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  1. #1

    Default Student is Being Charged Tuition for a College Semester She Didn't Attend

    My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: California

    I'm going to try and make this LONG story as brief as possible - if i fail the title of this posting also serves as a one sentence descriptor of my issue.

    Begin:
    I was accepted into an MBA program Fall of 2014, at that time I was living in an apartment with two roommates (I was not on the lease). I also was not working so that I could focus my full energy on school. The semester was going wonderfully, until one of my roommates unexpectedly skipped town causing me to lose that housing situation. So mid-semester of grad school I became homeless. Couch surfing and my car "got me thru to the end" but it was an incredible struggle and I definitely had a decline in my academic performance during that second half - only satisfactorily completing 2/4 courses.

    I felt like if I could just re-establish some sort of stable housing situation, I could regain my academic foothold and continue the program. So I spent my Christmas break working a part-time job and waiting for the next semester to begin - which would then provide me with the funding to move into an apartment through my graduate plus loan.

    January came around and I still didn't have any housing prospects due to my finances, luckily my university's business office issue Loan Refund Advances prior to the semester beginning for expenses like housing, books, etc. So I went to the business office at the appropriate time and received a total $6,000 advance. I found an apartment near the freeway about 30/45 mins from my campus, which was fine because I owned a car.

    All in all the $6,000 advance covered my security deposit, 1st and lasts month rent, a few new furnishings (from Walmart), and finally it took a small chunk out of my pre-existing debt (credit card, cell phone, car payment, etc). I completed all this with 2 weeks left until the semester.

    Of course my luck was due to run out and about a week later my car was rear ended and became instantaneously useless (eventually the other guys insurance paid off my loan as a total loss and my car was taken) -- So I then found myself in a situation where I had no clue how I would be able to get to classes, nor group meetings, nor make random trips to the library.

    At this point, I felt like if I attempted to attend another semester in an unstable situation it would only hurt my academic future. I began emailing with my counselor and we came to the decision that a leave of absence ending the Fall of 2015 would be the best decision for me.

    In order to successfully complete the paperwork I needed to obtain 3 signatures, all from people at my university and submit it by a certain date which happened to be in 3 days from the time we came to this conclusion -- my advisor and I set a day and time to meet so I had a friend agree to give me a ride to the school then. Prior to that meeting she canceled thru email...So I was stuck, figuratively and literally.

    After a few emails back and forth, we decided I would bring the forms to school and leave them with a student-staff member so she cud sign them when she was in the office. The only other issue was that I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SCHOOL PRIOR TO THE DUE DATE... No cab money, bus fare, or transportation of my own. My advisor was well aware of this.

    My Leave of Absence was officially submitted 10 calendar days (1 week and a half) to the registrar's office. I'm not sure how/when I was notified that I would still be responsible for the entire Tuition amount for the semester. But after that I was informed that I could submit a Fiscal Petition to have at least a portion of the debt eradicated. I submitted the petition and it was denied very quickly, even my advisor wrote on my petition that she could not support it because I knew the correct date to submit the form.

    I appealed the denial of my fiscal petition - sending the board a 23 page document including email correspondence showing that my decision had been made and corroborated prior to the semester beginning. I was told that I didn't provide any additional justification and that was that.

    I subsequently wrote letters to members in the Financial aid office, the business office, the registrar's office and the office of the university president. I only received one response which said they're was nothing they could do from their office (financial aid).

    I now owe a personal debt of over $19,000 to the University which began accruing late fees in July. I am expecting to pay them the amount that was actually paid out to me ($6,000) but I can't take on the whole thing.

    Is there ANY legal action I can take to help my situation???? :'( I just want my degree...

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Student is Being Charged Tuition for a College Semester She Didn't Attend

    When you enroll in college, you agree to pay your tuition. You also agree to a schedule for any full or partial reimbursement of tuition in the event that you drop a class or discontinue you program. If you fail to formally withdraw by the contractual deadlines, you give up part and ultimately all of your income, even if you do not complete the course or semester.

    Sometimes you can make arrangements with a college for incompletes, or for a withdrawal based on hardship that might allow for some form of refund or opportunity to re-enroll, but those arrangements must be made with your college, consistent with its policies, and if you are not entitled to any such relief under the terms of your contract than any relief that they grant you is a gift.

    If you do not meet the contractual deadlines, and do not to complete the steps necessary for an arrangement with the college that would allow you to re-enroll or to complete your coursework without having to again pay tuition, the consequence of your failure is that you will owe full tuition for classes that you did not complete. Even if we accept that you could not find, beg, borrow or rent a vehicle to get to college, had no friends or family who could give you a ride or even give you bus fare, had no access to public transportation, and the like, there are services like FedEx. There are scanned documents that can be sent by email. There are fax machines. It's up to you to complete the required steps in a timely manner.

    You posted this as a student loan issue, not a tuition issue. If we're not actually talking about student loans, but are talking about an unpaid tuition debt, you can consider consulting a bankruptcy lawyer about possible discharge. You can discuss student loans with a bankruptcy lawyer as well, but discharge of actual student loans is complex and in most cases unlikely.

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