Walden University, LLC

I am rejecting this response because: Greetings, Thank you for responding to my Revdex.com complaintI have looked at my account summary and I do not see any credit to my accountI want to make sure that all of my paid fees and future fees has been adjusted as promised to have 15% military discount since I did submit my DDbefore admissionRegarding 1% fees discount for fees; before I joined Walden, the admissions counselor emphasized that all books, lab and supplies fees will be included in the fees we pay and for that reason Walden’s fees are higher than other universities since this is “all in one” (inclusive) tuition and students will have almost no expenses associated to their educationI understand that Walden is obligated to follow the federal low but they cannot just give 1% discount and think everything is OK when the books and course related materials we have been asked to purchase easily costs over dollars each semesterWalden’s 1% discount sums around $per semesterIf this matter cannot be discussed via Revdex.com then I am available to discuss options over the phoneAbout the grade issueMost of my classmates have raised this issue to our academic advisor and we hope to hear a positive resolution on thisThanks, ***

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 AttendanceAs a result, the student’s Cost of Attendance has been adjusted to reflect the true tuition charges for credits per quarter The student's Spring 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 would like to request an extension of time to May 6, to respond to the complaint by our student Mr [redacted] Thank you for your consideration of this request

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (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 Fall term and was then charged for the course when she withdrewThe student would like the outstanding balance on her student account clearedThe student attended Walden University for the Fall term and registered for one courseThe student claims she was unable to access the course online classroom for a weekThe course began on September 4, 2013, and the student was added to the course late at her own request on September 10, 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, and discussed withdrawing from the courseThe 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 courseThe Advisor also informed the student that the longer she waited to withdraw from the course the more she would oweThe student contacted Walden on September 16, 2013, and asked to be withdrawn from the courseAt 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 feesShe later spoke with an Academic Advisor on October 4, and was informed that she could submit a tuition waiver petition regarding the 20% of her tuition and fees that she owedThe 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 itThe 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 debtIn fact, Walden's Collection Office has communicated with the student numerous times since December 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 debtWalden did not send the student's outstanding debt to a third party collection agency until months after the debt was incurredAt this time, there remains an outstanding balance on the student's account for which she is responsibleIf 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 OmbudspersonMr [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 UniversityMr [redacted] can be reached at [redacted] or [redacted] @walden.edu Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (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 lateHe told me that everything would be fine and I would be in classThat was not the caseMy fault I shouldn't of believed himI also shouldnt of believed that the classes would be open to me with the time frame for class because thats also what I was promisedI did submit the appeal twiceIf I had access to my portal still I would show you the proofNo worriesPlease continue you to act as though you are rightI 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 studentI have talked to Mr [redacted] several times and per email in Oct 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 collectorThank you for nothingI have set up payment plans and will not attend you school for my PhDI should've read up on the school and the negativity surrounding you before I appliedThis 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 issuesThe 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 OmbudspersonMr [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 UniversityMr [redacted] can be reached at ###-###-#### or [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 University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** is a former student who previously withdrew from the university leaving a balance owed for unpaid tuitionMs*** has petitioned the university for a tuition waiver on the
grounds that she was forced to withdraw due to a family medical emergencyWalden maintains extensive internal grievance and appeal processes available to all students and designed to address the student’s concernsAs explained to Ms*** on several occasions, in order to grant a tuition waiver under these circumstances she must provide documentation that shows that medical emergency occurred after the start of classesMs***'s petition was denied because the documentation submitted by her did not show that the medical emergency occurred during the term in questionIn fact, her medical documentation was the same that she provided in a previous tuition waiver for a family emergency that occurred over two years prior, and which the university had previously approvedMs*** appealed the decision but it was denied on the same grounds as she did not provide any new documentation supporting her petition
If the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-#### and they can provide her with the contact information for the 3rd party collection agency

I am rejecting this response because:I did not participate in this classThis university has a turn over problem in advisersJust because someone did not do their job does not justify charging me the full tuition price

