Ashford investigation for Fraud |
| United States, Iowa |
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Consumer reviews about Ashford investigation for Fraud |
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jjoy11
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Jan 31, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
For puck247e - I attend Ashford University and feel your gross generalization of the people disputing their issues is completely inaccurate. I have a financial dispute going on right now regarding my current due balance. Although my finances tab shows I have an almost $1200 credit they are telling me I owe them $800. So I asked for an itemized bill showing the line items and they outright told me they will not send me a bill. I just have to pay what they tell me I owe in order to move on to my next class. I don't know about anyone else but when, say, my cable bill shows that I have a credit on my account I don't send them a check. If they tell me I owe money anyway they better prove that is the case. Ashford has not only NOT been able to prove it, but they point blank refuse to try. I've contacted the AG of Iowa with a complaint.
Oh and just so you know, I'm a 4.0 student, a junior about to enter my senior academic year as an English major, and I use my Financial Aid to finance an education which will help me garner a better paying job in the future because my husband and I are below the poverty level in this country.
Please think and gather facts before you generalize. Some of us have legitimate financial disputes and have come to learn that the business practices of this University are shady at best.
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http://smilewhitesprodeception.blogspot.
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Feb 7, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
I attended Ashford from 2009 to January, 2012. I received my degree. The only problems I had were with one professor (human resource management). But, that was an individual person, not the university or the university system proper. I was able to transfer 60 units and start Business Management. I considered International Business Management as well. I was able to arrange my first two classes as ones which would apply to both programs, and that was arranged for me. I also signed a document which made AU disburse my funds directly to me within 14 days of them receiving the funds from the Fed and the loan originator. I had none of the problems listed in previous comments. I have an article with more information here:
http://manfrommodesto.hubpages.com/hub/Ashford-University-Review
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http://smilewhitesprodeception.blogspot.
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Feb 7, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
About this Chicken Little scare post: The senator attacking Ashford is a United States senator, not an Iowa state senator. So, why is he attacking a program in his own state, not one in one of the other 49 states?
His complaints have centered around this: Why are most of the jobs, and the high-paying administrative jobs, in California? Why aren't more of the jobs in Iowa?
If anyone sees this line of questioning as anything more than an attempt to create better numbers for the senator come election time, you need to step back and get a wider perspective on how things are being run in the U.S. government.
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vsinn
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Feb 9, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
Ashford has had a history of complaints from many students. Everything from being enrolled before FA is approved, being left with huge balances, not getting transfer credits when told they would, not having access to classroom, and FA and AA not being available, TA's that sabotage learning, and instructors that are MIA and never resond, and student resolution not following through. Message boards support all of these issues. Some have transferred, some have quit, and others just don't know what to do. Read the information out there is all I am saying.
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http://smilewhitesprodeception.blogspot.
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Feb 9, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
The problem with message boards is this: Ashford University has 80, 000 students enrolled. How many are having problems? The "silent majority" are those who like things the way they are. A few more points:
There is no law against enrolling someone "before financial aid is approved". Many people have cash or cashflow to fund their education.
My advisor was very clear about the transfer of credits- they had to be approved. My only beef was that they would not invest any hours into looking at my credits until after I started classes. However, the number they promised could be transferred, were transferred.
TA's that sabotage learning? AU runs a very tight ship. I find that to be an incredible claim. Add to this that in my 16 classes at AU, I never once had a TA (teaching assistant). Each class was led by one professor, same as most college courses I ever took, except 3 I can think of: Judo at SJSU, Psych with Gleitman at UPenn, and Chemistry at SJSU.
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In debt and uneducated
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Feb 11, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
I was approached by a door-to-door "salesman" to attend Ashford. Making promises he couldn't keep. I have just graduated after 4 years, over 70, 000.00 in debt...my financial aid ran out because it wasn't able to cover the cost of the classes. I have had 19 different student advisors, 11 different financial aid advisors, and filed a complaint for the release of my financial aid funds, which of course, they denied and found "no grounds for further action." I have just received a letter from Ashford telling me that if anyone from the Iowa Attorney Generals office contacted me, to please speak highly of the college, and not say anything "degrading." I kept that letter, along with a ton of other documentation that shows this college is a fraud. The teachers are unqualified and the classes are lame. For proof...I took one class where I studied hard, read the book, did all of the assignments, and received an A. The next class, I didn't buy the book, didn't study, gave it no effort whatsoever, and STILL got an A!! Sad situation. Taking advantage of students and their desire to make a better future for themselves is nothing but a financial scam for the school.
