Azure College

U.S.A. Florida

Published

Hey Everyone,

Any information on Azure college in FL. I have been researching this school for ASN program which is 23 months. It's on the pricey end but if your serious about the nursing program and can afford I think its worth it. The staff seems very helpful, friendly like a miniature family and they genuinely want you to succeed.

My only thing is that its not approved by National Council of State Board of Nursing, would that be an issue transferring my license to NY or any other state.

Any Information I would appreciate thanks in advance.

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Hello

Im looking into Azure college also, I think they are only approved by FBON and accredited by ABHES. So if they arent approved by the National Council of State Board of Nursing I think their would be an issue transferring the license from state to state. Did you decide to go with Azure?

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

Check the newspaper for Highlands Today as there was a recent article about them

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Check the newspaper for Highlands Today as there was a recent article about them

Financial aid blunder puts Azure students in a lurch

SEBRING — After losing its financial aid in its Sebring location, Azure College offered 45 LPN and RN nursing students some options, but some are upset with the situation.

Woei-Long La, whose wife, Christina, was attending Azure, said now that the students are in the program, the costs have changed and they can’t afford it anymore.

About 10 students gathered outside Azure around mid-day Thursday to discuss their options.

Christina La said: “This was supposed to be covered by financial aid. Now they want $833 a month and I can’t afford that.” She can’t pay the lowest option of $500 a month.

Azure College started with a Miami Gardens location in 2004. The Sebring location opened in May 2012. Azure also has a school in Boca Raton.

Azure President/CEO Jhonson Napoleon drove from Miami to Sebring Friday morning to explain to Highlands Today what happened with the federal funding.

Azure received financial aid approval in October 2013 and then started providing financial aid to the LPN and RN students in February and March of 2014, he said.

But, he had received incorrect information from a financial advisor about the financial aid eligibility at the Sebring and Boca Raton locations, Napoleon said.

“We received an initial visit from the Department of Education in the last week of July and on Aug. 14; they advised us those two campuses are not eligible,” for the financial aid, he said.

The 45 students who were affected were given three options, Napoleon said. They can be provided a transcript of their studies at Azure and can continue their studies at another institution at their own cost, students can wait to continue their studies at Azure until financial aid is available or they can pay to continue their studies now at Azure.

- See more at: Financial aid blunder puts Azure students in a lurch

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yes, I'm still looking into this school. I contact the board of nursing in NY and If I need to transfer my license I would most likely need to take some courses over.

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Thanks for the info!

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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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Like Mayor Tondreau, we focus on other Haitians victimizing the Haitian Community like Mr. Napoleon and his wife Betsy. I encourage you to read the links provided and educate yourself. These are facts that can be researched through newspaper articles and public records. Its a fact that Jhonson and Betsy Napoleon have 2 federal liens for unpaid federal taxes for almost $1,000,000 for the years 2012 and 2013. Just follow the links

https://officialrecords.broward.org/oncor…/ShowDetails.aspx…

https://officialrecords.broward.org/oncor…/ShowDetails.aspx…

Also please follow and read the following webpage as well as the newspaper articles that follow

https://azurscam.wordpress.com/

http://highlandstoday.com/…/college-draws-complaints-20140…/

The Better Business Bureau REVOKED its accreditation of Azure College because of customer complaints

http://www.bbb.org/…/azure-college-in-miami-gardens-fl-9200…

Finally look at the reviews of their own current and former employees

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Azure-College

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Regarding Azure college. I graduated fo here and I am loving it! They are a "For Profit" school. The RN program is not easy to accomplish. Some facts that were not mentioned. Re: lein. It's been paid. Most new companies do incurr debt in the first 7 years so its not uncommon.

I would like to commend this school on surviving in Sebring. The competion is another College, that has recently became a state college. Hence all the derogitory news. They never tell you about the accomplishments.

The school fit my life style. Single and working while attending school ( I was dead beat tired most of the time)

They offer every tool you need to suceed. Unfortunatly Its pricey. It paid off by me going there. Its up to YOU to do your homework and then some. Its always good to study extra. NCLEX threw us my year. They changed the test. This was the year of the lowest pass rates of most Nursing schools. My extra studing paid off. I admit half our class did not pass, but I also remember the students study habits. You had all the tools given to you to succeed but its up to the individual to pick them up and use them.

DPace RN í ½í²‹

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The Miami campus is now closed because the FBON shut the nursing program down. There are still plenty of tax liens left and now a student has sued them in dade county court and there is also a federal lawsuit against the school. Their NCLEX pass rate continues to be amongst the worse in the state of Florida. Their Boca county is now on probation also as was the Miami campus before it was shut down. Be very careful with this school, very bad news

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Hey how is the program going for you ?,I should be starting next month I'm originally from NY and I sometimes think I will return .I just don't want any issues with transferring my license.

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On 9/29/2016 at 9:32 PM, rachelrae25 said:

Hey how is the program going for you ?,I should be starting next month I'm originally from NY and I sometimes think I will return .I just don't want any issues with transferring my license.

Hi Did you complete this school? N did you transfer your license?

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