Westwood College reviews and complaints

I attended Westwood College from 2007 until recently, taking two breaks in enrollment due to surviving an attempted murder and the aftermath and emotional toll it took. When I first began the enrollment process in 2007, I was told that if I decided on-line schooling was not for me that I could transfer my credits to another school in my area since Westwood does not have any campuses near me. Westwood has shown some unbelievable audacity in their business practices. The last time I was called and persuaded to re-enroll, I was upset to find out that the Interior Design program I had been taking was being discontinued and that I would have to take a course overload in order to even come close to graduating. It proved to be too much, attempting to complete 18 credit hours shoved into a 9 week term while working full time (and some overtime) at about 55-60 hours per week. I had no option but to drop from the Interior Design program and call it a wash. I was still interested in obtaining my degree, however, so I asked my student advisor if there were any options that I could put my current credits toward that may at least help further my current career in property management. I have spent 5 years of my life on my education due to the interruption nearly losing my life caused, and still have nothing to show for it. I was contacted once again just three weeks ago by an assistant admissions director and asked if I would be interested in re-enrolling in a different program. Since I am looking to further my current career and brought that option up to my student advisor when I dropped from the ID program, I mentioned that I would be interested in the Bachelor of Sciences program for Business Administration majoring in Business Management. After completing my FAFSA and jumping through all the little hoops the assistant admissions director had me go through, I was then informed that Westwood would not take me back because I wasn't a good risk. When I asked to speak to the legal department I was hung up on. This place needs to be shut down.

I want to sue them as well I resigned mid term and they charged me a whole year

So...how'd it turn out?

$9, 037 for a transcript release? Those things usually cost like 10 bucks. Sounds like there may have been a mix with a tuition payment or something like that. Though if they've placed a hold on releasing your transcript I'm surprised the hold didn't prevent you from graduating. Call the number, sounds like they're willing to help.

We recently came across your post and want to hear more about your experience. Please contact Westwood College’s Student Resolution Hotline at 888.331.3036 so we can begin to work through your specific concerns.

i am so glad that i decided to research this school before i completed the enrollment process. I requested info. online and got a call not even 5 min. after i submitted. the lady was really nice and i went in to speak with her. she sold me a dream...the next day i even paid the 50 dollar application fee. so 3 days later i do a little reseach an whaddaya know the same thing said by everyone, phony advisors, the trick you into getting loans. Matter of fact i jst emailed the lady and told her i was no longer interested...she said' you should still finish the enrollment process. you dont wanna be put in a bad situation, you.ve been out of school too long" Please lady i am not dumb. during the brief meeting she kept saying i was good and i could defer my payments for up to ten years like she did. she even said that grants would cover most of tuition..80, 000. i thank all who take time out to share their stories on websites like these to warn young ppl like myself about scams like westwood thanks to you i.ve saved 80, 000 . even though i cnt get my 50 buxx back it made me open my eyes and realizze everyone is not here for u...especially westwood admissions reps...

Hey have you joined the facebook group "warnings about westwood"? They're bringing a lawsuit against the school.

If I could ever have a do over in my life it would be in March 2006 when I went to talk to the admissions rep at Westwood College. Lies, lies, lies were all I was told. I complained to any and everyone there at that college about how bad the teachers were and they assured me things would get better. Externship site was a joke and I didn't complete the required time on my externship site, but was told to just make something up by the externship coordinator. Had to wait six months after completing the course to take my certification test so we could take it with the class that just completed the course and was helped with the answers on the parts we never covered. When I finally got a job interview (the only one I got) for a job in the field I had 'studied in' I failed miserably. Their test was 100% harder than the certification test. As I took the test at that job interview, I just kept getting madder and madder at Westwood College for not providing me my money's worth of education and myself for not bailing out.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone out there that is in the same boat as I am. I attended Westwood College in SW Houston, TX for a little over a year [protected]). I had most of my basics already completed so I was told by the advisor my cost would not be that high; infact, I remember her giving me an estimate of about $15, 000. I figured that was reasonable so I continued with the whole process and bought into their whole lies. I filled out for financial aid and did not receive grant money which wasn't a surprise. Afterwards I was encouraged to fill out the paperwork for loans. I went through the whole loan process. I had no clue how much my classes + books were going to cost and they never told me how much my award amount would be to begin with . They said to leave that spot blank while filling out the loan applications. They knew exactly how much I would need to borrow. YEA SURE. So I go to school and graduate. Let me just go on to mention that I learned ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Teachers passed everyone. I even had a teacher that hit on me and email/text perverted things. I was so close to filing charges if he would have touched me that would have been it. Back to the financial situation...I got out of school and realized that I owed about $25, 000 to Sallie Mae and $6, 000 to Westwood for private loans since my loans didn't cover everything (so they say). This isn't even going the full 2 years! I am going to UH now but I have to pay a crazy amount just right now on private loans. I don't even want to imagine what it will be like after I get out of school. This is crazy! Going to school there for a little over a year couldn't possibly cost that much! I didn't even get anything out of it! If someone has had the same experience, please contact me: ratigy24@yahoo.com. Thanks.

