I began attending FMU Online in the Spring of 2005 after transfering from a university that I had already earned 80 some odd credits from already. All of my paperwork was completed, I signed my award letter for financial aid and agreed to the terms and conditions of my loans and how many classes I would need to attend to complete my degree. Which by the way, I lost 40 of my credit hours when I transfered. All of which was because I couldn't afford the commute at the time and I was driving an hour each way to the university, working full time and raising three kids. Online was the better fit. So, I took the loss and started somewhere in the middle of back over.
Some where in the middle of all that, my first student service coordinator quit or got promoted, what have you. So, I get this new student service coordinator, who tells me nearing the end of my degree that I am going to have one extra semester because some one messed up my transcripts and instead of needing three classes, I need four. Fine, I split the classes up, two classes per semester because you have to be full time to receive financial Aid.
My last semester, I get a new student service coordinator that then tells me that my previous coordinator is the one that messed every thing up and I should have only had to of taken three classes, not four. I could have saved myself a whole semester. So, then after much debate from every one up at FMU, they tell me that my only option is to finish the classes and that they would apply the extra credit hours to my Bachelors degree if I continued my education there.
Jan I graduated, so I thought.in Mar. 2007 I called the financial department to find out where to send the $35.00 check to to get my Certificate. Direct quote "We can not send you your certificate at this time because you have an outstanding balance of $5,986.63". I asked them what for, naturally. They said, "Well, according to our records, you never filled out a 2007 FAFSA". I told them that I had in fact filled out a FAFSA, that I had filled out two. One being the original and the second being corrections. I told them that I had my SAR's (Student Aid Reports) to prove it. They both show the day that they were processed and get this, the first FAFSA was processed a day after I submitted it, and the second one wasn't processed until six months later.
So, they told me that I would have to contact my financial aid advisor. I started calling and emailing every one, my student service coordinator, financial aid advisors, financial departments, billing departments, student aid departments, FAFSA and on down the line. FAFSA claims that all they do is help fill out the paperwork and submit it to the school, where the school figures out what type of student aid you get. The financial advisors say that it's FAFSA's fault for not processing it for six months and that it's to late to do any thing about it because the loan period has lapsed, which by the way is amazing because it was for the 2007 school year and it's still 2007. And the last lady that bothered to talk to me, told me that I could start paying back $300 and some thing a month, they would take out the maximum allowed in student loans which is like $10,000 and that would cover 1/2 of the previous years balance and all of this years balance.
I have filed a complaint with the BBB of FL West and they as of today, have not heard any thing back from FMU and neither have I. So, now, I'm hoping that the word will get out to others, that this place is crooked. I would never recommend any one to go to their school.
0 comments