Can You Avoid Repaying Loans If Your College Has Poor Job Placement

[robertpash]

My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Texas

I've lived in Texas the past 15 or so years (since 1997) and in 2007 I decided to attend school again and obtain my bachelors degree. I selected Westwood because of what they offered me (online courses, assistance in helping me land a job with various companies). At the end of my time there I accumulated about $70,000 in debt with Sallie Mae. During my time there Westwood informed me that they are nationally accredited.

Now here are my issues:

1) They have never helped me get in contact with any employer in the field I went to school for, and when I called that I landed interviews they did very little to nothing to follow up or assist in any manner.

2) Though they state they are accredited the state of Texas does not recognize them, which leaves my options very limited (i.e no state or higher jobs that require a bachelors). I was never informed of that when I signed up with the school.

So basically I got into debt for $70k to not have a job, not have the ability to find a good paying job where I live because the school is not accepted. I feel I was misled, and was just suckered into paying them a whole bunch of money for a useless piece of paper (I graduated in 2010 and have not had any success getting a job anywhere near the field I wen to school for).


What type of lawyer would I need to seek out in order to see what can be done? I don't feel it's fair that I pay for something that is worthless, if I could afford to just pack and move to a state that accepts it then obviously I wouldn't have needed to go back to school to get a higher paying job.

[Mr. Knowitall]

I'm not going to argue that the college is a good deal, that your investment in a degree from that college was a good choice, or that there aren't predatory colleges whose primary purpose is to get people to rack up huge tuition bills (courtesy of student loans) even though they know the degree they will issue to the student will be worthless or close to it. But....
[QUOTE=robertpash;604429]During my time there Westwood informed me that they are nationally accredited.[quote]
From their website,

Westwood College is currently nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The following campuses are nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS): ...

Texas Campuses
Westwood College - Dallas (Dallas, TX), a branch of Westwood College - O'Hare Airport
Westwood College - Fort Worth (Euless, TX), a branch of Westwood College - DuPage
Westwood College - Houston South (Houston, TX), a branch of Westwood College - Denver North

Is any of that untrue?

They have never helped me get in contact with any employer in the field I went to school for, and when I called that I landed interviews they did very little to nothing to follow up or assist in any manner.

Placement offices are generally a waste of time. At the last college I attended, which had a national reputation, their basic attitude was, "Everybody who graduates can find a job, so why are you bothering us?"

I'm not sure what you expected the placement office to do when you "called that I landed interviews". You thought they would hold mock interviews for you, or something? That they would Google the employer for basic background information and pass it back to you?

Though they state they are accredited the state of Texas does not recognize them, which leaves my options very limited (i.e no state or higher jobs that require a bachelors). I was never informed of that when I signed up with the school.

By "the state of Texas" you mean government employers? Because a school's accreditation or lack thereof is not something private employers need to consider. If they said they were nationally accredited by ACICS, and they are nationally accredited by ACICS, then there's nothing inaccurate in their representation.

[I]f I could afford to just pack and move to a state that accepts it then obviously I wouldn't have needed to go back to school to get a higher paying job.

I doubt it would have cost you $70,000 to move to a state with more jobs for people with your skills.

[robertpash]

Thanks for the reply. Let me answer your questions:

1) Yes they do have campuses here in Texas and other states as well. And yes they are accredited by the ACICS. Which they informed me of, but not the fact that the State of Texas does not recognize their accreditation. Which prevents me from obtaining a state job, and most likely county & city as well. Which limits me on where I can work, also means private sectors can also deny the degree if they choose to and sadly I'd have no legal recourse for that (at least here in Texas).

2) When I referred to the job placement what I was meaning was their sales pitch was "We will help you find that job via our contacts in companies around the US, we also provide leads to jobs not available to the public outside of Westwood". None of that was true, all I was sent were job leads that I could have found online myself, no "special" contact person or anything of that sort. The few jobs they did send me were not in the field I was in school for to begin with.

3) I understand private sector have lower standards for proof, but if for example an employer in California dislikes Westwood (for whatever reason) and denies me employment or fires me for that I can fight back (to a certain extent, as-needed employment wouldn't apply). But an employer in Texas can deny me the job if a BS is required and for the simple fact I went to Westwood can very well deny the degree.

My argument is if I was informed that the state *I* live in would not accept their accreditation why on earth would I have gone to their school? They knew upfront I resided in Texas and full disclosure was not given at any time regarding this.

And yes I agree $70k (which at this point is now $91k, interest while attending school is cause for raise in amount), is more than I would have needed to move.

Sadly people with my skills are not in demand anymore due to the economy.