I agree with that here is my email tyeshiab1@yahoo.com as well if you'll are going for a law sue I in.

I attended Westwood Online for all of 2006. My admissions rep never informed me that the program cost 64k. My loans never got approved and towards the end of the year they finally told me how much in the hole I was. I decided to drop out because there was no way I was going to pay 64k for an online degree. The school recently settled a lawsuit with the Department of Justice. There is also a class action lawsuit that has recently been filed against these crooks.

I too was cheated by them...I lost many years and money because of them...my email address is enriquez.r@gmail.com. Westwood got sued by 60 students in Texas and the students won. Lets do it again.

I attended the WestWood college campus in Atlanta, GA. I can not gety transcript, but I need it so that I may attend a real college. They will not give it to me. Can anyone help me? I'm so STRESSED!

Hello, Went Westwood in Houston Tx .It was and still my worst expiries in my life..I was there From [protected] I whet too get my asst in cm.The teacher cut corners not teaching or skiping chapter after I spend 150$$$on a book.
Ask a for help on math but said u should knows this all ready..After one year I desired to get out ..After milking me out 20, 000$$$or more ..in a year for 2 years asst in cm 37, 000 Westwood wants money they do not worried about the studies feelings, motional states, needs, ...I thank God I find a better college. Asst Cm Just for 7, 000$---30.000$$$ different from Westwood..

anyone who attitude westwood college and got scam out off there money I like to file a class action lawsuite you can hit me up on buderace@gmail.com my name is howard wedderburn I feel that westwood college us me and get money from my student ad now I have to pay back $16000.00 for a degree im not using call me [protected] I like to push on a lawsuite email me your name if you like to be on this case

http://westwoodscammed.me/

Chatito09 and everyone else,

I have to agree 110% with you as I use to work for Westcrap College and I know the very people you talk about! All those who are either Master / Assistant DA's / Executive / Director levels are all full of themselves and are ones who lie lie lie to students and everyone else just to move up on the Comp. salary plan. The Director you speak of in your post...is nothing but a fake and he acts as if he cares when he really only cares about himself. I am sure his degree from Rutgers was pulled out from his A**! First of all he is the worst Director ever and I have no idea why they even promoted him in the first place. He is very boring, not a good positive motivator, he craps on those who are tenure and doesn't buy into his bullcrap lies, and he must be gay acting straight because he LOVES those men he hires there!

There is something we can all do. Like many of you, the same thing happened to me, lies, huge debt ect, for 1 and half years that I was there.

You can go to www.westwoodscammedme.com and share your story with the lawyers there and hundreds of other students that got duped by Westwood. They are pursuing westwood and possible class action lawsuit may come out of it.
You can also write your senator's about for-profit schools. Recently investigations in the last 2 months have been done, with Westwood being one of the schools investigated, about their lies and fraudulent actions. (The hearing is on the website I named for you to watch)

YOU CAN STILL FIGHT! I have been fighting what they have done to me for the last 3 years, contacting anyone that will listen. Contact the board of education of Colorado if you went online, and file a formal complaint.

And most importantly, keep with it! Pursue them! they need to pay for what they have done to all of us. Our loans should be repaid in full, debts forgiven and we should be allowed to re-start our education properly!

I attended Westwood college, and as many I agree that this is one of the many worthless colleges there are. It seems to me as if the admissions and administration pretty much thought my dreams, as well as my classmate's dreams, were a big joke because when sharing our goals to transfer and become successful at a state university for architecture they never informed us that it would never happen because the credits were nontransferable. Joke was on me. Furthermore, When informing first term students their money would be more useful at a state university the instructor kept insisting the classes were transferable. My friend and I refer to each other as the $40, 000 friends because that is pretty much the only thing we gained from Westwood, other than our fake diploma. Oh yeah, I also would of earned $10 more at one of my jobs if my associates degree would of be real, frustrating. So now I am below square one, working two jobs which are nowhere close to what I "studied" for, have bad credit, of course, and still a freshman at a community college where I should of gone to in the first place.
What I don't understand is why these
colleges are still open...Is there anything we can do about this?
I know we signed an agreement but if there is something
please feel free to share...

