I really need help. I transferred to New School University in 2007 based on the financial aid package that was given to me. I knew that if I got a job I would be able to cover everything. I found a full time job with tuition reimbursement benefits. At the end of my first year my balance was 3,233. They told me in order to register for classes I had to go file forms telling the school I was participating in my employee tuition reimbursement plan and I had to pay $150 to do so. Done.

Then I get a bill for $14,000+. The school said I could afford to pay more and they took my scholarship away. I got the grades I was supposed, when I received the scholarship the verbiage did not state that its continuation was based on anything other than my academic performance, when I turned in the signed paperwork it did not tell me that participation would cancel my scholarship. I informed the school my employer would only give me up to $5000 towards my tuition. The school says because my tuition was covered by the scholarship then they would take $5000 away to ensure I would get $5000. However, they did it without my knowledge or giving me the chance to cancel the paper work and now I owe $5000 plus the original balance, putting me $9000 in the hole.

Now, I knew I only needed $3,233 so it was up to me to give my job the proper paper work for them to say yes or no on how much they would give me. I knew that if they didn't approve my school bill, I could submit my receipts for books and supplies which total $1,450+. I knew I could pay the rest out of pocket, but the school never talked to me about it and after fighting for a year, never gave me my scholarship back. I also knew that if I was denied reimbursement then I would have to pay the $3,233 out of pocket anyway as opposed to $9,000.

I have no cosignors for another loan, I was forced to take a leave of absence, resulting in loss of housing, leaving me homeless. Any money that I received from tuition reimbursement had to go to finding me a place to stay, which included first, last months rent and deposit $3,900. I gave the school $500. I am 3 classes and half a senior project short of graduating. I don't know what to do. Many people have advised me to take legal action, but I'm not sure how to do it or to afford it. Because I have to make monthly rent payments now, it is almost impossible to make payment to the school with any consistency, and because they are holding my transcripts hostage, so I can't transfer. This really seems unfair, wrong and a million other types of bad. What can I do??

What's ended up happening is probably a severe foul up in cost of attendance calculation. Talk to the director of financial aid and if they can't/won't help, talk to your dean of students.

I had exactly the same problem. Talk to the supervisors, they usually can help you.