Hi A coworker of mine informed me today that she was about to graduate in March from Silicon Valley College, after going through their AA program in 18 months, and paying them 23,000.00 (yikes!) I looked on the net, and could not find any other posting regarding this school. Anyone have information about it ? Would another school accept the units/credits she has finished as transfer units/credits ? Thanks Jim McMurry
Well according to their web site at http://www.svcollege.com their accreditation status is as follows: Silicon Valley College is approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE), and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) — the nation's premier accrediting agency for trade and technical schools. Silicon Valley College is categorized as an "eligible institution" by the US Department of Education and provides training to Veterans. SVC is an approved partner of the Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, and the City of San Jose Workforce Investment Boards (WIB). Judging from the web site it seems to be a technical college offering vocational courses and training. Jim
Not only 23,000.00 but she got a student loan from them....she is bringing in the paperwork tomorrow for me to review, but it sounds bad....she thinks the interest rate is 19%.......... She isnt the brightest person when it comes to looking over contracts, and was the first to admit to that....she explained they tried to get the payment really low (monthly) by extending her loan out to 7 years instead of 5 years...she lowered it by $25 per month....... This really is crummy..... I explained she could have gone to West Valley College (junior college, RA) for about $2500 per year..... she was dumbfounded.... She mentioned they have a deal with University of Phoenix whereby the accept some of the credits she has earned towards a BA degree, and this is how she found out about them to begin with, UoP sent her to them
I am as empathetic as the next guy when it comes to people making what would otherwise seem like a questionabledecision. But how in the world can a school dupe, er, I mean persuade enough people to spend $23,000 on a two year, recognized but unaccredited, degree. At some point, individual responsibility for a little bit of research factors in here somewhere. She knew about the University of Phoenix but not about Community Colleges? Paul C.
She was/is a little bit on the (and I really dont like to use this word) "airhead". Maybe a better term is gullible. I agree with you 100%, that the consumer needs to be aware, but there should be some sort of standard set by the state of california that if a non-accrediated school operates here that there should be some full-disclosure law that the prospective student must sign a form stating that their degree will not be accepted (maybe to harsh sounding) by even UC's or CS schools.
BPPVE-approved schools in California do disclose. It's called "Notice concerning transferability of units and degrees earned at our school", and it explains that in most cases units earned will probably not transfer to any other college or university. It also says that if the student earns a degree, in most cases it will probably not serve as a basis for obtaining a higher level degree at another college or university. Students sign that they received this notice when they sign their enrollment agreement. This is not to say, however, that students will *comprehend* what they sign. This, I'm afraid, is something nobody can guarantee.
I checked with her, and she look through all of her paperwork, no such document was ever given to her. She was told by the faculty members that it was accredited, as a finance company would not loan her the 23k for an un-accredited program........
The school is accredited by ACCSCT. By law, Silicon Valley College was obliged to disclose the transferability of credits before your friend signed up. If she wants to pursue this, she might want to talk to the Admissions Office and ask to see the disclosures in her student records. Or she can file a complaint against SVC with BPPVE. (Their website has a complaint form. www.dca.ca.gov/bppve) It's hard to anticipate what tangible benefit any complaint would render. In the meantime, isn't your friend getting the education she wanted from SVC?
