This college is definitely misleading and is a total nightmare! I wanted to withdraw and was advise by my advisor that I could not withdraw. I called twice and both times I was provided with the same information. I conducted some research and spoke with a few people, including my wife, who stated that the information provided was definitely wrong. I called the third time and spoke with the same individual who stated I could not withdraw. She contradicted herself when she heard my wife get on the line stating that she is providing misleading, false information – she then agreed that I could withdraw. When I asked to speak with the manager she (the manager) said she would listen to the recording and call me back. When she called back her questions was “What would you like to be done?” Does this confirm that the information provided to me was false and misleading or no? It absolutely does. She didn’t mention the recording once until I mentioned it. She said at the end of the second conversation I stated I would complete the course. Well, of course because I was forced to stay! If a student calls twice and twice they are denied a withdrawal – what other options do they have but to complete the course that would not be completed and result in a “F” anyway? I wasn’t given any other option or any options at all even after explaining my personal situation. She (the manager) mentioned lawyers and sending me to collections. This has to be the worst experience ever! She said all calls are recorded and I couldn’t be happier because they should be for the sake of students who are being forced to stay in a college so that they can collect more money and harm their loans and FAFSA. What I didn’t understand is why I am being withdrawn as of the date I called the third time and not the first time!? Why as what would you like to be done if I have to be withdrawn on a date they want instead of the date I called – if they heard the actual recording? Horrible experience! Let me not forget to mention that the individual who provided me with false information is still emailing me arguing her innocence. If one is innocent, they will not continue to harass the student! Who argues with a student via e-mail? I can see why they were sued for misleading students. You would think they would have learned a very valuable lesson. Unbelievable.
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This complaint and/or review was posted on HolySmoke.org on 01:44 am, December 27, 2018 (CST) and is a permanent record located at: https://www.holysmoke.org/scam/ashford-university-review/.
The reviews & complaints posted about Ashford University was submitted by a member or guest on this website. Any and all opinions and information are published as is. HolySmoke.org does not edit or remove any aspect of the report and is simply a consumer grievance free-speech platform. As such, HolySmoke.org cannot be held liable for the complaints and reviews posted about Ashford University as per Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Ashford University operates a for-profit entity online,
Ashford University operates a for-profit entity online, as well as operating several brick-and-mortar campuses across the U.S. Do Your Homework – Research this place first! I do not recommend Ashford University. My boyfriend enrolled at Ashford University and began classes on January 20, 2015. He enrolled with pending financial aid and military educational benefits. In February, he requested that the university deduct his tuition costs from his federal student financial aid. He took out two loans and was to receive a pell grant to cover the cost of attendence. We kept waiting and wondering why he had not received his student loan/grant refund (Ashford calls them stipends). At the beginning of March, he contacted the university’s financial aid department. The financial aid department said that the reason he had not received it is because they needed him to submit more forms. (Why didn’t they inform him sooner?) The forms requested included a copy of my boyfriend’s W-2 for 2013, his IRS tax transcript, and a form called the Household Income Verification form. The HIV form was requested due to the fact that my boyfriend had not worked an actual paying job in 2013. He lived with family for most of the year. When he moved out, I helped to support my boyfriend. He used student loan refunds, borrowed money from me and my family, and sold personal items such his broken down car, comic book collection, etc. to pay the bills. Please note that each time documents are requested, it takes up to 3 business days for the university to acknowledge and process their receipt. The first time, the forms were submitted to the wrong email address and we acknowledge that it is no fault but his own. The university began sending my boyfriend emails stating that if his bill wasn’t paid by March 31, that they would place a hold on his account and withdraw him from his courses. We