Southern Christian University
Failed to provide a complete education for Masters Degree Completion in Counseling, ripoff

SCU is an online school for undergraduate and graduate work. I was working on a Dual Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy which requires doing a clinical training to acquire 500 hours of experience working with clients and an additional 100 hours of supervision time. Before enrolling I made sure that the school was certified and was or would be COAMFTE certified before I graduated.

I have an actual letter from the school confirming that they would be COAMFTE certified by 2005. COAMFTE certification means the school's program full fills all the requirements to make it acceptable and thus it is certified. Without a school having this certification it is very difficult to get a state to approve your licensure without providing mountains of paperwork about the programs and course you took. Almost 2 years into my schooling, I found out that the school was no longer bothering to get their certification and it was too late for me to transfer as I would loose too many credits.

Next comes the issue of my clinical training. The school says it is the students sole responsibility to find a clinical site to do their training. I spend 2 years and made over 100 contacts via phone, email, fax, letter and walk-in with nothing but negative responses. After the first 30 turn downs, I contacted my professor. But he refused to assist me.

After 50 turn downs I again contacted him and he still refused to help me. I reported the school to the Dept. Of Ed in Alabama and to the certification board that certifies them to be a school. They contacted my school and my teacher finally asked me for my list of places I contacted. He called one place and told me to call them.

I called this place for a month straight reporting back to him that they were not returning my phone calls. Finally, I got someone on the phone who told me that they were not taking anymore students and especially ones who schooled outside of my state's schools. I told my teacher this, but he did nothing.

I went back to the drawing board and contacted another 50 places to no avail. With each 10 attempts or so, I would contact my school/teacher telling them I was not finding a site. They still refused to step in and help me and lied saying I was the only one who was having this problem. I then came to find out that most of the students in my clinical training class were having or had this problem just not to the extent that I was having.

I reported the school again. This time another person from the school contacted me. He made one phone call and told me to call this particular agency. I called for three weeks straight and they never even bothered to contact me back. I toldt his gentleman that and he said nothing.

I have continued to report my school on this issue because without my clinical training I cannot get my degree. Without my degree I cannot do my internship. Without my internship, I cannot get my license. Without my license I cannot get a job and without a job, I cannot pay back the $58,000 in student loans I have incurred.in addition, I have had to extend my education by 2 semesters from my original graduation date because I could not get a clinical training.

I contacted Sallie Mae who's vice president instructed me to contact the Federal Dept. Of Education about my schools failure to provide a complete education so that I can finish my degree.

My husband and I only budgeted for me to be out of work and in school for 2.5 years. I am way over that to complete my degree because I had to drop from 3 classes a semester to 2 classes a semester so I still be eligible for financial aid while I continued to go to school and look for a clinical site.

I am now $58,000 in the hole in student loans for a degree that I cannot get. I am out at minimum $60,000 in income for these three years that I have been schooling for a degree that I cannot complete because I cannot find a clinical site. I can no longer afford to be out of work to finish my degree, which I need 400 clinical hours of experience and one class to complete.

This is a rip-off and deceit in so many ways from lying about their COAMFTE certification to not providing a complete education. They have basically ruined my financial future and I have lost 3 years of employment opportunity that I could have been establishing myself in the business world.

Sadly, there seems to be no support or help to resolve this matter as I seem to have no rights as a victim of their fraud and diception and failure to provide the education they claimed they would provide me.

Company: Southern Christian University
Country: USA
State: Alabama
City: Montgomery
Address: 1200 Taylor Road
Phone: 8003514040

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