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http://smilewhitesprodeception.blogspot.
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Feb 11, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
People ace classes without studying, nothing new there. To get an A, you must do very well on quizzes... and every class has essays. Your claim that you did no work for an A is an outright, mightily exaggerated lie. Even to do the quiz, without a text, you would have to look up all the information on the 'net- and LEARN! The quizzes are challenging. You can't answer unless you know the material and can process it mentally to discern the most correct answer.
Also, I went for 2 full years, and have only $13, 800 in debt. I paid only $1500 out of pocket the entire time. How is it you paid twice as much as I did for your education? That makes no sense. Do you have debt from elsewhere that you are adding in to magnify your claim falsely?
Your arguments don't add up.
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jcthecutie11
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Feb 17, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
My friend recommended me to Ashford University. As a military spouse, I was looking for a supportive and better class structured then from my previous college.
I started attending Fall 2010 in Ashford. I sent all the correct documents and followed all procedures in order to attend Ashford. I applied for aid and loan because aid was not enough to cover all costs especially even after the military discounts.
My last class ended December 19 2011. I choose to go back to University of Maryland College because they had a better program for psychology and counseling then Ashford. They also had better certification programs that fit my needs. I never had any major issues with University Maryland but the longer courses. Obviously they changed it to shorter courses that delighted me. Ashford I had a hard time contacting via email and phone with the advisors. I understand they have so many students, but trying two weeks to withdrawal from the College University is unacceptable.
I signed a cancellation form for ALL future loans and disbursements. “Since the loan amounts are scheduled to come in tentatively at the end of January, you would want to fill out a loan cancellation letter that is attached above. You will want to make sure everything is completed that is necessary on the form and submit it back to me at your earliest convenience. You can review the amount of loans that you would like to cancel by reviewing your award letter that was sent out to you via email for this award year, ”-By my financial aid advisor.
I thought I was in the clear not owing in any money because this form was for future loan amounts and aid amounts that would be obtain 2012. I withdraw and did the correct procedures. I even checked my balance and in fact it did state I did not owe any amount.
On February 17, 2012 I received an email from the Ashford’s collections stating I owe 8, 995 dollars. Last time I check I did not owe anything. Come to find out they took upon themselves that they cancelled the FALL 2011 loan and pell grant after I received it. My classes were paid for and yet took it upon themselves to cancel the previous aid/loan that paid for my classes in the fall. What I don’t understand how can they cancel a loan or aid that I did not cancel in Fall 2011 when in fact I was still in school with Ashford. I did not even request a loan or aid cancellation until Mid-December for FUTURE sources. Secondly I finished my last course in December, which ended the 19th 2011. I was also told I did not meet the academic quota for courses and aid/loan and had to retrieve the loan/aid back. I called the lender and they said they received refund from the Fall 2011. I told them I did not cancel funds for Fall 2011, I only cancel funds for future resources. He (the lender rep) told me they refund 6, 000 something dollars. Pell grant was only 1, 170 or around there. That means what was the “other” money for? .
What upsets me more, that BEFORE anything Pell grant should be used and yet, they did not used the Pell grant before the loan. Also, the loan and any aid cancellation was for FUTURE disbursements but yet, they took back the Fall 2011 when I was actually attending Ashford at that time.
I had no emails or notifications of owing any money. I have checked and been told I did not owe any outstand balances. Then when I retrieved this collection email, this has become news to me.
I feel Ashford has abused and committed fraud in the system. I believe because I withdraw I am being punished.
I have NEVER had any issues with aid/ or loans with any college or university before until Ashford. I never had to “owe” money or had a college go behind my back, and try to commit such fraudulence acts.
I don't have anything else complain except their dishonesty and lack of communication.
