People like me going back to school is a rapidly growing segment for educational institutions.  Everywhere you go, you see specially tailored programs designed to make that process easier.  Add to this growth online classes and programs to convert work experience to credit, and you have a market where students are in a position to really shop for educational institutions.  There are so many choices for schools to attend, and yet I read very little about people sharing their experiences with a particular school.

While working near one of the University of Bridgeport (UB) campuses, I decided to take a couple classes in an accelerated program they called the "IDEAL" program.  It was going to be pretty expensive, so I applied for loans, and received notice of which loans I qualified for, and the amounts.  Based on this number, I took as many classes as the loans would cover.  During the process, I thought it was odd that they would send me the same paperwork and receipts multiple times.  I have numerous identical documents that indicated the amount I had received, 2 signed by one person, and 1 signed by someone else.  It was all very disorganized.  I kept the documents, completed the courses, and continued on with my life.

Some months later I bought a house in a different area, and was preparing for the closing and move.  Out of nowhere, I received a bill from the University of Bridgeport that indicated I owed the full amount for all my classes, as if the loans had never happened.  The bill had a due date of around 2 weeks from receipt, which was a couple weeks before my closing.  This was not a small bill and I really couldn't have that amount of money disappear from my accounts while I'm in the middle of closing on a house.  The timing was horrible. 

I call the University of Bridgeport and enter into a whole different world.  How do you feel about navigating your department of motor vehicles?  The IRS?  These are welcome organizations for someone dealing with the administration at the University of Bridgeport.  I eventually get to someone who was in a position to answer some of my questions.

UB: It looks like your loans were cancelled.
Me: I didn't cancel my loans.
UB: No, they were cancelled by the University.
Me: Why?
UB:  Well, they were cancelled by Andre.
Me:  Ok, well, why did Andre cancel the loans.
UB:  I don't know.
Me:  Well, can we ask him?
UB:  He doesn't work here anymore.
Me:  So, my loans were cancelled without notifying me, by somone named Andre.  There is no documentation as to why they were cancelled, and we can't obtain any since Andre is gone.
UB:  Thats correct.

This is pretty upsetting.  I get transferred to someone who I guess is in charge of the bursar operation.  This guy was rude, no two ways about it.

Me:  You don't think it is unreasonable to cancel my loans without any warning or notification, and then send me a huge bill that is due in 2 weeks?
UB:  Not at all.

Wow!  I don't know how to argue with that.  I'm pretty good at getting my point across in situations like this, but when there is an absolute and total disregard for reality, it is really difficult to have any kind of debate. 

I then escalated my issues to higher levels in the college.  I talked to a number of people there at varying levels.  Everyone was more reasonable than this last guy.  Nobody was apologetic though.  Nobody thought it was strange that they couldn't tell me why my loans were cancelled.  Nobody thought it was odd that I wouldn't be notified.  These "higher ups" in the college suggested ways that I could pay the bill, such as getting an alternative student loan, which wouldn't be deferred and would have a high interest rate.  All this stuff is happening as my closing and move were drawing closer.   Finally, I just paid the bill and re-adjusted my closing to deal with the sudden decrease in cash.

There were no answers to be had from UB.  At the end of the day, the culture there is such that students aren't treated with respect and nobody really cared to help me solve the problem.  You may not encounter the exact same problem I did, but I can GUARANTEE you this:  You WILL feel like the University of Bridgeport doesn't care about you.  In every encounter you have with administration, you will be frustrated and feel slighted by how poorly they treat you.

Why put yourself through it?   There are a LOT of schools out there who would love to have you as a student!