Walden University, LLC

I am rejecting this response because:  The date of April 9, 2017 was not discussed when I called to verify if the withdrawal was going to take place.  There were no verification given to me when I called the next day whether through email (although I receive many emails from Walden) or through the US Postal service.  My only resolve apparently is to contact the ombudsman regarding this issue.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/08) */
The student has raised concerns about the communications she has received from Walden University staff regarding her leave of absence and the outstanding balance due on her student account. Walden regrets any miscommunication with the student. ...

The student is currently on a leave of absence ("LOA") that she requested during the Spring 2015 term. In addition, the student filed a tuition waiver petition seeking a waiver of the tuition she paid for the Spring 2015 term. The review and determination of waiver requests can take up to 45 days. We appreciate that the student is using the procedures Walden has established to address student concerns and we ask that the she continue to work with Walden to address her concerns. The student expressed a desire to withdraw from Walden in her complaint. If the student does wish to withdraw from Walden, she should contact an Academic Advisor at [redacted] to discuss Walden's withdrawal procedure.
If the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact [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 [redacted] or [redacted]@walden.edu.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I appreciate the information about the University Ombudsperson, Mr. [redacted]. I will keep his contact information handy for future reference. I also plan to withdraw officially as a student once the decision is made about the tuition waiver. I was told by [redacted] to wait because that decision normally comes through the Walden email, and I didn't want to risk another issue with communication if I withdrew any sooner than that.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/12/10) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. Mr. [redacted] has expressed concerns regarding the outstanding balance on his student account. He enrolled at Walden in two courses in the 2014...

Fall term and withdrew from the two courses prior to the end of the term. According to federal financial aid regulations, when a student is dropped or withdraws from a course within a pre-determined time period, the financial aid funds must be returned to the financial aid provider (Return to Title IV or "R2T4"). In accordance with those federal regulations, part of the student's financial aid funds were sent back to the student's financial aid lender as required, leaving a balance due on the student's account. While the student may disagree with the amount he owes Walden, the calculations were done in accordance with federal regulations and Walden policy (see the Walden University Student Handbook at pages 160-161).
The student's account was sent to a 3rd party collection agency after Walden communicated with the student numerous times from February 2015 to November 2015. The student did not accept the payment options provided to him nor did he make any payments on his outstanding balance. After being given a final notice, the account was sent to the 3rd party collection agency. If the student wishes to discuss his outstanding account balance, he should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at [redacted]. They can provide him with contact information for the 3rd party collection agency.
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 [redacted] or [redacted]@waldenu.edu.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/12/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Walden states that I withdrew from two classes, this is false. The first course was a 1 hour mandatory prep course, which I completed. The second course I did in fact withdraw from. Walden is in a position to satisfy this matter on a win-win basis to request $2600.00 for a course, I spent less than three weeks in is. outrageous. The financial aid rep told me that I dropped a day or two earlier this balance would not be as high.
I understand that Walden sent my aid back in accordance to federal regulations, I propose that the Department of Education investigate why any student would be required to pay a college $2600 for a class he/she spent less than three weeks in. Walden's practice of referring students to a relentless unaccomodating ombudsperson is equally disgusting not to mention the fact that they sent me to a collection agency. Also, I am a man. Do not refer to me as she.
Final Business Response /* (1000, 12, 2015/12/28) */
Mr. [redacted] has again expressed concerns regarding the outstanding balance on his student account. While the student may disagree with the amount he owes Walden, the calculations were done in accordance with federal regulations and Walden policy (see the Walden University Student Handbook at pages 160-161). The Student Handbook, which is available to all students, explains the tuition refund schedule for when a student withdraws from a course and Mr. [redacted] withdrew after the date to receive any refund. Students also have the ability to speak with financial aid and academic advisors at Walden to discuss the ramifications of a withdrawal. Mr. [redacted] spoke with an advisor and was told he would receive no tuition refund if he withdrew at the time of his call. He chose to withdraw knowing he would not receive any tuition refund. The student has an outstanding balance and should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at [redacted]. They can provide him with contact information for the 3rd party collection agency.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the requirements of the Walden Ph.D program with a specialization in Special Education, and the outstanding balance on her student account.  She...

alleges that she was not told that she would have to attend colloquiums for the program during the time she was communicating with Walden about enrolling in the program.  The Ph.D. program at Walden requires all students to attend two residencies (these are the courses the student refers to as colloquiums).  Contrary to the student’s allegation that she was not told of this requirement prior to admission, she was informed by her Enrollment Advisor before the enrollment process was complete on at least one occasion. 
 