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Laura Kent
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Mar 14, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
What I experienced near the end of earning my BA with Ashford has kept me up many sleepless nights when I start thinking about it again. Time and again I've written of this problem. To begin with, I feel like, earning an old school's credentials, they are allowed to lie about having them, getting to wait until 2014 (or so I've heard) before they are actually reviewed as they are rather than as the former owners were. It is my own fault, eagerness, and naivety that led me to sign on the dotted line for student loans to attend higher education through them.
Everything went swimmingly at first (though there were a few hiccups), I tried not to get too discomfitted by how easy everything was and how, despite the level of class I was taking, I seemed to always be in a class where at least half the students never would have graduated from a high school class if I had anything to say about it. By that time I was already $10k in debt/loans in and I thought, well, they ARE accreditted, I should push on so I at least have that piece of paper for my debt. So I buckled down and focused on learning the most that I could (pretty much on my own, the teachers were VERY rarely of any help; in fact several times I provided free tutoring to fellow students, some of which insisted I should teach the class instead).
I got to the end of my degree and they found over $2k worth of outstanding charges. I was encouraged to fill out a grievance complaint to open a neutral, third-party investigation into what happened since all outstanding charges should be applied to my loans. I was also allowed to pay the graduation fee and have it specifically go toward the graduation fee so I could get my piece of paper rather than to an outstanding balance in question.
I got the result from this supposed "neutral third party" and the universtiy's decision in the same document (that alone makes me question how neutral and "third party" they can be). Basically, they found my suspicions of what happened were correct. As I stated, I had, indeed, filed my last Master's Promissory Note on time, but it had been misfiled and not even entered into their computers. Now it was too late to get the loan company to pick it up. However, they did find a pell grant they could apply (that brought it down to over $1.5k owed) They were sorry for the inconvenience and as a "customer service gesture" they would allow me one unofficial transcript after I set up a repayment plan and made the first repayment (starting no later than two weeks from the date of the letter/decision). No consideration was to go to the fact that I was able to easily defer my student loans. They did not care that I might want to attend a brick-and-mortar college offering advancement in my degree (who would want sealed official transcripts), they did not care that different jobs I might apply to using a BA in education (some jobs don't actually care what it's in) would each want their own copy of my transcripts (let alone that they'd be hesitant to hire a recent grad tied up in clerical paperwork regarding an outstanding balance when there are plenty lined up with a perfectly accessible degree and transcripts), they wanted their money, period, money they were only owed because they misfiled paperwork. It is also money that would have easily disappeared into the thousands I owed in student loans if they'd done their job right.
They stopped harassing me (which they did while the grievance took a total of 6 months to be considered) 3 months into the grievance with phone calls and emails to pay my outstanding balance after I lodged two complaints that it was in grievance. However, during the second waiting period (in which it seemed my issue was simply "forgotten about") I kept getting offers for alumni grants instead. I marked down an interest with a question I figured would have a strong no. I wondered if I could get the alumni grant just for being an alumni and use it to pay off the outstanding balance.
No, of course. BUT, I was assured over the phone, what I could do is pick a different major to pursue graduate studies in, then I would get the alumni grant and more student loans which would put off paying the student loans I had to defer even longer and I would get plenty of excess money with my new loans to easily pay off my outstanding balance. All this suggested AFTER I burst into tears explaining my plight to the man on the phone and how Ashford destroyed my trust and faith in higher education and, no matter what, I simply could never trust them again. If I pursue my masters, it will be with a non-for-profit school and definitely not Ashford. The way it was delivered seemed like some cruel trick. After I hung up with him, I received a few more emails (despite saying I was uninterested and to take me off the list) to become an alumni with grants for more studies at Ashford. I was notified when they finally supported a masters in my field as well. Too late. At this point, it almost feels like they knew my time was coming to an end and they did not offer the rest of what I needed, so they pulled a deceptive clerical error to give backward incentive toward me choosing a different major to avoid debt I could not immediately afford so they could have more thousands in government loan money.
