversation. At no time did he request that a payment arrangement be made nor did he inform me that my account would be sent to a collection agency. However, the following month I did make a payment (on 3/7/15). The following month I receive a notice from a collection agency informing me that my account has been placed with them for collection and the balance on their statement is 1045.45 more than what I really owe. I don't think that my account should have been turned over to a collection agency when I was making payments on the account and planned to continue making payments. If an actual verbal payment arrangement was needed, I should have been told that on my phone conversation with the representative. When I called Liberty as to inquire about why my account had been turned over to collections the representative I spoke with had no answers or resolutions for me at all.Desired Settlement: I would like Liberty University to withdraw my account from the collection agency. It is unfair for my credit to be ruined when I had already began making payments on this account. I would like my account to be placed back with Liberty University and I would have no problem having a monthly payment arrangement with Liberty University. I would like my balance to be corrected back to the last original amount I owed which was 3500.00. I would need proof in a letter or email that my account is/was no longer with the collection agency as well as a statement displaying correct amount.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your notice dated May 8, 2015,

regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a former

Liberty student indicated that they were aware they owed a balance to the

University, but were not asked about potential payment arrangements nor were

they advised that their account could potentially be referred to a collection

agency. The complainant is upset because their balance is now larger plus collection

fees and they are willing to discuss payment arrangements but have been told it

is too late to pay Liberty.

After review, the complainant’s request has been granted.

The account has been withdrawn from the collection agency to which it had been

referred, and is now solely in the hands of Liberty University. Thus, the

complainant can now discuss payment arrangements with Liberty and make payments

directly to the University. In addition, the owed amount is again $3,500, the

balance the complainant owed after ceasing attendance during the Fall 2014

semester—the additional $1,045.45 collection fee noted by the complainant

previously has been cancelled. The complaint is encouraged to contact the

Student Accounts Office at ###-###-#### to discuss payment arrangements.

Representatives from the Student Accounts Office will be

contacting the complainant shortly to confirm this information and to discuss

payment arrangements.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: I recently enrolled with the online program. During the first day of class I had to withdraw because of safety reasons with my daughter and I from my ex husband. I had to withdraw because of our safety. I started working with the prosecutors office to help resolve the safety issue and currently working with an attorney to hopefully resolve the situation with my ex. I called Liberty that first day of class and explained the situation and told that I had to withdraw. I was told how to go through the process and was told that I could appeal a balance that I would have for one day of class. The balance is 1347.50 for one day of class. I do not understand this because I was not made aware of any charges like this if I needed to withdraw. I was told that the appeal process with evidence would wipe the balance clean and I could return my books. I had to submit the appeal several times because the complaint was not fully read. I wrote what I expected. I also identified to the college that I had no future plans to return to school because not sure how long the situation would take to get handled. I was told that they understood. Through the appeal process I was granted a credit that could be used towards upcoming classes after I identified that I did not want to return. I was told that the credit could not be used towards the balance I owe. My question repeatedly was why cant it be used a credit was issued. I also ran into a problem because my student loans paid the balance and Liberty kept telling me that student loans did not when I had the paper from my student loans stating it was paid. I finally contacted my student loan office and they were able to resolve that complaint and took the money off my loan amount because they seen where Liberty returned the money. That was a mess to figure out. It took over 12 weeks to process. I just feel that that is a lot of money for one day of class and normal withdrawal policy is 7 days and do not remember any communication about a withdraw policy. I submitted the appeal form with the form from the prosecutors office.Desired Settlement: I am having a hard time in understanding why I was granted a credit but unable to use to towards my balance. I don't feel that this is fair to grant me a credit and then still bill my account. I don't have the funds to pay this amount I am a single mother fighting for my daughter's and I's safety. I would like to see a better outcome that 1347.50 that I owe. I would like to see the credit applied to my account.

