Washington D.C.A lawsuit against Everest College in Salt Lake City reveals yet more problems for students attending for-profit colleges. Three surgical technology students allege that they were misled about the school's accreditation, transferability of credits and the cost of the program.
"They believed they would be able to complete the core programs at Everest and then transfer to a university later on," says attorney Melanie Williamson from the firm of Tycko & Zavareei in Washington D.C. that represents the students in a Utah class action suit.
The students planned to use the surgical technologist certificate as a stepping stone to nursing or to medical school. However, after graduation they discovered that the thousands of dollars spent at Everest would not help them advance to other post-secondary colleges or universities.
Administrators, according to the suit, told students the courses were accredited, but failed to tell them that universities and other post-secondary institutions generally do not recognize credits earned at Everest College.
"They have to start over from scratch," says Williamson. "They have to retake all those courses they took and paid for at Everest. It is as if they had never taken the courses at all."
The complaint alleges Everest uses a "hard sell" enrollment pitch that leads potential students to inaccurate conclusions. "It is a for-profit college that is responsible to shareholders, and the value of the shares is directly influenced by the number of the students enrolled at the school," says Williamson.
"Two of the lead plaintiffs in the suit are single mothers," says Williamson. "One of them has three children. She is going to have to put out a significant amount of money for courses she has already taken. Who knows whether she will even be able to do it all over again?"
The suit alleges that Everest College violated the Utah Consumer Protection statute. The students are asking for damages for the costs associated with attending the school. They also want to see that the school is prevented from misleading other students.
"They don't want others to fall into the same trap," says Williamson.
Williamson adds she believes that there are other students who also would be potential class members and may join the class action.
Melanie Williamson is an attorney with Tycko & Zavareei in Washington D.C. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. She has expertise in civil litigation and civil rights law.