Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello, I'm reaching out because I applied to UoPeople, and the fee waiver was successfully applied. However, I applied for financial aid assistance on August 7 due to my specific circumstances, and I haven't received any communication from the university since then. The term is scheduled to start on September 7. Additionally, I attempted to contact the university to request a change in my major from Computer Science to ************************ but I have not received a response on this matter either. I am concerned that I may not be able to begin this term due to the lack of responsiveness from the school. I have been trying to submit my high school diploma and other required documents, but without any communication, I am unsure how to proceed. Overall, this situation has been very discouraging. I kindly request assistance to resolve these issues promptly. My name is ***********************, and you can reach me at ************************ I am eager to resolve these matters so I can schedule my classes and start my education. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/11/2023

  Hey *******! We will make every effort to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Rest assured, your concerns are important to us, and we are committed to providing you with a prompt solution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I applied for UoPeople the first week of August 2023. Their portal for applications / their student portal scarcely works, so it was an incredibly difficult process. I was totally unable to upload my transcript for transfer credit assessment - the upload box physically doesn't work. So I continued with the application process and figured I could work it out afterwards.After paying the $60 fee and being accepted, I've received automatic emails with standard welcome information, etc. I was assigned one advisor, **********, who I contacted regarding the issue with the documents needed that I couldn't upload. I received no response. I checked the portal a few days later, and the upload box worked (barely) but I was able to upload, but totally unsure about next steps. I eventually got another automatic email from the Transfer Credits email that I needed to submit an official transcript. However, once again, the upload box doesn't work. And mysteriously, my advisor has changed to ************ I email ****, ********, and the Transfer Credits email to try to resolve the situation - that was 3 days ago. I have also contacted the number listed for the University and left a voicemail, because there is no option to speak to anyone. I have received no response from any of these methods. At this point, it seems I am registered as a Non-Degree seeking student (which is inaccurate, I AM degree seeking), with no classes registered for the upcoming term and no notice on when that will happen, and no direct contact with any individual. Frankly, at this point, really questioning if I even want to move forward with this University. If they can't even get somebody registered, why would I trust their Computer Science program? Really disappointing. I will likely be looking into other methods for education.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Hello, I just submitted a complaint regarding University of the People, and would like to retract that complaint.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted and application during community college month. I paid the $60 fee and submitted my transcripts. There was a problem uploading my transcripts. I immediately reached out to support who told me if anything was wrong they would let me know. My transcripts were fixed a few days later when they reviewed everything. When I went to sign for classes the waiver wasnt showing. I reached out to ask and three weeks after I sent my email I received an email saying nothing more than per policy I wasnt getting a waiver and to seek assistance outside the school to pay. I feel I was duped by the advertising of the waiver. I requested the $60 application fee back since the waiver promise was not kept and was denied that.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/11/2023

  Please send us a an email to ******************************* with more specific details so we can locate you in our student records, address your concerns and work towards a resolution. Thank you.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  :1. I have an instructor (which will be unnamed) in my PSYCH 1111-01-ay2023t5 course that doesn't reply to my moodle messages. I have also send her emails in which she doesn't respond. 2. I had sent links in all my courses, all my instructors accepted it, except this one. She is vague. First she said ''I can't open the link'' then ''links aren't accepted'' Which one is it? I didn't check my grades and therefore didn't see she had a problem with it. She could have send me a message, or email me. Or at least reply when I want clarity. 3. I also didn't see her comments, but when I eventually saw it. I thought it's vague. Firstly she said she couldn't open the link, then that it's not accepted. I just want a clarification, which one is it? Is it both? But she's not replying. She also said that she didn't receive my emails. It's also vague. Does it mean that she will grade it (as I told her that I sent her pdfs on the emails) If she finds it? Does it mean that she has another email? I really would like better communication and clarification. When I asked her what should I do or if she will grade it I got no reply. When I sent her my situation and technical problems on moodle, I just received ''Thanks for your response''. It's too vague.4. I have technical problems on moodle. Sometimes when I would like to add a pdf, moodle just response with '' no submission added'' many students has problems with this. If I copy and paste everything I might risk losing a point to formatting, that's why I sent a ****** doc link. 5. There's no structure, I have already done 4 courses, and no instructor (except this last one) had a problem with grading my links. I think it's unfair. I also didn't know that I may not send links, and it wasn't stated in the instructions of the learning journals. 6. Since this is the first time I found out that links are not allowed, I think that their should be given mercy to me. In short: I would like my learning journals graded.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2023

  Please send us an email to ******************************* with more specific details so we may locate you in our student records, address your concerns and work towards a resolution. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am currently a health sciences student at the University of the People. I have been very happy with the courses. However a couple of weeks ago I requested an official transcript, I paid for it and so far I have not received news about the transcript. I have contacted my advisor, also student services, and I have been ghosted. The status of the transcript on the website is: request processed; but an email has not been sent to me with the tracking number or the status of my transcript.Date - 6/8/2023 2:40 PM Invoice # INV-*******-C1R1H9 Product - Official Transcript Quantity - 1 Amount - $15.00