Business

Response:

When the student withdrew from her two courses in Summer 2015, the resulting balance was $1,347.50. This same total was communicated to the student on July 1, 2015, when she initially inquired about withdrawing. During the phone call on July 1, 2015, the consequences of withdrawing were correctly explained and the Advisor also directed the student to submit an appeal. When discussing the appeal, the student was informed that the appeal would most likely not result in the balance being removed. The student did file an appeal and she was approved for a tuition credit of $847.50 ($423.75 for each course) which she could utilize toward repeating the two courses in question. This amount is equal to what the student is being charged for in tuition, following her withdraw. This tuition credit was awarded as a courtesy, due to the extenuating circumstances that the student was experiencing. There are additional charges beyond tuition (fees and text books), which have not been credited.

In reference to the current balance, the student was charged correctly and in accordance with published university policy. Per the Withdrawal Policy, if a student withdraws after submitting their first assignment (first assignment includes Course Requirements Checklist), they are responsible for 25% of the tuition for said course(s). The Withdrawal Policy is included on the university’s website, in Financial Check-In, as well as in the course itself as a part of the first assignment (Course Requirements Checklist). When completing Financial Check In and the Course Requirements Checklist, all students are required to confirm that they have read the policies and procedures contained therein. In both instances, the student did confirm that they had read the policy.

Taking into consideration the fact that we have approved this exception as a courtesy to the student, we are only able to apply the credit toward repeating the two withdrawn courses. Per the original approval, this credit will remain valid through the Fall semester of 2016.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

They can say that they explained the appeal process and what I was told that it would likely take care of the balance because of the circumstances. I think it is ridiculous that checklist is considered an assignment and no where did I see that it was explained and that was the only thing I completed. When I talked to them about the withdraw I was told that the balance could be possibly be taken care of. Another thing that is frustrating is one individual will say one thing when you call and then someone else will say another thing. I talked to at least 20 different people about this issue and each time someone says something else. I don't remember this being reviewed sign me at financial check in and if it was I might of re thought about this. This seems like a standard message from them. I was hesitate to return to college with circumstances going on and if I would of heard this then I would of questioned it. This is not my first experience with college. I do know I was rushed through financial check in and didn't have the time to read things and all this was done on the phone. I was only instructed buttons to click. I didn't receive any information to read. So the first time I heard about this was when I needed to withdraw because of the circumstances. Still do not understand why the credit was issued then when I explained that I had no interest in returning.

Regards,

Business

Response:

In the student’s rejection, she claims the policies were never explained to her. Prior to her withdraw, the student verified she had read and understood the Attendance Policy on two separate occasions. The first being when she completed the Course Requirements Checklist. The Attendance Policy is included as a part of the required reading within the Student Expectations portion. Upon completion of the Course Requirements Checklist, students are required to confirm whether or not they have read the Student Expectations. The student selected “Yes”, in response to this question. Second, the policy is also included in Financial Check In. On the Policies and Procedures page of the contract, students are required to verify that they have read and understand the policies contained therein. Once again, the student confirmed that she did. It is important to note that by completing Financial Check In, the student is entering into a legal and binding contract with the university.

In the student’s rejection, the student states that she has spoken with at least 20 different people and each person told her something different. I have reviewed the conversations the student has had with the university regarding this issue, beginning in July of 2015. The information the student was given has been consistent and I was unable to find multiple instances of conflicting information, as the student claims in her rejection.

The reason the future tuition credit was awarded, even though the student expressed that she had no interest in returning, was because it was offered as a courtesy. In accordance with the Withdrawal Policy, the student received a 75% tuition refund for each course, based on her date of withdraw during the term. The university was under no obligation to offer any type of additional monetary award, beyond what the student was eligible for per the Withdrawal Policy. Any additional award would have been approved as an extension of grace, which the university did not have to do. Because the student was eligible for a 75% tuition refund, this means that she remains responsible for 25% of the tuition for each course. This 25% that she is responsible for, is the same amount that has been awarded as a future credit when she enrolls in the two courses again. The approved credit can be used toward repeating HSCO 500 and COUN 502 ($423.75 per course) and will remain valid through Fall 2016, should the student choose to return and utilize the tuition credit.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

