Walden University, LLC

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** has expressed concerns about the outstanding balance on her student account which is in collection. While Ms***’s account was sent to a 3rd party Collection agency, it
has since been returned to Walden. If the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####
In addition, according to University policy, official transcripts will not be released if a student has an outstanding balance on their student account. The student may; however, obtain an unofficial copy of her transcript and should contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to assist in obtaining a copy if she chooses to do so

I am rejecting this response because:
I have contacted Walden's accounts receivables team multiple times within the last two months for resolutionThey resolved one of the payment issues but failed to solve the second issueI have provided the Account Receivables team all the documents that they asked me for including my credit card billThe university failed to coordinate and push their banking institution parter "***" to escalate the case and take it seriously*** that manages Walden's payments platform does not do everything in their efforts to find the paymentEvery time I called them, they just responded we have not received the payment and did not do anything elseMy bank confirmed that the payment hasn't been processed to Walden University and so did my account statements from the bankThis is very strange that two payments that went through the exact same process, one was found and the second one was not foundIt sounds like some sort of fraudulent activity. Again, I have provided all the documents to Walden University's AR team back in first week of March They used those documents to find one of the payments but they failed to find the second one and did not put enough pressure on their vendor *** to investigate and find the second payment.I can send my bank statements again if they may wish but they already have all my documents and Joanne *** (SrAccounts Receivable Coordinator) can confirm this at Walden UniversityShe did a great job to find one of the payments but when she couldn't find the second payment, her manager didn't do anything to help and find the second payment

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesThe student has expressed concerns regarding course requirements and sequence of courses she took as part of her graduate program at Walden. She is seeking a tuition reimbursement for the
Fall term and Spring term for what she contends to be an enrollment error that impeded her success in completing her Prospectus. The course that the student mentions is a 0-credit, no cost course that focuses on Completing the Prospectus
Walden University details the process for submitting a tuition reimbursement request in student publicationsIn 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 processesTo date, the student has not filed a petition seeking a tuition reimbursementThe student should consult the Walden University Student Handbook for information relating to the petition process and may contact an Academic Advisor at ###-###-#### to assist in filing the appropriate petition
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 UniversityHe can be reached at ###-###-#### or ***

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMr*** continues to file this identical complaint with the University and in other forumsMr***’s concerns have been addressed on many occasions and the University has received
determinations from other forums indicating that Mr***’s issues are without meritWalden considers the issues set forth in this complaint as addressed and this matter closed

Walden University takes student issues seriously and uses its best efforts to address student concerns. In his complaint, the student indicates that he is being charged for a course that he droppedWalden has investigated the student’s concerns and has determined that the student is not
being charged for dropped courses. Rather, the balance the student owes is due to the fact that a portion of his student loan refund was returned to the lender and he must now pay back that amount.
Mr*** attended Walden University in 2014. In the Summer Quarter he enrolled in two coursesThe first course began on 6/2/and ended on 7/13/The second course began on 7/14/and ended on 8/24/14. Mr*** completed the first course and participated until the last day and earned a passing gradeHe dropped the second course on July 15th, 2014. His account was credited for the tuition for the second course. However, Mr*** had received student loans based on attending the university for the entire term. Federal financial aid guidelines require that if a student’s participation rate falls below a certain level that unused student loan proceeds must be returned to the lender (a process known as return to Title IV or R2T4). Per the R2Tcalculation, Mr*** participated up to days out of days in the term for a percentage earned of 50%Walden is required to process R2Tfor any student with a participation of less than 60.1%. We returned the unearned portion financial aid to Mr***’s lender, thus reducing the amount he owes in student loans. In his case we returned 50% of the financial aid ($2,768) for a total returned of $1,to his lender, reducing the amount he owed. Since Mr*** had received this money in the form of a refund (it did not go to pay tuition), he is required to reimburse Walden for sending that money back to his lender on his behalf
Additionally, Mr*** states that he has been unable to file a grievance about this issue. Our records indicate that the university has attempted to explain the situation several times to Mr*** and he will not accept our explanation. Unfortunately the balance owed by this student is correct and must be repaid

Since filing her complaint, Mr*** has now filed the appropriate grade appeal. As previously stated, Walden University will not discuss a particular student’s grades in a public forumThe grade appeal is currently being reviewed by the Program Coordinator and Program Director for the Clinical Psychology program. The final determination on the appeal will be made by Walden’s Petition CommitteeWe appreciate that the student is using Walden’s processes to address her concerns but we must caution that filing an appeal does not guarantee a specific determination. Additionally, Walden University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion or creed, marital status, disability, national or ethnic origin, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status. If the student wished to file a discrimination complaint, the process is detailed in the Student Handbook and on the university website. Again, as stated before, 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 robert.***@waldenu.edu

