She adds that Sallie Mae officials also advise students to contact the DOE directly to find out information about their state’s tuition recovery fund or bond.
“As the regulator of licensed schools in its state, the state’s department of education often has recovery funds that may be used to assist students,” she says.
Meanwhile, many dissatisfied and frustrated students are seeking legal action. But Dr. Anita L. Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, says students in this kind of situation may not have any legal recourse since it is possible to continue a credential-granting program at another school.
“Generally speaking, if you pay for a semester, you get a semester. If you pay for a year, you get a year. If I enter into a nursing program in 2008 and then the school closes in 2009, I don’t get my money back. I just have to go someplace else. The question is, did you get what you paid for?” says Allen. She adds that students should do some advance research and make sure that the schools they are interested in attending are not experiencing any kind of financial crisis.
Kim Cawley’s husband, Timothy, notes that his wife was denied a loan discharge by two separate loan providers, but the couple is still contesting that decision.
He adds, “We don’t mind paying for something she received, but when you don’t receive anything for something you paid for … there’s a problem. I think this whole thing was a complete scam.”
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