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/09/11) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesThe student has expressed concerns regarding the fact that she has a current balance owed for tuition at the University and that she has a
hold on her accountThe student further complains that she not been able to obtain a copy of her transcriptAs the student correctly notes, students with a hold on their account due to a student debt cannot obtain a copy of their official transcriptThe student states that she should be able to obtain an unofficial copy of her transcriptOn August 21, 2015, the student contacted Walden regarding obtaining a copy of her transcriptShe was provided the transcript email address and information on what internet browser to useTo date, the student has not completed the process of requesting an unofficial copy of her transcriptIf the student completes the transcript request process, Walden will provide her with an unofficial copy of her transcript
In addition, the student currently has an outstanding balance on her student account from the Fall TermThe Fall term ran from September 3, to November 24, The student claims that she did the not receive a grade for the two courses she took in the Fall termThis is not correct as the student received grades for both courses and this is clearly shown on the student's transcriptThe student also claims that she should have been administratively withdrawn by the University when she did not participate in courses for the first days of the termThe student was academically dismissed from Walden on December 16, (effective December 2, 2013) for failing to meet academic progress standardsWalden online classroom records show that the student logged into her online classrooms and participated in discussions as late as October 7, in one course and October 10, in the second courseThis placed her participation in her courses well beyond September 9, 2013, which was the last day to receive any tuition refundIf the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Collections Office at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/09/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I was not provided anything by the school as they claim on August 21st
I'm so disappointed that I did not research this school as thoroughly as I should haveTheir practices are obviously devious and scams
The only response I received from them was the following (I've attached a screen shot as well):
Collections
To *** *** *** ***
Aug
Your account has been placed with Allied ServicesPlease contact Allied Services @ X XXX XXX XXXX to discuss your account
Thomansena Alexander
Collection Specialist
Walden University
Financial Account Management
Laureate Education, Inc
Samuel Morse Drive
Suite
Columbia, Md XXXXX
X-XXX-XXX-XXXX extXXXXXXX
Direct dial: X-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Fax: XXX-XXX-XXXX
I have reached out to Allied Services via phone and emailI've sent SEVERAL emails to them, with no response
I was not provided the transcript request email address, only the number for the collection agency I was sent to
Additionally, I would love to see the records of my participation, and any proof that is available proving that I participated beyond September 9th

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/28) */
The student alleges that she asked to be dropped from her course at Walden University but it was not handled correctly by WaldenShe also states that her account was sent to collectionsThe University has confirmed that the student has an
outstanding balance on her student account from the Summer term which ran from May 6, to August 25, 2013, and her account is currently in collectionsThe student filed a tuition waiver petition on May 28, requesting a waiver of tuition for the Summer term due to financial hardshipShe did not seek a tuition waiver on the basis of not being dropped from her course at the time requestedThe petition was reviewed by Walden based on the request made by the student and on the evidence presented by the studentWalden denied the petition on the grounds that it is a student's responsibility to be aware of their financial aid eligibility and to plan accordinglyWalden must make a determination on a tuition waiver petition based only on those grounds presented by the student
The student submitted a new petition on May 13, 2015, asking for a tuition waiver on the basis of Walden not handling her withdrawal from her course correctlyThe same day, an Academic Advisor requested additional information from the student with regard to her petitionThe student did not reply to the Academic Advisor at that time and has not replied as of todayWalden has been unable to make a determination on the petition submitted, because the student has yet to complete the petition process
The student has an outstanding balance on her student account and that account is currently with a 3rd party collection agencyThe student should contact the 3rd party collection agency directly to discuss the balance on her account

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/26) */
The student claims she was not told that she would be required to take two credit academic residencies as part of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program at Walden UniversityAs a preliminary matter, Walden strongly denies that
it uses "bogus" tactics to get people to enroll at the universityThe student applied to Walden in May and was accepted into the DBA program at Walden with a specialization in Human Resources Management on June 8, She withdrew from the University effective June 19, 2015, prior to the start of her first class, claiming she would not be able to attend the academic residencies that are a required part of the program
Walden provides information on all of its programs in multiple locations and the specific information about DBA program requirements is also available in multiple locationsIndividuals who are interested in attending Walden can speak to an Enrollment Advisor who can answer their questions regarding details of program requirements and direct them to online resources about programsInformation about all programs is publicly available online to anyoneFor example, the student was interested in the DBA program with a specialization in Human Resources ManagementThe online information on the DBA program on the Walden web page clearly states that students will be required to attend two credit academic residencies as part of the programhttp://www.waldenu.edu/doctoral/doctor-of-business-administration/curricu...⇄ information is also available in the current Walden Student Catalog and the Walden Student HandbookThese publications are also available online to anyone at the http://catalog.waldenu.edu/Both publications clearly show that students in the DBA program will be required to attend two credit academic residencies
The student requests either the return of the "unopened transcript" she submitted as part of the application process; or, a $payment to cover the cost of the transcriptWalden cannot return the student's transcript as it was opened as part of the University's review of the student's application to determine if she would be admittedThe original transcript is now part of the student's academic file and cannot be returnedIn lieu of the return of the transcript, the student asks for payment of $As stated previously, the transcript was submitted to Walden as part of the student's application for admission to WaldenThe student chose to withdraw after being admitted to WaldenAccordingly, there is no basis for refunding the student any fees she incurred for the submission of required documents as part of a voluntary application process
We regret that the student has decided to withdraw from the program and would like to note that her admission to the DBA program is valid for year after her withdrawal, if she chooses to return to Walden
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/06/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Walden never told me about the residencyWhen asked, they finally confirmed itBut only after I askedI requested my transcript back before Urdu was openedThey could have simply written return to sender on the outside instead they opened itWalden has so many complaints that get are only in for money