The student has again raised concerns about her student account being in collectionsIn addition to her concerns, the student repeats the same allegations she previously made against WaldenNone of which are true
The student stopped participating in her course in the Summer Term on May 31, 2015, for two weeksShe was administratively withdrawn from Fall Term course on August 31, As Walden previously explained, according to federal financial aid regulations, when a student stops participating in 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 short, the student did not earn her all of her federal financial aid for the Summer term when she stopped participating in the course for weeksA portion of her financial aid was returned to the financial aid provider; however, she remained enrolled in the course throughout the term and earned a gradeThe student was automatically registered for the Fall Term, but administratively withdrawn, without financial consequence, when a review of her student account showed a balance owing for the previous term
The student states that Walden should proactively reach out to students in troubleWalden does just thatIn the first days of the student's course, Enrollment and Academic Advisors spoke with or emailed the student over timesThey answered her questions, discussed her program and gave her information on the last day to drop a course without any financial obligationFor example, the student's Enrollment Advisor contacted her on May 8, to see how the student was doingThe student informed her Enrollment Advisor that she was doing well and that she had discussed her background and the course material with her professorThe Enrollment Advisor told the student that her role in advising the student would be ending on May 10, and that an Academic Advisor would be taking over as the primary contactThe student was given the name of her Academic Advisor and the student said she would keep in touch and let the Enrollment Advisor know how things were coming alongThe student had multiple people she could contact about concerns regarding her course and programThose individuals, in turn, could have directed the student to other Departments within Walden if they could not answer the student's specific questionsFinally, the student also had access to the Walden University Student Handbook which outlines University policies and provides information on how students can address their concerns

I am rejecting this response because: the balance is incorrect*** *** has over $I'm supposed to payThe customer service has been horrible, and nobody tried to reach me for payment arrangements, only collection noticesAll funds I had available went to funeral expensesThis is some of the worst service I have ever had considering I've paid walden thousands of dollars for my bachelorsI would never recommend any graduate programsNot only are they unwilling to provide me even unofficial transcripts for employment, but official transcripts for my current employment was absolutely denied

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/25) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesThe student has expressed concerns regarding her application for financial aid at WaldenInitially, Walden strongly denies Ms***'s
allegations that she was duped or lied to by WaldenIn addition, Walden did not violate HIPPA by asking for evidence from the student to support her responses to Walden's Financial Aid Department questions
Ms***'s financial aid application was flagged by the U.SDepartment of Education (USDOE) for Unusual Enrollment History (UEH)A UEH Flag is intended to address possible abuse in Title IV programs, specifically when a student attends an institution long enough to receive a Title IV credit balance, leaves the institution without completing the enrollment period and then enrolls at another institution, repeating the pattern of remaining just long enough to collect a Title IV credit balance without earning any academic creditFor Walden to remain compliant with federal law, it must request and review academic transcripts, financial aid documents and other supporting material to determine for each of the previously attended institutions whether the student earned academic creditStudents are required to provide evidence of their previous enrollments and grades for evaluation by their current school, in this case Walden
On August 31, 2015, Walden asked the student for grade information from the four colleges she had attended since Over the next weeks, the student provided transcripts or grade reports for the colleges she had previously attendedShe was then asked to complete the UEH Appeal process because she did not receive academic credit at of the colleges she had previously attendedThe student submitted the Unusual Enrollment History Suspension Form and supporting documents on September 24, and updated her information on September Her appeal was denied on September 30, due to insufficient reasons for not earning credit at the schoolsThe student was told that she could regain financial eligibility if she met certain criteria in all classes taken during the Fall TermThe student's grades were reviewed on November 30, and she did not regain financial eligibilityWalden must follow federal law when awarding and disbursing federal financial aid to students and Walden was required to review her application and her prior attendance at other institutions when the USDOE flagged Ms***'s financial aid application

