Walden University, LLC

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the effect certain medical issues had on her ability to participate in her courses, and is seeking to have the outstanding balance on her student...

account forgiven. She is also seeking an official copy of her academic transcript. The student’s complaint concerns the course she was taking in the 2014 Spring Term. She states that she had medical issues that prevented her from participating in and completing the course she was taking at the time.

Walden University maintains extensive internal grievance and appeal processes available to all students. These processes are designed to address concerns raised by students. In this instance, the student used Walden’s processes and filed a petition. When medical issues are involved, students are required to provide supporting documentation from a verifiable healthcare provider indicating specifically why they were unable to participate in their online courses during the term in question. Students can submit any additional medical documentation to support their application. The student was provided with the information necessary to file a petition on February 21, 2014. She submitted her petition on February 27, 2014. Her petition was denied on April 22, 2014 because she provided no medical documentation to support her petition. She was informed again on June 10, 2014 that her petition lacked medical documentation and was again asked to send it. She eventually submitted medical documentation and was informed by Walden on July 2, 2014 that the documents were illegible. On July 9, 2014, the student appealed the denial of her petition. The appeal was denied on July 28, 2014 because the medical documentation the student submitted was not legible. Without the required supporting documentation, Walden could not evaluate or approve her petition.
At this time, the student has an outstanding balance on her student account. According to University policy, official transcripts will not be released if a student has an outstanding balance on their student account. If the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####.

Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert [redacted], University Ombudsperson. Mr. [redacted] can direct the student to the proper resources within the University and escalate any issues that need to be addressed to the appropriate departments within the University. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.[redacted]@waldenu.edu.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student expressed concerns regarding her enrollment at Walden and alleged she was misled during enrollment process and was enrolled incorrectly.  The student was not mislead, she...

requested additional review of her course requirements and the university granted her request.  The student received her Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from Walden in 2014.  She then returned to Walden in 2016 to pursue her PhD in Forensic Psychology.  At the time of enrollment, a student’s individual program of study is prepared based upon the program and prior coursework a student has completed.  Walden permitted the student to use several of her Master’s courses to satisfy some of her PhD requirements.  After taking four courses (two terms), the student believed that she should have been able to waive those as well given their similarity to the Master’s courses she already took.  Ms. [redacted] followed Walden policies and procedures and submitted a tuition waiver petitions on March 2, 2017 and April 27, 2017 describing why she believed that she should not have had to take those courses, which Walden approved.  The tuition for both terms was waived and the money was sent to the student.  Ms. [redacted] was contacted by Walden on May 23, 2017 and informed of the tuition waiver.  Walden considers this matter resolved.

The student indicated she was not satisfied with Walden’s explanation as to why her financial aid award was lower than what she received previously.  Walden re-evaluated this student’s Cost of Attendance appeal, and determined that her true tuition charges were greater than the amount estimated in the Financial Aid Cost of Attendance. As a result, the student’s Cost of Attendance has been adjusted to reflect the true tuition charges for 5 credits per quarter.  The student's Spring 2018 award has also increased, but will be revisited if her actual charges are different.  The student should be aware that the University is unable to adjust her living allowance component of the student's Cost of Attendance, because the documented costs that she provided do not exceed the annual allowance.  The student has been awarded a second GPLUS loan to reflect an increase to the Cost of Attendance.  The student should now log into her myFinAid account, where she will be given the option to accept, reduce, or decline the additional loan offer.  The student also indicated that she would like a copy of her financial aid file, that information will be supplied to her directly.  Should she have questions, she should address them to: [email protected]

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the grades she received in one of the courses she took at Walden.  For each course they take, Walden students receive a syllabus which includes...

the grading process for that particular course.  Instructors grade students based upon the grading rubric in the course syllabus.  Students who believe that they are not being graded properly have the option to file a Grade Appeal after the completion of the course.  More information regarding this process can be found in the Walden Student Handbook at www.waldenu.edu.  Walden’s Office of Student Affairs has been working with the student to assist her.  At this time, the student has been put in touch with the appropriate academic leader and they are currently working with the student to successfully resolve her concerns.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/07/30) */
This student alleges that due to family issues she was unable to complete her course and she now has an outstanding balance on her student account. She is seeking a cancellation of the balance on her student account. Students have a...

