Ashford University
Reviews and Complaints

Ashford University's fraudulently reported that I enrolled and attended 7/28/2015 through 7/4/2016. This university was not accredited when I was interested in 2013, so I opted not to enroll. I knew I couldn't use VA benefits at a non-accredited university. Some person(s) at Ashford University submitted paperwork to The Department of Veterans Affairs, for this aforementioned time period. I never attended Ashford University. Ashford University appears on my GI Bill enrollment history because it fraudulently used my ssn. I would've never known until E-Benefits recently posted every transaction relating to my benefits, after conducting an audit.

I transferred to Ashford in 2012, was told by the recruiter that I was months away and so many credits for obtaining a degree. Called non-stop until they got enrolled. Guaranteed that I would get a job here after being told that same lie at UOP. So dumb and then even recognized the writing on the wall was the exact same for many of these online schools. Told me that my pell grants would be enough and no loans would be needed until like the 2nd block, ok;never mentioned anything about for my state, a license or certification would be required and would have to be retained before any company would offer me a counseling position. Oh, but they had the best practice programs and the students that were being put to work after graduation was high and favorable. I mean she told me that higher education and work replacement for many of their graduate students. One block from graduating all of sudden they tell me I want be able to graduate and march because I had all these costs of bunch of bs, This school is FLAT OUT Rip off and on last year I read on the updates of the victims that had gone through the exact same treatment and had the same financial scars that I received while attending here but it appears once again on the minority was reaping the benefits for the on campus students. misrepresentation from start to end and I see the name change but no updates from them why the name change. They ran the tab up and really cost many students a whole lot of depth. Anyone knows how who I are can speak with to get this numbers email me at [protected]@yahoo.com. It's embarrassing even telling others the school you graduated from, they are like Who? BIG joke

I was enrolled in Ashford Univ. From 2018 to 2021. During the 2019 semester, the school requested my current husband's tax information from 2016/2017 for financing. After repeatedly explaining that we were not married at that time and the house we both happen to be living in was a community house type of situation, they refused to allow me to continue without his tax information anyway. We filed his tax information through VeriTax and received a verbal confirmation from Ashford that it was received. I then received several more calls that semester asking for this same tax information. When I responded with "we have already sent this information in what's wrong with it?" I received "I'll look into that and get back to you" as a response. After the 6th or 7th call, I was told that everything appeared to have resolved itself and we moved on with my schooling. Two weeks prior to my graduation date (Oct 2021), I was told that I owe the school $3,000 and change due to this same issue that was never resolved, "insufficient paperwork wasn't received". I was then told that the IRS returned my husband's tax form due to an incorrect address he'd put down (he was going through a divorce at the time) something we could have fixed in minutes had we been told in an appropriate time frame although still not legally needed for my funding. I have been trying to correct this issue for several months and the school's story keeps changing. The last financial representative told me that I dropped a course and it was at the school's discretion to return the FAFSA loan in that case. I have documentation on my FAFSA account that shows the 2019 year was paid in full. I also reminded them that I was experiencing health complications and was awarded a leave of absence and filled out a form that was approved for that course to be forgiven. I am not paying that money when the school didn't do its job in an appropriate manner. I have had nothing but communication issues throughout my entire 3 years there and I still can't get my diploma because of this.

In Jan. 2014 I started going to Ashford for a BA in Psychology. I am a 45-year-old woman now, sadly in around Aug. of 2015 I had to take time off after an illness which was going to be temp. and then recently I was being called and sent e-mails on a daily basis until I finally found out that I owed so much more to what they were telling me. I went to the online IOWA GPA of 3.86 and was told the classes were so high because they had to pay for a great education for me and that took great prof. I finally was about to go back and felt sick when I saw that this school was not only a sham but was not even accredited. I poured me heart and soul into this school and now 2 years of my life is gone. I never finished my education and even if I switch to another school, which I hope to, fact remains all I worked for is void. None of my credits will be taken by other schools. I also know they would not allow me to use my credits from NAU and they wouldn't allow me to receive all the grants I was eligible for and I only received my stipend 2 x a year and only for a small amount. Less than 1, 000. that was taking courses that were supposed to only cost 1600.00. However I soon realized that it should not cost that much. I am shocked and refuse to lie back and allow them to use me because I worked so hard just to get ahead in life to find out almost two years are worthless. I feel foolish. please help

