This school is a scam. I am seriously in debt, and have ruined my family over this. 6 years in and my study is stymied in the URR process. Clearly there is something wrong with the study and this should have been addressed earlier. There is no assistance with dissertation. I felt all alone in this process as if no one cared. They are simply making money, that's it. What is scary is that there are students still enrolled wracking up bills. We will never be able to pay back these loans fully. I have never missed a payment on anything in my life. I dropped out of the program when it became clear to complete I would need to pay over 300,000 dollars. This program has caused considerable debt. I worked for 1.5 years of clinical without pay, and had to leave my job. This has caused a considerable hardship.

Walden Doctoral Student Represented by Peiffer Rosca Wolf Law Firm and Lambert Law Firm Files Claims Against Walden University

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Peiffer Rosca Wolf

Oct 06, 2016, 18:14 ET

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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Peiffer Rosca Wolf Firm and The Lambert Law Firm filed a class action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, yesterday alleging Walden University and Laureate International Universities, commonly known simply as "Walden," violated doctoral students' rights by creating a dissertation process which would be difficult, if not impossible, for students to timely complete (or complete at all).

The lawsuit alleges that Walden made representations about the time and cost of its doctoral program to prospective students, knowing that such representations were false. The lawsuit seeks to recover compensation on behalf of all Walden doctoral students. A copy of the filed complaint is available on the Peiffer Rosca Wolf website.

What Walden Doctoral Students May Do

The Peiffer Rosca Wolf Firm and Lambert Law Firm lawyers are continuing to investigate this matter and are evaluating further action to seek payment of damages on behalf of Walden doctoral students who were allegedly trapped in the Walden dissertation process.

If you were a doctoral student that attended Walden and wish to obtain additional information about our investigation or would like to discuss this matter or your rights, please contact Paul Lesko toll free at 888-998-0520 or at [email protected], or Marnie Lambert toll free at 844-32FRAUD or [email protected].

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Please visit our website, www.prwlegal.com, for important disclosures, office locations, and attorney admissions. © Peiffer Rosca Wolf Abdullah Carr & Kane, A Professional Law Corporation ("Peiffer Rosca Wolf"). You may also visit the website for Lambert Law Firm, LLC, www.mclinvestlaw.com, for such information.

Contacts

Peiffer Rosca Wolf law firm - Paul Lesko, 314-833-4826; or toll free at 888-998-0520 [email protected]


SOURCE Peiffer Rosca Wolf

***Attention Current and Former Walden Students***

Please also file a fraud report with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office (Walden is based out of Minneapolis): http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Forms/FraudReport.asp

Latest negative press on Walden: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/profit-walden-u-once-tied-bill-clinton-put-under-review-n661281

Join the fight, there is strength in numbers!

Here is a form that students can fill out and send to the Inspector General within the US Department of Education. After contacting a civil rights attorney with this agency, she mentioned that students should address his or her concerns to the IG.

The more students, the better! http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/oighotline.pdf (form to the Inspector General)

For those considering attending Walden University, BEWARE it’s a for profit university. Here is an article that show the stark difference. http://www.franklin.edu/blog/non-profit-vs-for-profit-colleges-what-you-need-to-know/

Avoid this corrupt school at all costs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZt2ckE3R3g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK0mz7q-mm4

http://allnurses.com/student-nurse-practitioner/stay-away-from-842313.html

https://www.facebook.com/waldenu/posts/440429836316

http://www.screwedbyforums.com/walden-university-consumer-complaints-reports-reviews/1100-walden-university-communication-sucks.html

http://www.wnd.com/2016/06/students-claim-clinton-u-is-a-scam/

The list goes on and on and on. Do your homework first and avoid this shady for profit scam.

I enrolled in Walden and completed all of my required courses to obtain my degree. However, the thesis process was a JOKE and was reviewed and revise NUMEROUS times. This led to NUMEROUS wasted semester hours and and thousands of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. After 5 years of this I finally quit because financially they put me in a hole I will never be able to climb out of. So Walden did NOTHING for me but ruin me financially. It is disgusting that this so called school is allowed to ruin so many lives and get away with it.