The student first contacted Walden on October 31, 2010 to discuss Walden’s Education programs.  On November 1, 2010 the student spoke with an Enrollment Advisor in detail about her background and the program she was interested in.  She was told about the residency requirement and told the Enrollment Advisor that she liked the fact that there were residencies in California (her home state).  When the student was offered admission to Walden, she was provided with a Program of Study listing the course requirements including the information that four residencies were part of the requirements (attached).  If the student was not willing to complete the requirements of the program, she could have simply rejected the offer of admission, before she enrolled in her first course.  She chose to accept the offer of admission and start the program. 
 
The student later raised concerns that she had been told that the residency costs were included in the tuition for the other courses.  This concern was raised to the Walden Ombudsperson and after an investigation, she was provided with a full tuition reimbursement for a residency she only attended in part:  she withdrew before completing the residency.  Her Enrollment Advisor also apologized to the student for not being clearer on the cost structure of the program. 
 
The student also complains that when she inquired about changing her program from the Ph.D. program to the Ed.S. in Special Education, none of her previous courses would transfer to the new program.  Walden performs a degree audit when a student wishes to change programs to determine if any courses will transfer to the new program.  The degree audit determined that none of the course she had completed were transferrable.  She appealed this decision and Academic Advising and the Program Director for Doctoral Programs again reviewed the degree audit and again determined that none of the courses the student had completed would transfer. 
Finally, she raises concerns about an outstanding balance on her student account.  According to federal financial aid regulations, when a student is dropped or withdraws from a course within a pre-determined time period, or fails a course, the financial aid funds must be returned to the financial aid provider (Return to Title IV or "R2T4"), as the student has not fully earned the funds awarded. When the funds are returned to the federal government, as required, the student is still held responsible for the debt incurred with the University.  In accordance with those federal regulations, part of the student's financial aid funds for the 2011 Winter Term and the 2012 Summer Term were sent back to the student's financial aid lender as required, leaving a balance due on the student's account.  In 2012, Walden attempted to speak with the student on 5 separate occasions regarding the outstanding balance on her student account, and then waited another year, until August 2013, before sending the account to a third party collection agency.  If the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####. They can provide her with the contact information for the third party collection agency.

I am rejecting this response because:
I am rejecting this response because: I was partially admitted. I did not receive any study materials from the school. When I discussed with the person who was following me up, she did not tell me the procedure for withdrawal. I was told still by her that I am suppose to pay all courses up front and so which course did I do and how without paying upfront?

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Walden's assertion that I "was told on June 17, 2015, June 24, 2015 and July 6, 2015 that part of my federal funding would be sent back" to my lender is a complete LIE, and I have PROOF via emails and documentations that...

supports that I was administratively withdrawn with the UNIVERSITY on MAY 31, 2015 and the university also alerted the US Department of Education about their administrative withdrawal in May 2015, a month before the calls they reference. I never ever initiated a student withdrawal from my courses. In fact, the conversations in June and July that the university refers to are admissions that I have made numerous attempts to resolve this matter because I feel very strongly and know full well that the university has acted illegally in this matter. They fail to admit or acknowledge that these contacts/calls were made by ME in an attempt to understand and resolve this matter. The university has not acted in good faith. I have attached and provided documentation that supports my position that the university acted inappropriately and administratively withdrew me in MAY 2015, resulting in an inappropriate tuition bill. I also attached copies of emails and correspondences I had with the university balking at their action in withdrawing me and then sticking me with a tuition bill. As stated previously, this is a hustle by this for-profit university. They are not in the business of helping students obtain their education or degrees evidenced by my experience and the experience of thousand of other consumers. This is one of the ways they get money on the backs of the American people under the noses of Uncle Sam. They prey on students and use to their advantage the desire and hunger of people who want to get their college education and take measures to work AGAINST them, instead of with the students. Walden has every phone number, emails, and address on file, so if there was ever a question or concern about my class participation or attendance, the university's advisers should be fully trained in how to work with at-risk students. Instead, they withdraw students at the 1st sign of trouble and stick them with thousand dollar tuition bill and threaten them with collection action to coerce money out of people. Well...Im not scared and I will not be a victim and I will not be taken advantage of in this way. Revdex.com has thousands of similar complaints from people regarding this university's shade antics and practices. I have never run away or hid from this issue because I want to resolve it; however, Walden has done everything in its power to not be responsive to me. I maintain and have proof that I was administratively withdrawn from the university on May 31, 2015 and the university even provided this information to the US Department of Education (see attachment 1, which has the date). (Financial Aid Review -- [redacted] [redacted])

