Unitek College: Addressing Student Concerns, Legal Matters, and Loan Forgiveness Options

Unitek College is committed to addressing student concerns in a timely and appropriate manner. This article delves into the college's complaint procedures, recent legal matters, and available student loan forgiveness options.

Student Complaint Procedures at Unitek College

Unitek College has developed a comprehensive policy to address student complaints, foster a community of respect, collegiality, and professionalism on all its campuses. The process is based on the principles of adult communication and accountability, ensuring students have multiple avenues to voice their concerns.

Initial Steps

Students with questions or concerns are encouraged to first speak directly with the individuals involved. If that is not possible, students are encouraged to follow the chain of command, contacting their Program Director, Academic Dean, or Campus Director for guidance. If necessary, the issue can be escalated to the Chief Operations Officer or Chief Academic Officer.

Additional Resources

Each campus has a secure and confidential suggestion box in the main lobby where students can leave suggestions, questions, or issues. The Campus Director reviews the suggestion box contents weekly, inputting items into a tracker and forwarding them to the appropriate individual for resolution.

Academic Appeals and Grievances

Students who disagree with academic decisions or actions resulting from a violation of policy and/or standard of academic integrity are directed to follow the “Academic Appeals and Grievances” procedures as outlined in the school’s catalog. Students who wish to file a Level 2, Level 3, or Level 4 appeal can initiate the process by completing and submitting the Student Appeals Form. Appeals must be initiated and completed in numerical order.

Anonymous Reporting Portal

For students who prefer to submit a concern, issue, or incident anonymously, Unitek College maintains an anonymous reporting portal at www.unitek.ethicspoint.com. Students are encouraged to follow up using their report key and password within a week to respond anonymously to any follow-up questions.

External Complaint Options

Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) must have a procedure and operational plan for handling student complaints. If a student does not feel that the school has adequately addressed a complaint or concern, the student may consider contacting the Accrediting Commission. All complaints reviewed by the Commission must be in written form and should grant permission for the Commission to forward a copy of the complaint to the school for a response. This can be accomplished by filing the ACCSC Complaint Form. The complainant(s) will be kept informed as to the status of the complaint as well as the final resolution by the Commission.

California Residents

California residents or out-of-state students attending a campus located in California may file a complaint about Unitek College with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) by calling 888-370-7589 or by completing a complaint form on the bureau’s website (www.bppe.ca.gov). Any questions a student may have that have not been satisfactory answered by the institution may be directed to: Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education 1747 N. Market Boulevard, Suite 225 Sacramento, CA 95834 -or- P.O. Box 980818 West Sacramento, CA 95798-0818 Phone: (888) 370-7589 or fax: (916) 263-1897 -or- Web: www.bppe.ca.gov

Students of the school’s pre-licensure RN program(s) may also file a complaint about this institution with: California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) P.O. Box 944210 Sacramento, CA 94244-2100

Nevada Residents

Nevada residents or out-of-state students attending a campus located in Nevada may at any time submit a complaint to: Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education 2800 E. St. Louis Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89123 (702) 486-7330

Students of the school’s pre-licensure nursing program(s) may file a complaint about this institution with: Nevada State Board of Nursing 4220 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 300 Las Vegas, NV 89119

Legal Matters Involving Unitek Learning, Inc.

On November 17, 2023, Julie Morales, as an aggrieved employee, filed a Civil - Labor and Employment lawsuit against Unitek Learning, Inc., a California corporation, in Kern County Superior Courts, Kern County Metropolitan Division located in California. The Judge overseeing this case is Pulskamp, Gregory. The case status is Closed Stayed.

“Stayed” means the revocation is postponed, put off.

Docket Information

The Docket included a Stipulation and Order to Stay; Judicial Officer: Pulskamp, Gregory; Comment: Action Pending Mediation Pursuant to the Parties' Joint Stipulation to Stay Action, and good cause appearing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: (1) The Court shall stay all proceedings in this action pending the conclusion of the Parties' private mediation. (2) The Parties shall submit a post-mediation status report within thirty (30) days after the completion of mediation or as soon thereafter as is convenient for the Court. The stay shall remain in effect through the date of the Post-Mediation Status Conference.

The Docket also included an Electronic Rejection Notice; Comment: As to all Proof of Services (x4), filings are not in compliance with CRC 2.251. #6 is not properly filled out, as parties served are not individuals.

