College refused to refund my fees

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I really need to vent, and this area seems like the appropriate one to vent in.

I dropped out of Nursing school because the college I was attending refused to refund my money during the last semester. I had performed all the required steps to drop the course, well before the deadline for a full refund, but Citrus College refused to refund my money. The reason I needed withdraw is because of an emergency (death) of my father, and needed to fly back to the east coast. I live in California.

It was my dream for a long time to become a nurse. I completed my CNA and am working at an LTC, and I have a lot of energy to pursue this even though I'm in my 50s. I just love working with residents and love nursing in general, but was so turned off by what this college did. When this college refused to refund my fees, I notified my credit card company, completing a form with proof that I had fulfilled all the required steps and why I needed to have my account credited. The credit card company agreed, but then Citrus College sent me a letter of complaint, saying that they would report me to the Secretary of State of California, as well as take credit away from any previous courses I've completed.

Suffice it to say, I'm really upset about all of these events. I've always been a responsible person, and have attended other colleges and Universities in the past. I completed a B/A and a Masters in another discipline many years ago, and graduated with top honors. My point is that I know how to follow rules and meet deadlines. This is the first college that has ever done anything like this to me, and I just cannot understand why. As I said, I did complete "all" of the appropriate steps and requirements. I've heard from other students that this college used to be a good one, but has gone downhill in the last 5 years or so. But this is hearsay. What I've gone through isn't, however.

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Wow. Do you have anything in writing? Like their posted deadline for when refunds must be requested along with proof of the date you requested the refund. If you have that, I don't understand why they would deny the refund. I would try to meet with someone in charge and try to figure things out. Perhaps someone made a mistake along the way. If you have proof that your refund was requested on time, its odd that they would deny your refund.

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It does seem odd that they refused to refund your tuition fees, even though you were eligible for a full refund. I read the following on their refund procedure page:

Refunds are not automatic.

All deadlines must be met to be eligible for a refund and are subject to approval by the district. All deadline dates vary according to the beginning and ending dates of classes. Please refer to important dates for deadlines. Classes are dropped via WingSpan.

Would it be possible to poke around to determine the reason why the district did not approve the refund?

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You should file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Go to http://www.bbb.org. They should guide you in the right direction.

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Sounds to me like you need to find a different school. I would seek legal advice.

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Thank you all for all your comments and suggestions. The good news is that the refund issue and everything else has been resolved. Yesterday, the college decided to refund me the full fees, saying they would send me a check in the mail. However, I'm not planning on going back to this college. I've heard that another college in my area has an excellent nursing program, so I am going to apply there.

Once again, thank you all for the suggestions which were truly appreciated. This was very frustrating to say the least, so I'm relieved that it is over with, and I didn't have to pursue other avenues to get my money back.

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Glad to hear that this has been favorably resolved. Changing schools is probably a blessing in disguise. Good luck in the future.

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