Underhanded For-profit school

[Pappeh]

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure if there is anything legally we can do here, but we're pretty ticked. I am already not a fan of for-profit schools and feel that they steep students in debt for degrees and certificates for professions that typically have lower wages. My wife started a Veterinary Technology A.S. program at Broadview University in Orem, UT in fall '15. She decided to attend this school because it is near where I go to graduate school, enabling us to both go to school at the same time. Near the end of the fall quarter, the corporate office sold the campus and told students they would have to go the next closest school (about an hour away, 2-3 hours in traffic) to finish their degrees. After a lot of protest, they decided to allow the Vet Tech program to continue to meet in Orem, and told the students that started the program in Fall '15 that they would keep the campus until they finished the program. Last week, the same employee from the corporate office came and told the students that they would be closing the campus this year anyways, and that all students should attend the other campus to finish their degrees.

This creates a huge financial issue for my wife and I, and there is no way she can finish her program now that they will be closing the campus. We have paid over $10,000 in tuition and fees already. Is there no legal obligation for them to allow students that enrolled under the assumption of attending school at the Orem campus to finish their education there before they can arbitrarily close it? To me, we have begun payment on a program, and they are giving us an unfinished product that has no use in return for our $10,000 investment.

 

[quincy]

... Is there no legal obligation for them to allow students that enrolled under the assumption of attending school at the Orem campus to finish their education there before they can arbitrarily close it? To me, we have begun payment on a program, and they are giving us an unfinished product that has no use in return for our $10,000 investment.

Broadview is allowing students to complete their programs at the other campus or take classes online but I am not sure that continuing classes at this school is what is best for your wife. She might want to consider enrolling in another school in your area instead of investing any more time and money into Broadview.

The Globe Education Network (which runs the Orem school and others) is currently being sued in Minnesota by the Minnesota Attorney General over its usurious loans, consumer fraud, and deceptive practices, and it is also being sued by students in that state.

Your wife's $10,000 investment is potentially something that can be recovered (in part, at least) with a lawsuit. I understand students in Orem have been demanding tuition refunds. If your wife is looking for what her legal options are, however, she will want to consult with an education/consumer protection attorney in Orem. The attorney she sees can better tell her where she (and the other students) stand in a suit against the school.

I agree with your opinion of for-profit schools. Many of them throughout the country have experienced problems and many have been sued by both students and states, and faced federal action. Their history as a whole tends not to be a good one.