Liberty University Online

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,

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]
 
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 received a letter from the University stating that
they were a fraud and that they were...

using online courses for their own
financial purposes. In addition, the complainant indicates that they recently
received a “threatening” letter from the University reminding them of a balance
on their account and possible interest that may be added. The complainant
claims that Liberty dropped the student’s classes. They also claim that they
(the complainant) did not receive any financial aid from Liberty and have proof
of such. The complainant also asks that Liberty clear the account balance under
their name and stop sending them “threatening” letters.
 
Liberty records show that the complainant was accepted to
Liberty’s online program on January 24, 2013, in pursuit of an Associates of
Arts degree in Psychology. The complainant filled out and submitted a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2012-2013 school year,
which allowed them to be packaged with federal financial aid. The complainant
also registered for two courses in the Spring 2013 semester, [redacted], and [redacted]. Both these courses were part of the Spring semester’s C sub-term, which
spanned from February 11, 2013-April 5, 2013. The account shows on February 12,
2013, financial aid was disbursed to the complainant, including $1,733 in
subsidized loans, $2,970 in unsubsidized loans, and $1,388 in Pell Grant.
 
On February 19, 2013, the complainant was selected by
Liberty’s Financial Aid Office’s Program Integrity Team for a Fraud Prevention
review. This action was not a declaration that the complainant was guilty of
fraud, but a University action based on federal regulations (see 34 CFR
668.16(g)) stipulating that the University will review any potentially
conflicting information on the account of a student who is receiving federal
financial aid, to determine whether that student may be guilty of potential
fraud and abuse of federal aid. The complainant was informed by e-mail of the
review, a list of documents they would be required to provide for the review,
and of the fact that, if all provided information was not turned in or deemed
satisfactory to resolve potential conflicts within four weeks, the federal
financial aid on the student’s account would be returned to the lender. The
complainant provided all the requested documentation; however, the information
was not sufficient to clear the conflicting information that may have been potential
fraud. Thus, per federal guidelines, financial aid was pulled from the account
and returned to the lender on March 21, 2013.
 
Per direction from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office
of Inspector General (OIG), Liberty is not required to divulge the exact nature
of the conflicting information on the account that led to a review for
potential fraud. This direction may be to avoid alerting those who wish to
commit fraud and abuse of federal funds on the ways in which institutions like
Liberty detect fraudulent activity. While the complainant indicates in the
complaint text that Liberty claimed the complainant was “a fraud; I’m not the
person I say I am”, conflicting information, per federal guidelines and
university policies, is not necessarily a falsification of identity, but could
include a number of factors. In addition, while Liberty does not accuse
students of any specific fraudulent behavior, students in a Fraud Prevention
review are required to fill out documentation stating that their reasons for
enrolling in classes at the University are legitimate, and not merely an
attempt to receive federal funds before withdrawing, having only interacted
with the school to obtain funds. This is one of the ways Liberty has noted
students commit fraud and abuse of federal funds; the student being required to
fill out and provide such documentation is not indicative of the University
accusing them of such an activity.
 
The complainant’s complaint text also indicated that Liberty
dropped the student from their courses after selecting them for the Fraud
Prevention review. Per the complainant’s account, not long after all federal
financial aid was returned to the federal government, the complainant stopped
attending their courses. University policy defines attendance in an online
course as any online submission of an assignment or any communication with a
course professor regarding the content of the course. Liberty’s policy also
states that a student who does not participate in an active course for 21 days
or more is unofficially withdrawn from the course and the course is given a
grade of FN (Failure for Non-Attendance). Liberty records show that, despite an
e-mail sent to the complainant on March 14, 2013 warning them of the policy and
the potential to be withdrawn from the course, the student did not attend
either course after March 12, 2013. As a result, the student was unofficially
withdrawn from both courses as of April 4, 2013, and an FN was evaluated for
each course.
 
It is noted that while the complainant was selected for a
Fraud Prevention review, such a review does not include the University
automatically dropping students from courses or recommending the student drop
or withdraw from the courses. It was not until after more than 21 days had
passed that the University unofficially withdraws the student from the courses
in adherence to the standing attendance policy.
 
In the complaint, the complainant asks that Liberty
University clear the account, setting their balance to $0. The University is
not able to comply with this request. While the complainant was eventually
unofficially withdrawn from the courses for lack of participation, they had
participated previously, and had thus assumed financial responsibility for the
courses. Being unofficially withdrawn from the courses does not remove the
student from responsibility for the portion of the courses they in which they
were active and did participate. The $2,503.95 balance on the complainant’s
account—of which they were recently reminded in a letter from the University’s
Student Accounts Office—includes partial tuition for attendance in the courses
as well as an online attendance fee and a withdrawal fee. While the complainant
is not responsible to pay back the federal government for the loans that were
taken out in their name for the Spring 2013 semester since they were returned,
the student is still responsible for the balance incurred by their utilizing
University services and participating in parts of two online courses.
 
The complainant’s account reflects that they did receive
federal financial aid including federal student loans and grants. In their
complaint, however, the complainant made mention of a “prepaid Debit card” sent
to them in 2012 that shows “nothing loaded onto or taken off the card”. The
card the complainant describes is likely the Higher One Card, the card onto
which student account refunds are processed after federal aid disburses.
Federal aid, such as loans and grants, disburses to the University from the
U.S. Department of Education; refunds sent to Higher One (an online third-party
banking institution with which Liberty is affiliated) come from any credit
amount leftover after federal aid is applied to a student’s costs at Liberty.
Typically, federal aid disburses and covers a student’s costs, and, within a
matter of days, if a student has a leftover credit from their financial aid
that can be used as a refund, it is sent to Higher One; however, the action of
financial aid paying from the U.S. Department of Education to Liberty is not
reflected on the Higher One card. Liberty records do not show a refund being
issued to the complainant’s Higher One Card; thus, no activity regarding
federal aid received at Liberty University is reflected on the student’s Higher
One card. This does not free the student from responsibility for the balance on
their Liberty University account.
 