resubmitted the form with corrections made and to the correct email address. Then they said that they could not read his writing. We redid the forms and resubmitted them once again. The university uses SFA Online to process forms. He phoned the financial aid department who acknowledged that the documents were received. Days later, he received another email from the university stating that they needed those documents (again) and reminded him that he would be withdrawn on March 31. Once again, the forms were completed and uploaded. Yet another email came from the university stating that they needed the same three forms submitted. The university had told my boyfriend that because he had no W-2 that he could write a statement attesting the how he had covered living expenses for 2013. He had submitted this the first time that the university asked for it. He called the university, yet again, and spoke to Sterling Graves. Mr. Graves followed-up in an email and confirmed that all of the necessary information had been received and that Ashford University would begin processing his 2014-2015 FAFSA. And another email from Ashford University, requesting the same information came again. My boyfriend phoned the university. The representative tried to tell him that he must submit a W-2. Finally, she said that the university wanted more information regarding his finances in 2013. We submitted the requested HIV form yet again, with a less than nice note attached. On April 4, he received an email from the university. This email said that the form was called a Student Statement and the purpose of it was to account for household expenses and financial situations for 2013. Seriously? It is now April 6. The semester ended on March 30 and my boyfriend is already in his second semester at Ashford University. He STILL has NOT received ANY financial aid for the semester that he attended from January 20-March 31. He was a transfer student and Ashford University STILL has NOT informed the department of education that he is enrolled at their institution, meaning that his loans are about to go into repayment (despite the fact that he’s actually enrolled). The second issue that my boyfriend experienced with Ashford University is related to transcripts from previous institutions. While one of his previous schools told Ashford that they would not release my boyfriend’s transcripts, two others have ignored Ashford’s requests all together. Now Ashford is sending emails stating that it is my boyfriend’s job to get those schools to send transcripts or a notice that they won’t release his transcripts… and that if he doesn’t submit them, he will be withdrawn after his fourth class. The enrollment advisor had been informed of this when my boyfriend enrolled and said that it was okay, my boyfriend simply would not be able to receive transfer credit. My boyfriend has received acknowledgment, both verbal and in writing, that the university had the proper information to process the FAFSA forms for the previous semester, yet Ashford University seems to be stalling in their process. We depend largely on his student aid refunds to assist in paying our rent and living expenses. He has sent several emails asking for the university to explain the financial aid department’s inept communication skills. Representatives of the financial aid department reply, but their lack of action otherwise prove that Ashford University is shady. Ashford University was slapped with a class action lawsuit that would eventually award only students at the Clinton, Iowa campus more than $7.xx million. My boyfriend has found online many students who have similar complaints regarding Ashford University. He has saved each and every email since March 9th. There are more than one dozen emails regarding this issue, many of which receive a generic (but non-automated) response. What’s up, Ashford? Ashford doesn’t receive federal student aid funds until the paperwork is processed or until a student pays (and we certainly will NOT be paying out of pocket!), so I have to wonder what’s the deal? Seems like a shady rip-off to us.
WORST COMPANY EVER!!!! They call my phone
WORST COMPANY EVER!!!! They call my phone 3-5 times a day PRIVATE and I have told 20 times they have the wrong number! They try to tell me that they can’t find my number in their database to remove the calls. Now I’ve told them 3 times today to stop calling so they are spamming my phone every 5 minutes! Don’t trust these people!
I am 18,000 dollars in dept because
I am 18,000 dollars in dept because of this school, I had to withdrawal because I couldnt afford it anymore. I got overwhelmed and depressed to see how much I owed already a year or so into the school. I had to retake a couple of classes that I did not pass because I was depressed, and I have to pay those classes too. they also took loans out on those too. I never knew if that was right. Now I cant even thibk of going back because i owe so much in loans.
