Trident University International LLC

Prior to enrolling or staring any course, Ms [redacted] executed an enrollment agreement and disclosure (EAD) document clearly setting forth her rights and responsibilities When Ms [redacted] executed her EAD she agreed to remain financially responsible for her tuition in the event financial aid was delayed or denied In her case, there was a delay in processing of her financial aid documentation because the documentation was incomplete Per the EAD she remained responsible for the course and tuition Also, in spite of her contentions numerous attempts were made to contact her with several voice messages left for her While pursuant to the EAD, which is a legally binding document, she is responsible for the tuition in her course, as a sign of good faith we will waive the tuition for the course and will make no attempt to collect on the obligation

I began attending TUI in December of It was sold to me as a self paced online degree programIt was far from the truthOnce I was accepted and completed my financial aid the problems began Customer service is not their fortayThey constantly harrassed me in emails and with calls telling me that I couldn't do self paced that the courses were regimented I had a schedule to keepI reminded my administrator that I work for a living and had little timeI work for the Department of Defense and they have requirements that I have to workSo I request to take a breakI was then told I couldn't unless I had valid reason I was shocked at how things were dictatedSo I took grouping of courses and that went wellBut then work demanded my hour work week to be and I demanded a leave of absence from taking courses complaining to my advisor that these courses are not self pacedI was then told that the way they bundle courses required that students complete the bundle so they could be paid by financial aid The first problem I see there is that they intentionally bundle courses in such a manner so they get paid promptlyI reminded my advisor that I was looking for self pace and at no time was this self paceShe apologized and said that she will look into making my next set self paced when I returned from leave While on leave I was told I had to return or be sent to collections for nonpaymentI was surprised that TUI would say and do thisI contacted my advisor again to ask WTF? She then explained that since the courses were on standby that accounting wasn't getting a dispursement from financial aid and that is why they are asking me for extortion money for my courses I was totally thrown by this practiceAt no time was I ever told I had to pay for courses that I didn't take as they were future courses just because I took their earlier counterparts several months priorAlso if I didn't return to school and off leave I would be forced to be an absorbent amount So to try to figure out my next move I returnedI told my Advisor I couldn't possibly pass these courses and is there anything I can do? Are they self paced response was no I finally contacted them today to notify them that I was not happy with the treatment of the extortion based tactics telling me I will have to pay regardless of what I want when it came to my education

The complaining party graduated from our Master of Arts in Education program in early and entered the PhD in Educational Leadership program in July As we advised her, we take allegations and complaints such as hers very seriously and will work diligently to address any deficienciesUpon receipt of notice of her complaint we immediately investigated the allegations and attempted to contact her with an ultimate goal of resolving her complaint and ensuring her experience at the university continues to be a positive one Our request/invitation to discuss the matter was not accepted The student’s main allegation is that she was enrolled for a course without her consent Had this student contacted us pursuant to our published policy on grievance resolution before posting her complaint alleging wrongdoing we would have provided clear explanation of applicable policies and procedures and provided proof that in fact she was informed of the course registrations on April 13, in reply to which she emailed: “I approveThanks” Simply put, no action was taken by the university without the student’s consentIt is unfortunate that rather than contacting us for an explanation and resolution, this student opted to post a complaint with serious allegations and name an individual staff member who engaged in no wrongdoing and was merely following our published policies and procedures The student also complains about the lack of sufficient detail in documentation and her record regarding tuition payments, financial aid disbursements, courses, etc Again, had the student contacted us with her concerns before posting such serious allegations, we would have gladly provided her more detailed information regarding financial aid and her courses In spite of our subsequent response to her allegations clearly showing that her consent had been received for enrollment, the student opted to withdraw from the university effective immediately Accordingly, we have processed the withdrawal as requested We have also informed her that her financial aid file is being processed to determine unearned financial aid funds that will have to be returned pursuant to federal regulations as well as any remaining balance on her account