responsibility to bring their concerns to Walden University in a timely manner so they may be addressed promptly and in accordance with the policies and procedures Walden has established to address those concerns.
The balance on the student's account is from the 2014 Summer term. The student spoke with an Academic Advisor about filing a tuition waiver petition in January 2015 and was sent the forms necessary to file a petition the same day. An Academic Advisor followed up with the student in February 2015 inquiring about her petition which had not yet been filed. To date, the student has not filed a petition and Walden cannot address her concerns until she does so. If the student wishes to petition for a tuition waiver, she may do so by contacting an Academic Advisor at 866-492-5336 to assist in filing the appropriate petition, which she will need to submit along with any supporting documentation.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2015/08/07) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
n my last correspondance, I was told that it was to late for me to file a petition according to their policy. I am unsure of why it is being stated that I am now able to do this.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2015/08/14) */
Walden policy requires petitions to be filed no later than 30 days after the end of the term. In this instance, however, the student was provided with the information necessary to file a petition in January 2015. She did not follow through and actually submit the petition for review. Walden is simply offering the student the opportunity to complete the process she started, and submit a petition for review by the appropriate personnel at Walden.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. Mr. [redacted] has again expressed concerns regarding his inability to locate a practicum site for his Master of Science in Clinical Psychology - Counseling program. Field experience is a requirement...

for all students in the M.S. Clinical Psychology program. Students are told of this requirement prior to enrolling, and the Office of Field Experience (OFE) publishes instructions to students on steps to take to locate a field site early on in their program. The OFE has many resources and fulltime staff dedicated to assisting students in the process. Since Walden’s students live in all 50 states, students must identify potential sites in their community which meet the program’s requirements. Then, the OFE will then work with the student to secure the site and arrange the field experience. Mr. [redacted] filed a similar complaint with the Revdex.com in November 2015, and he was contacted by Dr. Rodney [redacted], the Field Placement Coordinator for Clinical Psychology Programs. Dr. [redacted] sent Mr. [redacted] a full list of practicum sites where Walden students have trained in the past. These sites were all confirmed to have been locations that previously had accepted Walden students. Dr. [redacted] also sent Mr. [redacted] some specific sites he thought represented the best chance for a placement. Mr. [redacted] was asked to reach out to these sites to determine if they were accepting interns. Dr. [redacted] followed up with him a few weeks later but Mr. [redacted] never responded to Dr. [redacted] about his progress or any problems. Dr. [redacted] had asked Mr. [redacted] to keep in touch with him during his search process but did not hear from him again until late June 2016 (a year later). Currently, Dr. [redacted] has again reached out to Mr. [redacted] and offered personal assistance. The university is happy to assist Mr. [redacted] in any way possible and we are working with Mr. [redacted] to find a site that meets his needs and the program requirements. We ask that Mr. [redacted] remain in contact with Dr. [redacted] so that he can be placed at a practicum site as soon as possible.

Attached please find Walden University's response to consumer complaint #[redacted].

Walden University takes student issues seriously and uses its best efforts to address student concerns. University policy states that Walden will not release official transcripts to a student who has a balance owed on their account. Ms. [redacted] is requesting transcripts related to her MS degree in...

Psychology. However, university transcripts reflect a student’s entire history at the university and cannot be separated. If a student continues to take course after a degree is conferred (which is the case here, where Ms. [redacted] went on to enroll in the PhD Psychology program), the new courses become part of the student’s official transcript. Therefore, until Ms. [redacted] is able to clear her balance owed, she will not receive an official transcript.
However, if Ms. [redacted] is seeking confirmation that she has received an MS degree from Walden, the university will be glad to issue an official letter to the student or a third party confirming the degrees obtained and when they were awarded. If the student would like an official letter, they can submit a request to [email protected].

Walden takes all student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues.  We have reviewed the student’s concerns regarding an expected financial aid refund.  Our records indicate that the student withdrew from the university effective December 15, 2017....

  At that time, Walden canceled her classes and applied a tuition refund to her account, resulting in a credit balance of $1,675.  However, the student is currently receiving federal financial aid for her tuition.  When a student leaves the university, federal regulations require that the university calculate how much financial aid was actually earned in the term they withdrew.  Any unearned aid must be returned to the federal government.  At this time, Walden is performing that calculation and once it is complete, any credit balance may be adjusted by the amount of aid that is returned.  Once the process is complete, the student will be notified of the result.If the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert [redacted], University Ombudsperson. Mr. [redacted] can direct the student to the proper resources within the University and escalate any issues that need to be addressed to the appropriate departments within the University. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.[redacted]@waldenu.edu

Walden University would like to request an extension of time to May 6, 2016 to respond to the complaint by our student Mr. [redacted].  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

I am rejecting this response because:I completed the appeal form 3 times now. Twice online via form options and now directly to my academic advisor. Per their own policy grades must be given based on whatever is in the syllabus, mine was not. Mine was based on an instructors personal viewpoint I submitted the same quality work in my other class at the same time and got an A. This is bias, unethical and discriminatory. I will not accept any response which does not involve a corrected grade and policy change to all students affected by this.

