PC Fix

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Assumed Answered]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: as it was stated, I did everything I could possibly do to get the financial aid processed in a timely fashion. They should be able to see the financial aid portal on the back end. I would not have access to this. As this has happened previously and they were able to see that, they should have access to this information. I will not accept this as a viable option because I am being asked to pay amounts that would have been covered by my financial aid and would have to endure financial hardship for their mistake.
Regards,
[redacted]

We regret this situation and apologize for the confusion this has caused. After a review of Mr. [redacted]’s degree program, he did enroll into a program that was 124 credit hours, which included the [redacted] Physics II course in question. It appears that he submitted his application for graduation prior...

to a degree audit being completed by the university. The degree audit process, which is in place to ensure a student has met all the requirements for a degree despite errors in processes or communications, identified that he only completed 120 credit hours, 4 credit hours short of the 124 credit hours required for graduation with the degree.  Specifically, he is missing a foundational course, Physics II, a required course in the degree program.  In order to award the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technology, Mr. [redacted] needs to complete [redacted] to meet the degree requirements.   Mr. [redacted] has all the options available which Grantham University offers in order to obtain the required credit.  Specifically, he  can take [redacted] Physics II (Mr. [redacted] will not be charged for this course), apply for PLA credit (Grantham will waive the fee), or take a proctored challenge test. Mr. [redacted] should contact the Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, [redacted], to further discuss these options. She can be reached at [redacted] or  ###-###-####.

The Student Financial Services Officer did speak to Ms. [redacted] on 3/24/17 and explained in detail that adjustments were being made to her account because her financial aid award package was originally set up as if she would only be attending one semester this academic year. The Student Financial...

Services Officer spoke with Ms. [redacted]’s Student Advisor and verified that she would be enrolling into 12 credit hours for the second semester. This necessitated that we make the adjustment to spread her loans out over the full academic year (2 semesters) rather than 1 semester. The Student Financial Services Officer explained all of this, and explained that she will not be issued an additional credit balance refund at this time, and her next disbursements would take place after she began her second semester. At that time, Ms. [redacted] understood and everything was fine. As always, if Ms. [redacted] has further questions, we encourage her to reach out to the [redacted] at [redacted]

Good Morning!I am emailing regarding complaint #[redacted]  that I filed yesterday, August 7th. I received notification from Grantham University that my account has been cleared to reflect a zero balance, and I am able to order copies of my transcript. I will follow up again if I have...

any issues registering at my next school. I appreciate your quick action with helping to resolve this matter.[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Well if you, look on your [redacted] site a student posted he recieved a disbursement schedule from his financial advisor, if you guys did not want students to recieve this you should not have given it to one student. You guys are unorganized and it's pretty sad. Only way to reach out and get any response, not just from me but from a handful of students is through [redacted]. I get people all the time send me private messages, to see if they are getting the same information as me. Point blank, it's sad. Get it together. 
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Assumed Answered]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:When I started at Grantham I was informed by Mr [redacted] that Grantham had one of the top accreditations.  I didn't ask any more questions after that I.  Upon enrolling in Grantham I explained to Mr [redacted] when he was selecting my classes that he not put me into two classes that required me to write papers, due to a PCS Move , Conferences and military classes, but was enrolled in two writing classes. I informed my academic advisor ([redacted]) but because she was sick, I spoke with [redacted]. I informed him that I was upset that grantham had lied to me about their accreditation this was on 27 Feb 2017 an that I had spoken with my Army education Center an they informed me to finish the classes and they would transfer me to a school that would take the credits I had from Grantham. That I would be filing a formal complaint against them for their practices an misleading Army Soldiers.   I was also told that I was going to be dropped from my classes because the college had not received my high school transcript. I informed the school that this was unfair for me to do all of the work an then just not receive credit because I was not informed of this. I emailed my instructors for  a extensions on late work turn in an was told it was ok they would work with me and not to miss 14 days. I logged into grantham an worked in each class but for some reason I was dropped from one class and not the others. I informed my academic advisor that I had logged in an she was like she couldn't do anything an she treated me differently after I advised her that I had complained about their school and practices. I Submitted all of my work in all classes but was dropped from orientation an given a D and F. I completed all assignments in each class. I only missed a couple of post from discussion at black board. the instructor's did not grade my work that was turned in. The school was upset because I complained to the army about their practices against soldiers and targeted me. and they did not want to help me. The veteran services dept of grantham had to step in for them to fix my issue about the high school diploma. Please ask them to review all of my assignments and why they were not graded. I attached a couple of my assignments to prove that they did not grade my work fairly. I have a copy of all assignments  an request that they be graded fairly.  I have all emails an phone records as well.Regards,
[redacted]