The more I researched this and talked to a few friends in the legal field, the more it sounded like a dirty tactic and possibly a script that guy had to offer over the phone. Everyone encouraged me to find a lawyer. Ashford insisted on answers so, while looking for professional, legal counsel (but not really knowing where to start since these friends were not actually lawyers but only aides and such), I was forced to inform them that I was seeking legal counsel and why and that I even if I intended to pay them what I owe, I could not afford it anyway (this is why my loans were deferred as well, I reminded them). They almost immediately sent me to collections. This collection agency has not contacted me again since I informed them that they were sold a debt that was being contested.
For the record, I went from a student in excellent status to being marked a delinquent. I get no access to my transcripts and no degree. They pocketed my graduation fee, after all, I requested it not go toward paying a contested outstanding balance (and it never did, but I also never really graduated, and never got the fee back). Now I'm paying back over 20k in student loans, am not sure how or if I'm ever going to be able to proceed to another accredited college to actually make a degree in psychology mean something, and I don't even have the useless piece of paper from them to "make it all worth it." Oh, and of course the collection agency hiked the cost of what I owe.
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Laura Kent
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Mar 14, 2012
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Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa under investigation for Fraud.
Not sure what happened to the layout of my first post, trying again.
What I experienced near the end of earning my BA with Ashford has kept me up many sleepless nights when I start thinking about it again. Time and again I've written of this problem. To begin with, I feel like, earning an old school's credentials, they are allowed to lie about having them, getting to wait until 2014 (or so I've heard) before they are actually reviewed as they are rather than as the former owners were. It is my own fault, eagerness, and naivety that led me to sign on the dotted line for student loans to attend higher education through them.
Everything went swimmingly at first (though there were a few hiccups), I tried not to get too discomfitted by how easy everything was and how, despite the level of class I was taking, I seemed to always be in a class where at least half the students never would have graduated from a high school class if I had anything to say about it. By that time I was already $10k in debt/loans in and I thought, well, they ARE accreditted, I should push on so I at least have that piece of paper for my debt. So I buckled down and focused on learning the most that I could (pretty much on my own, the teachers were VERY rarely of any help; in fact several times I provided free tutoring to fellow students, some of which insisted I should teach the class instead).
I got to the end of my degree and they found over $2k worth of outstanding charges. I was encouraged to fill out a grievance complaint to open a neutral, third-party investigation into what happened since all outstanding charges should be applied to my loans. I was also allowed to pay the graduation fee and have it specifically go toward the graduation fee so I could get my piece of paper rather than to an outstanding balance in question.
I got the result from this supposed "neutral third party" and the universtiy's decision in the same document (that alone makes me question how neutral and "third party" they can be). Basically, they found my suspicions of what happened were correct. As I stated, I had, indeed, filed my last Master's Promissory Note on time, but it had been misfiled and not even entered into their computers. Now it was too late to get the loan company to pick it up. However, they did find a pell grant they could apply (that brought it down to over $1.5k owed) They were sorry for the inconvenience and as a "customer service gesture" they would allow me one unofficial transcript after I set up a repayment plan and made the first repayment (starting no later than two weeks from the date of the letter/decision). No consideration was to go to the fact that I was able to easily defer my student loans. They did not care that I might want to attend a brick-and-mortar college offering advancement in my degree (who would want sealed official transcripts), they did not care that different jobs I might apply to using a BA in education (some jobs don't actually care what it's in) would each want their own copy of my transcripts (let alone that they'd be hesitant to hire a recent grad tied up in clerical paperwork regarding an outstanding balance when there are plenty lined up with a perfectly accessible degree and transcripts), they wanted their money, period, money they were only owed because they misfiled paperwork. It is also money that would have easily disappeared into the thousands I owed in student loans if they'd done their job right.
They stopped harassing me (which they did while the grievance took a total of 6 months to be considered) 3 months into the grievance with phone calls and emails to pay my outstanding balance after I lodged two complaints that it was in grievance. However, during the second waiting period (in which it seemed my issue was simply "forgotten about") I kept getting offers for alumni grants instead. I marked down an interest with a question I figured would have a strong no. I wondered if I could get the alumni grant just for being an alumni and use it to pay off the outstanding balance.