This college is misleading and has threatened me with collections because I wanted to withdraw. Prior to the threat, I was advised by my advisor on two different occasions that I could not withdraw. I called twice within a week span (1 call being in week 3 of July and the second being week 4 and both times I was provided with the same, false, misleading information. I conducted some research and spoke with a few people, including my wife, who stated that the information provided was definitely wrong. I called the third time in week 4 and spoke with the same individual who stated I could not withdraw. She contradicted herself when she heard my wife get on the line stating that she is providing misleading, false information - she then agreed that I could withdraw. When I asked to speak with the manager she (the manager) said she would listen to the recording and call me back. When she called back her questions was "What would you like to be done?" Does this confirm that the information provided to me was false and misleading? She didn't mention the recording once until I mentioned it. She said at the end of the second conversation I stated I would complete the course. Well, of course because I was forced to stay. If a student calls twice and twice they are denied a withdrawal - what other options do they have but to complete the course that would not be completed and result in an "F" anyway? I wasn't given any other option or any options at all even after explaining my personal situation. She (the manager) mentioned lawyers and sending me to collections. They try to threaten students in to staying in their college and that is unfair and distressing. This has to be the worst experience ever! She said all calls are recorded and I couldn't be happier because they should be for the sake of students who are being forced to stay in a college so that they can collect more money and harm their financial status. What I didn't understand is why I am being withdrawn as of the date I called the third time and not the first time? Why ask what would you like to be done if I have to be withdrawn on a date they want instead of the date I called - if they heard the actual recording? This has been a very stressful experience and no student should have to go through this. This college is overcharging students and is more focused on making money then actually helping their students. They should definitely be investigated.

They lied to me about how much financial aid I would get. They did not counsel me on how much the program would cost and if I could afford it. They took all my financial aid money and wont let me continue. They had me start before my transcripts were reviewed and didn't finish the process unit I had already given them thousands.

They made me believe that I would be able to finish the program using only my financial aid. I have very low income and so I would never have agreed to go to this institution if I thought I had to pay out of pocket before getting my degree. I only wish I had stumbled onto all these negative reports about Ashford prior to attending.

It seems very wrong and probably illegal to take advantage of student's financial aid money without giving the proper entrance counseling and assessment of financial aid available.

I will be looking for legal representation. Let me know if I can jump on someones already existing claim, or if someone wants to team up with me to get these guys! It's so wrong they take advantage of low income students who only want to finish their degree.

The financial aid office at Ashford University is concerned with only one thing--getting YOUR money in their hands but they are completely unconcerned with giving your money to you. Their advisors do not tell you when you need documents until it is too late, they also do not let you withdraw from a class until it is too late and you have to pay for it twice out of pocket. They send nasty rude emails to the students and treat people with disregard.

I was mislead by an enrollment advisor who after looking at my college transcripts saying the I was very close to obtaining my AA (approximately 20 credits) and confirmed to me not one time but over five times in numerous different phone conversation that my Pell Grant was good. I had told him I lost the second income beging to behind in payments and that the only reason I was going to college becuase of the Pell Grant. He told me I had to apply for a loan and that it was part of the process. (This is the important key factory) I TOLD HIM I CANNOT AFFORD ANY LOAN AND AGAIN THE REASON I WAS GOING TO COLLEGE BECAUSE OF THE PELL GRANT. HE TOLD ME IT WAS ONLY PART OF THE PROCESS AND LOAN WOULD ONLY COVER WHAT THE GRANT COULD NOT COVER (GOING OVER THE AMOUNT OF THE PELL GRANT $5, 000), AND I HAD CONTROL OF THE PAYMENT TO THE SCHOOL FROM PELL GRANT TO LOAN. I ASKED AGAIN IS MY PELL GRANT IS GOOD BECUASE I DID NOT WANT ANY SUPRISES. MY ENROLLMENT ADVISOR TOLD ME LOOKING AT MY PELL GRANT THAT IT WAS GOOD. I completed all the forms attended school and toward the end of the first class I was contacted by the financial department that my pell grant was not good. I told them my situation and they told me to reapply and wait for two weeks and don't contact them becuase they are busy. I waited and attended my second class and was contacted by the acdemic advisor who told me that they would only accept out of 90 credits they would only accept 12 credits for my AA but I could go for my BA and they would accept 60 credits (of course I would pay more for each credit. . . more money for them). I dropped out. I have been mislead from the begining when I asked them about my pell grant being ok, my college credits being ok, and now I am in class nothing is ok. Please email me [protected]@sbcgloba.net. My name is joseph ybarra and I have been fighting them. I have the bbb and the Iowa State Attorney General involved. I have and continue to contact the news to report this incident. I will not quite and hope I have people similar to me that need help fighting Ashford Unversity and put a stop to them. Unit and we can make a difference. BBB have approximately 112 complaints on Ashford Unveristy within the last 3 years and Iowa State Attorney General have approximately 34 complaints in 2011 on Ashford Unveristy. Please Email me [protected]@sbcglobal.net

