My enrollment with Kaplan University online began with Summer 2004. I applied for and was awarded financial aid to cover all my educational expenses. Each quarter I was reminded that I must review and renew my financial aid application by a given date, or be denied registration for that quarter.
Each quarter I spoke with Kaplan financial aid personnel to verify that my submitted application was complete and that I was cleared to register for classes. I also verified my eligibility with my then current advisor whose approval I needed prior to enrollment in classes.
At that time, Kaplan online was conducting its classes by Eastern Standard Time which, with my documented disability and living on the West Coast, made it extremely difficult for me to meet course deadlines. My advisor referred me to the "Student Success Office" to which I submitted the required documentation and request for accomodation.
Although a letter from this Office was e-mailed to instructors with a copy to me which I have retained, my requested accomodations, including extra time allowed for submissions, were not acknowledged by my instructors. My completed class assignments were graded above average in quality. However after points for late submission were deducted, my grades were failing.
Ineligible to continue, I left Kaplan in March. I began paying the company that assumed my loan in October ($13,000). Shortly afterwards, Kaplan began badgering me to pay them an outstanding amount of $1,960. They claim that they "advanced" me this amount for my final quarter.
How could this be, since they would not have allowed me to enroll in any classes without accepting my latest financial aid paperwork as complete! Kaplan claimed to have held my financial aid paperwork until after my disenrollment, so the claimed amount could not be included in my federal student loan total.
Kaplan told me that they would not accept payments and that I needed to pay the total amount immediately or take out a loan somewhere to pay it off in payments to the loan company. Kaplan has now assigned "my debt" to a collection agency, Pinnacle Financial Group.
I do not believe this is a just debt. I am disputing its validity and am ready to participate in a class action suit if necessary with others who have been unjustly treated by Kaplan University.
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