I am enrolled in a Ph.D. program with Walden and have been working on my dissertation for six years now. I successfully completed all of my coursework and then hit the dissertation classes. Note to prospective students, Walden will keep you stuck in the dissertation classes indefinitely as they bleed you dry. I have never witnessed this degree of outright fraud in my entire life. How are they getting away with this?? I am done with this disgusting, fraudulent school. They need to be investigated and criminally charged. They are far worse than ITT!

Everyone,

Enough is enough with this totally unethical for-profit ONLY business. Please contact: http://www.schoolscamlawyer.com/

We ALL need to get on board and sue this predatory, scamming, filthy, business (it does not deserve to be called a school).

Also, file a report with your local AG! http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys-general/whos-my-ag.php

Each Walden dissertation student must have a dissertation committee consisting of 2 faculty members, and a University Research Reviewer (URR) as a rather detached person reviewing the work question after the committee's approval at the proposal stage and completion stage. URRs do not get paid unless s/he approve the student proposal or completed dissertation. Due to some rather unqualified committee chair, the URR often has to disapprove some proposals and completed dissertation, at times the work quality is so substandard and poor quality that the URR has to review a number of times, spending hours and hours doing commenting and rejecting works of about 100 pages or more but get no pay unless s/he approve the work.

In my view, this is a very very serious issue that every one among the faculties knows; the administration - Deans, program directors, and higher up just play a deaf ear about it.

This practice violated not only labor laws, but also a source of serious conflict of interest - in order to get paid for his/her works, the URR just has to low standard to approve every dissertation proposal or completed dissertation ...

Hello Everyone!

As I read these posts, I cannot help but remember the heartache I experienced while attending Walden University. I am a doctorate graduate from Walden University, and recently received my degree in February of 2015. However, the gruesome challenges I had to endure to get it is something I WILL never forget! Before I was blessed with a new Chair, my first Chair experience at Walden was a complete Nightmare! I have never encountered such scrutiny and immature behavior in my life! For a a process that should have taken me 3 to 4 years to complete, ended up taken me 7 years! There was a lot of inconsistency in feedback with my first Chair, and was treated very unprofessional from the beginning. I was amazed that after several complaints from other students about this Chair, they allowed for continued appointment. I had MANY sleepless nights, with constant thoughts of debt I will accumulate after I complete my degree (or if did complete my degree). The process is an absolute joke! I don't understand why candidates are asked to defend twice, when there should only be one defense like many of the traditional schools do? Again, money, money, money!

Throughout my process I was told that I was "getting close to finishing" but when I received my document, it was like it was being reviewed for the first time with markups ALL over the place! I was told that I didn't have much edits, and that I should prepare my document with proper APA formatting and organize my references. I was getting excited that I was actually going to see an end to this monstrous project----that was not the case! After 2.5 to 3 years of this crap an SEVERAL thousand dollars in debt, I decided to put in an appeal to switch chairs----that was not an easy task. I had collect a lot of evidence, including embedded comments that were quite demeaning in nature, and other supporting documentation. My appeal was approved, but it took several weeks for it to be reviewed. In the meantime, I was stuck paying a tuition for a full course load---unbelievable! I forgot to mention that during the three years, I had minimal, if any contact with my committee member! I was afraid that my committee member would forget about my project and move on. Of course, that's exactly what happened. I had no warning, just an e-mail indicating that my former committee member is no longer with the university. To move forward, I needed to seek another member----really! I was also given instruction (from my former chair) that was not to have contact with my committee member until my proposal was approved by the Chair---are you kidding me? I am not sure how things have changed since then, but it doesn't sound like much has changed since I attended back in 2007.

Although I do have my degree, I sit with over 200, 000 debt (and then some), part-time teaching gigs, and nothing big to show for it.My loans continue to decrease while making payments; they barely touch the interest! I blame Walden for the sacrifice I made over the past several years, and treatment I received---I should've been done MUCH earlier! Many of the full-time jobs I've attempted to apply have denied me interviews, which I feel strongly believe it's related to the reputation Walden University has. It's very unfortunate for hardworking students, who have sacrificed EVERYTHING to get an advanced degree hoping for a brighter future and minimal student loan debt---wishful thinking. I would like very much to join this class action suit, and would like to petition that we get our loans forgiven !