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student states that he has previously complained to Walden, and that only now is the correct information on registering a complaint with Walden being communicated to him.  This is not correct as a Walden Academic Advisor told the student how to file a Tuition Waiver Petition on January 22, 2015. To date, the student has not filed a petition with the University.  The student should consult the Walden University Student Handbook for information relating to the petition process and may contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to discuss his options at this late date.

Walden University response to Revdex.com response for consumer complaint #[redacted] - [redacted]

The student alleges that Walden delayed telling her she would not receive a federal student loan until after the deadline to drop her course. The student is not correct that Walden failed to inform her about the status of her financial aid, until after a critical deadline for dropping her classes,...

without charge had passed.
The student did not receive financial aid for the 2016 Spring Term because she failed to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements mandated by Federal Law. Students receiving federal financial aid are required by the Department of Education to maintain a minimum completion rate in order to continue to receive financial aid. Satisfactory academic progress for all students is reviewed after each period of enrollment. Students receive written notification to their Walden University e-mail account if they are placed on financial aid warning status. Upon being placed on this status, students have one period of enrollment to return to the required standards. If students do not meet these standards, within the specified time allotted, they may appeal for a period of financial aid probation. If the appeal is not granted, students become ineligible for federal financial aid.
The student was informed by email in October 2015 that she was not meeting SAP requirements and that her financial aid eligibility would expire on December 20, 2015. She was also informed in that email that she had the right to appeal that decision and possibly obtain an additional period of financial aid while she was working to regain compliance with SAP requirements. The student has not filed an appeal. The student was later provided with information on how to file a tuition waiver petition. To date, she has not done so. Walden cannot properly address the student's concerns, unless the student files a petition/appeal which will be reviewed by appropriate university staff and administered through the university processes. The student should consult the Walden University Student Handbook for information relating to these processes and may contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### if she has any questions on how to proceed.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/10) */
The student has raised a concern that while she was awarded financial aid by Walden University the financial aid has not been released to her. She was conditionally admitted to Walden based on her unofficial undergraduate transcripts and she...

began her coursework at Walden in the 2015 Fall Term. Per University admission policy, she was given until the end of the term to provide Walden with an official copy of her transcript. The student was also able to apply for financial aid which was awarded to her on November 2, 2015; however, because the student has not provided an official transcript to Walden, the University is unable to certify and disburse the loan to the student's account. University policies for admission are different than policies for the disbursement of financial aid.
Information regarding the status of the student's financial aid is available on the student's myFinAid page (in her student portal). The message there explains that Walden cannot certify and disburse the student's financial aid until the contingency is cleared. The contingency in this case is that the student has not provided Walden with an official copy of her transcript. This policy is also explained on page 169 of the 2015-2016 Walden University Student Handbook (Sept. 2015) (attached). The Handbook states: "New students: Award notifications will be made to admitted students with completed financial aid files. However, financial aid cannot be disbursed until all official transcripts are received by the Office of Admissions." The Student Handbook is available to all students on the Walden University webpage.
The student's financial aid will be disbursed to her as soon as she provides an official transcript to Walden.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is false advertising as Walden was not forthcoming with all of the facts. The admissions office and the financial aid office are not institutions within Walden that are totally separate from each other.
Students apply for admission based on their financial aid package so they are closely linked together.
It is false advertising to pursue students, get them to apply, tell them about grants/financial aid that they can apply for, have all of these conversations verbally, but bury the practice of not dispersing aid on page one hundred and 69 in a booklet.
No one directed me to this booklet when I applied and no one told me about this policy over the phone.
This is false advertising in a nutshell and not releasing my aid is illegal. It is against the law not to give aid that I signed up for with the federal government. I have reviewed the Minnesota and Ohio statutes which shows that Walden has no legal grounds for not dispersing my aid. My next step is to report this illegal practice to the local and federal attorney general's office.
I do not accept this response and I am requesting my financial aid.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. Mr. [redacted] states that delays in processing his request to obtain transcripts from his previous schools are preventing him from starting his classes. Walden understands Mr. [redacted]’s urgency in...