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2023

  Please send us an email to ******************************* with more specific details so we may locate you in our student records, address your concerns and work towards a resolution. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 2/17/2023, I applied to the University of the People online using their application process. I was charged a $60 application fee at the time to submit the application. It was 3AM so I paid the fee, logged out and went to bed. When I woke up this morning, 5 hours later, my application had been hacked and ALL of the information had been changed. I changed all my passwords and contacted customer support, who could not tell me how this had happened, or refund my $60 application fee, because it's nonrefundable. I said, that's crazy, because this isn't even my application anymore, and I paid for it 5 hours ago. I demanded a refund and the deletion of my account entirely, because I no longer trust the confidentiality or security of this institution. I would like my $60 application fee refunded and my application AND account completely scrubbed from this site. This should not have happened in the span of 5 hours, and I refuse to pay for their site's lack of security. I have attached the receipt from my Paypal account for the payment.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2023

  The application fee of $60.00 was refunded to the original payment method on 3/23/2023.  We're sorry to hear that you had a difficult time registering.  We wish you the best in your future education, and if you decide to come back to University of the People, our ****************** will be happy to assist you. 

   

  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/01/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  . I paid a $60 application fee to University of the People on 10/25/22
  . Along with my application I submitted my transcripts to be reviewed and processed
  . I reached out to my Admissions Advisor, ************** initially on 11/5 regarding the status of my application to which ***** replied, "We have a separate team to review the documents. I request you exercise patience until our team gets back with the information."
  . On 11/15 I received an email from ***** reading, "I have observed that you are not moving forward with your application." I was confused since the last correspondence I received requested I exercise patience regarding my application. She explained I need to take foundation courses before I can be admitted. However, I explained I'm unable to register for any "foundation courses" from my student portal and so asked for guidance on how this can be achieved. ***** has not provided a response regarding how this can be achieved.
  . To date, I've also not received any correspondence about progress made on my transcripts being reviewed or processed.
  . I requested a refund of my application fee ($60) on 11/16 and have not received a response from ***** since then.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2023/01/25) */
  We apologize for any confusion that we caused you, this is not the experience we expect our students or potential students to have. We have taken this issue and used it as a learning moment for our entire team, and we greatly appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We have immediately processed the refund in the amount of $60.00, and truly extend our apologies for the experience.
  
  We wish you the best in your educational journey.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2023/01/29) */
  Issue resolved. Refund credited back onto my account on 1/20/23

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My course instructor (after I stupidly asked her about some minor grade adjustment, she said she would but did not make) has stopped responding to my messages and has issued me lower and lower grades for each assignment I submit, with no reasoning given.I have tried contacting the instructor multiple times, to no avail. The last time I got a response was after asking for 5 days what format we had to submit the weekly assignment, only to be told there was none... And as soon as I submitted my work (and a day before the deadline), then the instructor sends the entire class a message about the format requirements, and I got a low grade AND a comment in the place i was asking for help about how my work didn't meet the format requirements and was like a draft (this after the instructor previously claimed there was none).I have tried taking the issue up with Student Affairs (no response/acknowledgement after a month)I have tried taking this up with Academic Affairs (no response/acknowledgement after a month).... and my advisor(Student Services) does the usual, "let me forward you concern to the department that handle that", then days later the response is .. why don't you try contacting you instructor again.This is the height of frustration, being in a corner with a bully of an instructor and not a single avenue for help or support and silence from the emails to the departments who are meant to handle this. I am beginning to think there are no departments to handle this.The double irony of this situation is that this all started because I was reporting plagiarism and the university is ill-prepared to handle that (and actually grades down students who report plagiarism in others work), and the course where I was mistreated, and made to feel helpless, was a course titled, "Emotional Intelligence".

  Business Response

  Date: 01/25/2023

  ******************, after reviewing your complaint and emails between yourself, your advisor and student services, I've found that your grade appeal was taken before the grade appeal board by the department chair after receiving your correspondence regarding the grade appeal. On January 2, 2023, ******* services sent you the response from the Board and Department Chair, which denied your grade appeal and the reasons for it. This is a final decision, as you were informed at that time and will not be changed. Your grades are the grades that you earn. No irregularities, bias, or unfair grading was found by multiple department heads that reviewed your grade appeal and the assignments that you were complaining about. I don't see any emails sent by you to the Academic affairs, if you would like to forward those to me personally, my email is included below. If you have any further questions, please feel free to continue to reach out to your Program Advisor, as you have in the past. You can also reach ******* Services directly and Academic Affairs directly, there information is found in the catalog and on our website or through your program advisor.
  
