I enrolled at the University of Phoenix's online Axia College in June after I was lied to and told that I could not start by getting a Bachelor's degree, and that there was no accredited degree in CSI or Forensics. After fighting over a month beyond my due date, I finally got my first disbursement check.in November, I received another disbursement. Around that time, I noticed that one of my instructors stopped responding to students in the class. I asked a question on a Monday about my grade, and on Wednesday of the same week, I asked a question about an assignment. Neither question was ever answered, but I received a failing grade on the assignment I asked about. Academic advisor just kept telling me to "do whatcha gotta do". I mentioned transferring to a different college, and when asked why, explained the issues I was experiencing. I received the same advice of "do whatcha gotta do". I began the transfer process by officially withdrawing from Phoenix/Axia. This was eight days ago. I made sure before I did this to take a screenshot of my account showing a positive balance of $2,210 in financial aid funds. Today, I log in and check my account again only to find that a refund was made to someone for $2,895. It showed there was still a credit of almost $2,000, but also showed that I owe Phoenix/Axia/Apollo Group almost $1,700. My financial advisor told me that the school would initiate a Return of Title IV Funds upon my withdrawal, and that the school would also make certain that I defaulted on my financial aid, making it impossible for me to receive further help. The only way, I was told, to avoid this was to remain enrolled at Phoenix and complete an additional twelve credits. Then she told me that by that time, my financial aid would be processed for Phoenix, and could not be transferred to another school.
I am not sure if the funds went back to the lender, or where they went. I am not even sure that the bullying techniques and veiled threats made by employees of the school are legal. I would love to speak to an attorney about this to see what, if anything, I can do. I would also like to issue a warning to those who are scouting the University of Phoenix for higher education: DON'T! Find a different school, or attend a local community college. Trust me and thousands of others... You do NOT want the headache or stress that Phoenix forces on you. It's simply not worth it.
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