My experience has been really poOr with these kinds of schools; Everest, Pioneer Pacific... you name it. Currently... I am at a point in my life where schOoLing would make a lot of sense for me, mostly because I lost over half my monthly income a couple months ago (due in large part to the economy and am self employed), but because I have savings... am able to go off that and what income I do have for the time being. Because of this, and being self employed... I have flexibility in my schedule.
Originally I thought it would be great to learn how much federal Pell Grant money I might receive towards my education because I figured my situation was ideal, since I would expect to "gross" just around 20k this year, and hadn't ever borrowed, nor was granted anything from the Feds or anyone before. The most ideal people will be granted up to $5,500 toward their tuition. When I entered my info into the F.A.F.S.A... I learned that I wasn't eligible for as much as I thought; I was eligible for nothing... $0. This is because they based my financial status off my tax returns from the previous year, even though it had nothing to do with the reality of today, and is the most I've made to date in a calendar year.. Once you take the federal loans out of approx. a $17,500 total course cost (which after 7/1/12 will sky rocket to 6-9% interest for each type)... it came out to about $8,500 left over that would need to be accounted for in order to go ahead with schOoL at all. This part would also have to be paid off with in the standard course time, which is a year (in Everest's case). This means that my monthly payments to Everest would be nearly $700 a month, which is almost what my monthly rent is. They said they would do this thing called "a professional judgement", which they're supposed to take exacting, current info. of yours to make light on what the facts are, but matters not... I couldn't have broke it down for them any clearer and in writing (via bank statements, invoices, E-mails, hand written full page letter, etc.), but found I was repeating myself over and over. Then ultimately, after more than a months time... their corporate office apparently sent the financial department back their judgement stating in around 10 words that my monthly income is about exactly that as the previous year. Am I missing something here? They really are just a joke..Everest people just don't communicate either, Pioneer to for that matter. They say one thing and completely do another. It doesn't matter how proactive you are, be it the admissions, financial department... matters not. I thought this was really unusual considering how much these trade schOoLs bombard us with this relentless onslaught of commercials.
Pioneer is even worse. It's not only a smaller schOoL, but cost about $1,000 more for the same program, and on top of that... they want you to fork over $50 just to take that of what resembles a placement test. But they say they will refund it if you pass, yet the standards are set so low... you would pretty much have to have down syndrome or something not to. In my case... I wouldn't even be able to get my foOt in the doOr, to just talk with financial aid, and what will ultimately be the same out come listed above. So in this way... they charge you $50 for their time, and that's all you may get out of them. All in all... you would be a lot better off with these programs if A: You're female, B: You just came off the street, C: you just got some kind of employment (we'll say at Taco Bell), and D: you're living somewhere that is otherwise rent free, or has extremely low over head. Otherwise I wouldn't even bother. :O/