Azure College graduate advice?

U.S.A. Florida

Published

Hello. I heard about Azure College a few months ago. Help and feedback needed. I went to the schools website and im aware of the three campuses. Im closer to miami and i am not an lpn or rn yet. A family member of mine lives closer to the boca campus and she is an lpn and is planning to start their 2014 rn program. We would like to go to the same campus if possible. I couldnt seem to find much reviews online or feedback from any students who have graduated or are in either programs. Is anyone else planning to start 2014?

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Has anyone heard of azure college in miami or boca ? If so please let me know .. Feedback wanted

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I am trying to find information on this school as well, but it seems there isn't any.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

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I still did not find anything on the program either. Please let me know or all of us if you have to get any information. Thank you

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

You can find on the BON website the pass fail rate of every nursing school in the state, that would be your best indicator or the quality of the program

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Please read the miami herald's investigative reports on for profit schools. here is an excerpt from the article as it relates to Azure College. Falsification of documents, taking advatage of the public, 27% pass rate of the RN exam way below the national average of 82%, falsifying financial aid forms. Those of you who support this College are complicit in them taking advantage of the public. You are helping in the recruitment process of new victims. Please read the following excerpt from the Miami Herald article.

CareerSource canceled a contract with Azure — and Beasley says he made the college pay back more than $200,000 — because of a slew of alleged problems, including the falsification of documents.

There are a number of good training vendors ... schools that are doing what they're supposed to do,” Beasley said. And there are a number of schools like Azure that are really taking advantage of the public, and taking the dollars and putting them into programs that don't amount to anything.”

NURSING PROGRAMS

Search Florida's 2014 RN license exam passage rates Go to the database →

At Azure's main campus in Miami Gardens, 27 percent of nursing graduates in 2014 who took the RN exam passed it. The national passage rate for American-trained students is nearly 82 percent.

At least eight students filed separate complaints to the state alleging improper practices at that campus. One recurring theme: Students with past-due balances were told they would lose all the college credits they had accrued — including those paid in full — unless they took care of their balances quickly.

They are so money hungry they accept students who cannot speak or write basic English,” one student wrote in a Dec. 2, 2013, complaint. The Commission for Independent Education provided that complaint and others in response to a Herald public records request, but withheld the name of the students.

None of the complaints resulted in action by the CIE.

Jhonson Napoleon, president/CEO of Azure College, says he wants to help students, not exploit them. He said his school's problems stemmed from bad advice he received.

Emily Michot/Miami Herald staff

Jhonson Napoleon, president/CEO of Azure College, says he wants to help students, not exploit them. He said his school's problems stemmed from bad advice he received.

In an interview, Azure's CEO, Jhonson Napoleon, acknowledged the CareerSource contract was canceled but said CareerSource was to blame, and that dealing with the agency was always a headache.” Azure said he returned the $200,000 because the school's costs came in under budget, not because of any mishandling of the money.

Napoleon said his low RN passage rate is part of the growing pains of a young school. He said Azure College is focused on making its students successful.

We believe in helping make an impact in society,” Napoleon said.

The fight over past-due accounts wasn't Napoleon's only problem. When Azure expanded into the small Central Florida town of Sebring (pop. 10,331), it didn't go well.

Azure came to Sebring in 2012 with a splash, buying lots of advertising, joining the local chamber of commerce and promising students a nursing education made affordable through Pell grants and federal loans.

Large, colorful signs in a Sebring strip mall point potential students to the entrance doorway of the Azure campus. The school got into trouble for claiming that students in Sebring — which wasn't approved for financial aid — were attending in Miami-Dade.

Emily Michot/Miami Herald staff

Large, colorful signs in a Sebring strip mall point potential students to the entrance doorway of the Azure campus. The school got into trouble for claiming that students in Sebring — which wasn't approved for financial aid — were attending in Miami-Dade.

However, Azure never had the federal government's permission to offer financial aid in Sebring. Azure listed its Sebring students as attending the Miami campus.”

When the U.S. Department of Education discovered what was happening, federal money was cut off from Sebring in August 2014 and students were left with no way to finance their education. Their accumulated, paid-for credits generally don't transfer to traditional schools.

Napoleon said the implosion in Sebring was an honest mistake, that he had relied on poor advice from a financial consultant. Napoleon said he accommodated students by lowering the nursing program's price for those who could afford to stay and pay cash.

I did more than what's necessary to make the situation right,” he said.

Azure must refund a yet-to-be-determined amount to the federal government.

Read more here: http://pubsys.miamiherald.com/…/higher-ed-hu…/students.html…

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