Liberty University records show that the complainant has not
been contacted frequently since ceasing attendance at the school. However, it
is University practice to remind current and former students periodically if a
balance exists at the University under their name. This explains the letter the
student claims to have received on April 21, 2015, in the complaint. While
Liberty regrets that the complainant felt threatened or upset as a result of
the communication, as explained above, the student is responsible for that
balance for utilizing Liberty University courses and other services. It is
noted that the letter also informed the student of a potential amount of
interest they could owe on top of the balance. It is University policy that, if
a student has been informed several times of a balance and does not take action
to settle their account, the balance is forwarded to an outside collection
agency. Such agencies typically charge an additional collection fee for taking
over the process of receiving payments from students, typically a significant
percentage that notably increases the overall amount the student has to pay.
Thus, the complainant was not being threatened by being shown a potential
amount they would have to pay, they were simply being warned it would be more
beneficial to discuss payment arrangements for the balance with Liberty
University rather than taking no action and eventually working with a
collection agency which would likely charge interest.
 
The complainant is encouraged to contact Liberty’s Student
Accounts Office as soon as possible to discuss payment arrangements. That
office can be reached at ###-###-####. If the student contacts Student
Accounts and makes arrangements to pay their balance, the complainant can avoid
having to pay a larger amount—including interest—to a collection agency outside
the University.
 
While the information the University can give the
complainant regarding the Fraud Prevention review is limited per federal
regulations, any additional questions can be addressed to the Financial Aid
Office at [redacted].

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]

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]
The following is in response to the complaint ID referenced above that was received by our office on 2/18/2016. A response to a separate complaint was posted in response to this complaint in error. The complaint outlined below is the official response from Liberty University to complaint ID- [redacted].Upon thorough review of the student’s situation, we were able to
verify that in accordance with the university’s Official Withdrawal policy, the
student requested via email on 2/9/16 the following, “Please withdraw me from
my classes as I will be enrolling in another school.”  Therefore, the student was withdrawn from the
APOL 104 and GOVT 220 courses that began on 1/18/16 and ends on 3/11/16.  The student was registered for PHSC 210 and
SOCI 201 courses that are scheduled to begin on 3/21/16.  Per the Withdrawal Policy, “The withdrawal date, in accordance with federal guidelines, is
recognized as the date the student notifies Liberty University of the intent to
withdraw, either in writing or orally. If the student leaves
without notification, the last date of attendance will be documented as the
withdrawal date.
The
student did state in a conversation on 2/9/16, as well that the student
wanted to remain in the future courses that began on 1/18/16 and dropped the
future courses that begin on 3/21/16. 
However, the email that originally stated that the student wanted to
withdraw from courses was forwarded to the withdrawal team for processing.  In light of the conflicting requests, the
student was presented the opportunity to rescind the withdrawals from APOL 104
and GOVT 220 by completing the Rescind Form and selecting re-enroll for each
course the student wanted to complete.  The student rescinded
their withdrawals on 2/11/16.  After the
withdrawal was rescinded, any concerns with the student’s account regarding a
balance or reinstatement of financial aid were rectified and the student does
not have an account balance with the university. 
Regarding the interactions between the student and our
Student Accounts team we have the following response. The student contacted
Student Accounts on 2/12/2016 to request a refund of financial aid credit for
the Spring 2016 semester.  The representative researched and discovered
that since a withdrawal request was submitted earlier in the week and later
rescinded, her financial aid had to be restored.  This caused a delay in
her refund being released.  The representative explained this information
to the student.  The student expressed the hardship this situation had
caused.  Student requested to speak to a supervisor.  By the end of
the phone call, the student requested to be transferred to Academic
Advising. 
The student next contacted Student Accounts on
2/17/2016 and submitted a supervisor request to express frustration of how she
was treated by previous representative from 2/12/2016.  The student
contacted Student Accounts on 2/18/2016 and spoke to a representative about her
refund.  Although refund was delayed by withdrawal rescission, refund was
released to student within timeframe required by federal regulations from the
Department of Education.  Representative informed the student that refund
was released and would be available to use within 1-3 days. Lastly a Student
Accounts manager contacted the student on 2/23/2016 to discuss phone call on
2/12/2016.  He left a voicemail, and contact information for student
to call back at student’s earliest convenience to further hear out her
frustration.
Sincerely,

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,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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 do not agree with what Liberty university said. If they have record of the university contacting me on all these different occasions I want all the records of it. I wanna know all the phone numbers and email information that they have for me. beacause I have had this phone number for 3 years and from the dates that was mentioned  I didnt get a phone call, email, or anything from liberty univ. I also have documentations that non of my federal funds were released to this school on the dates that were mention, I have applied to another university since then and they showed me where non of my federal funds were released to Liberty University, it just shows I attended the school thats why I needed a trascript. If I knew I had a balance I would have discussed other options with them to get the balance resolved. It was also mention that an email was sent out to my student email with the university and my personal email. I want documentation of all, because if I am no longer a student what makes you think I would check my student email? Even after all the occasions that the university was trying to contact me not 1 time did the university send me a certified letter or anytype of mail to my mailing address. If so I want documentation of that. I want documentation of my student promissory note also. In the end if I had such an outstanding balance why did the University wait until I called to inquire about a transcript before they sent my account to collections. I contacted Liberty University May 14, 2015 about a transcript, and it was mentioned that May 29, 2015 my account was sent to collection, I find that very strange that I was not contacted for 2 years about my balance with the university, then when I contact them all of a sudden my balance was sent to collections. What was my account doing for that time period? I do understand that the University has a policy in place for students who withdraw before they finish a term, but I know that I do not owe a balance of that amount. That is why I was trying to see if there were other settlement options that can be made.

Response to Complaint# [redacted]   1.       Advertising issues - Liberty states on its website that they provide a virtual classroom which they do not and failed to inform me of such until after the classes had started. After reviewing the sections on the...