I regret that Ms. [redacted] has had an unpleasant experience.  We have noted the phone number ###-###-#### as Do Not Contact in our system and will no longer attempt to contact anyone at that number.  At this time, I'm unable to say what happened to Ms. [redacted]'s previous written request...

for Grantham to stop contacting her but can confirm that all attempts will stop immediately.  If Ms. [redacted] has any further issues, she can contact me at [redacted] or the Ombudsman at [redacted]

[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.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Grantham is working with me to figure this out and I am now sending them the PLA paperwork to get the classes I think should have been approved approved. I know there is no guarantee but I feel like I have a great chance of getting the classes approved. Thank you for all of your help.
Regards,
[redacted]

Ms. [redacted] is encouraged to contact the University [redacted] if she is having issues getting a response from someone at the University.  Contact information for the [redacted] is [redacted].  Ms. [redacted] should be receiving her refund in 3-5 business days.

Grantham reviewed all phone conversations between Mr. [redacted] and his Admissions Rep and his Student Advisor. There were only discussions that his credits would need to be evaluated, there were no promises that a certain number would transfer. We also reviewed all the notes in his student record and...

found the same, only the discussion that the credits would need to be evaluated. Mr. [redacted] did have a lot of credits to transfer and we apologize that it took some time for the credits to be evaluated. We asked that the Associate Director of Evaluations review Mr. [redacted]'s credits one more time and after discussion with the [redacted], there is a course that was awarded credit as an elective that they will recommend be awarded credit as a program core course. The PLA fee of $250 will also be waived.We apologize for any confusion. If Mr. [redacted] has any further concerns, he can reach out to the Ombudsman at [redacted].

I reject this response because I was wrongfully sent to collections without ever receiving a bill and now per this response I'm being told there will be interest, fees and go on my credit report. This university is unfair and doesn't care about the learning of its students. I dropped classes because instructors were not helpful. The bill should be reduced and I should be allowed to make small payments to university until balance is paid and collections  removed. To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Assumed Answered]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
[redacted]

Grantham University apologizes for any inconvenience to Mr. [redacted] during this period. We try to make all processes user friendly and appreciate hearing when they are not so that we may correct these issues. We will certainly accept the returned book for a refund and apologize again that the email...

system did not work in this case. Please ask Mr. [redacted] to return the textbook to:Eagle Educational Resources, 8[redacted], KCMO 64161I have already requested that the refund of $166.40 be processed and Mr. [redacted] should see that on his account soon.

As Ms. [redacted] states, she contacted me in March 2016 to complain about financial aid.  After much research, I found that in fall of 2015 there were communications between Ms. [redacted] and her Financial Aid Officer regarding her financial aid.  The Financial Aid Officer was not as diligent...

in following up with Ms. [redacted] as she could have been.  Ms. [redacted] states that she submitted all the necessary paperwork online via our financial aid portal in a timely fashion but we are unable to document that the requested documentation was received.  Ms. [redacted]’s statement that “Grantham accepted fault…” is false.  Because we feel that the customer service of our Financial Aid Officer could have been better, we offered to reduce her balance by one-half, which we subsequently did (see email dated 3/21/16) and instructed her to contact the Business Office to set up a payment plan for the remaining balance.  Once she sets up a payment plan she will be able to return to school at Grantham University.

Ms. [redacted] started classes with Grantham on 1/25/2017 and the first time she called to discuss accreditation was on 2/27/2017. She is wanting to instruct ROTC upon retirement. The Student Advisor she spoke to advised her to research with that employer what their requirements are for employment. On...

3/1/2017 during a phone conversation with her Student Advisor, Ms. [redacted] stated that the current term would be her last with Grantham, as she just found out she needed to go to a regionally accredited school for her future plans. She was upset that her Admissions Representative hadn’t specifically told her that Grantham wasn’t regionally accredited. Her Student Advisor explained that we discuss accreditation but don’t usually get into regional vs national accreditation unless that student asks about it. During this time, Ms. [redacted] received several notices in each of her courses, via email and voicemail that she was not substantively interacting and would be withdrawn. She was frustrated with her course selection and on 3/1/2017 told her Student Advisor she just wanted to withdraw. Her Student Advisor advised her not to withdraw as there would likely be financial repercussions and transferred her to Student Accounts for more specifics. 3/22/2017 Ms. [redacted] called and spoke to a Student Advisor upset that she was withdrawn from [redacted] Student Success, even though she admitted she hadn’t been doing the work. She said she works too much and doesn’t have time to meet our SI requirements. She feels she should be able to submit work when she wants. She said she received extensions from an instructor to submit the homework assignments late, but she still didn’t meet SI deadlines in the class. The Student Advisor reminded her that SI was discussed in her orientation emails, in the catalog and on her enrollment agreement. That same day she called and spoke to her Student Advisor and expressed concern about not being able to get her work submitted the night before due to time zone differences. Her Student Advisor reminded her that they spoke about this topic on a previous phone call. Ms. [redacted] didn’t remember the conversation and wanted to know what she could do to submit the work. Her Student Advisor advised her to reach out to instructors, explain what happened and see if they will accept the work late. She stated she will withdraw and do that. Her Student Advisor explained that she should reach out to instructors first, as she wasn’t sure how withdrawing would affect her courses. Ms. [redacted] was withdrawn from one course for not meeting the SI requirements (not participating) but she did complete the other two courses she was enrolled in, receiving an F in one course and a D in the other course. Ms. [redacted] currently has a balance on her account with Grantham of $45. She has been sent 2 delinquent emails to her Grantham email and her personal email address on 3/8 and 4/3. She can contact the Business Office to set up payment arrangements at ###-###-#### or [redacted]. If she has further issues, she can contact the Ombudsman at [redacted]