My dear wife was going to AU
My dear wife was going to AU but then she went into the hospital this was all in late November into December. But she want to go to FIT but due to a balence after givig back aid she owe $47.57 and now she can not get her transcript so that she can go to another college. This is not a lot of money she is going to pay it to them but when she was trying to call them for a week no one will answer the phone. The class at FIT start March 9th FIT requested the transcript from Ashford on January 21 but no one sent them the transcript and my wife tried calling them everyday. She was only enrolled for one class they do not know anything about service at all but they can send my wife nasty emails wher it is about being in class or now oweing money I would not send anyone to Ashford University at all I would hate to see if they would do that if anyone oweig only $1 WOW ASHFORD UNIVERSITY GET A F –
Ashford Univeristy caused sever financial hardship upon
Ashford Univeristy caused sever financial hardship upon myself and my mother. I was enrolled as a dependant student… at some point there was a shortfall in my financial aid, so the school forced my unemployed mother to apply for parent plus loans a minimum of 3 times… why three times? Because the employees of the financial aid department each time we applied and submitted the loan neglected to accept the loan on AU’s behalf, causing my mother to have to apply again. Finally I filed a formal complaint, received a settlement, and I though I was all set. I even emailed one of their employees, first name Payem, when I received a collections notice and asked her if I was all set. Her response, “Yes you are all set, have you discussed re-enrolling with your advisor?”. I told her I was set to re-enroll after my wedding and asked her to contact the collections person and tell them my account was all set. End of problem… or so I thought. Months later I get a notice from the collections department again… again I forwarded to Payem, school was closed for break at the time, so I waited. When Payem finally responds to me, low and behold, I have a $5K balance that they have forwarded to a collections agency and I have to pay in full prior to being able to re-enroll. Well, not sure about most of you, but I don’t have an extra $5K just laying around… I have bill due each month. Payem tried to say that what she meant when she told me I was “All Set” was that I was all set but have a balance due to AU. However because she never said that, I never took any action, which resulted in a *40* point drop in my credit score as well as an inability to enroll and complete my education. So I filed another complaint, which, shockingly, was denied by Payem’s co-workers, and also denied by the CEO Dr. Pattenaude, who stated that I misinterpreted Payem’s email stating I was all set, to mean that I was all set. He also states I was sufficiently notified of the balance (The first email, which Payem responded, your all set, and the second email which I forwarded to her and she told me I had a balance *after* they had already forwarded me to collections). So where do we stand now, I can either pay in full or be screwed for the last two years of schooling. I have asked AU over 10 times to bring my debt back in house, allow me use financial aid to cover it, which I was told by Sharon C. was possible, and to have the collections agency report that it was a mistake to the credit agencies so that my score can go back up. The school has denied each request for this to happen… why? Just because. No explanation was given, and each time I asked it was ignored. Each time I asked for proof that I was informed and acknowledged the debt prior to it being forwarded to a collections department (causing severe damage to my report) it was ignored. Ashford University is a scam… at this point unless I pull $5K out of thin air, I have essentially lost the last two years of education and money spent already at that school due to the administrations incompetance.
I would like to file a report
I would like to file a report because I feel as though my educational rights have been violated by Ashford University Online. I completed one full course and recieved a stipend, but when it was time for me to recieve my second stipend they told me that I don’t recieve anything because I was given two pell grants into one. I told them Im not taking out loan money just to give them. I want to talk to the President of the school, but they transfer me to financial aide. They said I started a class for the second term,so therefore I owe them 2,600.
