Heritage College Closes Abruptly: 'Where Is That Money At?'
DENVER (CBS4) - Students enrolled in Heritage College gathered for a community meeting on Wednesday night, one day after the for-profit college abruptly closed its doors.
On Tuesday a notice posted to the door of the college's campus in Lakeside read that Heritage was closed due to financial problems.
The college operated 10 campuses across the U.S. and had 2,800 currently enrolled students when it closed, according to a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson. Students told CBS4 that Heritage promised a fast path to jobs in medical and health care fields.
The move leaves hundreds of students like Amelia Bricker wondering what happens to the thousands of dollars they paid for to attend classes there.
"I have nothing to show for 10 weeks of class." Bricker said, "I have absolutely nothing but a mound of debt."
Bricker says the school gave her conflicting information about her student loans.
"I was furious," she said. "They were telling me I owed money out of pocket when in fact, what financial aid was telling me was they owed me a small refund."
Briseida Perez Flores, who is married and hoping to start a family, says she put $15,000 toward becoming a medical assistant.
"Where is that money at?" Perez Flores said. "They tell you, 'We're here for you when you need our support.' Where's the support?"
Teachers are also out of their jobs and not sure what will happen next. Teachers and students plan to bring their concerns to state and local lawmakers, and say they will also contact Colorado's Office of the Attorney General.
The Colorado Department of Higher Education told CBS4 it is working with officials from Heritage College to try to get the students their records and to try to place them with other career colleges.
Other for-profit colleges have recently closed in Colorado, including Westwood College and ITT Technical Institute.
Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.
