Consumer complaint received 2019-03-22
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: CA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan

Complaint:
My complaint is with XXXX University, their deteriorated reputation and their recent campus closures. I think XXXX should absorb the cost of my education and interest as I am concerned that the degree is now useless. 


I am in frequent contact with my lender but have never been able to afford my payment as my loan debt is now over $ 200k ; with a 6.5 % interest rate, my interest accrues at about $ 1000k/month leaving me little chance to ever pay down the principle. With my XXXX education costing double what my XXXX and XXXX degrees COMBINED cost and now rendering it useless, I think XXXX is in breach of contract and that loan debt should be transferred to XXXX. Please see my below statement for my experience with XXXX University, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 


While I am a graduate of XXXX with an XXXX in XXXX XXXX, XXXX increasingly negative reputation and press has rendered my degree worthless. In light of the recent campus closures ( I attended XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX campus ), the integrity of my degree has been severely impacted and will no doubt, have a profound impact on my future employment opportunities at the XXXX level. 

Fortunately, I earned my XXXX XXXX from an accredited state school program that has allowed me to find employment at the XXXX level. In the process of onboarding to this position, I was advised by my current HR department that my XXXX degree could not be verified so I was hired ( and paid ) at the XXXX XXXX level. They use the XXXX XXXX   Database for degree verification and XXXX is not listed, therefore, my XXXX degree is not recognized and has not been valuable or useful to me in that regard. 


When I enrolled in XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, I feel I was misled in how XXXX presented its credentials and academic rigor and felt extreme pressure to accept admissions immediately. I learned of XXXX program through an XXXX Board Member ( who was one of my graduate school professors ) who said he could " get me in '' and wrote a letter of recommendation on my behalf. 
Throughout the admissions process, their recruiter led me to believe that there were admission standards and hurdles that I was clearing, and pressed me to make a decision swiftly. 


During the admissions process, I inquired about XXXX accreditation and was told they were in the process of renewing it and expressed confidence that it would be reinstated shortly. I don't believe XXXX ever accredited my program. I was rushed into making a decision and fast tracked to the financial aid department. At several points during my education, I expressed concerns to the department chair ( who was literally a different person every year as it appeared they could not retain faculty for more than a year ), I was told that the onus of responsibility fell on me to understand licensure requirements and I could not get an answer as to whether or not the program would be sufficient for licensure. At the time that I enrolled in XXXX in XXXX, it had a decent reputation, but it quickly became clear to me, as well as other faculty I was working with, that XXXX changing policies and standards were unsavory. After the negative press of XXXX, in which XXXX was targeted for predatory lending and admissions practices, I knew that I had become involved with an institution with a tainted reputation. I attempted to transfer but learned that my 3 years of coursework would not be accepted and was advised to quickly complete the program, which I did. 


I am furious about the amount of debt I have accrued with a degree that held little value then, but now has no value in light of XXXX 's recent campus closures. I can not see any legitimate hiring agency recognizing my advanced degree coming from XXXX ; I don't see how I will be able to work in the field at the XXXX level. 


I am an intelligent person and not easily taken advantage of, yet in hindsight, I feel embarrassed and angry that I find myself in this situation. I am in need of guidance and help to address my current concerns. I have over $ 100k in student loan debt from XXXX alone, double what I accrued from my XXXX and XXXX degrees combined. It was an incredibly expensive program that failed to deliver what was promised - an accredited program that would prepare me for licensure at the XXXX level. I am ashamed that my name is associated with this institution and will have to eliminate it from my resumes and curriculum vitae to spare my reputation that I have worked so hard to establish. It is completely unjust that XXXX can close and leave a wake of student and alumni victims feeling angry and helpless. I can not obtain my transcripts and course catalogs to verify my coursework, yet I am neck deep in loan debt that I can not begin to chip away at. 

Now that XXXX is closed and again in the news, I do not think that I can attach my name and professional reputation to this program and be taken seriously as a XXXX. Incidentally, I worked as the XXXX County XXXX for 9 years, developing a sound reputation within the community. I left to pursue academia where I quickly learned that the academic world does not recognize XXXX as a legitimate institution and have been pursuing employment at the XXXX level. 


I was encouraged by the XXXX XXXX XXXX to reach out to my local congressional office to seek some support and hope that Congress can establish some means to protect XXXX victims.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation