<p>I have gotten myself into a bit of a difficult spot. I graduated with my BS this past May. I was enrolled in a combined BS/MS program, and have a bunch of credits towards my graduate degree already. The problem is this: </p>
<p>I owe the University $8,000 for tuition from the most recently completed semester. I originally expected my employer to cover the cost, which is why the school let me attend classes without paying up front. After all was said and done, my employer did not pay my tuition after all, and I'm stuck holding the bag. It seems to be too late to apply for federal funds to cover this $8k, and I don't think that money could be used retroactively anyway. </p>
<p>It would seem that my only option is to pursue private student loans. This is complicated by the fact that I have less than stellar credit. I've applied for two already (both with a creditworthy cosigner) and been turned down. The more inquiries I get on my record, the bigger the hit on my already weak credit score. Do I have any outs here? Any lenders that are more likely to accept someone with poor credit?</p>
<p>I am earning income, but it's barely enough to keep the lights on and it will take me years to pay the school $8k. I can't register for any more classes with an unpaid $8k balance owed to the University, so my education progress is dead in the water at the moment (and with it any hope of making more income.)</p>
<p>What made you think your employer would cover the cost? What happened that negated that option? I would look into that first. If that doesn’t work you’ll need to see if any of your family can help you out. After that, you can ask about a gap year with your college to give you some time to get together the $.</p>
<p>I transferred into a new position within the company. I didn’t realize at the time that doing so would render me ineligeble to receive the tuition reimbursement for which I had been previously approved.</p>
<p>Yes, the position change occurred mid-semester. The former department doesn’t want to pay for it because I no longer work for them, and they have nothing to gain by funding my education. The new department doesn’t want to pay because they didn’t grant pre-approval. Unfortunately, this seems non-negotiable. I didn’t anticipate that this would be an issue, as I thought the funds came out of the institution’s education fund rather than the individual department budgets.</p>
<p>You’ve been treated very unfairly. This matter needs to be taken to the top of your organization so that inter-departmental budget battles can be superseded. I’d start with human resources and keep moving up, right to the top. You actually have a valid legal argument that the company has to pick up this bill, since you incurred it in reliance on their promise to pay. Of course threatening legal action is not the way to go at this point, but if you keep using the magic word “reliance”, hopefully someone will check with the company’s lawyer and be properly advised. As a practical matter, this can be resolved by simply moving the budgeted funds from the old department to the new, but that has to be arrnged at a high level. Keep pushing.</p>
<p>I agree with MommaJ. What they are doing is very unfair unless this was specifically spelled out beforehand. It is not fair to you nor the college that relied on your company’s assurance that they would be paid.<br>
I know when I was receiving tuition reimbursement there were specific rules regarding how long I needed to be at or stay in a position in order to be eligible for reimbursement. How large is your company? Do they have a written policy that addresses your situation?</p>