We believe we have resolved this complaint directly with the student. This was a misunderstanding involving the use of the term "government issued identification." The student thought we meant military id and we simply mean a valid, government issued identification, which can be a driver's license....

We have since spoken to the student directly and received a copy of her valid government issued identification. Should the student have any other concerns, she can contact the Ombudsman directly at [redacted].

Because we cannot guarantee when each student will receive their refunds, the Financial Aid Department is trained to give a standard response to everyone.  If we were to tell students an earlier date and they don't receive their refunds, they would be more upset.  We are not trying to be vague.  But this does show me there is an opportunity for further training at the University and we will defiinitely do so.

[redacted] began attending Grantham University in July 2014 and has used federal student aid funds the entire time she has been at Grantham.  After reviewing her account, we have determined that the amount of her financial aid disbursements have been consistent and processed within...

regulatory timelines and university policies. There have been no delays in processing her refunds, all were processed timely and in accordance with federal regulations and university policies. Our review of her account shows no discrepancies.  All charges and refunds are accurate. We see no reason to write off or erase her debt.  Ms. [redacted] still has the responsibility to repay her student loans.  Ms. [redacted] did not raise any of these concerns during her time at Grantham University.  The Ombudsman did not receive any notification that she was having issues communicating with the Financial Aid department.  A review of her record does indicate that she mentioned something to her Student Advisor recently who in turn contacted Financial Aid for her. Our Financial Aid department has attempted to contact Ms. [redacted] telephonically but her number was not in service.

Our accreditation status and accreditation agency is listed in the catalog as well as on our website. We are always forthright regarding our accreditation status and our accreditor.  Ms. [redacted] was enrolled in Student Success, English Composition and Personal Finance. While she states that she asked Mr. [redacted] not to enroll her into two classes that require her to write papers, Grantham is an online school and as such, written communication is the primary method of participating in the online classroom. Each week, a discussion post and assignment are due and the assignment is usually a paper of some sort. Ms. [redacted] wasn’t specifically enrolled in two writing classes, but writing papers is usually the assignment in most classes and an essential part of the learning. Official proof of high school graduation or equivalent is an admission requirement. If we do not receive this documentation at the time of enrollment, the student is “conditionally enrolled” and official proof must be received and verified by the Registrar’s office by the 49th calendar day of the first term (see catalog, page 2).  I apologize if Ms. [redacted] was continually told she was going to be dropped because we hadn’t received her transcript. This was not an attempt to threaten her but rather it was an attempt to obtain her assistance to get the transcript and an effort to keep her fully informed regarding her status. In regards to the assignments she turned in and grades received, our records show that in [redacted] Student Success, she submitted 1 assignment, posted 2 discussion posts and completed 2 quizzes. In [redacted] English Composition I, she posted 2 discussion posts and submitted 4 assignments. And finally in [redacted] Personal Finance, she posted 5 discussion posts, submitted 6 assignments and completed 5 self-assessments. In each class she did not meet the minimum course requirements. Our records indicate that TA paid for her tuition. If at some point she is required to repay TA because of the low grades, Grantham is prepared to reimburse her. We will need to see a copy of the paperwork TA sends to her so we can begin the process. Please send the documentation to the Ombudsman at [redacted]   We regret that we were unable to meet your expectations and we wish you every success in the future. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Mr. [redacted] started receiving delinquent email notifications from Grantham in October 2015 and at that time he was able to log into his student account and check the balance or contact the Business Office to dispute the charges or set up payment arrangements. His account was sent to collections in June 2016 but we have contacted the collection agency and pulled the account back to Grantham. Mr. [redacted] can contact Carlotta Sanders, the Debt Resolution Supervisor at ###-###-#### or [redacted] to set up agreeable payment arrangements. I apologize if Mr. [redacted] was unhappy with the instruction in his courses. Grantham University strives to keep our students satisfied and regret that we were not able to do so in this case.