[redacted] website that are intended for New Students no language of a virtual classroom was located. There is language that references an online classroom but without specific claims of what will or will not be delivered. Beyond this multiple sections offer insight and encourage prospective students to explore further into the format within courses prior to enrolling in courses. This is offered through viewing and completion of a sample course and tutorials that show how the course is presented within the Blackboard software. The intent of these being made available is to insure students have seen the format and system before enrolling and participating in a course which would require them to withdrawal with penalty after being active within the course.   2.       billing issues - Liberty is now assessing a 25% pro-rated tuition fee upon me due to the fact I withdrew after 1 week of classes. In this one week period of time I received no instruction, no lecture, no virtual classroom, no course-related feedback from professors, information that was out-dated in the field I was studying, and professors who openly admit (in emails) to not knowing the subject matter in which they are teaching. Why am I responsible to pay tuition when no instruction occurred. Liberty University admitted that the coursework I was studying was not and will not be for years to come up on current teaching practices nor will it be in a virtual classroom setting. I was told directly by the University that if I wanted to learn about education I should invest time in watching presentations on [redacted] from [redacted] University. Why would I should I pay Liberty tuition when they admit I will not learn from their format? The complainant’s claims of content being out-dated along with professors admitting to not knowing the subject matter is being further reviewed. At this time no correspondence between the student and professors showing this has been provided. Also the complainant has submitted a complaint for review through our internal complaint system where these claims are being passed along to the educational department leadership for the programs they took courses within to fully investigate and resolve if needed. Regarding the 25% that is not being refunded upon withdrawal this process is explained through our withdrawal policy online as well as the student being notified this would take place with the opportunity to rescind and stay in courses to avoid the charges. The complainant did enter a contract with the University upon completion of the financial check-in promise, and in line with this was given access to the course and was an active participant in the course.   3.       Contract issues - Liberty promised to provide a virtual classroom that was modern and up-to-date. Which it was not. If I enter into a contract to purchase a car and I have in fact paid for said vehicle I will receive it. In this case I paid for a virtual classroom that was taught by experts in their field. Funny thing is I paid but received nothing that Liberty promised. I have emails from the professors that state they do not know or understand the subject matter they are to be teaching. See comments from concern #1 above regarding the virtual classroom and tools/resources provided to all students to insure they have insight into courses before enrolling and making activity. Emails between the professor and complainant have not been provided for review at this point.   4.       Customer service - I have been trying for a week now to get hold of someone, anyone at Liberty who could help me. All I receive in return are emails stating they are sorry but to try and email more people. The list of people I am to contact is a circuitous one. Each office tells me to contact each other and vice versa. I have asked for contact information to the appeals office, only to be told they do not have contact information. Who can help if I cannot contact the appeals office? I tried writing an appeal and it would not let me submit one. I will attach below a copy of the appeal I have been sending repeatedly to Liberty. According to complainants records they have contacted the University between 5/30/16 and 6/3/16 regarding their frustrations and how to submit a complaint/appeal surrounding their experience and the impact of their withdrawal from courses. The complainant was directed to submit an official complaint and when sharing that they had challenges attaching documentation was responded to by the Student Advocate office within 24 hours providing assistance on how to attach documentation the complainant would like considered for review. Currently this complaint is under review and within the stated 7-10 day timeframe for completion they were given on 6/3/16.   5.       Delivery issues - My issue here is that they were to deliver a virtual classroom and failed to do so. Also professors were to be the current and proficient in their field and they are not (based on their own words). Also professors used derogatory terms when referring to students with disabilities - I know this is a concern that the Revdex.com does not get involved in. I am bringing this up to illiterate a point that professors that are up on best teaching practices would know better then to use the wrong terminology when discussing students. I was paying to learn best teaching practices which I could not learn if professors used derogatory and outdated terms. See responses to concerns 1 and 3 above. Complainant has not provided any correspondence between themselves and professors for review either within this Revdex.com complaint or attached alongside their internal complaint with the University. Until documentation is provided  6.       Product issues - Liberty touts this as a virtual classroom which it is not. This is nothing more than a home study/correspondence course. The only difference now being that I send my assignments in via the internet and not the postal service. Liberty also stated that I was to receive constant and immediate feedback that would be course/content related. This never occurred and when I asked for course content feedback it was not provided, I was told that it could not be provided directly from my professor because she did not know what the content was. Back to my car analogy...if I took my car in to be repaired I would hope that the technician was an expert who could diagnose the problem and fix it., not just state the obvious that it does not work. If a professor cannot provide appropriate feedback then the product that Liberty is selling (an education) is worthless. See responses above to concerns # 1, 3, and 5 regarding the virtual classroom. Regarding the concerns with lack of feedback and content expertise this is being investigated by the academic department via our internal complaint. This process can be aided greatly by the complainant providing any correspondence between themselves and professors were claims made above can be substantiated and reviewed.   7.       Refund - I do not feel I owe a 25% pro-rated tuition rate for a product that was never delivered and a contract that they broke by not providing a virtual classroom nor educators who are experienced and experts. I was told by the school of education at Liberty University that the things I just mentioned would not be available for years to come in the Masters' of Arts and Teaching program. I should have been made aware of this upfront in the many times that I asked prior to class beginning. I tried posting my appeal that I have been sending to Liberty University on this form, however, it is not allowing me to submit my complaint. I would like to send this to the Revdex.com so that you have a quantifiable accounting of all my complaints with Liberty University. Please contact me for further information. Concerns regarding portion of courses that is not refunded as well as claims that virtual classroom was offered but not delivered on have been addressed above. Also concerns over response time are addressed above with concern #4. In summary upon review of the situation the accusation above of unmet promises that the complainant shares regarding the virtual classroom are inconsistent with the information made available on the University’s online program website. The complainant claims inaccurate information was shared via phone calls as well. Upon review of any calls that were available for review any conversations where this was discussed could not be located. The complainant’s request to refund the 25% of tuition for the courses attempted will not be granted as the student was informed of the potential impact of a withdrawal at multiple stages (policy posted on website, required to review at Financial Check-In, policy included in first required assignment for the course, and consequences outlined upon request to withdrawal with opportunity to rescind and stay in courses). Also the opportunity to further investigate the course format are readily available and advertised to students to insure they are comfortable and satisfied with the format and type of interaction they will receive.