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesThe student has expressed concerns regarding the handling of transcripts that are part of his application. Walden regrets that the student is not satisfied with the level of service he has
received from the University. The Financial Aid office received the student’s high school transcripts on November 6, However, the name on the transcript differed from the name in Walden’s student database. In order to confirm his identity, Walden requested a copy of the student’s driver’s licenseThe student’s driver’s license was received November 7, 2017. Walden’s Financial Aid Department is currently verifying the student’s transcripts. Once the transcripts are verified, the student will be contacted by an Academic Advisor to conclude the admissions process. Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, he has the option to contact Robert ***, University OmbudspersonMr*** 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 UniversityMr*** can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.***@waldenu.edu

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you for your intervention and timely follow-up. I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to Walden University for considering, understanding, and honoring my position

The Walden University Bursar’s Office contacted the student on April 7, 2016. Even though the student did not use the internal procedures Walden has in place to address student concerns, the Walden Tuition Waiver Committee considered his concerns and granted him a one-time tuition waiver. Walden considers this matter resolved

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/25) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesThe student has expressed concerns regarding the fact that she has a current balance owed for tuition at the university and she alleges poor
communication from Walden regarding her concernsMs*** states that she disagrees with Walden's explanation of her balance and feels that she has not been able to get a clear explanation from the University
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 student's financial aid funds must be returned to the financial aid provider (Return to Title IV or "R2T4")In accordance with those federal regulations, when the student stopped participating in course after one month, 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 accountSpecifically, the student was enrolled in one course for Winter termThe course began on December 12, and ended on February 15, After the student stopped participating in her course on January 15, 2015, the Financial Aid Office reviewed the student's record and processed the required R2Twhich resulted in funds being returned funds to the student's lenderBecause of the R2T4, the student currently has an outstanding balance on her student accountIf she wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Collections Office at 1-800-925-Walden does regret originally sending the explanation of R2Tto the student's Walden email address in August which she states she is no longer usingThe explanation of R2Twas resent to her personal email address on September 16, by the Associate Director of Financial Aid for WaldenThe student was also asked to contact the Associate Director of Financial Aid if she had any questions
Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert ***, University OmbudspersonMr*** 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 UniversityMr*** can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX or ***@waldenu.edu
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I did finally receive communication from Cheryl, the Associate Director of Financial Aid in regards to the calculations used by Walden for the Rtvia emailHowever, my follow up, which I will post below was and still has not been responded toAdditionally, it is clear that no communications have been made with the collections department that the matter is being looked into by anyone but meAlso, my requests for the validation of debt to be submitted via postal mail service have not been honoredInstead, I have received the number of yet another person to contact at Walden regarding this issueIn accordance with Walden's own stated policies and calculations, they are erroneous, as stated below
Hello Cheryl,
I am sending you a copy of the correspondence regarding my withdrawal from Walden University, which was responded to on 1/22/wherein I was told it would take 1-days to process, after it was initially deniedThe withdrawal processing date, as stated in the email chain below is at least a day difference that what was calculatedTherefore, I participated out of days for a percentage of 67.5%, wherein funds are not required to be repaid and because I withdrew from the course, my grade should have been a WI also kept corresponding with the instructor up until the withdrawal date for course participation
I will forward your response and the explanation to my attorney, I will also list you as a point of contactI also request, again, that correspondence be sent via mail as the emails to this address are hit and miss with pertinent information to my case
Regards,
*** ***, ACSW, MPA
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/10/09) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** again states that she disagrees with Walden's explanation of her balance and feels that she has not been able to get a clear explanation from the UniversityThe Associate Director of Financial Aid for Walden provided an explanation of the R2Tprocess and the R2Tcalculation to the student on September 16, The student disagrees with the explanation provided to her but Walden has followed both its internal policies and Federal law in reaching its determination
If the student has additional concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert ***, University OmbudspersonMr*** 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 UniversityMr*** can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX or ***@waldenu.edu