It it is hard to believe whoever is writing this because they were not on the phone with me and on several occasions when o talked to different people the notes pulled were inconsistent so they are not aware of what was said to me. I did not click any buttons during financial check in or anything this was all done over the phone. The first time I heard about the withdrawal cost was when I called because I needed to withdrawal that is when I heard about. This individual does not know what was said to me when I talked to student appeals about appealing the cost because I was told it could possible lower the balance or wipe away the balance depending on evidence and circumstances. I feel that I was given false information and no one knows what was said except for myself and the other person I talked to. Of courses I am sure that every part of the conversation is documented because if it was then the inconsitency would be there. I think the cost is ridiculous and I don't feel all information provided is correct. The part of struggle with the most is that all communication was over the phone and I was told what I needed to do. Regards,[redacted]

Review: I completed my graduate degree at Liberty University with a 3.86 GPA. I was required to take the GRE for admission into the doctoral program. Unfortunately, I did not meet the minimum score requirements for admission. I contacted Liberty University to discuss alternative arrangements. I was told to just take the GRE a second time and if I did not meet the minimum score requirements I would be allowed into the program based on my GPA. Today, Dr. [redacted] denied my request for admission. She states it is because of my GRE scores, but I believe it is because I filed a complaint against her with the department of education last year. I contacted Liberty University today to speak with someone and no one would take my call. I left several voice mail messages and sent a couple emials...No response. I asked the young lady in the student advocate office if I could speak with one of the student advocate. She told me they do not have access to telephones, they only communicate via email. I asked her what would it take to speak with someone? Do I need an attorney? She stated because I said "attorney" she was required to hang up on me. I called back to speak with an adviser. The adviser told me my account had been flagged and because I mentioned the word "attorney" to another representative he was required to disconnect the call and hung up on me.Desired Settlement: I chose this self-proclaimed Christian University because I felt I would be pursing an education alongside other Christians. The way I was treated today is not Christ-like. I do not feel comfortable returning to Liberty University. I would like for the university to reimburse all application and tuition fees paid while pursing my Ed.S. degree.

Business

Response:

RE: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]

Dear [redacted],

We are in receipt of your notice dated

January 24, 2014 regarding the complaint number referred to above.

We regret that the student has

had a less than ideal experience with the admissions process for entering the

Doctor of Education(Ed.D.). The student earned a score of 284 (the higher of

his two attempts) on the GRE with a 3.0 on the analytical writing section. The

minimum requirement for admissions into the Ed.D. is a total verbal and

quantitative score of 300, as well as a 4.0 or better on the analytical writing

section (for tests taken after August 2011) as outlined in the published admissions

requirements on our website: http://www.liberty.edu/online/edd-admissions-requirements/ The low test score is the reason the student

was rejected from entering the Ed.D. program. This has been communicated to the

student.

It has been suggested that the

student attempt the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) in an effort to earn admissions

into the Ed.D. A minimum score of 400 is required for admissions. Should the

student follow this suggestion and earn the minimum score for admissions, his

application will be considered.

In regards to the legal action

notification the student received. The current standard operating protocol for

staff to follow if they deem that a legitimate legal threat has been

communicated during a telephone conversation is to end the phone call and

continue communication with the student in writing (either via email, mail, or

live chat [provided by the university to all students]) in order to protect all

parties involved. In this instance the agent followed the current standard operating

protocol and ended the phone conversation with the student. Since this time,

the student advocate office has communicated with the student via email and has

removed the legal threat notification from his file. The student may

communicate orally with university representatives regarding all matters at

this time.

Because the current complaint has

no bearing on the student’s earned and conferred Education Specialist (Ed.S.)

degree; the student’s desired settlement of a reimbursement

of all application and tuition fees paid while pursing my Ed.S. degree, will

not be considered.

Sincerely,

Director,

Student Advocate Office

Liberty

University Online

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

As stated by Liberty University on several occasions...I was only required to take the GRE for formality and documentation purposes. However, based on my GPA I was guaranteed acceptance into the Ed.D. program. Also, the decision was based solely on Dr. [redacted]'s recommendation. Dr. [redacted]'s decision is in retaliation for filing a complaint against her with the Department of Education. Also, Liberty University did not provide the Revdex.com with the complete admission policy and requirements. Liberty University did not mention the appeal process, nor did Liberty University mention the students who were accepted into the program with a much lower GPA than me and much lower GRE scores.