[redacted] ** [redacted] August 1, Dr [redacted] , Sr Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer Trident University International (TUI) Plaza Drive, Suite Cypress, CA Dear Dr [redacted] , This misconception of enrollment and tuition policy could have been avoided if TUI’s tuition accounting practice included students' tuition statements or tuition summaries (what, where, how, when, and to whom [financial aid or private funds]) either online access or via US mail as other online and on-campus schools do (Capella; American Public University, APU;Walden; all state colleges and universities, University of Phoenix, Drexel University, North Central University, Argosy University, Liberty University, Grand Canyon University, New York University, City College of San Francisco, Long Beach State University, University of Southern Californai, University of San Francisco, UC Davis University, and UC Berkeley, among countless others) In contrast, TUI provides an electronic fund transfer notice, which shows only dates, and amounts of financial aid disbursed by the Department of Education to TUI However, no details regarding distribution of fund are included For example, what amounts apply to which courses, disbursement dates, remaining balance [s], and disbursements sent to students Not having access to this information is an unfair disadvantage to students To clarify my assumption, I searched throughout the online database but found no students’ tuition summaries or statement pages Had I found such information it would have, therefore, been clear that $had or would be applied to the second core course within the PhDprogram Although as an adult, I prefer to enroll myself in programs and courses rather than assign such an important financial task to a computer generated online database My assumption, however, was that this course was scheduled for winter Sometimes in the mist of our busy lifestyles, relevant information is overlooked, but a tuition summary would have alleviated this situation and/ or similar ones (tuition accounting)Nonetheless, I share consensus with my family that I withdraw from the university; as such, any remaining financial aid funds should be handled according to the Department of Education policies and procedures Thanks for your attention to this matter Respectfully, [redacted]

Revdex.com: 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] ***

Mr [redacted] is correct in that he executed a promissory note in January By executing the promissory note Mr [redacted] agreed to be responsible for the course tuition in the event that his request for tuition assistance through the military was not approved Unfortunately, we have nothing in our records indicating that Mr [redacted] requested to drop the course or that a course drop was processed This notwithstanding, and in light of MrOriona’s otherwise good standing with the university, in a good faith effort to resolve this matter we have decided to recall the debt and waive the obligation for the tuition for Winter We will make no attempt to collect on the obligation

Ms [redacted] attended Trident University and did receive Pell Grant funds from the US Department of Education She also did use VA benefits Since she withdrew from the university, under federal regulations, she did not earn all of the financial aid she received and as such a return calculation was required Under federal regulations the university was obligated to return $1,in unearned funds to the Department of Education Since she had a $credit on her account, the balance she now owes is $

The admissions policy of the University is published in the University Catalog and on its website The policy clearly sets forth the requirements for admission and student responsibilities in the event of enrollment prior to official admission The University also provides this information in the Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure that each student reads and signs prior to enrollment Ms [redacted] signed the Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure on April 3, agreeing to the following: “I accept responsibility for paying any and all tuition and fees in connection with my enrollment and attendance at TUI whether enrolled as a non-degree seeking student-at-large or under a ‘special’ or ‘matriculating’ (with or without conditions) statusIf I fail to pay my tuition and fees by the due date, I will make arrangements with TUI to make payments on any past due amountsSubject to any other applicable policy, if for any reason, my admission to the university or my financial assistance including but not limited to military tuition assistance (TA), veterans benefits, federal financial aid or employer reimbursement, is delayed or denied, I agree to be personally responsible for all tuition and fees due and owing and will pay the tuition and fees in full by the due date to which the tuition and fees apply.” In essence, with full knowledge of our admission policy, Ms [redacted] agreed to be responsible for her enrollment and tuition under any circumstance involving her admission status, and the University expected her to honor the agreement she executed The agreement notwithstanding, in a good faith effort to resolve the dispute, the University has agreed to waive the tuition owed for the course The University will make no attempts to collect the money owed by Ms*** Accordingly, we deem this matter closed

The Office of Compliance investigated the allegations in the complaint by reviewing systems and records, and interviewing faculty and staffThe findings and proposed resolution are hereby presented: The consumer has been a student with this university since having successfully completed coursework/degrees without evidence of any prior complaintsWhen he registered for his February course an incorrect designation was assigned to him in our system causing a slightly higher tuition rate to applyUpon discovery and verification of the error, a correction was made Contrary to consumer's contentions, the university did not fail his courseConsumer submitted his assignments in our learning management system and, consistent with our published policy as well as practice in higher education, the final grade assigned by the professor was based on the academic quality of the work submittedIn response to each assignment submission consumer was provided a grade and feedback from the professorIt appears consumer did not actively login and submit assignments into the system until April 27, - 1/months after the start of the sessionBased on the limited number of logins and the well over emails in his email Inbox, consumer likely did not access the feedback from the professor and could not have benefitted from such feedbackIt is possible that consumer was not fully versed on the new learning management system because there is no evidence that he completed the tutorial on the new systemNonetheless, the grade assigned was earned by the consumer Consumer's request for a grade petition was denied because he did not meet the published eligibility criteria; however, he was permitted a grade challenge and based thereon the Faculty Lead in the college conducted an objective review of all work submitted in the course along with the feedback and grades from the professorThe Faculty Lead found that the assessment and feedback of the assignments were fair and supported the calculated final grade assigned in the courseConsumer was then informed that our policy permits him to repeat the course in an upcoming session and, upon successful completion, cancel the prior failed course gradeThis was not acceptable to him In light of the personal challenges consumer has expressed to the university and the limited logins to the learning management system, in a good faith attempt to resolve this matter and serve his best interests, a one-time exception will be made allowing him to repeat the course with the tuition waivedOnce successfully repeated, the prior failed grade may be cancelledThis is conditioned on the consumer completing the tutorial for the learning management system to ensure proper and timely use We believe this to be a reasonable resolution and look forward to working with the consumer to bring closure to this matter

