Walden University, LLC

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding an alleged overpayment to Walden. Mr. [redacted] claims that when he paid for his tuition on January 22, 2017, a “technical glitch” caused his credit...

card to be charged 3 times.  Walden has researched Mr. [redacted]’s claims and determined that Mr. [redacted] did in fact make multiple payments for the same bill but the charges were reversed when the university became aware of them and Mr. [redacted]’s credit card was credited for the overpayments.  However at the same time Mr. [redacted]’s credit card company, at his request, also reversed two of the charges.  Therefore, Mr. [redacted] was reimbursed 4 times for a payment he made 3 times, resulting in him still owing the original amount.  Walden has asked the student to contact his credit card company regarding the missing payment but he has not provided any feedback that such has occurred. We have attached a copy of the student’s account statement detailing these transactions. We ask that Mr. [redacted] contact Walden’s Receivables Management at ###-###-#### so this issue can be resolved in an expeditious manner.

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. However, I would like to make a few corrections. 1. The registar at Tri County Community College contacted me immediately uon reciept of my transcript information and had reported destroying the information on my behalf. This was done before Walden was made aware of their mistake and therefore it was not the result of their attempts to correct the situation. Their statement is misleading in their response. I have a voicemail to prove this from Tri-County Community College. 2. The fact that Walden would try to BLAME me for including my social security number which was requested if the former school identification number was not known is absurb. I had not attended the former college in 16 yrs so I had no choice but to include my social security number to provide my identification. Additionally, my ss# is not the ONLY sensitive inforation on this form; full name, address, phone numbers, email, etc. are provided. 3. Dan [redacted] left me a voicemail stating that he wished to discuss my admission status which I had denied. He did not mention in the voicemail that he was calling in reference to my complaint against the college. However, I did call him back. At the time, he was unavaluable and I had left a voice mail requesting a return call. I was not contacted again. The university seems to sKew the details to appear as in their favor but they are misrepresenting themselves. Regardless, I will accept their offer to resolve this issue with clarification of the issues. Thank you, [redacted]

Walden takes privacy concerns very seriously and regrets that the applicant’s personal information was sent to the wrong college.  In this case, Ms. [redacted] applied to Walden University and the university requested an official transcript from her previous institution.  To make the...

request, Ms. [redacted] was given a ‘Transcript Release Form’ to fill out, which would give Walden permission to contact the college and request the transcript.  Walden inadvertently sent the request to Tri-County Community College in Murphy, North Carolina, when the correct school was Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina.  When Walden became aware of the mistake, the university immediately contacted the Registrar for Tri-County Community College and asked them to destroy the Transcript Release Form, which they did.  The Transcript Release Form request that Ms. [redacted] filled out asked for either her social security number or student id for identification purposes.  The applicant is not required to provide their social security number.  In this case Ms. [redacted] chose to provide her social security number instead of her student id.   Had she provided her Tri-County Technical College Student ID, there would have been no release of personally sensitive information.  However, Walden appreciates Ms. [redacted]’s concern.  Therefore, we will be glad to provide Ms. [redacted] with one year’s worth of credit-monitoring through Equifax at no charge.  An Enrollment Manager has reached out to Ms. [redacted] to discuss her concerns but has not heard back from her.  If she would please contact Dan [redacted] at ###-###-####, we will be glad to give her the information for her to receive the credit monitoring.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student’s complaint concerns an academic issue and Walden cannot discuss the specifics of this matter in a public forum.  The student has addressed the issue utilizing Walden’s internal...

processes and at this point it is being reviewed by the Dean of her college.   If the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert Brandt, 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. Ms. [redacted] states that Walden is charging her for a fee that was covered by financial aid. At this time the University is unclear as to what ‘fee’ she is referring to, as she has not provided any...