Regards,

Business

Response:

This student was rejected from the Ed. D. program on the

basis of low GRE scores. No students are guaranteed admissions into programs at

Liberty University. The student was given the opportunity to appeal the

admissions decision however the appeal was denied based upon the low GRE scores

and the student was encouraged to attempt the MAT in order that he may earn

scores high enough to meet the admissions standards for his program of choice. At

current date the student has not followed this recommendation.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.

The decision was not made based on my GRE scores. Dr. [redacted]'s decision is in retaliation to the complaint I filed against her with the Department of Education and Liberty University.

Regards,

Review: After reviewing my credit report I noticed a collection agency from a college debt at Liberty University. I should have no debt with this college. This situation stems from an occurance that took place Summer 2012. Liberty states that I attended classes during that summer semester when I did in fact not attend classes due to a financial hold that was place on my account. I dealt in length with Liberty to get the situation resolved during that timeframe and was informed back then that it was. Well it clearly isn't and now for the past two weeks I have been calling trying to get a hold of someone in charge...a supervisor...and when I call...after going through a thousand prompts that don't get me anywhere..I finally talk with people who inform me that there is never a supervisor to talk with. All they tell me is that I will get a call back which I never get. I want this situation taken care of and want to deal with someone who can help in resolving it.Desired Settlement: I want the financial charges to be dropped and the collection agency off my credit report

Business

Response:

RE: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]

Dear Ms. [redacted],

We are in receipt of your notice

dated January 15, 2013 regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the student’s complaint, he states that he

is being charged for courses which he did not attend in the summer 2012

semester, yet he was charged for the courses.

University records reflect

the student was pursuing a degree in Liberty’s Online program and began taking

courses in the Fall of 2011. The student

attended four classes in the Fall (2011) and two classes in Spring (2012). The student registered for three summer

courses in March of 2012 and began attending on May 14, 2012. Online students

are informed prior to the beginning of each course that completing the Course

Requirement Checklist and turning in assignments constitutes “attendance” as

they are actively participating in the course.

For students who cease actively participating in their classes, the

charges on account are prorated in accordance to the Withdrawal policy’s

Refund/Credit schedule, based on the last date of attendance in each course. This process typically results in a remaining

balance payable to the University for the time spent in classes.

Liberty University has

communicated the attendance policy to the student on numerous occasions. This policy is also disclosed as part of the

University’s official consumer information. On July 30, 2012, the student spoke

with Financial Aid who informed him specifically of the assignments submitted

in each class and reiterated the attendance policy at that time. Students who attend Liberty University Online

receive repeatedly communications regarding the importance of “attendance”, and

additionally an email is sent if they do not actively participate in the course

each week, reminding them of the effects of their inactivity.

The student stated in his

complaint that there was a hold on his account preventing his aid from being

disbursed to him. There are various circumstances that can cause a student’s

aid to be withheld from disbursement including a student’s academic progress. All students are evaluated at the end of each

term to determine that they are meeting program requirements as stated in the

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

Other circumstances can include meeting enrollment and lender criteria

for aid eligibility or incomplete FAFSA verification. Each circumstance has its process for

clearing the hold on a student’s account.

Liberty actively notifies students of the specific circumstances via

email and regular mail notices and phone calls.

As stated previously, the

student in fact did attend his summer classes and therefore, the University was

due payment for any prorated charges remaining on his account. As the student stated, the unpaid charges

were sent to collections. The student’s

desired settlement is to have the collection removed from the credit report and

the charges on the account dropped. Liberty University is always willing to

work with students who need extra time to pay balances. Liberty University

offered to put the student in a special payment plan, after which would allow

the student to register for classes. The

student declined this option. The

complaint also states that the student never received a call back from a

supervisor. However, on August 3, 2012,

a Student Accounts supervisor spoke to the student at length. The University

continued to contact the student via multiple calls and statements until the

account was turned over for collection (March, 2013).

