Quote:Northcentral University Sued for Using Abusive Marketing Techniques
The College Post By Staff Writer Sept. 11, 2018

The Northcentral University (NCU) has landed itself in a soup after a former student filed a class-action complaint against the online school in a federal court. The complaint, filed by Christina Torres in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleges the online-only for-profit university of using abusive market schemes to lure students by promising quick degrees. The school has been accused of dragging the degrees for years leaving students with huge loan burdens.

Torres, who attended the university between 2010 to 2017, seeking a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), was told that she would complete her degree at the cost of $30,600 in three and a half to five years, but it took nearly 7 years costing her more than $50,000.

“NCU never dealt with me on the level. If they had not misrepresented the timeline, costs, and hurdles to completing this doctoral program or if they had just honestly disclosed their scheme, I would not have enrolled at NCU. Period,” she said.

“I certainly would not have put myself on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to finance my education. They wasted my time, sidelined my ambitions, created a huge delay in my life, and forced me into deep debt.”

According to Torres’ attorney Joseph Peiffer, the university uses a bait and switch marketing scheme in its doctoral programs.

“NCU is running what is essentially The bait is displayed when NCU’s marketing materials and employees mislead prospective students by promising that doctoral degrees will cost less and take less time to complete than those programs would actually take,” Peiffer said.

“Prospective students take NCU’s bait when they commit to attend the university, pay substantial tuition and fees, and obtain hefty student loans.”

Quote:San Diego For-Profit University Accused of "Bait-and-Switch" Tactics in Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Hundreds of Debt-Crippled Students

Northcentral University is 3rd Online-Only University to be Named in Class Action Lawsuits Filed by Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane; NCU Accused of Luring in Students With False Promises of Quick, Low-Cost Doctorate Degrees.
Sep 06, 2018, 16:28 ET

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds and possibly thousands of doctoral students attending the online-only for-profit Northcentral University, Inc. (NCU) have been subjected to an abusive marketing scheme under which degrees are promised relatively quickly and at low cost, but then drag out for years longer and tens of thousands of dollars in additional student loan debt, according to a class-action complaint filed today by the law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane (PWCK) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, San Diego Division.  For more information on the lawsuit go to www.ncuclassaction.com.

The class-action complaint was filed on behalf of Christina Torres, a Bronx, New York City resident who attended NCU from 2010-2017. Torres and other students seeking a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from NCU were told that it would take "three and a half to five years" at a cost of $30,600. However, NCU's own documents confirm that the Ed.D. program was in fact "designed" to take 83 months, or nearly seven years, resulting in a cost exceeding $50,000. NCU appears to have made such representations across its entire range of doctorate programs.  

It also appears that NCU is still falsely advertising online as of today that it can deliver a degree quickly and at a low cost.

The NCU lawsuit is the third such lawsuit to be filed against an online-only, for-profit university by Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane. PWCK also has filed such complaints against Walden University and Capella University, both of Minnesota. For-profit universities received extensive attention under the Obama Administration, which created the Gainful Employment disclosure requirement that exposed false marketing claims made by NCU and other for-profit universities. Trump Administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has taken steps to eliminate the vitally important public disclosure rule.

Joseph Peiffer, managing shareholder and attorney, PWCK, said: "NCU is running what is essentially a bait-and-switch marketing scheme in its doctoral programs. The bait is displayed when NCU's marketing materials and employees mislead prospective students by promising that doctoral degrees will cost less and take less time to complete than those programs would actually take. Prospective students take NCU's bait when they commit to attend the university, pay substantial tuition and fees, and obtain hefty student loans. Because those students rely upon NCU's misrepresentations and omissions, they are now saddled with crippling debt, bad credit, inability to obtain additional student loans, useless course credits that will not transfer to other institutions, and for many, no doctoral degree. It's the dog that never catches its tail."

Christina Torres said: "NCU never dealt with me on the level. If they had not misrepresented the timeline, costs, and hurdles to completing this doctoral program or if they had just honestly disclosed their scheme, I would not have enrolled at NCU. Period. I certainly would not have put myself on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to finance my education. They wasted my time, sidelined my ambitions, created a huge delay in my life, and forced me into deep debt."