I currently attend Westwood College in Illinois, Chicago, O'Hare campus, 8501 W Higgins Rd., Suite 100. When I first took interest in the MA program. I turned to Westwood for a great opportunity. First and foremost, the admissions rep sold me lies. He exclaimed that all personnel/instructors had a degree no lower then a Master's Degree & that students are their obligation. Every body knows that you can't teach a student who doesn't want to learn. I am not one of those students. I'm serious, ambitious and take schooling as if it was my occupation. The admissions Rep. not only lied about instructors criteria background but sold me lies about how organized instructors are. I started school in OCT. and I graduate in OCT. It's May 10th, the end of my third term and I am very disappointed. First, they hire unexperienced teachers, Secondly, Most instructors only have a BA and teach subjects that aren't relevant to their degrees. Thirdly, instructors slack off on lectures/labs/disciplinary actions with students, Forth, students are suppose to have class from 6pm - 10pm and in some of these courses, instructors really need to utilize the whole class period to cover material because it's vital to our future and they do not. Fifth, if I were to make a complaint about an instructor and how he/she teaches or how they lack the energy and enthused attitude to teach students. They teach us as if this is a second job and not a priority. The faculty would defend them rather then come up with a solution Sixth, They are usually unorganized and don't follow their lesson plans nor do they go at a steady pace when covering course material. They slack off and then at the end of the term, we have to cover like 8 chapters in 2 class periods. I don't appreciate the fact that these instructors slack off and they're very unorganized. In 2 different terms, I had 2 8 credit hour classes and both instructors cramped everything at the end of the term when out of 18 class periods, we had 2 days left and 8 chapters to cover and one of those days are finals. LOL On top of that, I'm payi9ng $23, 000 for a 12 month Medical assistant program where the faculty takes the sides of the instructors and covers up their flaws with excuses and more excuses. If I wanted to be home schooled, I would of stayed at home and taught myself. I am not one of those typical students who want the teacher to do the work for me. I read and study but some of this material requires the assistance of experienced instructors and I do not feel that Westwood provides that concept to teaching it's students. They are unorganized, unexperienced, last minute planners, slackers, and don't exceed my expectations. They claim to be a private school and have the experience to teach students but the only aspect of Westwood College that is private are their lies. So I have to suck it up and teach myself like I've been doing until I graduate. To those who go to Westwood and share my same feelings. I wish you the best of luck and don't become discouraged from loans or the nature of their teaching because I think we should come together to bring down the school rather than fight and complain furthermore.

Westwood college IS a scam. Not to mention having to literally do the retention coordinators job for them, they force you to re-register (i.e. filling out 20 or more pages of the same paperwork) every 2 month term and then if your "financial aid" isn't fully settled you are forced to either miss classes or take out yet another loan. I have had NUMEROUS occasions where I have basically been told I do not have any choice except to take out another loan, despite initially being told my Parent Plus loans would cover everything. How does a school that does the same registration for all students every two months have no clue how much tuition will cost and take out loans accordingly? The worst part is that the Parent Plus loan covers most of it, but not everything...so again, either miss classes or take out a second loan to cover the remainder. And they really don't give you a choice... there are rules about attendance due to accreditation, so if you don't take out a loan and miss over three days of class you are dropped and have to wait two months to register again.

As if that wasn't bad enough I had to take out apex loans with an 18% interest rate (which was never disclosed to me during either financial aid visit regarding Apex) and then dropped due to a school ruling over a three week absence. I had the flu and bronchitis and the entire time I tried to keep up with the school I got endless voicemails, zero replies to my emails, and when I finally did get a reply to an email (after a class drop date deadline) it was because the financial aid representative was so busy with "crazy stuff at the office." I don't doubt how busy they are, but it's because the school is so disorganized that even the heads of departments can't tell you what the people next door are doing. Once I was finally better and able to come in and meet with them I still couldn't register for the next term, even with a doctors note. I was dropped and told I could not re-register for another year...in that time I have not found employment and I have accrued almost a years worth of interest on the Apex loan they gave me. During my schooling my family had agreed to pay the Apex loan-at the time it was the only way I could stay in school. Since I have had to wait this entire year to re-register they can no longer afford the astronomical interest rate on the payments so I have been forced to not pay the full amount. Now honestly, how is it even legal for a lender to not only disrupt your ability to pay a loan but then to force you to pay a years worth of interest on said loan? Since I also have a loan out with Sallie Mae and I am past the 6 month deferment period, I imagine my situation is only going to get worse from here.

My best advice for anyone who is looking at this college-don't. When I graduated from high school I had zero savings, but I had always believed college was the logical choice. I knew I wanted to go into Design, but I also knew that the institute I wanted to go to would probably cost too much money. So I settled for what at the time seemed to be both an affordable and safe solution, where I could graduate quickly and still learn what I needed. Despite being a good student and enjoying the classes there, the fight alone just to register for a term is not worth it. If you don't believe me go there just to try to register for school...then imagine filling out that same paperwork every 2 months for 3 years. And don't get me started on the financial aid paperwork...you might as well bring a lawyer with you before you sign anything they hand you! I would have been better off going to a different school-it may have taken longer and cost more money but at the end of the day, I can find almost nothing good to say about the organization of Westwood or the people they employ.

I am currently enrolled at Westwood College at the Ballston campus. And right now i wish i could transfer to another college system. There has been many suspect decisions done at the corporate level that has negatively impacted my college at least in my eyes. For the money that i am paying i have no say in what goes on. there is no student government and my teachers can and seemingly have been fired for reasons that no one can give me a clear answer to. I have to supply myself with any programs i need outside of class, which are quite expensive. Never did i think that a so called college would feel like it was being run by "corporate suits" but that is just the feeling my fellow classmates and i have now. Now seeing all of these reviews i know now that i made a grievous error in choosing Westwood, since i had to be in college i hastely went there. Now i am wishing for a time machine!