Student Loan Forgiveness Options

Students who attended for-profit colleges and were misled to enroll may be eligible for for-profit student loan forgiveness options like Borrower Defense to Repayment. Over the last several years, over $1 billion in student loan debt has been forgiven for students who attended for-profit colleges or other schools that potentially misled students. The reasons for student loan forgiveness include borrower defense to repayment claims, closed schools, and other lawsuits.

The Biden Administration has forgiven the most amount of student loan debt of any president, with several recent announcements helping over 200,000 borrowers.

Borrower Defense to Repayment

If a borrower qualifies for the borrower defense to repayment discharge, the borrower’s federal student loans will be cancelled and all previous payments refunded to the borrower.

Closed School Discharges

If a college closed while the student is enrolled or within 180 days of the student’s withdrawal, the student may be eligible for a closed school discharge of their federal student loans if they are unable to complete their education through a teach-out or by transferring credits to another school.

Private Student Loans

These loan forgiveness programs only apply to Federal student loans (such as the latest settlement with the Department of Education). If you have private student loans, there are no specific student loan forgiveness programs that can help. However, there have been various lawsuits and settlements to dismiss some private loans in connection with these schools.

Recently, Navient agreed to forgive $1.7 billion in private student loans for 66,000 borrowers who dropped out of for-profit colleges. Previously, Corinthian Colleges agreed to forgive private Genesis loans to borrowers who attended their schools.

Sweet v. Cardona Settlement

Several appeals have been filed since the Sweet v. Cardona agreement was approved. In November 2022, the judge overseeing the case approved the settlement agreement. In February 2023, the judge overseeing the case temporarily blocked loan forgiveness. However, by May, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed loan forgiveness to proceed. By August 2023, the Education Department had instructed loan servicers to discharge the debt of over 128,000 class members. In January 2024, the first class members started receiving their settlements. In May 2024, the President approved loan forgiveness for $6.1 billion in federal student debt owed by 317,000 former Art Institutes students.

What To Do Next

If you think you qualify, you should have been (or will be) notified by your loan servicer. However, if your contact information is not updated, you may not be. As such, you should submit an application for the Borrower Defense To Repayment Discharge at studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/.

Avoiding Scams

There are many scams that are using these school names to get you to pay for help processing your student loan forgiveness claims.

Additional Information

List of Institution Codes

Institution Code No. Zachary B.
Institution Code No. RASHAD M.
Institution Code No. George E.
Institution Code No. Tony B.E.
Institution Code No. Everardo H.
Institution Code No. Dwayne C.
Institution Code No. Brent L.
Institution Code No. Robert C.
Institution Code No. Ariel F.
Institution Code No. Frank J.
Institution Code No. CHRISTINE K.
Institution Code No. C.R.
Institution Code No. E.F.
Institution Code No. M.N.R.J.M.
Institution Code No. Alena M.
Institution Code No. Rev. FREDRICK W.
Institution Code No. Eric M.
Institution Code No. Leslie A.
Institution Code No. Junior A.
Institution Code No. David J.
Institution Code No. Jose L.
Institution Code No. Jose S.
Institution Code No. Hen D.
Institution Code No. I.E.
Institution Code No. Deanna M.
INSEAD SAN FRANCISCO HUB FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION (INSEAD S.F. School Code No.
Institution Code No. G.W.
Institution Code No. Bilal M.
Intrax English Academies, LLC. School Code No.
Institution Code No. Mr.
Institution Code No. Ms.
Institution Code No. Innocent K.
Institution Code No. DBA. L.A. Jose F. Polanco and Blanca E.
Institution Code No. Christina M.
Institution Code No. L.E.N.
Institution Code No. Kang I.
Institution Code No. Joseph C.
C.A. 4th Watch Educational Services d.b.a.
Institution Code No. MT. NIGHTINGALE COLLEGE, LLC.
Institution Code No. Jian X.
Institution Code No. P. Margaret A. d.b.a. Niru Partner School.
Institution Code No. Bernard M.
Institution Code No. J. Michael D.
Institution Code No. Raphael C.
Institution Code No. ROSA E.
Institution Code No. Bhaskara Reddy V.
Institution Code No. Steven T.
Institution Code No. Carlos J.
Institution Code No. Song M.
Institution Code No. SCALP CO.
Institution Code No. Hussein F.
Institution Code No. S.F.
Institution Code No. Huei L.
Institution Code No. Change B.
Institution Code No. SUPERIOR AUTO INSTITUTE A.K.A.
Institution Code No. Marshall J.
Institution Code No. Martin G.
Institution Code No. UNIVERSITY OF ST. School Code No.

Additional Notes

Citation: Assessment of Fine and Order of Abatement No. A.T.

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