Paul Lesko, attorney, PWCK, said: "As a for-profit corporation, NCU has clear incentives to mislead students about how long it will take to complete its doctoral programs. First, the longer it takes for a student to get a degree, the more tuition and fees (and profit) NCU receives. Second, because NCU knows that most of its students rely on loans to finance their education and will consider the expected total cost of a doctoral program before agreeing to enroll, NCU has every reason to make its programs appear as affordable as possible, even though they are not affordable. NCU also knows that once students have paid tens of thousands of dollars to partially complete their program, they will be compelled to continue enrolling for additional semesters (and taking out additional loans) for fear of having nothing to show for the time and resources that they have already committed."

NCU currently has approximately 10,000 students, 5,500 alumni and potentially thousands of former doctoral students who did not graduate, many presumably due to delayed degrees or mounting student debt. Nearly all (98 percent) of NCU's current student body is composed of graduate students, 69 percent of whom are enrolled in doctoral degree programs.

As the class-action complaint notes: "Once enrolled in the doctoral programs, problems began. While the students attempted to obtain their degree, they met an endless series of hurdles, delays, and tuition payments, resulting in students incurring unnecessary additional loans beyond those they expected to incur based on the timeframes promised by NCU. Students who believed that they were getting ever closer to their doctoral degree were repeatedly confronted with decreasing resources, high faculty turnover, disorganization, a lack of oversight, poorly trained instructors, a 21-day-turnaround time (with most instructors taking the full 21 days to respond their students), and little to no constructive feedback (or if feedback was given, inconsistent feedback), all of which extended the doctoral students' enrollments at NCU. Frustrated, doctoral students eventually realized that, contrary to NCU's promises, they did not control the time it would take to complete their degree — they were at the mercy of NCU."

While students did what they could to obtain their doctoral degrees, their programs stretched beyond the promised timeframes, and tuition payments (and student loans) continued to mount. As students' enrollment at NCU dragged on for years past the expected timeframes, NCU's promises of an affordable education became a nightmare of frustration and crushing debt. Many students' debt would grow so large that they would have no choice but to un-enroll so they could stop accumulating more debt and dedicate themselves full-time to paying back their enormous student loans, all without degrees to show for their hard work.

Northcentral University is a private, for-profit, online-only university founded in Prescott, Arizona in 1996. NCU moved to San Diego in 2017. NCU offers online degree and certificate programs from the bachelor's level through the doctoral degree level in its School of Education, School of Business and Technology Management, and School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Quote:CLASS ACTION AGAINST ONLINE UNIVERSITY – KGTV SAN DIEGO

http://www.ncuclassaction.com/wp-content...IELD_1.mp4

While students did what they could to obtain their doctoral degrees, their programs stretched beyond the promised timeframes, and tuition payments (and student loans) continued to mount. As students’ enrollment at NCU dragged on for years past the expected timeframes, NCU’s promises of an affordable education became a nightmare of frustration and crushing debt. Many students’ debt would grow so large that they would have no choice but to un-enroll so they could stop accumulating more debt and dedicate themselves full-time to paying back their enormous student loans, all without degrees to show for their hard work.

Northcentral University is a private, for-profit, online-only university founded in Prescott, Arizona in 1996. NCU moved to San Diego in 2017. NCU offers online degree and certificate programs from the bachelor’s level through the doctoral degree level in its School of Education, School of Business and Technology Management, and School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Quote:AUDIO PRESS CONFERENCE | NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY CLASS ACTION

Northcentral University is 3rd Online-Only University to be Named in Class Action Lawsuits Filed by Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane; NCU Accused of Luring in Students With False Promises of Quick, Low-Cost Doctorate Degrees.

SAN DIEGO, CA. – September 6, 2018 – Hundreds and possibly thousands of doctoral students attending the online-only for-profit Northcentral University, Inc. (NCU) have been subjected to an abusive marketing scheme under which degrees are promised relatively quickly and at low cost, but then drag out for years longer and tens of thousands of dollars in additional student loan debt, according to a class-action complaint filed today by the law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane (PWCK) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, San Diego Division.

https://www.ncuclassaction.com/wp-conten...tion-1.mp3

Quote:Deceptive /Unethical ...and Poor Comm...
Lamour H Jackson - November 9, 2012

I am a doctoral student and was suppose to finish 2012. I have ethical issues with them as in 2010 they required students to start paying dissertation fees with general coursework. Then a couple months later, they designed a "full pay" comprehensive program.