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]
 
We are in receipt of your notice dated January 2, 2016,
regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a former
Liberty student indicated they were selected for a potential fraud review at
Liberty, which upset them and required them to...

send in several pieces of
documentation. It also resulted in the student having financial aid returned to
the aid lender, leaving a balance on their account at Liberty that the student
is responsible to pay. The complainant has requested an apology from Liberty,
as well as the reinstatement of their financial aid to resolve the balance, the
removal of marks on their credit, and the release of Liberty transcripts to
their new school.
 
Liberty records show the complainant was accepted to
Liberty’s online program on April 1, 2014, in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of
Science in Criminal Justice-Forensics. They first attended during the summer of
2014 and then attempted full-time enrollment in the fall 2014 semester. During
the fall semester, on September 8, 2014, the student received a disbursement of
funds from Pell Grant as well as from subsidized and unsubsidized student
loans. In addition, on September 11, 2014, the leftover credit from those funds
was refunded to the student’s Higher One account.
 
However, on October 14, 2014, the complainant was selected
for a Fraud Prevention Review by Liberty’s Financial Aid Office’s Program
Integrity team. This decision was made based on inconsistencies in the
complainant’s records that were believed to be potential fraud. Federal
regulations concerning the abuse and potentially-fraudulent use of federal
financial aid required that Liberty cease paying the student financial aid
collect information from the student that could potentially confirm the
inconsistencies were or were not financial aid fraud.
 
Thus, on October 14, 2014, an e-mail was sent to the
complainant from Liberty’s Program Integrity team indicating they had been
selected for a Fraud Prevention Review, as well as verification, and would be
required to provide documentation to complete the review and confirm financial
aid eligibility. The e-mail sent to the student indicated the documents
required, including a Fraud Prevention Form, a notarized Statement of
Educational Purpose, and a color copy of a government-issued ID, plus official
transcripts from the student’s high school and any other colleges or
universities attended. The e-mail also notified the student that, if all
requested items were not received within four weeks of the date of request,
Liberty would cancel all current and future financial aid; it was noted this
might create a balance the student would be responsible to pay Liberty. In
addition, the e-mail stated that students whose records were reviewed after the
current term ended could permanently lose financial aid eligibility for that
enrollment period, as federal regulations limit the time within which financial
aid can be reinstated.
 
It should be noted that Liberty’s Fraud Prevention review is
based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of
Inspector General (OIG). The complainant states in their complaint that they
were accused of identity fraud. They also claim Liberty representatives were
“aloof” and would not tell them anything. Liberty regrets if the complainant
feels that University representatives were unhelpful; however, per prior
guidance from the OIG, Liberty Financial Aid representatives are trained to not
divulge to students why they might be under review for potential fraud, as this
may inform those who wish to commit fraud on the ways in which institutions
like Liberty become aware of fraudulent activity. Thus, the communication
Liberty representatives had with the student was focused on the items the
student should turn in to complete the review. In addition, it should be noted
that falsifying one’s identity is not the only type of financial aid fraud.
Different actions Liberty considers potential fraud can be reviewed on the
‘Fraud Prevention – Protecting Your Information’ page of Liberty’s website
(that page is available at this link: [redacted]
 
As stated above, the complainant was notified they had four
weeks after the initial notification to provide all the information requested.
However, since the complainant did not submit all the information requested
within that timeframe, all the financial aid on their account was cancelled and
returned to the lender as of November 24, 2014. This created a balance of
$6,710.04 for which the student was responsible.
 
Per the student’s own admission, they delayed in providing
the requested documentation. As a result of not providing the requested
documentation before the aid year was closed, the student’s financial could not
be reinstated to cover the balance. Per University policy, Liberty’s Student
Accounts Office attempted to contact the complainant multiple times to discuss
payment arrangements for the balance. Since no arrangements were made, the
balance was referred to an outside collection agency, [redacted], on June
8, 2015. [redacted] has charged an addition collection fee to the total originally
requested by Liberty.
 
On September 1, 2015, Liberty received a copy of the student’s
government-issued ID as well as the notarized Statement of Educational Purpose.
It should be noted that it is a federal requirement that the latter document be
notarized.. On September 2, 2015, the student’s Fraud Prevention Form was
received; since the student indicated on this form they had attended [redacted]
Community College, their transcript from that institution was requested.
 
Liberty records show several copies of the [redacted] Community
College transcript were received in November 2015. It was received and
satisfied shortly afterward. This being the last item required for review, its
satisfaction meant the complainant’s information was fully reviewed, and their
Fraud Prevention Review was completed. However, since the 2014-2015 school year
had already been closed per the U.S. Department of Education, the student’s
financial aid was unable to be reinstated to cover the balance. While the
complainant claims they were told the financial aid on their account would be
“fixed” once the Fraud Prevention review was completed, it is noted that the
student was advised their documents needed to be provided in a timely manner in
order for their financial aid to be reinstated. In an e-mail to the student on
December 3, 2014, the Program Integrity team advised the student “We cannot
guarantee that your financial aid is able to be reinstated once cancelled;
however, if you submit the requested documentation and your account is cleared
of the Fraud Prevention Review, it may be possible to reinstate the financial aid
to your account.”  This sentiment was reiterated in an e-mail sent to the
student on August 19, 2015, along with the disclaimer “These documents will
need to be submitted before the 2014-2015 aid year closes.” The 2014-2015 aid
year closed on September 30, 2015.
 