This ""university"" is a fraud. They guarantee
This “”university”” is a fraud. They guarantee to you that they are accredited
Ashford University Reviews & Complaints
At first I was very excited to being my adult education at Ashford. Now, I am kicking myself wishing I had researched a bit more. I knew about the sales pressure. I knew about the financial complications. I knew about the technical fee. I thought to myself, “I know it is more money, I know I may not get my funds on time, but I will be able to have a full time job, and graduate in a shorter time.” So, I went for it. What a joke. I am not learning anything. All of the material I am reading has been written by the Ashford faculty. I have checked out the books for the next classes and the same applies to almost all materials. Some of these so called teachers are very young, and have no teaching degree. Why, yes, I have researched it! In one of the books it has a word in bold, and then it gives a definition for it. Words like, “Profession, Craft, and Fictional writing.” This is sad. If you don’t know simple words such as these you shouldn’t begin college, you should be in pre-course classes. Classes that help you prepare for college courses so that some day you may use the knowledge you have learned in a career field. I tested a theory. I have been skimming for the last three weeks, and completing my writing discussions in less than five minutes. My grade did not change, it remained at one-hundred percent. I’m not learning anything. The books are also filled with page fillers. Material we have covered already, and have to re-read for a second, third, and sometimes fourth time. I am so sick of repeats. If I stay at Ashford there is no way I will be able to use this information in a career field, because I will have learned nothing. Oh, and during the second part part of my second class I was notified that all books are now going to be electronic. I find it funny that the same book a week before was eighteen dollars electronically, and now is seventy-five. I was told that I would now be paying seventy-five dollars for each individual E-book. Yes, E-book. Something that has been poorly scanned, filled with spelling mistakes, text repeat, and missing data. I am still waiting for my disbursement funds as well. A single class costs over one thousand dollars. These are five week classes, you do the math! A course at a city college? The average runs a little under three thousand per semester. Do yourself a favor, get a part time job go to a regular school and live off grants and loans. I am convinced through my research that there is no safe, and sane online college. I’m transferring, wish me luck. I know there will be complications.
Ashford University Reviews & Complaints
I should have known that it was to good to be true!! I had enrolled at Ashford in June of 2008. I made it clear that since I did not work and had no income coming in that I needed finacial aid and all of my loans on time in order to purchase the books and other materials needed so that I could do well in my classes. The enrollement advisor told me that there was nothing to worry about that as long as I was approved for financial aid that I should receive it on time so that I could purchase my books and other components that were needed in order to succeed and that there would be someone there at Ashford that would help me so that I did not fail. Well I received my first financial aid with no problem. I was very impressed! Well the problem comes in when I was to receive my next disbursment. The week before I was to receive my financial aid I was sent an email stating that I had to wait 7 weeks after my disbursement to receive 30% of my financial aid and another 7 weeks to receive 70% of my financial aid. I was very upset so I called and was told that the reason for this decision was to make sure that I did well in my classes. I asked how was this to help me when i clearly told the enrollment advisor that I depended on this money to purchase their very expensive books. No one knew the answer to she decided to give me a one time hardship so that I could receive my money on time for the classes. Well I took it and was told in the future that I would have to wait 7 to 14 weeks to recieve all of my money. I understood and said ok. Well when it was time for me to receive my next disbursment, I waited the 14 weeks and nothing came. So I called my financial aid advisor and he told me that everyone else was sent out on time but mine had not. So he looked to see if they were holding it for some reason and they were not so put in a request for my money to be sent to me. I finally received it a week later. Also I was told at enrollment that Ashford was the cheapest online school. NOT TRUE!!! They doubled their cost for classes from around $700.00 to over $1000.00 and their software was going to go from $1000.00 to around $2000.00. What type of software is that? Can someone explain? After being told diffrent things from diffrent people at ashford it was clear to me that no one knew anything, so it was time dor me to unenroll. I talk to someone at Ashford in the financial aid deptment on the right wat to unenroll so that i would not have a fee. I did everything by the book. A few weeks later I called back and they told me I was clear of any fees and did not owe anything, that i can transfer to another school. Well guess what that was a lie!!! I looked at my account 2 days ago and guess what i owe a fee of $780.00. When i called to ask why I owed money they told me since I did not complete 60% of the classes for the funded year I owed them money and the only way to solve it was to either st up a payment plan or come back to Ashford. I asked them why was I not told this when I asked about unenrolling and no one could give me an answer. Now I have to talk to a manager to solve this issue but I don’t think they will. If anyone has a suggestion please let me know. The only thing that I can say is that Ashford tells a lot of lies to get you in and completly abandon you once you have enrolled. Don’t go to this school if you have other options!!!