A student can complete classes quickly, but when you get to the dissertation stage, you really do not know what is happening. You are ASSIGNED a full time chairperson who has the total authority to decide if your concept paper (not dissertation proposal) is ready to be submitted to the Grad School for approval. There is no continuity between what is written or what is expected once you get to the dissertation stage. Though they claim flexibility, there is little in class choices. You have no options regarding your dissertation chair or team and they generally will not let you change. They state that everything they do is in the best interest of the student, which is not true.

The school is motivated by money and not student interest. The faculty turnover is great and there are few ways for students to contact each other and no continuity. The mentors (instructors) generally only correct papers, so you teach yourself. Had I known, I would have chosen another school or none at all.

Quote:You have been warned...
David Sims - September 5, 2012

I enrolled at NCU in 2007 for the PhD in Business Administration. At first I loved it...100% online, no residency, and tuition was low. I only needed 51 credit hours to finish the PhD, including the dissertation.

5 years later, I had to withdraw from the school. I had finished the Comps exam, received my "ABD" letter, and even finished the first 2 dissertation-specific courses with a 3.9 GPA. Why did I quit?

1. Too many changes in the school policies. For example, originally it was my responsibility to choose my next course, choose my start date for it, and request my academic advisor to enroll me in it. They nixed that...the school chooses your course path and they automatically enroll you in your next course on the date they choose 2 weeks before your current course ends. Originally you could take 30 days between courses...not any more though. Originally you could take a leave of absence for personal reasons...not any more. Originally you could submit your assignments on any day you chose, as long as you got them all done in order and before the course ended; but now every assignment has a fixed due date. These and many more policy changes have rendered the school NOT flexible. They blame all the changes on accreditation requirements, which is false.

2. High turnover in faculty. The school can't keep quality instructors very long. My dissertation committee changed several times, and they kept assigning members without consulting me. Once they changed my instructor halfway through the class because the original instructor never showed up.

3. Increasing tuition. They raised tuition EVERY year while I was enrolled there. They invented new fees for nothing, such as technology fees even though they provided no technical support to students, and the only "technical" aspect of the student experience was using a web site that was unchanged for 5 years. When I finally had enough, I notified my academic advisor that I wanted to withdraw. The academic advisor went ahead and enrolled me in the next course, and I contacted her again to protest it and demand withdrawal. She submitted my withdrawal, and then the school charged me a $100 fee for failure to enroll in a course. Now they are threatening to put it on my credit report because I refuse to pay it.

In the end, it had nothing to do with how challenging the course work was...I was making steady progress toward graduation and was not struggling. I left because the 2012 NCU was not the same NCU I enrolled in back in 2007.

Quote:Simply look somewhere else
Mark - August 20, 2012

Having completed an online Masters at New England College (great school, an example for others to follow) I know the ropes of online education. I expect steep workload and rigorous grading.

With NCU, you get the workload at a premium price, with zero support. The education is what you take away from the readings and reviewing 20-year old articles, no interaction with others to include the mentor. The mentor is there to grade, period, they offer no value to the educational process, and the several that I had were unqualified to teach at the Doctoral level.

Quote:DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!
Cindy - August 15, 2012

I have been in the PhD program for 4 years. After thousands and thousands of dollars, hours, and gallons of sweat and tears, they keep moving the target. I submit my dissertation, they edit, I fix, resubmit. Repeat. Every time they set the bar, I meet it, they move the bar. They have no incentive to help me finish my degree. The longer I stay, the more money they make.

Quote:Do not go there,
sophie - August 12, 2012

NCU changed so much its policy that i felt like going after a moving target. The program is following a particular model, so students either enter in their model or are retaking courses. Never mind, you have to pay tuition constantly and are enrolled automatically without your input.

You are completly alone, receive a syllabus and write one paper of about 8 pages each week. Instruction is between you and the books and writing. Mentor are only correctors.

I would not recommend the school as it is a for profit school at its best.

Quote:DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL
danielle - July 23, 2012

This is not a school you want to go to. The circulum is not adequate that you would get from a community college let alone a University. The teachers and mentors will not give you the help when you need it and will find reasons to talk to the dean and get you in trouble.

Also they will sign you up for classes and state that you have the funding available and than weeks later come back and state that you are supposed to pay out of pocket for the classes. If you want a good degree and not to waste your time do not go to this school. I have requested transcripts for my new college and they wouldn't accept alot of the classes that I have wasted my time taking all believing they would move over FOR NOTHING but 2 wasted years and having to take the classes all over at another school.