Revdex.com: 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]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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,
*** ***

Mr*** is correct in that he executed a promissory
note in January 2008. By executing the
promissory note Mr
*** agreed to be responsible for the course tuition in
the event that his request for tuition assistance through the military was not
approved. Unfortunately, we have
nothing in our records indicating that Mr*** requested to drop the course
or that a course drop was processed
This notwithstanding, and in light of MrOriona’s
otherwise good standing with the university, in a good faith effort to resolve
this matter we have decided to recall the debt and waive the obligation for the
tuition for Winter We will make no attempt to collect on the obligation

This issue the consumer describes below derives from being packaged in cross over award years and her Pell eligibility being on different tracks than her loan eligibilityShe started with Trident University in an overlapping award period, which means that her loans and Pell are not on the same
awarding tracks. This requires us to submit one budget with her loans and another budget with her PellWhile she is correct that she has notified us of needing Pell added to her award, she has simply been beating us to the "punch." As part of our process we will catch the need to add Pell but she is getting to it first. Going forward, we will have the Financial Aid Office and Finance team calendar the matter to ensure when she enrolls next that her award is submitted correctlyThe Director of Financial Aid will also monitor the calendar

"">Prior to enrolling or staring any course, Ms
[redacted] executed an enrollment agreement and disclosure (EAD) document clearly
setting forth her rights and responsibilities.
When Ms[redacted] executed her EAD she agreed to remain financially
responsible for her tuition in the event financial aid was delayed or
denied. In her case, there was a delay
in processing of her financial aid documentation because the documentation was
incomplete. Per the EAD she remained responsible
for the course and tuition. Also, in
spite of her contentions numerous attempts were made to contact her with
several voice messages left for her.
While pursuant to the EAD, which is a legally binding document, she is
responsible for the tuition in her course, as a sign of good faith we will
waive the tuition for the course and will make no attempt to collect on the
obligation

"">The Office of Compliance investigated the
allegations in the complaint by reviewing systems and records, and interviewing
faculty and staffThe findings and proposed resolution are hereby presented:
The consumer has been a student with this
university since having successfully completed coursework/degrees without
evidence of any prior complaintsWhen he registered for his February
course an incorrect designation was assigned to him in our system causing a
slightly higher tuition rate to applyUpon discovery and verification of the
error, a correction was made
Contrary to consumer's contentions, the university
did not fail his courseConsumer submitted his assignments in our learning
management system and, consistent with our published policy as well as practice
in higher education, the final grade assigned by the professor was based on the
academic quality of the work submittedIn response to each assignment
submission consumer was provided a grade and feedback from the professorIt
appears consumer did not actively login and submit assignments into the system
until April 27, - 1/months after the start of the sessionBased on
the limited number of logins and the well over emails in his email Inbox,
consumer likely did not access the feedback from the professor and could not
have benefitted from such feedbackIt is possible that consumer was not fully
versed on the new learning management system because there is no evidence that
he completed the tutorial on the new systemNonetheless, the grade assigned
was earned by the consumer
Consumer's request for a grade petition was denied
because he did not meet the published eligibility criteria; however, he was
permitted a grade challenge and based thereon the Faculty Lead in the college
conducted an objective review of all work submitted in the course along with
the feedback and grades from the professorThe Faculty Lead found that the
assessment and feedback of the assignments were fair and supported the
calculated final grade assigned in the courseConsumer was then informed that
our policy permits him to repeat the course in an upcoming session and, upon
successful completion, cancel the prior failed course gradeThis was not
acceptable to him
In light of the personal challenges consumer has expressed to the
university and the limited logins to the learning management system, in a good
faith attempt to resolve this matter and serve his best interests, a one-time exception will be made
allowing him to repeat the course with the tuition waivedOnce successfully
repeated, the prior failed grade may be cancelledThis is conditioned on the
consumer completing the tutorial for the learning management system to ensure
proper and timely use
We believe this to be a reasonable resolution and look forward to
working with the consumer to bring closure to this matter