As stated previously, Walden considered Ms. [redacted]’s documentation and granted her petition for her first submission. Ms. [redacted]’s condition did not change (the need to care for her child) when she made the decision to enroll in additional courses. Therefore, the first tuition waiver was granted due to her change in circumstances during that term, but the second waiver was denied because the circumstances existed prior to her enrollment, yet she chose to still attempt to take the course. It is not that Ms. [redacted] should have never enrolled in Walden in the first place, but that she should not have enrolled in courses if she was going to be unable to have the time necessary to complete them, and cannot use a condition that existed before the course began to receive a tuition waiver for that course.

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. This issue is resolved.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding a hold placed on her financial aid. At approximately the same time the student filed this complaint, she filed an appeal of her failure to maintain...

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Walden University's (SAP) requirements comply with U.S. Department of Education regulations and specify the standards which must be met to maintain Financial Aid eligibility. These standards are intended to establish minimum, reasonable levels of advancement toward degree completion, and to guard against abuse of federal financial aid programs. The student’s appeal was granted once she submitted the required documents and the financial aid hold lifted on October 28, 2016. Walden considers this matter resolved.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/07) */
This student alleges that he requested an official transcript from Walden University and has not received it, even though money has been deducted from his bank account. Initially, Walden would like to assure the student that it treats all...

students fairly and does not discriminate against disabled veterans or any other individuals.
The student requested a copy of his transcript on July 12, 2015. The student currently has a financial hold on his account due to an outstanding balance on his student account dating back to June 2006. Students with an outstanding balance on their student account cannot obtain a copy of their official transcript until that balance is paid in full. Walden should have refunded the student's payment immediately upon confirming that the student had a hold on his account, but neglected to do so. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused, and realize this is not the outcome that the student had hoped. A refund check has been requested, and will be mailed to the student in 7-14 business days.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/08/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There was never an outstanding balance left on my student account. This is the first I am hearing from Walden University that I owe money of any sort to them. They have supplied me with transcripts in the past so I find it hard to believe that I now owe money out of nowhere when I have not taken a class or enrolled in several years.
Walden should do a proper accounting of their records and I am sure they will conclude that I owe no money and I definitely don't have an outstanding account.
At this point I intend on letting every veteran organization know how Walden is refusing to supply me with a copy of my transcript and is suddenly claiming I have an outstanding balance due. No disable Veteran should be treated in this manner.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/08/19) */
The student alleges he does not have an outstanding balance on his student account and that Walden University has supplied him with copies of his transcripts in the past. His outstanding balance is a result of the return of funds to his lender on June 30, 2006 for the Spring term of 2006. Walden's Collections office left voicemail messages and sent emails to the student 5 times between August 29, 2006 and October 2, 2006 in an effort to discuss the student's outstanding balance on his student account, and a hold was finally placed on his account on October 31, 2006. We have attached a copy of the student's account statement showing the outstanding balance.
Walden students are not eligible to receive copies of their official transcripts as long as there is an outstanding balance on their student account. Walden previously provided an official transcript for this student on November 11, 2004, and at that time his student account was current and in good standing. The student submitted another request for an official transcript on December 17, 2007, and it was not processed due to the hold placed on his account a year earlier. If the student wishes to obtain an official copy of his transcript, he must first make arrangements with Walden to pay the outstanding balance on his student account. The Walden Collections Office can be reached at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2015/08/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I did not enroll for Walden spring semester term 2006. In fact the last time that I enrolled for any semester for Walden was in 2004-2005. This can be confirmed by the fact that I applied for my GI Bill benefits at that same time. In fact whenever I applied for enrollment to Walden I applied for my Gi Bill benefits. Clearly someone at Walden was/is scamming the system and is using my name and information to commit fraud.
In April 2005 I moved from the city I was residing in when I took my last class at Walden. I changed my phone number too to a local number, so there is no way Walden would have been able to contact me other than by my email.
Again, my enrollment was connected to my Gi Bill entitlement previously, so to suggest I suddenly started enrolling for classes without that entitlement is ridiculous. Someone within the offices of Walden is committing fraud and I am just now finding out about it because I requested a copy of my transcript and they are refusing to provide me copy.
It should be easy for someone at the Walden offices to verify my Gi Bill payments and how it aligned with my enrollment. I would have never attempted to enrolled in Walden without Gi Bill benefits. Someone at Walden has committed a fraud, as I haven't never taken or attempted to take any classes after the 1st semester of 2005.