details on the amount of fee, the term in which it occurred or any information regarding her concerns. Any concerns regarding past-due balances or billing should be directed to the Walden University Bursar’s office at ###-###-####. The Bursar’s office can help the student identify the fee and explain why it is owed.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/11) */
The student has raised concerns about the tuition waiver petition process at Walden University. The tuition waiver petition process at Walden is designed to allow student concerns to be addressed, in a timely manner, by the appropriate...

departments at Walden so they may determine if an exception should be made to University policies. The tuition waiver petition process does not guarantee the student a favorable response.
Tuition waiver petitions are required to be filed within 30 days after the term ends for which the student is requesting an exception to University policy. The student claims she did not know the policy existed, but it is a student's responsibility to understand University policies. Those policies can be found in the Walden University Student Handbook which is available to students on the Walden web page (http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=137&navoid=43026). The student also had access to Academic Advisors who could assist the student in seeking guidance on Walden policies and procedures. When the student called Academic Advising to discuss a tuition waiver petition in November 2015, she was told she was not eligible to file a petition due to the length of time that had elapsed since the term ended. The student said she would file a petition regardless.
The student filed a tuition waiver on December 10, 2015 for the Spring Term of 2013 which ran from January 7, 2013 to April 28, 2013. While Walden may consider a petition filed beyond the 30 day period, the student must show a valid reason for filing late. The student's petition was considered and denied on the grounds that she did not show a valid reason for filing almost 1.5 years after the proper time period to file. She was informed of her right to appeal the denial and the student did in fact file an appeal. The appeal was reviewed by the Bursar Petition Committee and denied on multiple grounds, including the fact that the student actively participated in the course, and received a financial aid refund in March. The student's initial petition and appeal were fully considered by the appropriate departments at Walden and denied both times, based on a complete and fair consideration of the issues presented.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/03/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
True to form Walden is a FRAUD. Does anyone find it interesting that this response fails to address my concerns?
The respondent states, "When the student called Academic Advising to discuss a tuition waiver petition in November 2015, she was told she was not eligible to file a petition due to the length of time that had elapsed since the term ended. The student said she would file a petition regardless." This conversation never took place. My communications took place via email.
The respondent also stated, "The student's petition was considered and denied on the grounds that she did not show a valid reason for filing almost 1.5 years after the proper time period to file." However, this is the response I was given: Our Petition Review Committee has reviewed your tuition waiver request. We regret to inform you that your petition has been denied. Petitions must be submitted within 30 days of the end of the term in question. As the term in question was several years ago, you are not eligible for a tuition waiver. We apologize this is not the outcome requested however a tuition waiver cannot be extended."
However the form states: "In accordance with the Walden University Catalog, petitions must be submitted no later than 30 calendar days from the last day of the term/course in question. Petitions submitted after 30 calendar days MAY BE declined." I asked for clarification and was told students may still submit a request with proper documentation.
The appeal outcome stated: "Our Petition Review Committee has reviewed your tuition waiver request. We regret to inform you that your petition has been denied. Your course ran from January to March and according to your documentation you had ample time to drop the course without penalty. You actively participated and received a financial aid refund in March. Additionally we have no record that you informed the university in January that your child was ill and you needed to take a leave of absence. We apologize this is not the outcome requested however a tuition waiver cannot be extended." This is was an interesting response considering the medical documentation submitted started on Jan 29th and beyond, well beyond the course drop period. Additionally, I was not aware that students needed to inform a school they were attending of their family member's health. Not to mention, I had almost no communication from whomever my advisor was.
The respondent failed to address the lack of communication from staff. The respondent failed to address the subjectivity in petition review or the fact that the appeal decision is not wholly accurate. For the decision to state what someone could or should have done is subjective. And the fact that the course drop period is only 1 week and the course was already in progress for nearly 4 weeks when my child initially became ill. My chief complaint is the lack of ACCURACY & OBJECTIVITY in the process.
One assumes that when you apply for something of this nature that there are certain criterion and objectives that must be met to qualify and those that qualify would be granted approval. Given the information on the petition application, one would assume that if he or she meets those criteria that they would be approved. But despite the fact that I have provided the necessary documentation that met the criterion my petition is still denied based on outside factors not even discussed in the application.
Ultimately, I do not accept this response because it fails to specifically address the concerns of my complaint. The respondent just regurgitated the information read in emails. How is this actively addressing my complaint?