At this time, since the complainant’s financial aid cannot
be reinstated, they are required to make payment arrangements for their balance
with the collection agency, [redacted]. It is too late for the complainant
to set up payment arrangements with Liberty University. The complainant is
encouraged to contact [redacted] at their earliest convenience at [redacted]
with any questions or concerns. The student will not be able to receive
transcripts from Liberty until the balance is paid in full.
 
Sincerely,

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,

The payment has been applied to this student's account and the student has been notified of the transaction via email. As of today (5/15/15) the student has a zero balance with the university. This can be confirmed by logging into the student's ASIST account.

We are in receipt of your notice dated November 7, 2014, regarding the
complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, the student states that, as a
police officer in the city of [redacted], they are eligible for the 25 percent
tuition discount Liberty offers to Emergency Response Personnel...

(herein
referred to as the ERP discount).  The
complainant has stated that they sent in the appropriate documentation to apply
for the discount before starting classes at Liberty in the fall of 2012, and
that they shortly afterward were informed that their documentation was received
and that they were approved for the discount. The complainant has stated that,
upon recently discovering they were not awarded the tuition discount for any of
their six semesters of attendance, that they desire the discount to be added to
each semester so they may receive refunds created by the application of the
discount.
 
Liberty records show the complainant was accepted to Liberty
University’s online program on July 20, 2012, in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of
Science degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Christian
Counseling.  After first attending in the
Fall 2012 semester, the student has attended five other semesters including the
currently-ongoing Fall 2014 semester. In the Fall of 2012, the student received
Corporate Tuition Assistance from the City of [redacted], and, in the Summer of
2013, the student received a tuition discount for registering and checking in
early.
 
However, the student was not awarded the ERP tuition discount in previous
semesters because Liberty did not have appropriate documentation on file to
award the student that discount. While the student has claimed otherwise,
Liberty has no record of any documentation submitted for the ERP discount prior
to the Fall 2012 semester.
 
It is the University’s practice that any documentation submitted by a
student is scanned and copied to the student’s account; this transaction is
accompanied by a note listing the date and the nature of the documents that
were received. Similarly, a student’s approval for a discount such as the ERP
is clearly notated on the account. A student would also receive an e-mail
informing them of their approval for the discount. In the case of this
complaint, the student’s account is absent any of these indicators that they
were approved for the ERP discount prior to the Fall 2012 semester. Liberty has
paid particular mind to the student’s oft-referenced date of May 23, 2012, in
its review of this situation. While the fax confirmation sheet the student has
repeatedly provided does list that date, the sheet does not indicate that it
was received by Liberty University. In addition, Liberty has no record of
documentation related to the ERP discount being received and uploaded on or
shortly after May 23, 2012. There is also no record of the student being told,
on or after that date, that the documentation had been received and/or that
they had been approved for the discount. 
 
At this time, the student has been approved for the ERP discount for
the current semester, Fall 2014, and for all future semesters in their
undergraduate program during which they maintain eligible employment. This
approval is due to the documentation provided by the complainant in their
attempt to be awarded the discount. However, the discount is not retroactive
and cannot be applied to semesters before the student was approved. Thus, the
student’s request to receive refunds from her previous semesters as a result of
application of the discount is not approved. The University also denies that it
committed a billing error at any point while informing the student of her costs
of schooling during her time of enrollment.
 
As stated above, the student has been approved of the ERP discount for
the current semester and future semesters in their undergrad program, provided
the complainant maintains eligibility. The discount has already been applied to
the current semester.  This information
has been communicated directly to the student by the University. However,
unless the student can provide documentation that states they were approved for
the ERP discount in the Fall of 2012, this decision will stand. 
 
Sincerely,
 
[redacted]
Liaison/Compliance Analyst
Financial Aid Office

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]   Liberty is in receipt of your notice dated February 10, 2017, regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a Liberty student indicated they were advised to submit a copy of their driver’s license, despite it being expired, only to later be advised this...