No, of course. BUT, I was assured over the phone, what I could do is pick a different major to pursue graduate studies in, then I would get the alumni grant and more student loans which would put off paying the student loans I had to defer even longer and I would get plenty of excess money with my new loans to easily pay off my outstanding balance. All this suggested AFTER I burst into tears explaining my plight to the man on the phone and how Ashford destroyed my trust and faith in higher education and, no matter what, I simply could never trust them again. If I pursue my masters, it will be with a non-for-profit school and definitely not Ashford. The way it was delivered seemed like some cruel trick. After I hung up with him, I received a few more emails (despite saying I was uninterested and to take me off the list) to become an alumni with grants for more studies at Ashford. I was notified when they finally supported a masters in my field as well. Too late. At this point, it almost feels like they knew my time was coming to an end and they did not offer the rest of what I needed, so they pulled a deceptive clerical error to give backward incentive toward me choosing a different major to avoid debt I could not immediately afford so they could have more thousands in government loan money.
The more I researched this and talked to a few friends in the legal field, the more it sounded like a dirty tactic and possibly a script that guy had to offer over the phone. Everyone encouraged me to find a lawyer. Ashford insisted on answers so, while looking for professional, legal counsel (but not really knowing where to start since these friends were not actually lawyers but only aides and such), I was forced to inform them that I was seeking legal counsel and why and that I even if I intended to pay them what I owe, I could not afford it anyway (this is why my loans were deferred as well, I reminded them). They almost immediately sent me to collections. This collection agency has not contacted me again since I informed them that they were sold a debt that was being contested.
For the record, I went from a student in excellent status to being marked a delinquent. I get no access to my transcripts and no degree. They pocketed my graduation fee, after all, I requested it not go toward paying a contested outstanding balance (and it never did, but I also never really graduated, and never got the fee back). Now I'm paying back over 20k in student loans, am not sure how or if I'm ever going to be able to proceed to another accredited college to actually make a degree in psychology mean something, and I don't even have the useless piece of paper from them to "make it all worth it." Oh, and of course the collection agency hiked the cost of what I owe.
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0911
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Aug 9, 2017
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Military funds stolen
I just spoke to an Ashford University finance scam artist who totally danced around a simple question of what happen to my money? So, I graduated from Ashford initially in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree with a zero balance. Keep in mind I received my degree / transcript in the mail after 6 weeks. Since then I have completed a Master’s degree in 2017 and six weeks later received my degree in mail with no issues. I'm in my second Master’s Degree program and just completed my first class as of 8/7/2017. I'm a military veteran and I just received a back payment sent to the school for earlier school years of 2015/2017. So, suddenly once Ashford received the payment, they said I owed them $600.00 dollars for school year 2015 Bachelors program. I find this hilarious when you can’t graduate with a balance or receive your degree / transcript. Next the military sends payment for my first class ($1,182.60) I’m now enrolled and mysteriously it's transferred to my second-year classes which I am not even scheduled to attend now. Basically, they scammed me out of ($1,971.00) dollars for programs I have completed in 2015/2017 simply because the funds are not watched like federal funds. This is an ongoing issue and I strongly recommend military personnel to stay free of the Ashford Scam.
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0911
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Aug 9, 2017
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School of scam
I just spoke to an Ashford University finance scam artist who totally danced around a simple question of what happen to my money? So, I graduated from Ashford initially in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree with a zero balance. Keep in mind I received my degree / transcript in the mail after 6 weeks. Since then I have completed a Master’s degree in 2017 and six weeks later received my degree in mail with no issues. I'm in my second Master’s Degree program and just completed my first class as of 8/7/2017. I'm a military veteran and I just received a back payment sent to the school for earlier school years of 2015/2017. So, suddenly once Ashford received the payment, they said I owed them $600.00 dollars for school year 2015 Bachelors program. I find this hilarious when you can’t graduate with a balance or receive your degree / transcript. Next the military sends payment for my first class ($1,182.60) I’m now enrolled and mysteriously it's transferred to my second-year classes which I am not even scheduled to attend now. Basically, they scammed me out of ($1,971.00) dollars for programs I have completed in 2015/2017 simply because the funds are not watched like federal funds. This is an ongoing issue and I strongly recommend military personnel to stay free of the Ashford Scam.
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