Quote:Unprofessional
Malinda - July 2, 2012

The enrollment process was a diaster. After Requesting information several times regarding The PhD program, I found myself contacting the University instead of enrollment specialist contacting me (twice).

After completing the enrollment process by phone, I was told that I would receive a confirmation by email and a Follow -Up cell regarding enrollment~ which I never received. Not to mention during the Enrollment process, I was consistently asked what were my options for tuition ( they wanted to know if I was afflicted with the military to utilize educational benefits).

As much as I was interested in this University, I will no longer Pursue interest in Northcentral University. When things appear to be to good to be true.. RUN , "100% Online University. No residencies and 8 week Courses." I Do. Not Recommend North Central University!!

Quote:Avoid at ALL costs
Michael - June 11, 2012

When I first enrolled the university everything seemed to be organized, clear and easy. They provided a flexible and comprehensive program.

I have personally read several negative reviews, saying it was a scam, and I don't know what, ... but I said to myself, how bad could it be. There are always a couple of people who will have something negative to say, right? I will just follow my program and I will be done with it in no time. It's not like it's the first time I am following an online program. So I went on, and enrolled.

The first thing that surprised me, that once you enrol, the so called academic advisor that helps you out with the enrolment process, the same person that sends you three e-mails a day to asks you where you're at, suddenly vanishes. Forget about having a single question or a request after that. You could send an e-mail to the accounting department, or someone, but of course, their job and answers are limited to their role.

Second, forget about a flexible program designed to fit your needs. All that nice marketing material. They have a wide range of programs, but after a couple of year, you realize that it’s all and all the exact same program. One three courses within the entire curriculum differentiate all courses. Once enrolled to a program you chose, courses down the line will start changing, and in time a new entire program will be imposed on you, and of course you will have to follow it exactly as they tell you to, when they tell you, and how they tell you. Forget about choosing courses from the curriculum you initially chose, or anything like that. In time everything will be set for you, dates will be fixed and they have your credit card. So good luck.

The first few courses were ok, motivation is high and like anyone you would live with some minor changes and constraints. But if you think the story ends there, well you're wrong. The further you go down the program, new rules and regulations suddenly appear, things you have to do and comply with, and things you can't do any more, making harder and harder for you to change your mind.

From a curriculum point of view, well, it's very simple and straight forward. You will have to write papers and more papers. If you didn't get enough, well you have to write more papers. There is nothing else on the program. FORGET about learning something. Every paper has a subject and you will write a paper on the topic. It’s relate to the course or not, well that doesn’t matter, you just need to write a paper and submit it. From an expense / cost point of view, NCU seems cheaper that other universities. You may enrol on that basis, but trust my word on it, the credit pricing will be quickly adjusted as soon as you’re up and running. You will end up paying exactly what other universities are charging. More, let's not forget that every three months, in a way for every course, a new dean, a new academic advisor and a new teacher, is appointed. After a while you start wondering what’s going on. You will have the impression that's a ghost university. Maybe there are three employees hired by a bunch of investors, that are running the whole show under different names. Let’s be clear on one point, NorthCentral University is not a university, it’s a business. It’s as simple as that, it was already bought twice since I have enrolled. So.

In a nutshell, this university is definitely not worth it. It will waste your time and your money. It is definitely not worth enrolling or graduating from. If you do, well good luck. That’s all I can say.

Quote:October 12, 2011
Degree-Granting Institutions With Low Financial-Responsibility Scores in 2009-10

All private colleges that award federal student aid must participate in the Department of Education's financial-responsibility test, which is based on information from their audited financial statements. The department develops a composite score on a scale of 3.0 to minus-1.0, based on financial ratios that measure factors such as net worth, operating losses, and the relationship of assets to liabilities. Institutions with scores of 1.5 to 3 pass.

In addition to being subject to extra monitoring, those with scores below 1.0 are required to post a letter of credit with the department equal to 10 percent of the federal student aid that goes to their students annually.

The figures shown are for the 180 institutions that received a score below 1.5, as well as the scores that they received in past years, when available. The figures below are for institutional fiscal years ending between July 1 and June 30, and institutions without a score provided for the selected time periods are indicated as "n/a."
. . .
Northcentral University Prescott Valley Ariz. Private for-profit 0.2
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