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the progress of her dissertation over the past 4 years. The doctoral 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 doctoral study based on that scholarly research. In addition, completing the program requirements for a doctoral study is an academic issue most appropriately addressed through the academic review procedures established by the University. A member of the student’s Program Leadership will be contacting the student in the near future to discuss, and attempt to resolve her concerns.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/07/15) */
This student has raised concerns that she has an outstanding balance on her student account. The student has a balance on her student account as a result of her failure to participate in the course in the 2012 Summer term. The student was...

enrolled in one course for Summer 2012 term. The course began on April 30, 2012 and ended on August 19, 2012. The student's last day of participation was determined to be May 6, 2012. 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"). 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. Walden's Collections office has been in communication with the student regarding her outstanding debt since October 2012. The student has not made any payments on her outstanding debt and the debt was sent to a 3rd party collection agency on October 31, 2013. The debt remains unpaid at this time.
The student filed a petition for grade change on April 23, 2013 for the course she took in the Summer 2012 term. The petition was denied on May 9, 2013, on the grounds that the student filed the petition late and that the grade given by the instructor was appropriate. The student's request for a tuition waiver was not considered once her grade petition was denied as there were no grounds for a tuition waiver after the grade appeal was denied. The student did not appeal the determination as she was permitted to do under Walden policies. These policies can be found in the Student Handbook.
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. Mr. [redacted] can be reached at [redacted] or [redacted]@walden.edu.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/07/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
University refuses to be responsible for its support system.thr fees owed prohibit me from du true responsibilities and/or future funds to even possibly pay tithe supposed amount. The amount owned holds a stigma of the school refusing to negotiate, eliminate or reduce cost of such an unfair situation.

Walden appreciates Ms. [redacted]'s position but must refer her to the university's policies and procedures.  The university has no records to support her position.  If she has evidence to support those allegations, we urge her to use Walden’s established processes to have her claims reviewed in accordance with University policies.  Ms. [redacted] should contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to discuss how to proceed with her petitionAs stated before, 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 [redacted].

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/05) */
The student alleges that she did not have access to the online classroom for a course at the beginning of the 2013 Fall term and was then charged for the course when she withdrew. The student would like the outstanding balance on her student...

account cleared. The student attended Walden University for the 2013 Fall term and registered for one course. The student claims she was unable to access the course online classroom for a week. The course began on September 4, 2013, and the student was added to the course late at her own request on September 10, 2013. There was a short delay before the student was able to access the online classroom for the course and this was one consequence of her choosing to register late for the course.
The student spoke with an Enrollment Advisor on September 14, 2013 and discussed withdrawing from the course. The Enrollment Advisor informed the student that if she dropped the course after September 14, 2013, she would be responsible for 20% of the tuition and fees for the course. The Advisor also informed the student that the longer she waited to withdraw from the course the more she would owe. The student contacted Walden on September 16, 2013, and asked to be withdrawn from the course. At the time of her request to withdraw, the student would have been responsible for 40% of the tuition and fees for her course, but her Enrollment Advisor assisted her by reducing the amount owed to 20% of the tuition and fees. She later spoke with an Academic Advisor on October 4, 2013 and was informed that she could submit a tuition waiver petition regarding the 20% of her tuition and fees that she owed. The Academic Advisor told the student she did not believe a petition would be approved due to the facts of the situation but that the student could still submit it. The student has not submitted a tuition waiver petition to Walden at this time.
The student further alleges that Walden has not communicated with her regarding her outstanding debt. In fact, Walden's Collection Office has communicated with the student numerous times since December 2013. The student has also spoken with Walden about arranging a payment plan and made at least one payment to Walden although she has continued to dispute the debt. Walden did not send the student's outstanding debt to a third party collection agency until 19 months after the debt was incurred. At this time, there remains an outstanding balance on the student's account for which she is responsible. If the student desires to resolve this matter, she should contact the 3rd party collection agency to discuss a payment plan.
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]@walden.edu.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/08/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I was told by the Admissions Adviser to send the email that stated I was ok with enrolling late. He told me that everything would be fine and I would be in class. That was not the case. My fault I shouldn't of believed him. I also shouldnt of believed that the classes would be open to me with the time frame for class because thats also what I was promised. I did submit the appeal twice. If I had access to my portal still I would show you the proof. No worries. Please continue you to act as though you are right. I work in the higher education field and I will make sure anyone that will listen that they know that Walden University is a sham and out for money not the student. I have talked to Mr [redacted] several times and per email in Oct 2014 he said it would be taken care of and that was the last time I heard from anyone at Walden until I heard from a debt collector. Thank you for nothing. I have set up payment plans and will not attend you school for my PhD. I should've read up on the school and the negativity surrounding you before I applied. This is completely my fault as I had NO access to a class for a week and should pay for it.

