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The for-profit online university Capella was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the school focuses on growing enrollment, but neglects current students.
Two former Capella University students allege in their class action lawsuit that Capella falsely advertises the time and money it takes for students to get their degrees.
The plaintiffs say that the for-profit university pours resources into recruiting new students at the expense of current students, leading to decreased resources, high instructor turnover, and delays.
“Capella essentially operated a ‘bait and switch’ program,” alleges the Capella University class action lawsuit. “The bait was displayed when Capella’s marketing materials and recruiters misled prospective and current students making misleading statements about the time to completion and cost of their mostly student-loan financed doctoral degrees.”
One of the plaintiffs alleges that she spent more than $50,000 trying to get a doctor of nursing practice degree. She says Capella advertises the degree as taking 30 months and costing $35,000 in tuition, but despite earning high grades, the plaintiff says that delays and instructor turnover led her to quit and pursue her degree elsewhere.
The other plaintiff says she spent more than $100,000 in tuition at Capella pursuing a doctor of education degree based on false promises that the degree would take three years. The plaintiff also alleges she earned top grades, but when it came to making progress to finishing her degree, Capella only presented barriers and hurdles.
“Instead of completing the promised doctoral degree program requirements and being awarded a doctoral degree in the advertised time, Capella employed the ‘switch,’” says the Capella University class action lawsuit. “Capella created an endless routine of hurdles and benefitted from additional tuition payments. Students who believed they were getting ever closer to obtaining their doctoral degree were in fact stuck with decreasing resources, faculty turnover, disorganization and a lack of oversight, all of which increased the length of the doctoral students’ enrollments at Capella.”
According to the Capella class action lawsuit, the online nature of the programs offered by Capella makes it difficult for students to realize that their peers are facing the same obstacles as they are in finishing their degree.
The plaintiffs say that they and thousands of other frustrated students are at the mercy of Capella advisors “who can and did ensure that doctoral students would be misled, confused, and ultimately cheated out of their money to the benefit of Capella.”
The Capella University class action alleges that Capella banks on the “crushing student debt” created by the delays and hurdles it creates to force students to un-enroll before finishing their degree so they can work to pay back that debt. Further, alleges the Capella class action lawsuit, the credits awarded by Capella are useless because other institutions will not accept them.
The plaintiffs seek to represent other Capella students nationwide who enrolled and paid tuition starting in 2006, along with Kansas and Tennessee subclasses.
The Capella class action lawsuit seeks damages as well as a court order stopping Capella from its alleged bait and switch and false marketing. The plaintiffs also want Capella to disgorge all profits from “excessive doctoral program coursework.”
The former Capella University students are represented by Garrett D. Blanchfield, and Roberta A. Yard of Reinhardt Wendorf & Blanchfield and Paul Lesko of Peiffer Tosca Wolf Abdullah Carr & Kane.
The Capella University Class Action is Wright, et al. v. Capella Education Company, et al., Case No. 0:18-cv-01062-WMW-SER, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
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116 thoughts onCapella University Class Action Says Degree Process is ‘Bait and Switch’
I also was scammed by Capella University. I enrolled in a 4 year course in Criminal Justice I was guided by a Capella Advisor as to what class I needed to sign up for each quarter. To sum it up $80,600 later I did not get my degree. At the end of my course I was told I had two more years of Criminal Justice courses to get my degree. This was due to the Calella University academic advisor signing me up for Physiology classes the last two years of my studies. I was advised to go to a bank and take out a loan due to the fact I had no more coming from federal loans. I sure would like to see Capella University punished for all their.acts of entrapment. Also the pain and agony they inflicted upon so many students.
I was one class away from completing my Master’s degree when they told me that one of the classes they previously said counted towards my degree no longer was valid. I was financially drained and never finished. Then, because I had a library fee, they refused to release any of my transcripts. Please help!
It is sad. I am going through with Capella and regret that I went to the school. My mentor submitted the wrong paper to be evaluated and act as if she was not aware. The switched and bate and said that I should drop out of school. No problem refund me what I already paid. I am sick because of school. My health is not well. There should be something done about what Capella is doing.