was not satisfactory for the review. The student also states when they called to see if the documents they overnighted had been added to their account, they were advised the documents had not been received. Following this conversation, the complainant states they dropped their D sub-term courses but were advised C sub-term could not be dropped. The student also expressed they did not wish to receive further communication from the University however the student continued to receive telephone calls. Lastly, the complaints states upon logging onto their [redacted] email account noticed this was linked to their Liberty email account. The complainant is asking that we return all documents submitted to the University, back to them and have their account closed out with the University.   Records reflect the complainant was accepted to Liberty’s online program on December 29, 2016, in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Interdisiplinary Studies. The student initially enrolled in four courses for the spring 2017 semester, including two in the C sub-term (2/13/17-4/07/17) and two in the D sub-term (3/20/17-5/12/17). However, those courses were inevitably dropped when the student decided they did not wish to attend Liberty University. The student currently does not have any outstanding balance at the University.   On November 4, 2016 the University received the student’s FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). At that time the University noted the student was selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Nearly one-third of all students’ FAFSAs are selected for verification each year, whether by the U.S. Department of Education or by the institution. The institution must follow the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines in confirming the information on a student’s FAFSA. Once a student is selected for verification, they are required to provide all documentation requested and complete the review in order to receive federal and institutional financial aid.   Following notice of the student’s selection for the FAFSA verification the University requested items which included; an official high school transcript, an electronic verification worksheet, a notarized Statement of Educational Purpose form and a color copy of the student’s driver’s license or state issued ID.   On December 30, 2016, the complainant called the University’s Financial Aid Office. On the call the complainant discussed the outstanding documents that were required. In the conversation the student said they would be sending a color copy of their expired learners permit for the verification review. The representative proceeded to tell the student that the permit could be turned in for review. Although, it should be noted that the representative did not make any guarantees on if the permit would be approved, Liberty acknowledges that the representative could have provided the student with a more complete picture of what was needed for that particular requirement. Records reflect the following day, on December 31, the student called in to the Financial Aid Office again and spoke to another representative who correctly advised the student that the expired learner’s permit would not satisfy the requirement on the student’s account.   On December 30, 2016, the student e-mailed a copy of their learner’s permit to the Financial Aid inbox. The student’s learner’s permit was reviewed and satisfied on January 3, 2017. However, the learner’s permit was satisfied in error. When the University learned of this error, in order to remain complaint with federal regulations, the previously satisfied requirement was marked as “incomplete.” The University regrets if this caused the student confusion regarding their next steps. At this time the student still has not provided the University with an unexpired, color copy of their driver’s license or state issued ID. In the complaint the student expressed there was confusion surrounding the mailed documents they sent to the University. Specifically, the student mailed a copy of their High School Transcript and the Statement of Educational Purpose form to the University but when the complainant called the University to see if their documents had been received, the student was advised the documents had not been received. To address this area of the students concern, it is important to point out that the University has a Post Office that is a central location where all University mail is received. Once received at the University Post Office it is delivered to the appropriate department to which it was addressed. This can add length to the timeframe it takes to have a document uploaded to a student’s account. It is important to understand that representatives outside of the Post Office would not be able to provide any information on the location of a package mailed to the University, even when provided a tracking number. Following review of the student’s account it was found the students documents were received by the Post Office on January 30, 2017, provided to the Financial Aid Office on February 1, 2017 and uploaded to the students account on February 3, 2017. This falls within the standard 1-3 business day timeframe the Financial Aid Office has for uploading documents once they have been received in office. Regarding the students concern related to being told they could not drop the spring 2017 semester, C sub-term. On February 9, 2017, the student contacted the Undergraduate Office of Admissions requesting to drop their courses. At that time, per their request the student was dropped from their courses and their admissions application withdrawn. The student was advised this process takes approximately 24 hours to reflect on the student’s account. There is no record that the student was ever advised that their C sub-term courses could not be dropped. To address the students complaint about being communicated with by the University after asking for communication to be ceased. Records reflect the student spoke with a Financial Aid Office Supervisor on Saturday, February 4, 2017, and requested to be placed on the Do Not Call list. At that time the Supervisor sent a request for the student to be added to the Do Not Call list to be processed in the next business week. The student’s request was processed on February 8, 2017. Finally, the student claims that when they logged into their [redacted] University account it was linked to their Liberty email account. Unfortunately, the University is unable to speak as to what would have taken place as there is not enough detail in the student’s complaint narrative. In conclusion, following an in-depth review of the student’s complaint it was determined that the student was initially given incomplete information about the driver’s license requirement needed to satisfy verification but the information was corrected the following day. The University also acknowledges the student’s learner’s permit was satisfied in error but later corrected. The University regrets if this caused the student confusion or frustration. Moving forward the student has been placed on a Do Not Call list and the students address and phone number have been made inactive on their Liberty account. The student can speak to the University’s Information Technology (IT) Help Desk if their desire is to deactivate their Liberty Webmail. The student can reach the IT Help Desk by phone at ([redacted]. Regarding the students desire to have all documents that were sent to the Financial Aid Office returned. Documents sent to the Financial Aid Office are scanned onto the students account and destroyed a week following receipt. This is done as a security measure to protect students’ information. Unfortunately, this means that the student’s documentation is no longer available to be sent back to the student. I trust this addresses the complainant’s concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any other questions or inquiries.   Sincerely,Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office

After review of this complaint the issue that resolution is being sought for is unclear. If the complainant can submit additional details their situation will be reviewed and responded to expeditiously. Additionally if the complainant would like a more direct resolution we would encourage them to...

submit there complaint to us directly through the Liberty University Online complaint form. This form can be accessed at hereSincerely,

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]   Liberty is in receipt of your notice dated July 31, 2016, regarding the complaint ID referred to above. In the complaint, a Liberty student indicated they received notice from a federal loan servicer that a loan in their name had been paid to Liberty University. The...