I began attending TUI in December of 2013. It was sold to me as a self paced online degree program. It was far from the truth. Once I was accepted and completed my financial aid the problems began.
Customer service is not their fortay. They constantly harrassed me in emails and with calls telling me that I couldn't do self paced that the courses were regimented.
I had a schedule to keep. I reminded my administrator that I work for a living and had little time. I work for the Department of Defense and they have requirements that I have to work. So I request to take a break. I was then told I couldn't unless I had valid reason.
I was shocked at how things were dictated. So I took 1 grouping of 2 courses and that went well. But then work demanded my 40 hour work week to be 80 and I demanded a leave of absence from taking courses complaining to my advisor that these courses are not self paced. I was then told that the way they bundle courses required that students complete the bundle so they could be paid by financial aid.
The first problem I see there is that they intentionally bundle courses in such a manner so they get paid promptly. I reminded my advisor that I was looking for self pace and at no time was this self pace. She apologized and said that she will look into making my next set self paced when I returned from leave.
While on leave I was told I had to return or be sent to collections for nonpayment. I was surprised that TUI would say and do this. I contacted my advisor again to ask WTF? She then explained that since the courses were on standby that accounting wasn't getting a dispursement from financial aid and that is why they are asking me for extortion money for my courses.
I was totally thrown by this practice. At no time was I ever told I had to pay for courses that I didn't take as they were future courses just because I took their earlier counterparts several months prior. Also if I didn't return to school and off leave I would be forced to be an absorbent amount.
So to try to figure out my next move I returned. I told my Advisor I couldn't possibly pass these courses and is there anything I can do? Are they self paced .. response was no...
I finally contacted them today to notify them that I was not happy with the treatment of the extortion based tactics telling me I will have to pay regardless of what I want when it came to my education.

The admissions policy of the University is published in the
University Catalog and on its website.  The policy...

clearly sets forth the
requirements for admission and student responsibilities in the event of
enrollment prior to official admission.  The University also provides this
information in the Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure that each student reads
and signs prior to enrollment.
Ms. [redacted] signed the Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure on
April 3, 2014 agreeing to the following:
“I accept responsibility for paying any and all tuition and
fees in connection with my enrollment and attendance at TUI whether enrolled as
a non-degree seeking student-at-large or under a ‘special’ or ‘matriculating’
(with or without conditions) status. If I fail to pay my tuition and fees by
the due date, I will make arrangements with TUI to make payments on any past
due amounts. Subject to any other applicable policy, if for any reason, my
admission to the university or my financial assistance including but not
limited to military tuition assistance (TA), veterans benefits, federal
financial aid or employer reimbursement, is delayed or denied, I agree to be
personally responsible for all tuition and fees due and owing and will pay the
tuition and fees in full by the due date to which the tuition and fees apply.”
In essence, with full knowledge of our admission policy, Ms.
[redacted] agreed to be responsible for her enrollment and tuition under any
circumstance involving her admission status, and the University expected her to honor the agreement she
executed.
The
agreement notwithstanding, in a good faith effort to resolve the dispute, the
University has agreed to waive the tuition owed for the course.  The
University will make no attempts to collect the money owed by Ms. [redacted]. 
Accordingly, we deem this matter closed.

Revdex.com:
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]

Prior to enrolling or staring any course, Ms.
[redacted] executed an enrollment agreement and disclosure (EAD) document clearly
setting forth her rights and responsibilities. 
When Ms. [redacted] executed her EAD she agreed to remain financially
responsible for her tuition in the event...

financial aid was delayed or
denied.  In her case, there was a delay
in processing of her financial aid documentation because the documentation was
incomplete.  Per the EAD she remained responsible
for the course and tuition.  Also, in
spite of her contentions numerous attempts were made to contact her with
several voice messages left for her. 
While pursuant to the EAD, which is a legally binding document, she is
responsible for the tuition in her course, as a sign of good faith we will
waive the tuition for the course and will make no attempt to collect on the
obligation.

Revdex.com:
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]