Walden’s initial response indicated the amount Ms*** owed for unpaid tuition. After repeated attempts to make arrangements with the student, Walden was forced to turn the account over to a collection agency. The amount of money she owes now is higher due to collection fees charged by *** *** ***. The student must speak with *** *** *** to discuss her account
Ms*** claims that Walden will not provide her with either an official or unofficial copy of her transcript. This is not correct. According to University policy, official transcripts will not be released if a student has an outstanding balance on their student account. Students can, however, request an unofficial copy of their transcripts by contacting Walden at ###-###-####. According to Walden records, the student has not requested any transcripts from Walden since October so Walden has not refused to provide the student with an unofficial copy of her transcript.
Finally, as we stated before, 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 ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/04) */
The student has raised concerns about how the grade point average for her program was calculated, and that Walden University did not award the student her degreeThe student attended Walden from the Summer term of to the Fall term of
She is still an active student at Walden, but is not currently taking coursesBefore the student filed this complaint, her concerns were being reviewed by her Program DirectorThe Program Director reviewed the student's records and made a determination that will allow the student's graduation application to be processed by Walden so the student can graduate with her degreeWalden considers this matter resolved
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/03/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Walden University is granting conferment of the degreeThank you

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/22) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMsWilliams has expressed the concern that she has been unable to obtain a copy of her unofficial transcriptAs MsWilliams correctly
notes, students with a hold on their account due to an outstanding debt cannot obtain a copy of their unofficial or official transcriptsStudents with financial holds do have options for obtaining student record information, however, we are not required to provide a student transcripts if they have outstanding obligations to the institution
Options for students with financial holds include:
Request a Grade Report - if a student needs a record of their grades for a specific term, students with financial holds may request a grade reportPlease note we provide these for only one specific term
Work with the Financial Accounts Management team to set up a payment plan and make payment per the arrangement under their guidance which is deemed appropriateBased on the specific individual arrangements of the students, the Financial Accounts Management team will release an unofficial transcript
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows students to inspect their own student records for purposes of accuracy, but not as an alternate way of obtaining an unofficial transcriptWalden provides information on how a student can request an inspection of their student records in the Student Handbook (http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=129&navoid=38607)We ask that the student follow the guidance provided by the Student Handbook
Complaint Response Date bumped because: Holiday
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Walden makes no sense as to why it denies unofficial transcripts; because as I stated most universities will provide such with any issuesI could understand if it was an official document but it's not and cannot be used as such so why deny itRIDICULOUS!!!!

Walden appreciates the student’s concerns. However, as stated previously, despite the fact that she had a financial hold on her account, the university provided Ms*** with a complete and accurate transcript when she requested it in January 2016. As is it’s prerogative, Walden provided Ms*** this transcript as a one-time courtesy University policy is that a student may not receive an official transcript when there is a current financial hold. Moving forward, Walden will not release any additional official transcripts to Ms*** until her financial hold is resolved. However, she may request an unofficial transcript at any time

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** has expressed concerns regarding an outstanding balance on her student account dating from the Fall TermShe attended Walden from the Spring term until she was withdrawn on
October 7, at her requestOur records show that Ms*** participated in classes past the deadline to withdraw and receive a tuition refundTherefore, she is responsible for the unpaid tuition for her last term at the universityMs*** first enrolled in Walden University in the Spring QuarterShe attended for three quartersHer final quarter was the Fall 2013, which ran from September until November 24, The final date to drop a class for Fall and receive a refund of tuition was September 9, This information was provided to all students in the Walden Course CatalogMs*** notified Walden that she was withdrawing on October 7, At that time a review was conducted and her final participation date was established as September 13, Ms*** states that she did not participate in the class and therefore should not be charged tuitionHowever, our records show that Ms*** submitted assignments (discussion posts) on September 5, 8, 12, and 13thTherefore, she participated in the classes past the final drop dateAt this time, Ms*** has an outstanding balance on her student accountAccording to University policy, official transcripts will not be released if a student has an outstanding balance on their student accountHowever, a student’s unofficial transcript is part of their academic record and available upon requestIf the student wishes to discuss her outstanding account balance, she should contact the Walden University Financial Account Management Office (previously Collections Office) at ###-###-####Otherwise, she can receive her unofficial transcript by contacting Walden University at 1-800-waldenu and asking for the Registrar

