A class action lawsuit alleges that Northcentral University misrepresents its doctoral program, leading students to believe the program takes between three and a half and five years to complete, when really, it takes nearly seven years.
Allegedly, the for-profit university does this to maximize the profits it can gain from students trying to complete a doctorate.
Plaintiff Christina Torres says that she was enrolled in a doctoral program through Northcentral University from 2010 to 2017, aiming to get a doctorate in education.
Allegedly, she chose the program in part because it was advertised as taking an average of 40 months to complete. However, she says she discovered later, during her enrollment, that the program was designed to take much longer.
The Northcentral University class action lawsuit says other communication from the school sent a year later stated the program took an average of 47 moths, and the length of โ47โ months was articulated in a range of disclosure documents from the school.
This timeline was allegedly stated by the school multiple times, both in writing, and verbally by school representatives, between 2010 and 2013.
However, on Jan. 29, 2015, the Northcentral University class action alleges that the school admitted that the Ed.D. program was โdesigned to take 81 months,โ or almost seven years, and would cost $49,058 in tuition, as opposed to $30,600, which was advertised to Torres.
Additionally, Torres says that she saw on the website that only 63 percent of students who graduated did so in 81 months, and did not address how many students enrolled but did not graduate.
Allegedly, in 2016, the numbers changed again. Torres claims that in 2016, NCU stated that the program was designed to take 81 โ 83 months, cost $50,958 in tuition.
The Northcentral University class action claims the school stated that only 41 percent of students who graduated did so in 83 months, meaning that the average time for students to complete the program was longer than seven years.
The NCU doctoral program says that NCU intentionally misrepresents the length of time needed to complete its doctoral programs, and misrepresents the tuition a student will incur when completing the program.
Torres claims that the program is not designed to help students succeed and graduate, but is set up with numerous roadblocks in place to cause students to take a long time to graduate, thereby paying more tuition and giving more profits to the for-profit university.
Allegedly, many students are forced to drop out to pay off their ever-mounting student debt, and never earn a degree after years of work in the doctoral program.
Torres says that the fact that the program is completed online isolates students from one another, so that they cannot share experiences and see if the difficulties and misrepresentationsย they are experiencing are consistent among students or unique to their experience.
The plaintiff is represented by Adam B. Wolf and Tracey B. Cowan of Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane A Professional Law Corporation, and by Paul Lesko.
The Northcentral University Doctoral Program Class Action Lawsuit is Christina Torres v. Northcentral University Inc., Case No. 3:18-cv-02069-BEN-WVG, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, San Diego Division.
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105 thoughts onNorthcentral University Class Action: Doctoral Program Misrepresented
How can I become part of this lawsuit? I had a similar experience.
THERE IS A STUDENT WHO WAS A CASUAL ACQUAINTANCE AND WE DISCUSSED SHE WAS IN A TWO YEAR DOCTORATE PROGRAM ON LINE. I SAID TO HER TWO YEAR DOCTORATE MY DAUGHTER TOOK THREE YEARS FOR JURIS DOCTORATE. PLAIN CONVERSATION. HER REPLY TO ME SHE WAS ON LINE CLASSES AND ONLY TAKES TWO YEARS. I ASKED HER DO YOU HAVE STUDENT LOANS BECAUSE I HAVE STUDENT LOANS RAPPED AROUND MY NECK. SHE SAID SLYLY I HAVE WAYS. AT THIS POINT IN TIME I ASKED ;IF SHE HAD ANY CHILDREN; SHE BECAME ANGRY WITH ME AND SAID โI AM WRITING A BOOK AND WHEN I AM FINISHED I WILL LET ;YOU KNOW. OHO I SAID ITS FOR YOU TO KNOW AND ME TO FIND OUT. SHE TOLD ME PRIOR THIS CONVERSATION IN THE BEGINNING SHE WAS ATTENDING NORTH CENTRAL. I LOOKED IT UP TO THIS ARTICLE. BECAUSE OF HER ANGER ISSUES AND HAS A NEW CALIF. DL. FROM OUT OF STATE I DOWNLOADED THIS ARTICLE. THE QUESTION IS: IS SHE PART OF THIS SCAM AND IS GOING FOR THE TWO YEAR DEGREE AND IN ON IT WITH THE PROFESSORS AND AND DOES NOT PAY? ARE THERE STUDENTS IN ON THIS SCAM DUE TO HER EXTREME ANGER ISSUES.
Please send me information on how to apply to be apart of this class action suit. I went through the same situation with this school!
I am a proud member of the NCU alumni and am a current NCU student. I have had nothing but positive experiences at NCU. I was enrolled during the same timeframe that Ms. Torres was enrolled, and experienced NONE of the claims she presents in her lawsuit. All I can say about this lawsuit is Iโm sad to see it happening. When you enroll in a doctoral program, it is expected to be time intensive and expensive. There is absolutely no way around those conditions. Higher education at any legitimate institute of higher learning is not cheap nor is it easily attained. NCU is a fabulous university that ensures excellence and rigor in curriculum and instruction. NCU professors are experts and scholars in their fields. I strongly recommend NCU to anyone interested in pursuing online graduate and doctoral degrees.
Just because your experience differed, that doesnโt make anyone else a liar! I was researching this matter, because I also experienced (and am experiencing) the same thing as the plaintiff and other commenters. I had a 4.0 GPA that dropped slightly when I became pregnant. Until the dissertation sequence, I may have had a 3.97 GPA. Once I started in the dissertation sequence, EVERYTHING CHANGED!!! I have no reason to make false claims, but I am totally disappointed in NCU and believe everyone who participated in such unethical practices should be held accountable!
Please tell me how do I qualify?
I commend you for standing up and how do I find out if I qualify?
Good Day all,
Unfortunately, like so many others, NCU preyed on me too. How can I support the cause and determine if I qualify? Thank you.
Travis
How do I find out if I qualify?
How do I follow this to see if I qualify to be part of it?
Iโm so glad a former student posted a comment about a lawsuit in the reviews of Northcentral-I was poised to enroll this summer in the Doctoral program for organizational leadership. Good luck and thank you for standing up!
I was looking at enrolling but I donโt need extra headaches just an education.