Liberty University can

provide the student with the documentation supporting the attendance statements

in this response. The student can

request a copy of this information by emailing [redacted], attention: Compliance.

Sincerely,

[redacted], MBA

Liaison/Compliance Analyst II

Office of Financial Aid

Review: Liberty has called my house numerous times in the past week asking for someone that does not live here and we have never heard of. They say they will take care of the problem but then they call again.Desired Settlement: I want them to stop calling me and fix their obvious inability to prevent wrong calls.

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]After searching for the complainant in our database we were not able to locate their file and records using the consumer information they provided. If the complainant can respond back with their student ID, active email address utilized as a student, or active phone number on file that they have been receiving calls at we will seek immediate resolution to their complaint. Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]Per the request of the complainant the phone number provided in his complaint has been removed from all University call lists. There should be no further contact initiated with the complainant from the University moving forward. Sincerly,

Review: I withdrew from the summer term at Liberty in my second week. I was told that there would be a $50 fee for this. That was fine with me but they never told me who/where to pay. I never receive a bill in the mail or by email. Today I went to the online site to request a copy of my transcripts be sent to my new college. I was unable to do so as my account has a hold for $308.74 on it that has to be paid in full before they will release my transcripts. I have no idea what this is as I was told that the fee for withdrawing was $50 and that I had no repayment due on my Student Loans or Pell Grant for summer term. The advising office at Liberty tells me that they can't release my transcripts until I pay this bill in full. I have no idea what I'm paying as I had barely started classes. At the end of my first week, I started working fulltime after not having a job outside the home for 15 years. Since summer tem isn't a requirement, I decided to withdraw from classes and start again in the fall once I was use to being a working person again. Liberty never once told me that I would owe more than the $50 for withdrawing nor did I ever receive a bill in the mail or by email for the $308.74. [redacted] tells me that I'm in my grace period and will have to start paying my student loans in December if I'm not enrolled in college classes before then. This I was totally aware of. I have 21 credits at Liberty that I have "paid" for with student loans. I really don't want to have to loose these by not being able to use my transcripts. I'm not even sure if [redacted] will allow me to continue my enrollment without these transcripts even though they have my transcripts from two other colleges. I feel that if I'm going to be charged $308.74 then, I should have been told this upfront with I requested to withdraw. I requested to withdraw my second week of classes even though Liberty took weeks to respond to my request and only after I contacted them several times. I'm willing to pay the $50 they told me upfront that it would cost me to withdraw as long as they are willing to release my transcripts to [redacted] upon receipt of the $50 payment. I also need to know who/where to make this payment. I just plain don't feel that I should have to pay an amount that I wasn't informed of upfront and then have to pay it in one lump sum. My husband and I are very low income hard working people who both hold two jobs. We have four kids starting school the end of August and they need school supplies and school clothes. It will take me months to save up over $300 and then in the mean time my student loan payments will start. All because Liberty failed to disclose actual fees to me. This shouldn't be held against me.Desired Settlement: I'm willing to pay the $50 I was told was the withdrawal fee when I withdrew from classes. I would like Liberty to excuse the $258.74 difference that they say I owe. I also want Liberty to agree to release my official transcripts to Crown College. I will pay the $10 fee for the official transcripts.

Business

Response:

RE: Revdex.com ID – [redacted] Dear [redacted], We are in receipt of your notice dated July 15, 2013 regarding the complaint number referred to above. This individual’s dispute contains many details that we cannot respond to without violating FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations. Liberty University will be happy to provide a more detailed response, if required, as soon as the student provides the necessary authorization to respond in detail. However, we have reviewed this situation and can attest to having applied accurately the institutional and federal policies in this case. Liberty University sends every student that requests to withdraw from a course a detailed email that includes the consequences that their withdrawal will ensue. These consequences often include a $50 withdrawal fee, a recalculation of financial aid (Federal Policy), and a permanent grade of W for the course that they are withdrawing from. Due to these consequences, student often have a balance from tuition, fees, and books. Liberty University has communicated in detail with the student regarding this response. Sincerely, [redacted] Assistant Director Student Advocate Office Liberty University Online