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/01) */
The student states that she has raised complaints to Walden University regarding her communications with the Collections Office about an outstanding balance on her student accountThe student was enrolled in one course for Spring Term
The course began on March 2, and ended on June 21, The student stopped participating in the course on April 12, 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
The student alleges that Walden has ignored her attempts to discuss her outstanding balance from the Spring Term, and has harassed her in attempting to collect the balanceWalden has neither ignored the student nor harassed herThe student sent correspondence to Walden on September 2, The Office of Student Affairs responded to the student on September 4, to inform her that they were looking into her concerns and would respond to her as soon as possibleThe student emailed Walden again on September 22, 2015, and the Office of Student Affairs responded with a more detailed email the same day
The Collections Office at Walden University first called and emailed the student on August 13, 2015, regarding her outstanding balanceWalden followed up with emails on September 9, and September 11, The emails sent to the student are the standard form emails sent to all students with outstanding balancesThe emails were not sent to harass the student, but rather to inform her of the situation and of the potential consequences of not paying off an outstanding balanceThey also provided the student with contact information to discuss the balance, and to make suitable payment arrangements
Walden University maintains extensive internal grievance and appeal processes available to all studentsThese processes are designed to address the concerns raised by the studentThe student should contact Academic Advising at *** to determine the best path forward to address her concernsThe Collections Office emailed the student on September 23, and provided her with the contact information for Academic Advising so she could discuss how to file a petition, if she wished to do so
Finally, if the student has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert ***, University OmbudspersonMr*** 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 UniversityMr*** can be reached at *** or [email protected]

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** claims that she was not permitted to drop a course and therefore is being incorrectly chargedThe majority of Walden’s courses are delivered over a 12-week termStudents have the
ability to withdraw from a course and receive a 100% refund if they do so within the first week of the termAfter that, a withdrawal is still permitted but the student will be responsible for a percentage of the tuition, depending on how far along it is in the termEventually there comes a point in the term where the withdrawal period has expired and the student may no longer withdraw or drop the course and receive a refundWithdrawal dates and refund amounts are listed in the Walden Student Handbook, which is available to all students at www.waldenu.eduIn this case, Ms*** registered for two courses for the Fall termStudents registered for the Fall term could withdraw by September and still receive a 100% tuition refundMs*** requested to be withdrawn from one of her courses on September which meant she would be responsible for 40% of the tuitionMs*** was informed of this and still chose to withdrawHer account was credited for 60% of the tuitionShe then withdrew from her second course effective October 13, 2016, which was past the time in which any refund is available and therefore is responsible for 100% of the tuition and fees for that course
If Ms*** believes that she does not owe Walden the outstanding balance on her student account, she has the option to use Walden’s extensive internal grievance and appeal processes to address her concernsIn order for Walden to review a request for tuition reduction, a student must actually file a petition with supporting documentation for the request which will be reviewed by appropriate university staff and administered through the university processesMs*** was informed of her right to petition for a waiver of the fees but to date she has not filed a petition of any kind and therefore Walden has not had the opportunity to address her concernsMs*** should contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to file her petition
Finally, if Ms*** has concerns about specific policies and how they are applied, she has the option to contact Robert ***, University OmbudspersonMr*** 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 UniversityMr*** can be reached at ###-###-#### or robert.***@waldenu.edu