I am rejecting this response because:The documentation I provided covered the dates I withdrew.I continued to use the same documentation on other appeals due to the appeals beung sought for the same term over abd over.I was told my the bursars office I was aware my child was sick which is untrue and shouldnt have enrolled in a for profit university in the 1 st place.I provided the documentation for the tern where I withdrew.Walden wants the balance owed period.They are not interested in why I withdrew.This is the reason for the deninal.They want the balance due to wrongly assuming I have the course modules which are for the classess I paid for with student loans.I submitted materials for almost 2 years.

I am rejecting this response because:
Walden's response is full of errors. I don't live in Saudi. I am conducting research here which Walden approved without reading the dissertation  Even if I accept their response, I don't think they will honor it as they have been saying this since June 2016 How can I ensure they will comply to their words?

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/05) */
The student has raised concerns about the progress of her dissertation and her perceived lack of support from Walden. She is seeking a tuition reimbursement. The dissertation process at any university can be lengthy and difficult. The process...

requires the student to independently perform significant scholarly research and to write a comprehensive dissertation based on that scholarly research. The University has significant resources available to assist its students at every stage of their educational experience. In addition, the dissertation process for a student is an academic issue most appropriately addressed through the academic review procedures established by the University.
Walden University maintains extensive internal grievance and appeal processes available to all students. These processes are designed to bring a student's concerns to the appropriate people at Walden and to have those concerns addressed. The student should contact Academic Advising at XXX-XXX-XXXX to determine the best path forward to address her concerns.
Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert [redacted], University Ombudsperson. Mr. [redacted] can direct the student to the proper resources within the University and escalate any issues that need to be addressed to the appropriate departments within the University. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX or [redacted]@waldenu.edu.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the outstanding balance on her student account. She alleges that a series of personal issues caused her to lose her financial aid which in turn caused...

her to be unable to pay her tuition. She further claims that Walden has denied her petition to reinstate her financial aid. The student lost her financial aid due to her failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. Walden University's (SAP) requirements to receive Title IV student financial aid comply with U.S. Department of Education regulations. These standards are intended to establish minimum, reasonable levels of advancement toward degree completion, and to guard against abuse of federal financial aid programs. The student was initially placed on SAP warning for the 2015 Summer term as graduate students must maintain a 3.0 minimum GPA. The student did not regain SAP compliance when the warning period ended at the end of the 2015 Summer term. She filed an appeal in October 2015 seeking to gain an extension of financial aid following her probationary term, but the appeal was denied shortly thereafter. The student provided additional supporting documentation for her appeal, but it was denied a second time as she had again received unsuccessful grades in the 2015 Fall term. Walden followed the policies it has put in place to maintain compliance with Federal law.
The student currently has an outstanding balance on her student account. If she wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####.
Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert [redacted], University Ombudsperson. Mr. [redacted] can direct the student to the proper resources within the University and escalate any issues that need to be addressed to the appropriate departments within the University. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.[redacted]@waldenu.edu.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding his withdrawal for courses at Walden. The student claims that he withdrew from his courses at Walden but still received a failing grade for the...

course. The student enrolled in two courses in the 2017 Spring term, and withdrew from one of the courses prior to the scheduled end date. The course from which he withdrew ran from March 6, 2017 to April 30, 2017. The student requested a withdrawal from Walden on April 16, 2017. His withdrawal was approved by Walden on April 17, 2017. The last day for a student to withdraw and still receive a “W” grade was April 9, 2017. This information is available online to all students in the Walden University Student Handbook (http://catalog.waldenu.edu/index.php). Walden, through its Student Handbook, encourages students to speak with an Academic Advisor to ensure they are aware of the possible consequences of a withdrawal. Finally, the withdrawal form asks if the student has discussed the withdrawal with an Academic Advisor. The student indicated on the form that he had not. An Academic Advisor could have answered any questions related to the withdrawal, including whether the student would earn a grade or have any financial consequences. In the end, students are responsible for understanding the impact of a withdrawal.
If the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, he has the option to contact Robert [redacted], University Ombudsperson. Mr. [redacted] can direct the student to the proper resources within the University and escalate any issues that need to be addressed to the appropriate departments within the University. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.[redacted]@waldenu.edu.