student was upset by this, as they claimed they did not give the University permission to request a loan on their behalf. The student has acknowledged that they completed a FAFSA and Entrance Counseling for loans but claimed they did not consider this permission for the University to pay out loans. The complainant also claimed they were advised that completion of the Entrance Counseling was required for admission to the University. The student feels that taking this loan out on their behalf is fraudulent behavior by the University and has requested that the University return the loan money to the loan servicer. Liberty records show that the complainant was accepted to the University’s online program on March 25, 2015, in pursuit of a Master of Business Administration: International Business. On March 27, 2015 Liberty received a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) the complainant had submitted for the 2015-2016 school year. As a graduate student, the only type of financial aid the student was eligible for via FAFSA submission was a federal direct unsubsidized loan. On March 30, 2015, an Award Letter was sent to the student via mail indicating they were eligible to receive up to $20,500 in unsubsidized loans at Liberty for the 2015-2016 school year. On February 3, 2016, the student contacted Liberty University’s Admissions Office in preparation for attending their first semester at Liberty, in the spring of 2016. At that time, the student recognized they were going to receive Military Tuition Assistance to cover the majority of their tuition for their courses at Liberty. However, the student inquired how to receive the loans their online account showed they were eligible for. As a result, the agent advised the student to complete an Entrance Counseling via the website [redacted]. Records show the student completed the Entrance Counseling on the same day. In their complaint, the student claims they were told the Entrance Counseling was “a requirement for attendance.” The University does not have have record of the student being advised the Entrance Counseling was anything other than a requirement for receiving student loans. From May 1, 2015 to January 18, 2016 the student received ten e-mails from the University about completing Entrance Counseling. In those emails it was exclusively referenced as a means to receive loans and nothing more. In those letters the student was also told how to decline loans if the student was awarded with loans but uninterested in using them. While University representatives are trained to inform students regularly of the requirement to fill out the Entrance Counseling, it is only mentioned as a requirement for students wishing to receive student loans at the University, which is the context in which the counseling was described and recommended to the student. Completion of a FAFSA along with Entrance Counseling and an active Master Promissory Note, is considered a student’s agreement to have student loans pay out in their name unless the student specifically directs the University otherwise. The student’s loans were not projected to their account until they registered 6 credit hours, on their degree completion plan, in the summer 2016 semester. The loans were projected on the student’s account as of April 4, 2014, at the time the student completed Financial Check-In. Financial Check-In is an electronic contract by which the student agrees to pay for the charges associated with a specific semester of enrollment. Students can pay for their charges through use of financial aid, a payment plan or a combination of the two. When the student completed Financial Check-In the student’s loans were listed as one of the payments being made towards the tuition costs. On June 20, 2016, the student completed Financial Check-In again with the loans still reflected on their account. In the complaint, the complainant wrote: “if there is an owed balance of $75 or even $150, then why did the school request the max for the student loan.” For the summer 2016 semester, the portion of the student’s tuition that was not covered by their Military Tuition Assistance payment was $150. However, because loans were projected on the student account even though Military TA did not cover the student’s full costs the loan eligibility covered the remainder. The University is required to award a student with their maximum federal financial aid eligibility up to their budget. The budget is comprised of components related to a student’s education including tuition, fees, books and supplies, travel, room and board and miscellaneous expenses also referred to as cost of attendance (COA). Because the student’s budget for the term allowed a maximum of $941 in unsubsidized loans that amount of aid was placed and projected, and was only subject to change if the student requested changes. Liberty has no record of the student requesting the loan be removed or decreased. The complainant also asked why the University did not contact them about a balance owed. The complainant feels as though the University should have asked whether they wanted to pay any such balance out of pocket or through a loan. As previously noted the student had their loan projected on their account for the summer 2016 semester as of April 4, 2016. Between the loan and the Military Tuition Assistance payment, their entire balance was covered by financial aid for the summer 2016 semester. Thus, though the student had $150 in tuition that was not covered by the Military Tuition Assistance, it was not reflected as an outstanding balance because the loan was on the account covering it. As a result, the student was not contacted about needing to pay a balance because their account did not show a balance that needed to be paid. Students at Liberty can decrease or even cancel student loans if they desire by filling out an online form called a Federal Direct Student Loan Change Form. Students who contact the University expressing disinterest in using their loans are specifically referred to that form. Since the complainant did not contact the University at any point expressing concern over their loan or a desire not to use it, there was no indication the complainant did not wish to use the loan and receive the resulting refund. As a result, the loan disbursed on July 25, 2016, and the amount left over after all the student’s costs were covered was refunded to their [redacted] Account on July 28, 2016. Liberty University regrets that the complainant did not wish to receive this loan and that they consider it a fraudulent action. It should be noted that this loan was not the result of fraudulent action by the University as it was processed onto the students account as a result of the student completing the FAFSA, the Entrance Counseling and having an active Master Promissory Note on file. If the complainant wants a portion of the loan cancelled from their account, there is a course of action they can take. The complainant is advised to fill out a Federal Direct Student Loan Change Form via their online ASIST account. On this form they should specify that they want to decline their unsubsidized loan for the summer 2016 semester. The University’s Financial Aid Office cannot cancel the full loan as a large portion has already been refunded to the student. However the University can cancel the amount of the loan that was not refunded and is still on the student’s account. The student should be mindful that canceling any portion of their loan for the summer--now that the loans have disbursed and the excess has been refunded to the student--will result in a balance that the student will be responsible to pay. For the remainder of the loan, the complainant is encouraged to find their loan’s lender information via the National Student Loan Database System ([redacted]) and contact their lender about returning to them the credit refund they received. In addition, the student requested in their complaint that the school never request a loan in their name again. The complainant is advised that submitting a FAFSA in the future will automatically be reviewed for student loan eligibility. As a graduate student all the complainant qualifies for through the FAFSA is unsubsidized loans. If the complainant is not interested in receiving loans, they are encouraged to not submit a FAFSA for any future aid years. If the complainant has any additional questions they are encouraged to contact the University’s Financial Aid Office at ([redacted] Sincerely,

Below is the response to Complaint# [redacted].The student claims that emails were sent to their professors for the respective classes in Spring detailing the reasoning for being absent from the courses for a length of time, as well as attempting to call them.  The Academic Progress department,...

responsible for confirming the 21 days needed to earn a grade of FN, confirmed that they do not have any record of the emails claimed by the student.  The student claims that a relative of theirs logged onto their courses via Blackboard to submit a discussion board asking for assistance from the professors.  A submission of this kind would have reset the internal timer, counting the days inactive in the course, removing the possibility for FN in the courses in question.  The student claims that they were not alerted of the FN’s or the removal of their future courses.  As a University we inform students of this policy by requiring them to read and accept the terms of each course’s Syllabus, which details the FN policy.  The completion of the Course Requirements Checklist is an affirmation that they understand this policy, among others.  Beyond this the Military Affairs office also emailed the student regarding the change in his military benefits the day after the FN’s were placed on their account. The student claims that they were not notified on how to appeal this policy.  The student was called and notified of the formal Student Complaint form process through the Student Advocate Office, and was emailed directly after the call concluded with the link to the process. However no complaint was submitted through this process for review by the Student Advocate team. The desired outcome of having the grades changed from FN to an F is not an outcome that will be approved. If the student would like to pursue alternate resolutions they should proceed with submission of a formal complaint through our website with documentation to support the personal issues they experienced. This can be done by going to [redacted] and filling out the digital complaint form there.

Re: Revdex.com ID – [redacted]
The following is in response to the complaint ID referenced above. After
the submission of medical documentation, the complainant 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,

Unfortunately upon further review of the notes on the
students account no mention of the certificate upgrade was found prior to
6/17/14. The situation is unchanged since this time that our EdS/EdD programs
are approved by the Virginia Department of Education for the New Field Upgrade.
Virginia does not offer an equivalent for the In-Field Upgrade. If the student
is wanting to pursue this further the best course of action would be to refer
to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC) for a list of
qualifying in and out of state programs. Currently Liberty does not qualify
unless this is changed by the GPSC.