Thank you for letting me vent!

Chauka12

My story mirrors the hundreds of other students' stories found on got class action lawsuit. My dissertation and KAM process was delayed for years. I changed mentors several times and each time it was obvious that the mentors had been trained in how to delay the process. I finally did get into the dissertation process and to the IRB, however, another faculty member stop the process because I had not completed the KAMs. I dropped out after running out of money and unable to get KAMs passed. Years later, I re-enrolled under a plan that substituted classes for KAMs (I passed the classes), however, the dissertation process slowed until I ran out of money again. (direct loans) The ending result was that I exceeded by lifetime student loan amount and I have NO Doctoral Degree. In addition, with the high interest Congress has allowed these lenders to charge I'm over $200,000 in debt.

My story mirrors the hundreds of other students' stories found on got class action lawsuit. My dissertation and KAM process was delayed for years. I changed mentors several times and each time it was obvious that the mentors had been trained in how to delay the process. I finally did get into the dissertation process and to the IRB, however, another faculty member stop the process because I had not completed the KAMs. I dropped out after running out of money and unable to get KAMs passed. Years later, I re-enrolled under a plan that substituted classes for KAMs (I passed the classes), however, the dissertation process slowed until I ran out of money again. (direct loans) The ending result was that I exceeded by lifetime student loan amount and I have NO Doctoral Degree. In addition, with the high interest Congress has allowed these lenders to charge I'm over $200,000 in debt.
Elizabeth

Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse. To report fraud, waste, abuse, misuse or mismanagement of U.S. Department of Education (ED) program funds (this could include complaints concerning employees, fund recipients, educational institutions, contractors, collection agencies, or lending institutions), please use the online Hotline Complaint Form (see box below).

Select a language below, complete and submit your complaint form

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If you prefer, you may contact the Inspector General's Hotline by:

Calling the OIG Hotline's toll free number 1-800-MIS-USED. Hotline Operators take calls during the hours of Monday and Wednesday 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM, Eastern Time; Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM, Eastern Time except for holidays.

Downloading a hardcopy of the Hotline Complaint Form, and completing, mailing or faxing to:

Inspector General's Hotline
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue,S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202-1500
Fax: (202) 245-7047

Your report may be made anonymously or in confidence. No classified information should be submitted to the Hotline. If your complaint involves classified information, please submit your contact information to the Hotline (via phone or complaint form) and request that you be contacted to make separate arrangements so we can receive your complaint.

Like many of you, I have a similar story regarding the amount of money I am now in debt. I have recently graduated with my PhD. However, the process of reaching this milestone was prolonged by the dissertation process. I am now 178,000 in debt. I want to join this class action suit because of the unethical practices of this University.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/after-for-profit-schools-go-bust-students-left-in-limbo/ar-BBw8rFr?li=BBnbfcL

I am owed a refund from overpaying tuition since June 2016 but to date no one has given a response. My advisor MarIiyn Simon, Fred Walker, Freda Turner, Gene Fusch passed my doctoral thesis without reading it. They have all congratulated upon my completion but to date I have no degree, no refund and no response from anyone.
I want my money back!

This is a complaint of fraud and harassment, both academic and the financial aid office and it's Director and Manager below. My two credit cards were harassed by financial backer World Bank then Commenity Bank that began when extreme school harassment time period also began, which like these students was also during the Dissertation program. I experienced all the above that numerous students discuss about the Dissertation processes and even tried to file an Injunction when I was illegally denied to finish my PhD in the middle of my Dissertation. I hear this has gone on quite frequently and among fraud and many other illegal procedures it is a Title IX violation for the female gender, but I am legally disabled so also the ADA. They failed my already awarded third quarter student aid disbursement, failed to pay my tuition, and then said I couldn't attend anymore because I failed to pay my tuition and put it in collection on my credit report. It was very harmful to a legally disabled person, and actually the extreme stress the school intentionally caused me through their extremely harassing treatment and procedures or I should say illegal games helped put me into legal disability.

