Army Veteran: "Kaplan University Even Put Pressure On My Wife"

A growing number of students are coming forward to share their negative experiences with Kaplan University, the for-profit college owned by the Washington Post Company.

To better tell their stories, Change.org is publishing one Kaplan student’s account every day for one week, starting today. These students are part of a group urging the Washington Post to stop preying on low-income students (sign their petition here). The below accounts are students' descriptions of their experiences.

Roger Betancourt, Laredo, Texas
Kaplan student from February 2009 to September 2009
U.S. Army veteran; served in Iraq as an Infantry Paratrooper with the 173rd Southern European Task Force (SETAF). Awarded an Army Commendation medal for exceptionally meritorious service in Iraq.

"Kaplan told me that since I was in the military, my G.I. Bill would pay for all of my classes and that I wouldn't pay a cent out of pocket. My advisor gave me all of the instructions and encouraged me to apply.

I told him that I had left the military with a General Discharge (under Honorable conditions) and that I was worried I wouldn't qualify for G.I. Bill benefits. I told him I did not want to start my classes not knowing if I was going to get the benefits.

He kept insisting to go ahead and enroll, that it would be fine and that if they asked about the General Discharge to tell them it was due to medical reasons.

So I sent my paperwork for G.I. benefits, and I tried to stay away from my advisor's calls, because he was pressuring me too much to enroll. But he kept calling and calling and sending emails. He even put pressure on my wife when my wife talked to him on the phone. I hadn't received a word about my G.I. benefits at this point, but he told me he had received a certificate from the G.I. Bill department saying I was going to receive the money, so he told me to pay Kaplan directly from my account.

I believed him, since I'd never used my G.I. Bill and didn't know how it worked, and I registered for my first class with Kaplan. As I finished it, my advisor again began his calls, telling me to sign up for more classes and asking how I felt about taking two this time. I emphasized the fact that I still hadn't heard from the G.I. Bill, but he told me not to worry - that the certificate was in his hands, so I enrolled in two more classes.

About midway through those classes, I received a letter from the G.I. Bill stating that I wasn't able to qualify for benefits.

I was angered by this - I felt lied to and as if I had been taken advantage of. I immediately called my advisor but he did not answer my calls or emails.

Meanwhile, Kaplan's billing department began calling me at all hours demanding payment. The people kept getting more rude by the call. Kaplan gave me a new advisor who didn't know anything about my situation, and the billing department kept calling and emailing me. I shut down my email and changed my phone line but I received a debt collector's letter at my home, demanding payment for the amount allegedly owed to Kaplan and so here I am once again fighting this lie.

Kaplan wants $2,300 out of me for what - credits I don't have and credits I can't use."

[Postscript: After Roger continued to fight this issue with Kaplan administration, a Kaplan official contacted him and promised to write off what he was said to owe.  Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has lifted up Roger's story as evidence of the need for more regulation of for-profit universities, including Kaplan.]

Photo credit: HarshLight via Flickr