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns that the two paper copies of the transcripts she ordered had not been delivered to the address she requested.  She raised her concerns with both the...

Registrar’s Office and the Walden Ombudsperson.  The Registrar’s Office at Walden researched her concerns and determined that the student requested one paper copy of her transcript and one digital copy.  She originally requested copies of her transcripts on August 23, 2016.  The transcripts were sent out (by U.S. Mail and electronically) the same day according to the student’s instructions.  The student did not designate a specific person to whom the paper transcript should be delivered, so the paper transcript was sent to the general address provided by the student.  When the student complained on September 8, 2016, that the paper copy had not been delivered, Walden issued another copy of the paper transcript, and sent it to the new address provided by the student.  The student was informed on September 12th that her transcript had been delivered to the person and address she had provided to Walden in her second request.  Walden has also refunded the student $15.00 for the cost of one of the transcripts originally requested by the student.  Walden considers this matter resolved, and will not provide additional refunds to the student.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/11/17) */
Walden University takes all student matters seriously, and uses its best efforts to resolve them. Ms. [redacted] has expressed concerns regarding the outstanding balance on her student account and claims that Walden will not provide her with a copy...

of her transcript or tell her what she owes the University. According to University policy, transcripts will not be released if a student has an outstanding balance on their student account. The student last attended Walden in the Summer term of 2008 and Walden's records show that she has an outstanding balance of $2,100.00. The student may not recall the circumstances of her outstanding balance but Walden's Collections office contacted her by phone or email 12 times between July 25, 2008 and December 18, 2008. In addition to leaving numerous voice and email messages for the student, a Collections specialist spoke to the student twice during that time about her outstanding balance. We regret that the student feels that she does not have the appropriate information at this time regarding this outstanding balance. We suggest that the student contact Walden's Collections Office to discuss arrange payment of this outstanding balance so that she may access copies of her transcript. She can reach the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Walden has attached a copy of the student's account statement to this response.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 11, 2015/11/30) */
The consumer indicated that he/she accepted the business response.

I am rejecting this response because:Walden over charged me plain and simple, and like many other "for profit colleges" they are under federal investigation for their antics.  Schools like this run up our student loans until we are in the 100k range , and I am in the process of filing Federal Complaints against this school as well as the previous school for doing just that.   Had I known what these schools were really like I would have never attended. Walden came with a recommendation of a friend, shame on me for not doing enough research.  I want my balance adjusted to show zero, and I want my degree as well as my official transcripts (at least 10 copies of them ) mailed to me immediately. This is absolutely the only way I will not file the complaint on Walden..  By with holding my degree and transcripts they are interfering in my ability to find a good paying job, as employers require copies of official transcripts mailed in. I work for the Government and that is a non negotiable requirement.  following are links to numerous complaints on this school.http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/10/clinton-connected-for-profit-school-gov...⇄

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student alleges that Walden provided her with a transcript with incorrect information and that she is having difficulties with the Walden University Financial Account Management Office...