I became really sick during my Ph.D. program at Capella University, so I had to withdraw based on my doctor’s recommendation. I was just 24 credits from my dissertation. I tried to go back to complete my Ph.D. Degree. Cappella gave me the run-around and continued to push the number of credits needed further and further, and finally told me that I needed to complete 75 more credits to complete the Degree because the classes I took for the Organization and Management Specialization in Leadership program were no longer useful. My current student loans are over $309,000, but I do not have a degree to show for it. This is not fair; how can schools provide classes that are no longer useful to their own degree program? As many of you know, these loans get higher year after year, even with a payment plan. Help!
I am going through the same thing with the Doctors of Public Policy Program. Constant advisor changes, delays, accusations of plagiarism, more costs and delays. I’m in my seventh year now ( after an extension caused by their delays) and I’m now in excess of $210,000 spent and still no degree. Very disappointing——
Still working
Almost the same identical situation just happened to me. I completed 95% of my capstone.
I am a Veteran who has been continuously lied to by the Capella Military Department. They have been stringing me along by saying the Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s program is approved by the Minnesota State Approving Agency, but it’s not. They said it would take up to 90 days, but it’s been 6 months. I’ve been patient & have been without GI bill benefits for 6 months. I need a lawyer for recompense.
I am so sorry, that every one is going through this with Capella University. I went to Capella in 2003. Capella was not like that. When I completed in 2004, because, I was only doing part time work at that time, I could double of my classes for the quarter. When I got ready to graduate in 2004, Capella was changing and I could see it. They even change their purple bear to a brown monkey. I started to go into the Doctoral program and had a doctor who wanted to mentor me. I decided not to. To be honest with you Capella had really been good to my career. I am just glad, I was at Capella in the earlier years. It is so sad that greed had crept in.
I am going through the same thing for an entire year with a mentor that is there but can’t assist. I am not forced to continue as I do not want to quit. I am in debt because of my education which I will have to pay back and can’t complete. I am in my 50’s so imagine what lie I am going to have after this switch and bait from Capella.
I am having the same problem. I have been charged with academic dishonesty and am required to pay tuition to stay enrolled even though I am not able to work on my manuscript. I have retained counsel and would LOVE to interact with this class action!! Elizabeth Cuvar
Hello, I am having the same issue. I was just emailed after I completed my program and told that I would not be getting my degree due to academic dishonesty. Please reach out to me for a possible lawsuit at Monikaashoh15@gmail.com
Me as well and thr funny thing is that when I reached out to student advisor for help with my problem I got a but of computerized replies none of witch helped with what I was going through
I’m currently a student with Capella all of the information provided I identify with as well. The MSW program could be completed within 2years but has almost taken me 3 due to Capella staff and program overseers. Why are professor for courses vetting site supervisors! The staff do not communicate Shanel Bishop takes no accountability for her ignorant staff. They force you to submit site prospects months in advance damn near quarter ahead for them to starting vetting a few weeks before the course may start leaving no time for error! Capella is ridiculous I can’t wait ti be done. Whenever someone ask do I recommend Capella I say NO with confidenance!
I was in there Marriage and Family Therapy Program from 2014-2021. I was recently dismissed from the MFT program because I have been unable to find an internship in my area. Now I cannot graduate! I’m at a lost for words! I hope someone will hear our cries for help soon!
What’s concerning to me right now is that PeifferWolf’s website on this Capella website is actually down and has been since around Feb 15th or so. When you call them, at the number available in the Google Cache site, 314-669-3600, you will reach a live person, but they’ll tell you that they’re not accepting more people to class action (which is strange, because class actions want as many people as they can get) and also won’t tell you if the case is still on going or what. So far, no one seems to have picked up that the firm handling this big case apparently has disappeared on it.
I’m getting the feeling that Capella is also about to screw up regarding accreditation for their Phd in Clinical Psych, because they’re being really coy about getting it straight for a practicum site, and are instead pushing this Year in Residency thing, which if I was fool enough to do it, would absolutely mean I’d lose my current job. Who can just drop everything and disappear for 10 weeks every quarter? They ask me for info, then never seem to get around to verifying it, just to ask me for the same information again.
I called also no new information provided. I was scammed through Capella.