Complaint Review: The University Of Phoenix Online - Phoenix Arizona

I have spent since March 2009 dealing with the verbiage of a physician's verification letter needed for my 2009-10 financial aid to be released to the school. Turns out the funds have been released to the school and that the letter required is for my 2010-2011 financial aid. Because of specific verbiage not being used the school said that the Department of Education had denied my funds. The processing center blames the Department of Education for the specific word requirement and the financial aid office blames the processing center. Passing the buck and creating confusion are the game of the day.

So I on my own volition called the Department of Education Student Aid office and Sallie Mae (my lender) to get the wording they require. This turns out not to be true, after months of being tortured over this specific wording that is to be used with back and forth faxes with the fixes, it was not the Department of Education or the lender Sallie Mae who is requesting the specific wording on the physician's letter, but the University of Phoenix attempting to make me late with getting my certification, which makes me automatically responsible for outstanding balances. But how can I have an outstanding balance if the funds have been released?

The Processing Center supervisor Matt admitted to me today that the letter is not for my 2009-10 financial aid but for my 20010-11 financial aid (he added they like to get things done early). My financial aid counselor has been trying to make this letter not being acceptable the reason why my funds have not been released, although Sallie Mae confirmed that everything for the year had been paid and I was in good standing until February 2010 when I would have to fill out my new FASFA.

I told my financial aid counselor this and after a few erp's and um's and a bad attempt to confuse me with what the funds had been used for and that three classes including the one I'm currently in, have not been paid for. Long and short there is $6,682.40 missing because of this physician's letter holding up the funds being released, but the lender says that all the funds have been released and I'm not due to refile until Feb. 2010. Something is definitely off.

I am disabled, living on my monthly Social Security Disability check and I have gone back to school so I can get off disability and go back into the work force empowered with a degree and become a teacher or counselor in the New York City Public School system. Instead I'm being held hostage and I don't know what to do. If the degree is not considered valid what do I do when it's time for me to get that job and they laugh in my face. I'm in debt for school loans for over $25,000 because of University of Phoenix and now my degree is considered a joke in the professional world.

There is clearly something wrong with the way I have been manipulated by the financial aid office and the processing center. The outright lies are visible when I look at my paperwork from Sallie Mae all the funds are there to cover each class, but the University has me owing over $6,000. I don't have the money to hire an attorney and I haven't found a lawyer who will take this on for me. I found this website after I Googled "complaints about financial aid with University of Phoenix."

I am shocked at the amount of issues out there and now I'm feeling even more powerless because I don't know what to do next. Do I withdraw and risk having my credit ruined while I search for another school? I don't know who to talk to for advice and I know I can't keep moving forward with this sham of an education. Please someone help me to figure out how to deal with this mess without losing my good credit status and getting into a worse financial predicament.