The American Institute of Alternative Medicine, Inc.

As part of our record-keeping
here at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM), AIAM retained a copy of the withdrawal paperwork already sent to
the student on March 22, 2012, and have attached it to a response email for the
student’s reviewIt was sent prior to the address on file
at that time, and
includes the letter sent to the student indicating the final balance due to
AIAM, as well as a copy of the tuition and fee charges and the application of
financial aid onto the student’s account
The balance due on the student’s
account is directly related to her decision to withdraw from the program prior
to completionThe American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM) is
strictly regulated by many different federal and state entities that prescribe
how an institution handles tuition and fees. One of those regulations to
which AIAM is required to adhere is the School’s tuition refund policy, which
is based on attendance. Students who attend any classes during the
seventh week of the program are charged 75% of their tuition per our published
refund policiesThe program the student attended was a clock-hour program
(Western Massage Therapy) which means the student had attended through weeks
of the second payment period of hours
We are also responsible to
follow the Department of Education regarding rules on the disbursal and refund
of financial aidBecause the student had used financial aid to pay for her
tuition and fees, it was necessary that a Return to Title IV (or R2T4) be
completedThis is federal law, and is designed to determine how much of the
aid a student has earned at the point they choose to withdrawThe student
withdrew prior to earning the financial aid funds already applied to her
account, and due to that, funds were returned back to the Department of
Education/loan servicersIn short, the student’s decision to withdraw for the
personal reasons she stated left her ineligible to receive all of the funds she
had used to pay for her tuition and chargesThis left an amount due on her
account
AIAM followed all applicable
tuition and fee policies accurately (as outlined in catalog format and
enrollment agreement signed by the student), and followed the requirements set
forth by the Department of Education regarding the handling of Title IV funds
upon a student withdrawalAfter correctly following all established guidelines
for which the School is responsible, efforts were made to contact the student
regarding the balance due on her account, including a complete statement of
charges, as referenced above
We have sent the student the supporting documentation of the balance due As a sign of good faith, AIAM has withdrawn all collection efforts and requested that this item be removed from the student's credit report We are in contact with the student and will work with her to resolve this issue without adding any additional fees or interest

The institution has been very helpful and submitted all of the requested informationIn the end, I am saving over $1,due to their inaccuracies, so I am very happy with the result, as well as assistance from Revdex.comThe original notice from the debt collector said I owed over $The information the? institution? sent me is only $They also sent the full breakdown of the tuition per my request, and the withdrawal of the collectionsThank you, Revdex.com, for being of assistance in this issue

The American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM) is regulated
by many different federal and state entities that prescribe how an institution
handles tuition and fees.  One of those
regulations to which AIAM is required to adhere is the School’s tuition refund
policy which is based on...

attendance. 
Students in this situation who attend any classes during the first week
of the program are charged 25% of their tuition per our published refund
policies, which are dictated by our regulating body, the Ohio State Board of
Career Colleges and Schools.  Our records
clearly show this student attended three separate classes during the first week of the term.
The student had an unpaid balance prior to dropping, which
is a portion of the unpaid charges the student has still remaining on his
account.  AIAM followed all applicable
tuition and fee policies accurately (as outlined in catalog format and
enrollment agreement signed by the student), and therefore 25% of the tuition
remained the student’s responsibility from the second quarter. This amount due
was in addition to the prior quarter balance due to AIAM for the student’s
education, and therefore the student is responsible for the total amount due on
the account.    We correctly followed the
tuition refund policy per the State, as any variations to that policy would be
considered tuition discounting, which is also illegal per the Ohio State Board
of Career Colleges and Schools. Furthermore, it is violation of our published
policies.
In regards to the complaints over Clinical rotations, these
are a mandatory part of all Nursing programs, and AIAM is no different.  The expectations and demands of clinical
rotations are clearly stated in our academic catalog:
Clinical Experiences
There are significant clinical
experiences required in this program. AIAM has multiple clinical sites offering
diverse experiences to Nursing students. Clinical hours are set to meet the
needs of the clinical sites and may require clinicals to be scheduled on evenings,
nights, weekends, and/or out-of-town experiences outside of regular class
days/times. Such assignment may not be adjusted; failure to meet the assigned
schedule will result in course failure
The clinical site referenced is only 18 miles from the AIAM campus
and even closer than that for students who live on the west side of
Columbus. 
We have reached out to the student to assist with making reasonable payment arrangements to clear the balance owed to the school, which is unchanged as AIAM does not charge late fees or interest.