I was currently working on my credit reports that reminded me of this issue once again. Even though I have explained to credit bureaus that the Walden collection is fraud, they refuse to remove it. I have filed numerous OIG reports and they have consistently used excuses that its not under their purview. They even told me to file complaints on the Dept Ed offices in Chicago that failed their procedures, but still nothing. Once again referred me off to Dept Ed Ombudsman, then the School Eligibility Grp, who just keeps shuffling me to nowhere. When I hear that there are those that feel African American students are given priority, the current President must have set that up.

Jonathan Kaplan was the original owner of the school and a former cabinet member of former President Bill Clinton. His wife also worked with them, and my main instructor was a consultant for them as also a full time federal employee attorney for the immigration dept. Now I see or some time ago, that the head official of the financial backer Becker is now being called the owner. I assume to distance the Clintons from the fraudulent practices of Walden University and Laureate Education, due to Hillary running for President. I sent her a message requesting assistance and that due to her husband being involved with the school she should have easy access, but nothing. I need to send proof that the financial backer is now at the top of Walden/Laureate to the FDIC, because I also filed a complaint on the financial backer. Apparently, Hillary Clinton set her husband up to be paid millions of dollars by the school in the beginning of her Secretary of State position. She didn't waste any time. I assume because she invited the school representatives to a dinner that would introduce them to global contacts and make them lots of money, notwithstanding already bilking the pot of the American peoples money.

I heard about Walden from a Co-worker back in 2008. She had just started a few quarters prior to telling me about the school and how she enjoyed their class structure and flexibility with admissions. I figured if this was working well for a young single mother, I would check it out. I reviewed all I could online at the time and requested to speak with someone about getting enrolled. I immediately started receiving correspondence about the school and my program of interest. After two weeks I was well on my way to being accepted, submitting all transcripts, GRE, etc.,I was excited about continuing my journey towards earning my PhD.

My first quarter I started with only one class so that I could get used to being back in school and working. Like many of you who have posted, I didn't have the luxury of quitting my job while in school. I enjoyed my classes, interaction with my classmates and gound the first three seminars informative. My grades were excellent during the course work but I did notice s shift in the way many students were beginning to be treated the closer we got to the dissertation portion of the program. As life would have it, at the onset of the dissertation process I was trying to assist with a major project at my job. I along with a few family members had health issues that I battled through while still remaining a full time student. I heard of people who took the off and the horror stories of trying to get back in and I was not going to let that happen to me.

The first few quarters into the dissertation my chair was somewhat attentive. In many instances I felt like she wanted to tell me something but couldn't. I am aware that she earned her PhD at Walden so maybe she was well aware of the hazing process that I was about to endure but couldn't really talk about it. I kept in contact with many other students who felt just like I did that thee were chosen few under each chair who received more guidance and constructive feedback to help move them along with the process. Before beginning the process, I never felt like a number but I did during the dissertation. I got my first U back in 2013. My chair said that I needed to submit more which under the circumstances I felt I was. I felt if I submitted and was waiting for feedback, why submit again without knowing the changes to make. I was enrolled and into the second week of winter quarter 2014. I had just passed my Ches exam and was thrilled. My work life balance was back to normal but then my world crumbled. I still had access to my classroom but received a letter that I was being withdrawn from my program. No probation or warning, just get out and good luck. My chair never said anything not even after I was abruptly removed. I tried 4 times to reapply, explained my situation and detail and pretty much got the run around. I have seen hardened criminals receive better treatment and empathy than what we have been given.

I recently applied to a few schools and some will try to work with you and others won't even call you back. I feel that Walden tries to get all they can out of you but supply no real support in the end to all. All many of us wanted was to complete our education but all we have is good grades, no degree and huge debt. We see what recently happened to ITT tech. The US Dept of Ed is forgiving those loans. I really wanted to finish my degree but how can I, or with with such huge debt. I think we all need to ban together and have these loans forgiven, warn others bumpy alerting the media outlets and track out to reports who have already written articles on other schools with the same issues. I want to see each and every one of you succeed in life and get what you paid for.

The secretary of Education just posted a letter to all ITT students about their loan forgiveness. No time like the present to make this happen.