  We wish you the best in your continued studies and are always here to assist you, when possible.
  
  Thank you,
  See Attachment/File: ******* Affairs Minutes - Grade Appeal - Deny -S310881 - ******* Letter.pdf

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/01/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The messages refers me to an email address which was supposedly "is included below" which was not supplied... and then the responder goes on to suggest that I send emails messages to the very same two email addresses I have complained as being non-responsive. It s part of my complaint... The fact that you are proposing THAT as a solution demonstrates that 1) you do not know the way things are (no-one respond to emails send to those addresses) and 2) you haven't read what I am saying.
  This is the problem with H333135353136383334**H, everyone refers to "other" people to help, or "other decisions made" and no-one actually helps the students who need it. The decision from the grade appeal which you sent (thanks for that) was the first i had seen of that. the only thing i got (5 months later and 3 month after I opened this case with H363137**3238313831H) was a letter (which should NOT have been sent to me) saying someone agreed with ************** that it was 'just because I was lazy and missed week 5 that I wanted the points, and therefore it should be denied and even implying that a review group HAD re-accessed the points but he thought it should be denied and the points not awarded because (subjectively) he thought i was lazy ine week... I quote, "Even if we applied the revised assignment grades that were given by the reviewer faculty, the final letter grade does not change. I looked at the student&#**;s work in the course and can see that he did not complete any of the work in Unit 5. I can also see that all of the student&#**;s other final course grades are 90 or above. This is the only grade that falls below 90. I suspect that the student is upset about receiving a final grade below 90 and that is the issue driving this appeal.
  If the student wanted to get over a 90 in this course he should have completed all of the
  assignments." This shows that the reviewers really didn't read my submission and my communications about how this started in week2. This is immensely frustrating, when every step is someone saying things like, No i am the instructor what i say goes, and then telling me i am 'not allowed' to message her. Or the advisor telling me I have to continue and all i can do is wait till the end of the course and try grade appeal... So in the end I get silence from the channels that are there to help, no response to reports about misconduct of instructors, and finally I am assumed to be just trying to get a few points.
  Not a single person at H333135353136383334**H in this whole fiasco has OWNED a process or accepted responsibility. or has come out saying that will look into something or shown that they have. It is just a waiting game. instructors waits till end of week to not answer assignment questions, advisors says everything has to be done at the end of the course. Even an appellation result came (through the wrong channels) more than a whole term afterwards, and demonstrating that what i was stating was not even looked at.
  
  I am including screenshots of three of the emails sent to both services that were unanswered, unacknowledged (and now in the response, denied to exist) in September and October. These emails tell the ongoing saga of what I would call misconduct (and frankly, oppression) committed by an instructor. Look it up on your own email system, Start at 11:07PM (Central American time) on Sept.29th last year with a subject line of "Being penalized for reporting plagiarism". ... how the very subject line doesn't raise red-flags in an institution of higher learning is cause for concern ... and also quite telling.
  How is it that you didn't respond, and now cannot find, at least 3 separate emails detailing unfair treatment of a student, or, in my opinion, misconduct on the part of one of your instructors... even after months of supposed 'looking into it'
  See Attachment/File: 2023-02-01_21h23_24

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/01/2023

  I was re-reading through the information already contained in here and in my prior correspondence with the university and in BOTH of them there are copies of the emails to academic.affairs that you have stated you cannot find.
  How can you claim to have read the BBB case and not seen the email.
  How can you claim to have reviewed the appeal and still claim not to have seen the emails i sent to academic.affairs.
  
  This is disingenuous and an example of the typical response from UoPeople staff, dismissive without actually paying any attention to what you are being told.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2023

  Please send us an email to ******************************* with more specific details so we may locate you in our student records, address your concerns and work towards a resolution. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 19322866
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  This is over a year later. ... and you are basically asking me to start again. You are asking me to "send details" to a generic email address, when I am complaining that serious concerns sent to specific addresses (advisor, instructor, student advising, student affairs, academic affairs) all come back with a generic "we will look into it". Now you want me to start explaining my issue again, ... just look into the 10s of hours I have spent in communications with this university and it is clear to see the **** of handling issues is just asking students to explain the issue over and over again.
  All the details are in the complaint.
  The university has all my details and student id numbers in the complaint.
  If there was a single iota of wanting to address the issue, someone responsible in the college would actually read my complaint (which is detailed and took hours to put together as it summarizes months of back and forth and abuse by an instructor), look-up all my details with info provided in this same complaint.

  ...but instead it is a "solution" of 'send an email this generic address with your issue'.  What part of you are not responding to messages are you not getting?

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  Hey *****! We understand the frustration and stress this situation has caused you. Your concerns are important to us, and we are committed to providing you with a prompt solution. We have contacted your advisor and you will be hearing back from our team within 48 hrs.