wishing to start his chosen program as soon as possible. In this case, our records indicate that Mr. [redacted] emailed his completed transcript request forms to his Enrollment Advisor after business hours on Friday November 4, 2016. Mr. [redacted] then resent the forms on Saturday November 5, 2016. Mr. [redacted]’s transcript request forms were immediately processed on the next business day, meaning that there has been no delay on the part of the university. Walden has since received 3 out of the 4 requested transcripts and expects to receive the remaining one shortly. On November 18, 2016 Mr. [redacted] was conditionally admitted to the university and is able to start classes as scheduled on November 28, 2016. Therefore, the fact that Walden has not received all of Mr. [redacted]’s transcripts will not prevent him from starting his classes. An Enrollment Manager has spoken with Mr. [redacted] and advised him that he can contact her to follow up on the status of his transcripts at any time. If there are any additional issues regarding this matter, Mr. [redacted] can contact his Enrollment Advisor at ###-###-####.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student alleges that she is being charged for courses she did not take.  She claims that she did not participate in the courses and therefore should not have been charged for them. ...

She is correct that Walden policy is to drop a student from a course if they do not participate in the course.  Walden researched the student’s allegation and determined that she did participate in the course.  Walden has classroom records of the student making multiple submissions and having significant participation in the classroom.  She participated through week 2 of the course and earned grades on her assignments.  The student also received a final grade in the course due to her participation.  Walden would not automatically drop a student from a course with that level of participation in the first two weeks of the course.  Further, the student never requested that she be withdrawn from her class.  Accordingly, the student is responsible for the tuition and fees for the course. If the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact Cedar Financial.  If she does not have the contact information for Cedar Financial; she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####.

The student has raised the same concerns as in her original complaint.  While Walden regrets that the exact timing of suspending the student’s financial aid was unknown, and impacted her ability to continue her studies, as previously stated, Walden cannot properly address the student's concerns, unless or until the student files an internal petition/appeal which will be reviewed by appropriate university staff and administered through the university processes. The student should consult the Walden University Student Handbook for information relating to these processes and may contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### if she has any questions on how to proceed.

Walden University has made several attempts to explain this situation to Mr. [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] blames this situation on being inadvertently dropped from a course, which is not the case. When he applied for his financial aid, Mr. [redacted] applied for and was awarded financial aid based upon a higher-level of attendance than he actually participated in. The amount of financial aid he accepted was in excess of his tuition, and these additional funds sent to him in the form of a refund check. As stated previously, Mr. [redacted] voluntarily dropped the second course in the Summer Quarter 2014, lowering his participation rate to 50%. Therefore, when Mr. [redacted] was no longer attending the university at the required level, he no longer qualified for the amount of financial aid he initially received and a portion of his financial aid was returned by Walden to his lender as per federal guidelines, which means that the balance of his student loans were reduced. Again, please note that Walden is not attempting to collect unpaid tuition from Mr. [redacted]. Rather, once the funds are returned to his lender, he is required to return the additional aid money he was given. Walden has sent that money to the lender on his behalf and now Mr. [redacted] must reimburse the university. The Return to Title IV process is federally mandated. Additional information regarding this process can be found at https://www.waldenu.edu/financial-aid/types/federal/eligibility/return-funds.
Walden has attempted to explain this situation to Mr. [redacted] on numerous occasions and he refuses to accept the explanation. Unfortunately there is nothing more the university can do in this matter and considers this complaint closed. Mr. [redacted] may contact the Bursar’s office to set up a reasonable payment plan to pay back the money that he owes. Otherwise normal collection attempts will continue.