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/07/29) */
Walden University takes student issues seriously and uses its best efforts to address student concernsMs*** claims that she does not owe an outstanding amount to Walden University because she enrolled in two "tuition free courses" and
then withdrewHowever, while Walden University did not charge tuition for the courses, Ms*** applied for and received a federal financial aid refund in the amount of $3,025.00, not for tuition but for other educational expenses related to participation in these coursesWhen Ms*** withdrew from the course, Walden University was obligated by the Department of Education to return a portion of the federal financial aid she received to her lenderAs such, Walden University now stands in the place of her lender and Ms*** is required to repay the returned amount directly to Walden
Ms***'s issue involves the federal financial aid process and situations where the Federal Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) rules applyMs*** enrolled in Walden's Masters of Social Work program in In 2013, the MSW program offered tuition for the first quarter without chargeHowever, prior to beginning classes, Ms*** applied for and was approved for federal financial aid not for tuition for the first quarter but for associated educational expensesMs*** then chose to withdraw from her classes approximately six weeks into the term and prior to the completion of the coursesFederal financial aid guidelines state that students who withdraw, drop, or do not otherwise complete all of the courses that they are scheduled to attend in a term will have disbursed funds returned to the federal government through their lender (the R2Tprocess)By withdrawing from the classes when she did, the R2Tcalculation relating to Ms***'s federal financial aid resulted in the return of 59% of her financial aid funds to her lenderWhen R2Tfunds are returned to the lender, the student is responsible for reimbursing the University for the amount of financial aid returnedWalden, as required by R2T4, returned the funds on her behalf, which in turn reduced the balance of her federal Direct unsubsidized loanWhile it is true that Walden did not charge Ms*** tuition, she was awarded student loans based on her active enrollment status with Walden, and would have been entitled to keep the full amount of the loan award had she completed the coursesSince she dropped the courses, she was no longer entitled to keep the financial aid funds that were associated with her enrollment but not attributable to tuition costsMs*** states that, since there was no tuition charged for the classes, this request will result in her paying back Walden for a tuition-free course, while still owing the full amount on her student loanThis is not the case, since her outstanding student loan has been reduced by the amount of aid Walden returnedShe therefore is not paying Walden for the classes, but rather reimbursing Walden for the unearned portion of her financial aid returned on her behalf
Additionally, Ms*** states that this charge is the result of being given incorrect information regarding the academic program she enrolled inThe academic program description and all degree requirements are located on the Walden website and in the Walden Catalog, which is made available to all students prior to enrollingMs***'s Academic Advisor reviewed those requirements with herAgain, Walden wishes to point out that Ms*** was not charged any tuition for her classes, so the decision to drop the course would not have had a negative effect had it not been for the fact that Ms*** chose to take out student loans for other educational expenses and elected to keep the funds for her own financial needs (which she was entitled to keep -- provided she followed the guidelines she agreed to when she entered into the agreement with the federal government)Unfortunately, Ms*** remains responsible for reimbursing the University for the amount that Walden returned to her lenderShe is not entitled to keep the remaining $in financial aid funds
Walden appreciates and understands that the federal financial aid system, especially the R2Tprocess, can be complicated and difficult to understandThis is why our dedicated financial aid advisors are available to students to help them navigate the processPrior to withdrawing from the classes, Ms*** was advised that she would owe Walden University for a portion of the federal financial funds she received if she chose to proceed, and yet she still chose to make the decision to withdrawIf Ms*** would like further explanation, we encourage her to contact Walden's financial aid advisors at ***Additionally, the University is willing to discuss payment arrangements with Ms***She may contact the Bursar at ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2015/07/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Although I now understand why Walden is asking for money, they are refusing to acknowledge their errors in this matterI only withdrew from my class after I was advised that I would NOT owe any money to Walden after withdrawingI have many emails to back this upAlso, the program that I applied for was new and Walden did NOT have all the information on the websiteThe program wasn't even accredited at the time, which is why they were offering free tuitionI only applied to the program after my academic advisor gave me incorrect information several timesI applied because I was told I could complete the program completely 100% onlineI had a year old son at the time and was a stay at home momI never would have applied if I'd known there was a component that would require me to work outside the homeI was given information many timesBoth when I'm having to pay for Waldens mistakeI tried contacting Walden and they refuse to understand that they had a huge part to play in this horrible situation that I'm left inI understand the "rules" now, but when the university tells you something different, and the academic advisor you trust, gives you incorrect information, the fault does not lie completely with meI shouldn't be punished for the mistake they madeIn addition, Walden has now sent this debt to collections, ensuring that my credit will be ruined

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** has expressed concerns regarding the courses required for her to complete her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Walden regrets that Ms*** feels as if the
university’s polices are having a negative impact on her. However, as has been previously explained to Ms***, Walden requires that students complete the MS in Mental Health Counseling program in five years. One of the reasons for the five-year requirement is that courses in programs such as this change or become obsolete over time as new practices are approved and requirements change. Ms*** has been enrolled in the program since 2005. Based on this fact, Ms*** was informed that she had two courses that must now be retaken due to the fact that the courses were taken over years ago and cannot be counted towards a current MS in Mental Health Counseling degree. After further discussing the matter with academic administration, Walden informed Ms*** that one of the courses would be waived, but the second course still has to be retaken.
Additionally, Ms*** claims that she has no financial aid available to take the remaining courseHowever, our records show that she has enough financial aid available to complete her program. After reviewing the situation, Walden has determined that Ms***’s financial aid is available through Summer 2016, which means that she can complete the course as required.
Finally, Mc*** states that Walden has not supported her with issues related to her military service. Walden University takes pride in providing educational services to current and retired military service members. The university has a dedicated Office of Military Services dedicated to assisting these students. Our records show that Ms*** has requested assistance from out Office of Military Services in the past and she has received the help she sought
Going forward, Ms*** should contact her Academic Advisor and enroll in the remaining course to complete her degreeIf she has any additional questions she is encouraged to contact the University Ombudsperson, who is an advocate for fairness, or the Office of Military Services, who would be happy to assist her further