The withdrawal policies regarding tuition and fee charges at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM) are enforced by the State Board of Career Colleges, and are clearly published
in the School catalog which is available online at www.aiam.edu, as well as  provided in
electronic...

copy to students prior to enrollment, as well as when they enroll. It is a requirement that AIAM uphold the
policies dictated by the State Board of Career Colleges, and as such AIAM
publishes and faithfully obeys and enforces the following policies:
State
refund policy for programs organized on a credit hour basis is as follows:
(applies to Nursing Programs and Acupuncture Program)
1.     A student who starts class and
withdraws during the first full calendar week of the quarter shall be obligated
for 25 percent of the tuition and refundable fees for that academic term plus
the application fee.
2.     A student who withdraws during the
second full calendar week of the academic term shall be obligated for 50
percent of the tuition and refundable fees for that period plus the application
fee
3.     A student who withdraws during the
third full calendar week of the academic term shall be obligated for 75 percent
of the tuition and refundable fees for that period plus the application fee.
4.     A student who withdraws beginning with
the fourth full calendar week of the academic term will not be entitled to a
refund of any portion of the tuition and fees.
Ms. [redacted] acknowledges that she attended school for 5 weeks.
Per the policies above, she is obligated to pay the full quarter’s tuition and
fees. These policies were easy to locate in the catalog and furthermore
multiple steps were taken to ensure that Ms. [redacted] had read and understood
them. Ms. [redacted] notified Mr. [redacted] in Admissions that she planned to
withdraw; at that time, he made an appointment for Ms. [redacted] with AIAM’s
Director of Financial Aid with the full intention of giving Ms. [redacted] an
opportunity to discuss the financial ramifications of withdrawing during the
quarter. This appointment was scheduled for 12 pm on November 11th,
which Ms. [redacted] did not attend. She was then emailed by Ms. [redacted],
Director of Financial Aid, at 12:15 pm on November 11th . The email
indicated that Ms. [redacted] had hoped to go over the financial ramifications of
withdrawing with the student. Ms. [redacted] did not reply until later asking for an
account break-down with the amount she believed she owed of $2,600. In the
meantime, at least 4 emails have been sent to the School by Ms. [redacted]—all of
these emails have been responded to in a courteous and informative manner,
attempting to assist the student in understanding her account and balance due,
as well as how the withdrawal process worked.
Ms. [redacted] herself determined that $2,600 was a fair amount,
and was never given this amount nor did her account ever display that this
would be the amount owed to the School upon withdrawal. AIAM has acted
according to every applicable State, Federal, and School policy, and displayed
extraordinary service attempting to explain to the student that she would owe
upon withdrawal. AIAM is required to charge Ms. [redacted] for her total quarter’s
tuition and fees regardless of whether she completed the quarter or not, and
regardless of whether or not Ms. [redacted] finds this fair.  Charging anything less than is determined by the state refund policy is considered tuition discounting and is absolutely not allowed. Per her enrollment at AIAM and
the policies she agreed to follow in her signed enrollment contract, Ms. [redacted]
is in fact legally obligated to pay the amount due.

The institution has been very helpful and submitted all of the requested information. In the end, I am saving over $1,000 due to their inaccuracies, so I am very happy with the result, as well as assistance from Revdex.com. The original notice from the debt collector said I owed over $2500. The information the institution sent me is only $1300. They also sent the full breakdown of the tuition per my request, and the withdrawal of the collections. Thank you, Revdex.com, for being of assistance in this issue.

As part of our record-keeping
here at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM), AIAM retained a copy of the withdrawal paperwork already sent to
the student on March 22, 2012, and have attached it to a response email for the
student’s review. It was sent prior to the address on file...

at that time, and
includes the letter sent to the student indicating the final balance due to
AIAM, as well as a copy of the tuition and fee charges and the application of
financial aid onto the student’s account.
The balance due on the student’s
account is directly related to her decision to withdraw from the program prior
to completion. The American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM) is
strictly regulated by many different federal and state entities that prescribe
how an institution handles tuition and fees.  One of those regulations to
which AIAM is required to adhere is the School’s tuition refund policy, which
is based on attendance.  Students who attend any classes during the
seventh week of the program are charged 75% of their tuition per our published
refund policies. The program the student attended was a clock-hour program
(Western Massage Therapy) which means the student had attended through 7 weeks
of the second payment period of 375 hours.
We are also responsible to
follow the Department of Education regarding rules on the disbursal and refund
of financial aid. Because the student had used financial aid to pay for her
tuition and fees, it was necessary that a Return to Title IV (or R2T4) be
completed. This is federal law, and is designed to determine how much of the
aid a student has earned at the point they choose to withdraw. The student
withdrew prior to earning the financial aid funds already applied to her
account, and due to that, funds were returned back to the Department of
Education/loan servicers. In short, the student’s decision to withdraw for the
personal reasons she stated left her ineligible to receive all of the funds she
had used to pay for her tuition and charges. This left an amount due on her
account.
AIAM followed all applicable
tuition and fee policies accurately (as outlined in catalog format and
enrollment agreement signed by the student), and followed the requirements set
forth by the Department of Education regarding the handling of Title IV funds
upon a student withdrawal. After correctly following all established guidelines
for which the School is responsible, efforts were made to contact the student
regarding the balance due on her account, including a complete statement of
charges, as referenced above.
We have sent the student the supporting documentation of the balance due.  As a sign of good faith, AIAM has withdrawn all collection efforts and requested that this item be removed from the student's credit report.  We are in contact with the student and will work with her to resolve this issue without adding any additional fees or interest.