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMs*** has expressed concerns regarding the courses she was required to take as part of her program at WaldenSpecifically, she claims she did not know that Residencies and Social Work
Field Education courses were two separate requirementsAs part of the MSW program, students must participate in field experience and two academic ResidenciesThe academic residencies are intensive face-to-face sessions where students meet with faculty for a short period of time (a few days) and work on skills that are essential to their professionThis requirement is clearly posted on Walden’s website and is described in detail at http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/This information is also available in the Walden Catalog which is available to all students at http://catalog.waldenu.edu/In this case, Ms*** was also informed of both requirements as part of her admission email on May 14, In that email, a Program of Study was provided to Ms*** which shows that she was required to attend both Residencies and Social Work Field Education coursesIn addition, students have access to Enrollment Advisors and Academic Advisors if they have any questions or concerns regarding their program and courses
While we understand that Ms*** may be experiencing challenges which may delay or prevent her from participating in these required programs, these requirements are essential components of her program and all students must participate in themIn an effort to better understand Ms***’s concerns and to assist her in any way possible, the Director of Operations for Academic Residencies at Walden has attempted to contact Ms*** to arrange a time to discuss those concernsShe may be reached at Rochelle.***@waldenu.edu

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/10) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issuesMr*** has expressed concerns regarding a non-refundable $deposit he paid to hold a place in the November Nurse Practitioner
program start dateThe student has stated that he would like his deposit returned as he has decided to not to continue in Walden's NP programWe regret if the student experienced any confusion with regard to the nature of the depositAlthough under no obligation to do so, Walden University has reviewed the student's request and approved a refundThe student was contacted by the University on December 4, and informed that his deposit would be returnedWe consider this matter resolved
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/12/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Walden University has promised to refund my tuition depositAs of December 15th I have not actually received the refund, but have been promised by the Bursars office that the refund has been processed

I am rejecting this response because:
I have recieved no contact from Walden University either via phone or either of my email addresses. Additionally, no where in their response to the Revdex.com did they offer a solution, rather they continue to dismiss my concerns instead of addresses specific promises made in writing by their enrollment officer.

I am rejecting this response because:
I have told Walden University multiple times that the State of Michigan limits the number of hours that students are allowed to attend and still receive state...

benefits. So, unless Walden University is covering my food and medical expenses, this is not an option. Walden University stated that my financial aid decreased because I dropped to half time status. I have always been at half time status. So this is not the reason. In regards to the Cost of Attendance repeal, the person I was in touch with never asked me for a listing of my expenses. I had no idea what he wanted in terms of proof. I was expecting this person to write me back and tell me what documentation that was required. I never had that opportunity, I was dismissed. In regards to the Ombudsmen, I did contact this department and Mr. [redacted] He told me he doesn't handle these complaints, he told me he only deals with fairness issues, what ever that means. The email I have from him was in May and I only received it after I contacted him additional times in order to find out why he didn't respond. Apparently, as a student, my email was in the spam folder. The  enrollment person I spoke with when I entered Walden University is the one who told me that additional funding is available. Not, the handbook from 2017, since I have been a student since 2015.  Finally, I asked, more than 30 days ago, that I have all the paperwork, worksheets and letters contained in my financial aid folder. I have not received them and I believe this is a violation. Thank you, [redacted]

Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues.  The student has expressed concerns regarding an outstanding balance due to Financial Aid being returned to the lender.  As stated in a previous response, our records indicate that the student received financial aid prior to withdrawing from her courses, therefore requiring unearned aid to be returned. According to our records, on 4/20/15, the funds were returned to the lender.  The student’s account statement reflects the same. Walden’s Student Affairs will contact the student to provide documentation of the balance owed. The university is willing to work with the student on the balance owed.  To make payment arrangements, the student may contact the Bursar’s office at ###-###-####.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/12/18) */
Walden University takes student concerns seriously and uses its best efforts to address student issues. The student has expressed concerns regarding the handling of the collection of the outstanding balance on her student account. The student...

has an outstanding balance from the 2014 Spring and Summer terms. While the student was provided a payment plan by the University, she failed to complete the payment plan and the outstanding balance was transferred to a collection agency in accordance with University policy. The student acknowledges her debt but now refuses to make the required payments to the collection agency. Walden attempted to assist the student in completing the payments for this outstanding balance for over a year. Beginning in March 2014, Walden called or emailed the student at least 12 times and spoke to the student on multiple occasions. The student initially made payments but stopped paying on the balance owed. On August 3, 2015, Walden gave the student a final notice that her account would be sent to a 3rd party collection agency if she did not pay off balance or to set up a payment arrangement. The student did neither and her account was sent to the 3rd party collection agency on August 30, 2015. Unfortunately, the outstanding balance cannot now be processed through Walden but only through the 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[redacted]. They can provide her with account information and contact information for the 3rd party collection agency.