Settlement Provides Payments for Certain Former Ashford University Students and Resolves Allegations That School Charged Excessive Fees and Provided Inadequate Disclosures
BOSTON — A former online for-profit school will pay nearly $300,000 to settle allegations that it unfairly imposed excessive technology fees on students and failed to make proper disclosures, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.
The assurance of discontinuance, filed on Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court against Zovio Inc. (formerly Bridgepoint Education, Inc.), which owned Ashford University LLC, settles claims that the school violated state consumer protection laws and regulations prohibiting unfair or deceptive practices.
“This settlement provides much-needed relief to students who were overcharged by this online for-profit school,” said AG Healey. “Protecting students from unfair and deceptive tactics continues to be a top priority of this office and we will go after for-profit schools that exploit and deceive students.”
Ashford University, which is now closed, offered associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees online in a variety of subjects. The AG’s Office alleges that the school unfairly imposed a one-time excessive “Technology Services Fee” on all students after six weeks of enrollment and retained the entire fee regardless of how long a student remained enrolled at the school. The AG’s Office also alleges the school failed to disclose material information to prospective students about its programs.