(previously Collections Office). We have investigated the issue and have determined that Ms. [redacted] received a transcript when she originally requested it. However, since that time she has had a hold placed on her account due to nonpayment. Walden’s policy is that official transcripts are not released if there is a hold on a student’s account.
In January of 2016 Ms. [redacted] requested an official transcript, which was then sent to her. Sometime later Ms. [redacted] contacted Walden and stated that the transcript that was sent to her contained inaccurate information. When she was asked to identify the problem, Ms. [redacted] produced a transcript from 2012 – which was not the one sent to her in 2016. Ms. [redacted] has requested a new official transcript but, due to her currently past-due balance with the university, we are unable to honor that request at this time. As a possible solution, she may request an unofficial copy of her transcript from the Registrar.
Ms. [redacted] goes on to complain that she is being contacted frequently in an attempt to arrange for payment of her outstanding balance. Ms. [redacted] has an outstanding balance on her student account from the 2015 Spring and Fall terms. Ms. [redacted] has had numerous discussions with the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) regarding her balanced owed. During those conversations, Walden explained the hold on her account, answered her question on collection activities and offered a payment plans. Walden explained to Ms. [redacted] that unless she maintained an approved payment plan she would continue to receive collection notices. While the student has made some payments towards her outstanding balance, she is not on an approved payment plan. Therefore, until she agrees to an approved payment plan and makes payments according to that plan, she will continue to receive collection notices. Walden remains willing to work with the student and she should continue to work with Walden to pay off her outstanding balance. She may contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office at ###-###-####.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/25) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the amount of tuition she was refunded after withdrawing from a course in the 2015 Fall Term. ...

Walden University regrets any miscommunication with regard to the amount of the student's refund. At the time of her withdrawal, Walden University was required to utilize a refund schedule mandated by the state of Tennessee, the student's state of residence, for this student which differed from Walden's general policy. While the student filed a petition for a tuition waiver seeking to adjust her refund, she did not wait for a response before filing with the Revdex.com. However, the Walden's waiver review committee has since had the opportunity to review her petition and her refund has been adjusted accordingly. Walden University considers this matter closed.

Please see attached - Walden University response to consumer complaint #[redacted])

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding his automatic enrollment in a course and the outstanding balance on his account. Certain Walden programs require continuous enrollment in which...

students are automatically enrolled in courses so they can move through the program in a timely manner, without interruption. Students are informed of this aspect of the program at enrollment and retain the option to drop or add courses if needed. Students who do not participate in their class within the first 7 days may be administratively withdrawn by the University for failure to participate in their courses. The student has an outstanding balance on his student account relating to the 2014 Fall Term and the 2015 Spring Term. He contacted Walden and disputed the outstanding balance and in a conversation with an Academic Advisor on January 22, 2015, the student was provided with the information on how to file a Tuition Waiver Petition, if he disagreed with the charges. To date, the student has not filed a petition with the University. In order for Walden University to review and process a tuition reimbursement, however, a student must actually file a petition 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 the petition process and may contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to discuss his options at this late date. In addition, the student has been communicating with the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) since August 2015 regarding his outstanding balance. He has not made any payments, despite being offered a payment plan. His account was sent to an outside collection agency on February 3, 2016. If he wishes to discuss his outstanding balance, he should contact Ability Recovery who is handling the account at ###-###-####.

I am rejecting this response because: To reject the appeal due to failing grades for the Autumn 2015 term is ridiculous to me, since I was deported on short notice and had to move across the world without any place to go when I arrived. I provided documentation to the school and noted that it would be impossible for me to raise my GPA to their standards due to over a month of intense upheaval as well as homelessness. I feel that denying me a financial aid extension on those grounds made no sense.

Walden University takes every student concern seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The university has confirmed that the student’s debt has been discharged in bankruptcy and has ceased all collection efforts.

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.I am requesting that Walden University contact [redacted] and instruct to remove the account from  from all 3 credit bureaus.