Mr. [redacted] has responded to Walden with continuing concerns regarding the issues he initially raised. Mr. [redacted] was contacted by the Associate Bursar on October 11, 2016 to inform him that the discount he requested was retroactively applied to his account on October 10th. It may have taken a few days for this to be reflected in the university systems, but the change has been approved and made. If he has continuing concerns, we ask that he contact the Associate Bursar to discuss those concerns. We also appreciate Mr. [redacted]’s concerns regarding the university’s book policies. As stated in the Student Handbook, all university fees, tuition, and charges, are subject to change as situations arise that warrant such a change. In this case, a federal regulation required Walden to alter its book policy and Walden was required to alter its previous policy to comply.
We are happy to hear that Mr. [redacted] and his fellow students are resolving their issue regarding grades. However, Mr. [redacted] always has the option to file a grade appeal with his program. He can find information about how to do so in the Student Handbook.
As stated previously, Mr. [redacted] also 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 [redacted].

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the timing of the release of her financial aid refund. The student has accused Walden of inconsistent and abusive financial aid practices and of...

stealing from her. These claims are not true. The student has also accused Walden of posting her funds to a third party. It is not clear what the student means by this assertion, but funds are posted in accordance to the written instructions of the student. This student requested that funds be posted via direct deposit to her account, and Walden is complying with her request. The student’s financial aid was processed in accordance with longstanding Walden financial aid policies. Her student loan disbursed to Walden as scheduled on June 8th (which is the disbursement date for 2017 summer term for all students). The student is aware that student financial aid refunds can take up to 14 days to be processed and her federal financial aid refund was processed on June 16, 2016 (8 days after disbursement). The refund will be direct deposited to the student’s bank account on June 20, 2017.
Walden considers this matter closed.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns about the alumni discount percentage he is eligible to receive in the new program he started in May 2017. The student claims that he was told by his Academic...

Advisor that he was eligible for a 30% alumni discount. When he registered for courses in the 2017 Summer term, he claims the alumni discount had been reduced to 15%.
The student is correct that the alumni discount changed in 2017 based on enrollment in certain programs by specific dates. Walden offered students a 30% discount if they started courses in the Graduate Certificate in Business Management program in the 1st Quarter of 2017. He first inquired about the program in April 2017 and he started his program on May 8, 2017. The 30% discount for the 1st Quarter of 2017 was no longer available at the time he began his program and so he was offered the current 15% alumni discount. After investigating the student’s claims, Walden determined that the information provided to the student regarding alumni discounts was not clear. Although under no obligation to do so, Walden will provide the student with the 30% discount that was previously available to eligible alumni. The student will be contacted by Walden once the higher discount has been applied.

I am rejecting this response because: I have attempted to contact the university directly to fix this matter. I am receiving conflicting information now, and do not trust the university to handle this matter. They have brought a third party in (collections) and I do not feel comfortable without a third party (Revdex.com) being involved in the case.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. Ms. [redacted] has expressed concerns regarding the disbursement of her financial aid refund. While the student’s financial aid refund did not disburse as quickly as the student wished, it did...

disburse on November 10, 2016. If Ms. [redacted] wishes to withdraw from the university she should contact her academic advisor at ###-###-####.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues.  Federal financial aid requirements state that if a student’s completion rate (which includes GPA) falls below a certain threshold they are no longer eligible for financial aid.  Mr....

[redacted] became ineligible for financial aid after the 2015 Winter term.  This occurred after Mr. [redacted] failed a course in the Summer Quarter 2015.  He was informed thereafter that he would no longer be eligible for financial aid until his completion rate increased and, if he continued to enroll in the university, he would have to pay his tuition out of pocket.  Mr. [redacted] attended one additional term while he was appealing his grade and the financial aid suspension.   When the appeals were denied, the university informed Mr. [redacted] that he now owed the tuition that he did not receive aid for.  Additionally, when Mr. [redacted] stopped attending classes Walden was required under federal financial aid guidelines to inform his lender of his status, which may have resulted in his student loan payments coming out of deferment.  Walden University recognizes that the appeals process in Mr. [redacted]’s case took longer than expected, but appeals of university policy require multiple levels of review and while the university strives to address student appeals as soon as possible, given the uniqueness of each student’s appeal, there is no guarantee of completion time.   Since that time, Walden has reviewed Mr. [redacted]’s situation and the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences has granted Mr. [redacted] a tuition waiver that will, as he requested, eliminate his balance with Walden.  He is also at this time eligible to receive federal financial aid for any future classes.