Review: I enrolled in Online classes at Liberty University for the spring of 2015. I was registered for 6 credits in the B term and 6 in the D term. On December 30th, I was notified by the Financial Aid Office that my aid would be posted in the Financial Aid Check In. On 12/31/2014, I was notified by financial Aid that I was going to receive $10,141 for the spring semester. I also received 40% towards the POST 9/11 GI BILL. I was given ###-###-#### as a contact number. On 12/31/2014, I again received notification that I had completed financial Check-IN:

Previous Balance: 0

Book Voucher: 600

Tuition Discount: 2,430

Tuition 4,680

Federal Loan 10,141

Credit Balance: 7,291

I asked Financial Aid before school started if there were any issues regarding my aid. I was advised everything was ok, otherwise I would not have taken classes. So, I enrolled.

Per the Contract of Financial Check In: MY statement has resulted in a zero balance. I am not required to make any payments at this time. Additionally, it states, it is the responsibility of the student and/or financially responsible party to ensure that all finical aid estimates are reflected on the projected summary of account prior to the first installment payment being drafted (refer to email 12/31/14 confirming aid). I did what I was to do in regards to the contract. Today, 3/3/2015, I was told I have a $2,276 debt to Liberty Online. I was told that they messed up in calculating my aid in the beginning of the year. The refunded aid back to lenders, leaving the debt. If there was an issue, they should have found this before I started school or received this. This is their problem, not mine. I did what I was responsible for.Desired Settlement: Since this is due to their incompetence, I should not be held responsible. I have documentation showing how I followed up with Financial Aid to ensure everything was ok. I went through a whole 8 weeks and find out at the end I supposedly owe something. In normal business practice, when you are dealing with a customer and you screw up, it is your fault and do not hold the customer accountable due to your inability to add and subtract. They do not need to hold me accountable for their mistake!

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your notice dated March 3, 2015,

regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, the complainant

claims that they were told they would not owe anything out of pocket toward the

costs of the Spring 2015 semester at Liberty. The complainant was told before

the semester started that they had a balance of $0; their online account also

reflected this. On March 3, 2015, the complainant received notice that they

owed $2,200 to Liberty for the Spring semester after their financial aid for

the semester was reduced. The complainant has asked that Liberty cover the

balance since they believe this to be a Liberty mistake.

The complainant’s balance for the Spring 2015 semester came

when the student dropped from full time (12 credit hours) to half time (6

credit hours) for the D sub-term (3/16/15-5/8/15). The complainant had

already received a disbursement of financial aid pre-packaged for full-time

eligibility. Per federal regulations, once the complainant dropped the D sub-term

and was no longer enrolled in the semester, a review was required to determine

how much of the disbursed financial aid they were able to keep. If any unearned

amount was determined, that amount would be sent back to the loan lender by the

school, and the complainant would be responsible for any resulting balance.

Thus, the complainant’s account incurred a balance when loans they were not

eligible to keep were sent back to the lender. The complainant had been

informed they had no balance and everything was covered, but this was before

the dropping of the courses.

However, Liberty has agreed to cover the balance as a

one-time courtesy. It should also be noted that, during a review of the

complainant’s account and loan eligibility, it was determined that the complainant

received loans in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years for which they were

not eligible. The complainant was ineligible for the listed loans due to a

documented disability. This recent review determined that the complainant had

not provided the documentation required by the U.S. Department of Education for

reinstatement of federal student loan eligibility. Thus, the loans the

complainant received for those aid years have been returned to the federal

government. Liberty has extended its one-time courtesy to cover that resulting

balance as well, so that the complainant does not owe the University any money

at this time.

The complainant will be receiving an additional written

response from the University to which they will be welcome to respond with any

questions or concerns they may have.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. This would be greatly appreciated if Liberty does cover the outstanding balances for me. Thank you for assisting me with this resolution.

Regards,