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.
Liberty University has asserted that the first mention of a certificate upgrade was 6/17/2014 and that I did not discuss this with any staff members prior to that date.  This is not true.  As stated in my complaint, I did my due diligence in asking Liberty University staff members prior to beginning the program if it would lead to a Georgia certificate upgrade and even provided the pertinent information from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for Liberty University to verify.  It is completely unreasonable to think that before I sacrificed precious time away from my family and invested our money to earn this degree that I would not carefully check and verify with the University that the program of study would qualify for an upgrade and thus a pay raise to better support my family.  I relied on what I was told by Liberty University and it was not until June 2014 that I was informed that the program would not lead to an upgrade.  I had advisors throughout the program and it was evident that I was a Georgia educator earning this degree for the purpose of an upgrade in Georgia. I was never informed or advised that this was not the case during my enrollment.  I am sure that if this happened to me that this has happened to other Georgia educators.  It is my hope that no other person will have to go through this tragedy.  I am very disappointed that a christian organization has responded in such a worldly way- denial and to blame the victim due to liability.  Liberty University has not sought to take responsibility for the faulty information I was given and acted upon nor for personal turmoil they have caused my family.  What further recourse can the Revdex.com assist in this matter?
Regards,
[redacted]

I don beleive that he instructor deleted assignment that were submitted and I am not please how a so call christian school stand by this type of behavior. 
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]

In response to Complaint# [redacted]Upon thorough review of the student’s situation, the university was able to verify the pertinent information as it relates to the student’s concerns regarding the role of Academic Advisors vs. Academic Evaluators, the course sequence, as well as, the prerequisite...

information. The roles of Academic Advisors and Academic Evaluators are very different. Academic Advisors assist students with registering and ensuring that the courses apply to their degree completion plan. Whereas, Academic Evaluators ensure that the degree requirements have been met in order to confer the degree. Therefore, the Academic Evaluator can provide an outline of the requirements for a student’s degree program, and Advisor can assist students with registering for courses to meet those requirements.  Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Evaluator when they are approaching the end of their program to avoid verify that they are meeting their requirements for graduation. Undergraduate students are able to contact their Academic Evaluator at any time during their enrollment; however, it is recommended to contact them when the student is within 10 courses or fewer remaining in their undergraduate program.As listed below, I verified that the student had communicated with Academic Advising on multiple occasions to review the provided Degree Completion Plan and Degree Completion Plan Audit information:·       4/16/13, the student was emailed a registration confirmation that included helpful links of degree completion plans.  Therefore, the student had access to their specific hard copy of their specific degree completion plan.  ·       7/2/13, the student was advised of the hard copy of their degree completion plan, which contains a suggested course sequence, alongside of the electronic Degree Completion Plan audit.  The student was also sent a link, once again to the degree completion plans for our online degrees.  ·       11/5/13, the student was sent an email regarding all pertinent information about the Degree Completion Plan Audit.  This email stated, “The Degree Completion Plan Audit (DCPA) is a service to provide students with the ability to check their graduation status online. We are replacing what were originally known as Status Sheets with Degree Completion Plans (DCP’s). You will now have online access to check exactly where you are in your path toward graduation, and to view both your completed and incomplete course requirements. We have also designed a new feature within the DCPA that will allow you to complete a “what if” analysis so you can see where you would stand in credit completion if you made the decision to change your major. This exciting, new system looks directly at your current course data and updates automatically as new grades post to keep your information accurate.” The email also advised How to Access Degree Completion Plan Audit Login to ASIST or visit www.LUonline.com and click on Currents Students to login to your ASIST account.  Select the Student and Financial Aid tab, then Student Records, and finally Degree Completion Plan Audit.  As well as, a tutorial on how to navigate through the Degree Completion Plan Audit.·       12/20/16, the student was advised from their Academic Evaluator that they provide official academic evaluations via email, but can call with questions.  The student was advised that according to the attached Degree Completion Plan Audit, with successful completion of the student’s Fall course, what specific requirements they would need to complete their degree program.  The student was reminded in the email that they could access their degree completion plan audit at any time to view their progress vs. their requirements.  The Academic Evaluator also advised that the results of the official audit they gave were subject to change if the student later added/dropped courses, withdrew from a course, etc.   ·       11/5/13, the student was also sent an email that stated “Degree Completion Plan  Update your Degree Completion Plan so that you can better determine your next set of classes prior to registration.  DCP Audit- Interested in finding out what classes you still have to take for graduation? Or do you want to change to a new degree? You can view the courses left for graduation or the courses needed for an alternate degree by viewing your DCP Audit through your ASIST account.”  The student was also sent an additional email in regards to Math Help, which also included a link to the Degree Completion Plans.·       On 8/29/14, the student discussed changing degree programs and courses that would not meet the major requirements of their degree program. Students are required to agree to a disclaimer when changing degree programs.  This read as follows: “I understand that I may need to submit additional documentation for admission to my new degree program.  I understand that admission to the new degree program is not guaranteed.  I am aware that my decision to switch programs may affect the following: 1. Change in federal awards and institutional scholarships, 2. Change in Degree Completion Plan, 3. Change in registration procedures.” The student then requested to change their degree program; therefore, had the student received an evaluation prior to this date, it would be null due to degree completion requirements may have changed.  For this reason, we encourage students to contact their Academic Evaluator within 10 courses of degree completion.  When the student requested to change their degree program, this caused approximately 15 credit hours to apply toward the free elective requirements for the new degree program, which required 24 free elective credit hours.  Therefore, any additional courses taken outside of the major requirements would increase the total number of credit hours needed for degree completion.  The student has been advised and received written communication on numerous occasions throughout their enrollment with the university, concerning the ability to access the hard copy and electronic version of their degree completion plan.  Therefore, the student had the capability to review the information and follow the suggested course sequence on the hard copy of the Degree Completion Plan and verify the completed courses, as well as the courses that were still needed towards degree completion.