I've been in this program since 2009 and have seen professors quit, Chair persons change, courses added, e-mails disappear, conflicts in time zones and so many other excuses. Walden should be reported to the Department of Education. Their headquarters in Minnesota should be reported to the Atrroney General in the state. Their practices and recruitment should be investigated. What is the percentage of African Americans who take courses are graduating more quickly than other groups. What political connections did they have with Bill Clinton. A major law suit should be filed in all 50 states to recover hundreds of millions today dollars this university has taken from hard working citizens

At Walden University, we take the concerns and experiences of our students very seriously, and wish to hear from you if your experience did not meet your expectations, so that we can work with you to try to resolve your concerns. If you would like to discuss your specific situation, we are here to help you. If you are a current student, or attended Walden within the past year, please contact [email protected] and provide us with your name, student ID, program of study, location, and specific details of your situation, and one of our school managers will contact you.

If you are a former Walden University student who last attended Walden more than one year ago, please contact [email protected] and provide us with your name, student ID, program of study, dates of enrollment, location, and specific details of your situation, and a Walden representative will contact you.

Thank you.

Wow, I have been experiencing some of the same problems notated above.
I am stuck in the proposal phase of my Ed.D degree at Walden.
After comparing rubrics, I submitted to the URR now 4 times, I have passed sections previously that are now deemed as not passing. I had a problem in the very beginning of this journey with a chair person who lived across the globe from me. We were 8 hours apart. How can I make progress when we live in time zones that far apart??? After a fight to get a change, I got an awesome person to help me, but now my URR, who was friends with the first chair person is making my life unbearable. I receive mixed communication and now a grade that keeps changing from draft to draft. My chair and 2nd seems to think the proposal is just fine, but every time the URR gets it, she says it is not. I am spending mega bucks and now have school loans that are in the $100K+. I would love to be part of this class action lawsuit. I think there is a scam someone going on here. I would also like to be reimbursed for all the money I have spent when there has not been progress made towards graduation.

I am 287,000 in debt. If I continue with the PhD program in psychology it would take another year or two. I am stuck in proposal, and there is absolutely no help with regard to methodology. I have never defaulted on a loan in my life, and I can't imagine how I will pay off a house. I had to take plus loans. They are not eligible for income based repayment. I am going back to work as a counselor. It took 6 years to spin my wheels, and lose everything. I am suffering from depression. What is happening in this country? How could the federal government even fund this program? This is awful. The residencies were expensive. I had to leave my job to complete 2,750 hours of clinical full time, and needed to take more loan money. This is just awful. Unfortunately, I am losing hope that the government will do anything about this. I need help. I have been in the program from 2010.

News Flash! The Lawsuit filed by two students was stipulated. It may have been deficient in its brief not sure. I believe that there is more than one way to skin a cat. If anyone is interested in joining a task force committed to notifying the student loan folks and the future victims please contact me. Here is the link to view the complaint.


http://gotaclassaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Walden-Univeristy-Complaint.pdf

Today I Filed a Complaint With the OIG. I Suggest We ALL Do it At The Same Time. Let's make a list of contacts and all of us file with the AG in Baltimore where The Business is located according to a recent Article. 323 594 9014. Also I Suggest we all contact the Ombudsman for student loans so they are aware that any attempt to collect should be on hold while we pursue this process & Action against Walden

2) ***File a complaint with the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Dept. of Education***

Link: https://oighotline.ed.gov/Hotline/Default.aspx?aFlag=a2GSpnDbruI=&lang=8oFi9czUG94%3d

[email protected]. 323 594 9014

I started the Master of Nursing/ NP program at Walden in 2012. I was eager to learn and working full time, a as single parent and going back to school. I knew it would be challenging but Walden advertise's their online programs for the working class. The professors are bullies and use their authority against the students and it needs to be a criteria of grading equally across the board. One minute you think you are making all "A" and then you go to the next class and you began to make "F's"!! You try to communicate with the professors and they attack you. I can name a few. I reached out the Department heads and they wanted to have a conference call with me, the professor and them! What a set up and very professional.. They must remember that they have a job because of students and they all were students once before they became professors. I would love to give feedback in the lawsuit...