Hello,
I recently quit the University of Phoenix as a Finance Counselor. I was promoted to that position after working for them for about 9 months. I worked with UOP Midwest Division Healthcare I have read numerous stories about the Universities Enrollment Counselors and their horrible conduct. Please don't think it ends with them. Within a month after I finished Financil Aid training I noticed a pattern of the University starting students before they were certified for Financial Aid or even qualified to start the University. They defer payment from students for up to 90 days while they check to see if they are qualified. The result is that I had a student who accrued a bill of over $3400.00 before we even knew if she would qualify for loans to pay this debt. Ofcourse she was given the impression from Enrollment that everything should be okay. That way she would start without worry; afterall the student starting class is the most important thing in this Universities culture. No one had ever explained to this student what might happen if everything did not go well with her qualification for Financial Aid. Whenever I tried to explain both sides of what can happen, I would be called negative by my manager and Academic Counselor.
The student went through class and Admissions found that her previous schools were not accredited so she could not continue with the University of Phoenix. This means she could not remain in school and could not receive any Financial Aid. The student still owed the University $3400.00 for classes they let her into though. Her account was placed in a delinquent status and moved to our collections department after about 2 months per University policy. When I went to my manager and told him this was the most unethical thing I had ever seen a company do; he looked me directly in the eye and shrugged his shoulders without a word. I immediately started looking for a new place to work and soon after that interaction gave my two week notice.
I just want people to know what they are dealing with when considering enrollment in the University of Phoenix. The above story is not the only thing I have been a part of. I have had numerous students tell me about lies they have been told by enrollment counselors. When I reported these lies to management (Enrollment and Finance) I was always told that students hear what they want to hear. Managment always told me that it was a misunderstanding not an outright lie; no matter how often it took place.
So now I want to write some advice to keep you safe. When considerng UoP.
*Please Keep in Mind*
1. If you're not sure... Do not Start Class They can schedule you for class several weeks in advance and certify your Financial Aid before you accrue a bill. Why take chances? It is not them who will suffer if something goes sideways.
2. Enrollment counselors will be written up or terminated if they do not have enough students start. There is a conflict of interest. They are wonderful people with great personalities. However, they get credit for starting you two weeks into your second class... If you succeed or not. I had an enrollment counselor who wanted to start a jobless man with 3 kids who would have to pay $500.00 a month to stay in school. She told me that we shouldn't approach the man with the news in a "negative way". Luckily he did not start because it turned out that he had defaulted student loans. Jobless or not they would have let this student start.
3. I was in a meeting with all of the Online Finance Counselors and Current and Co CEO. Last Quarter the University started 100,000 students by the end of the Quarter only 50,000 students were still enrolled.
4. Never sign a form called an "Authorization to Close" unless you know exactly what it means. You need to understand both the good and bad aspects of signing this form. UoP usually doesn't volunteer the possible negative side of issues.
There will be those of you who will say you work for UoP and have not experienced any of this. Congratualtions, that does not make what I have written less factual.
0 comments