ismissal for attendance
Complaint Rating: 100 % with 4 votes
Company information:
Ashford University
Iowa
United States
ashford.edu

I have attended Ashford for 3 classes. I transferred here because I have over 90 credits and they were only one of a few online universities that will transfer most of my credits. I received excellent customer service from my enrollment advisor and my academic advisor in the beginning. But, here is where my complaint comes in. Most universities have an attendance policy of logging in to your class at least once a week. Ashford evidently required you to log in twice a week. I have been kicked out of my current class for violating this policy. Although ALL of my coursework is complete for the class! I was told that I am being dismissed from the university after my next course (which begins Monday), but can appeal the dismissal if I pass this next course (I would have to pay to be reinstated!) . And, on top of this my financial advisor is now emailing me that I have not completed my FAFSA for 10-11, but I have the paperwork stating that it was indeed submitted to them LAST YEAR! I have to decided to transfer to my second choice school after my "dismissal" instead of appealing. Please be aware of ASHFORD and their shady policies.

This was written recently and it is exactly what I am going thru now.

This school was a waste of time an money. After returning from maternity leave I was assigned my 5th Academic Advisor in a course of two years 8 total from [protected]. I was so tired of getting used to an Academic Advisor only to be swapped sagain in a matter of months. So, I received a really hateful lady as my Academic Advisor who dropped me from classes with no way of me knowing and then they kicked me out of that class even though I had submitted many assignments. I was tired of them just treating me like a way to make money and not a student. Also, I feel their learning style is incomplee and it seems as though students will not have much to take with them into the real working world. I went ahead and withdrew because they were so mean and hateful to me and practically pushed me out the door one minute and begged me to stay the next for my money! They knew they guarantee to get my money as I was a grant student so they tried to get me to stay and ha is why I had sayed so long. Overall my experience wih this school was a disaser and I feel like I was not valued as a student. On of all that I had been an A-B studen whom they should have loved to kept around!

At first I was very excited to being my adult education at Ashford. Now, I am kicking myself wishing I had researched a bit more.

I knew about the sales pressure. I knew about the financial complications. I knew about the technical fee. I thought to myself, "I know it is more money, I know I may not get my funds on time, but I will be able to have a full time job, and graduate in a shorter time." So, I went for it.

What a joke. I am not learning anything. All of the material I am reading has been written by the Ashford faculty. I have checked out the books for the next classes and the same applies to almost all materials. Some of these so called teachers are very young, and have no teaching degree. Why, yes, I have researched it!

In one of the books it has a word in bold, and then it gives a definition for it. Words like, "Profession, Craft, and Fictional writing." This is sad. If you don't know simple words such as these you shouldn't begin college, you should be in pre-course classes. Classes that help you prepare for college courses so that some day you may use the knowledge you have learned in a career field.

I tested a theory. I have been skimming for the last three weeks, and completing my writing discussions in less than five minutes. My grade did not change, it remained at one-hundred percent. I'm not learning anything.

The books are also filled with page fillers. Material we have covered already, and have to re-read for a second, third, and sometimes fourth time. I am so sick of repeats. If I stay at Ashford there is no way I will be able to use this information in a career field, because I will have learned nothing.

Oh, and during the second part part of my second class I was notified that all books are now going to be electronic. I find it funny that the same book a week before was eighteen dollars electronically, and now is seventy-five. I was told that I would now be paying seventy-five dollars for each individual E-book. Yes, E-book. Something that has been poorly scanned, filled with spelling mistakes, text repeat, and missing data.

I am still waiting for my disbursement funds as well.

A single class costs over one thousand dollars. These are five week classes, you do the math! A course at a city college? The average runs a little under three thousand per semester. Do yourself a favor, get a part time job go to a regular school and live off grants and loans. I am convinced through my research that there is no safe, and sane online college.

I'm transferring, wish me luck. I know there will be complications.

I should have known that it was to good to be true! I had enrolled at Ashford in June of 2008. I made it clear that since I did not work and had no income coming in that I needed finacial aid and all of my loans on time in order to purchase the books and other materials needed so that I could do well in my classes. The enrollement advisor told me that there was nothing to worry about that as long as I was approved for financial aid that I should receive it on time so that I could purchase my books and other components that were needed in order to succeed and that there would be someone there at Ashford that would help me so that I did not fail. Well I received my first financial aid with no problem. I was very impressed! Well the problem comes in when I was to receive my next disbursment. The week before I was to receive my financial aid I was sent an email stating that I had to wait 7 weeks after my disbursement to receive 30% of my financial aid and another 7 weeks to receive 70% of my financial aid. I was very upset so I called and was told that the reason for this decision was to make sure that I did well in my classes. I asked how was this to help me when i clearly told the enrollment advisor that I depended on this money to purchase their very expensive books. No one knew the answer to she decided to give me a one time hardship so that I could receive my money on time for the classes. Well I took it and was told in the future that I would have to wait 7 to 14 weeks to recieve all of my money. I understood and said ok. Well when it was time for me to receive my next disbursment, I waited the 14 weeks and nothing came. So I called my financial aid advisor and he told me that everyone else was sent out on time but mine had not. So he looked to see if they were holding it for some reason and they were not so put in a request for my money to be sent to me. I finally received it a week later. Also I was told at enrollment that Ashford was the cheapest online school. NOT TRUE! They doubled their cost for classes from around $700.00 to over $1000.00 and their software was going to go from $1000.00 to around $2000.00. What type of software is that? Can someone explain? After being told diffrent things from diffrent people at ashford it was clear to me that no one knew anything, so it was time dor me to unenroll. I talk to someone at Ashford in the financial aid deptment on the right wat to unenroll so that i would not have a fee. I did everything by the book. A few weeks later I called back and they told me I was clear of any fees and did not owe anything, that i can transfer to another school. Well guess what that was a lie! I looked at my account 2 days ago and guess what i owe a fee of $780.00. When i called to ask why I owed money they told me since I did not complete 60% of the classes for the funded year I owed them money and the only way to solve it was to either st up a payment plan or come back to Ashford. I asked them why was I not told this when I asked about unenrolling and no one could give me an answer. Now I have to talk to a manager to solve this issue but I don't think they will. If anyone has a suggestion please let me know. The only thing that I can say is that Ashford tells a lot of lies to get you in and completly abandon you once you have enrolled. Don't go to this school if you have other options!

I wish I had found this place before I made the bad decision to enroll with this place...Big..Big..Mistake!

I enrolled at Ashford University Online in April, 2009.
After comunicating extensivly several times with the enrollment advisors and being reassured multiple times that All my tuition would be covered by my grants, which was re-confirmed by my advisors during the begining my first week of classes that all my paper work had been finalized and all my tuition was being paid for. However during the middle of my 2nd week I recieved a notice that I had no student aid and nothing was being paid for and that I was going to have to take out 2 intrest loans to attempt to pay for my tuition. I tried repeatedly to call and e-mail them to figure out what was going on and try to resolve the matter. But all I got in return was having my calls and mail ignored for the past week. 3 days into my third week of class after repetedly calling I finnaly got in touch with someone to actually talk to me. As it turns out I had been lied to and misinformed and minipulated from the very begining about my student aid and tuition coverage. When I tried to find out more about my fed. student aid and what else I could do to resolve the matter they kept trying to change the subject and get me to take out multiple intrest loans. When I continued further to find out more about my fed. student aid options they kept transfering me to other advisors and giving the run around. I called around locally tried to get advice from the local board of education, my old high school and a semi-local technical college they were all very suspisious and told me not to enroll or sign any thing further and dissenroll ASAP. It took 2 days to get into contact with them just for that. So today May 07 2009 I dissenrolled and now am held with a $1000+ bill for nothing more than 6 total wasted weeks and a worthless over priced book. All I can do is hope that this does not mess up my student aid for the future, or the chance of enrolling with a professional and legitamate school.
I just hope that this information can be used to help someone else to avoid from getting into this type of situation with such misinforative lying {so called} business.

And for other looking to complain further try the BBB {Better Business Burea} and the FTC {Federal Trade Commision}