Reviews
64 Customer Reviews
Review from Briant B
1 star02/04/2025
I am very frustrated with Penn Foster right now, I have tried to call and reach out in the chat. However, to no avail, I haven't received any response from. anyone. I have finished the coursework and now I am ready to go into an externship. I can't get anyone to help me or guide me on the next steps. I have called, and every time I call, I'm a different number in the queue. I feel that the college needs more people available to answer questions about processes
Penn Foster Response
02/05/2025
Dear ******,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for Penn Foster Career School. I am truly sorry that your experience has not met the standards we aim to provide, and I understand your frustration. Please accept our apologies for the longer-than-normal wait times you've encountered when trying to connect with us. This is certainly not the experience we strive to offer.
I have reached out to our team and requested that an advocate give you a call today to assist you further and address any outstanding questions or concerns you may have. Please keep an eye out for their phone call, as well as a follow-up email.
We appreciate your patience, and we're here to support you. Thank you again for your feedback.
Best regards,*******
Learner Success Accommodations Specialist
Review from Kim F
1 star01/28/2025
I am extremely frustrated at this point with Penn Foster. Everything was moving along swimmingly until they opened the learner success program. It is NOT SUCCESSFUL to say the least. All my courses except for 2 are locked. I've repeatedly contacted support through chat as well as calling to no avail. If I do use their chat, it'll say 13 minutes until I am served, well, 50 minutes could go by and it still says 13 minutes! Then they transfer me or I get disconnected. I ask them not to connect me to the learners program to resolve my issues bc nobody helps me over there but they do it anyway. I've been going through this since December! I'm all paid up so that I can complete my GED which I desperately want and need to complete but HOW CAN I? There is also the practical English course that keeps saying I need to complete something and yet when I go to the course, cannot find what needs to be completed as I completed it in August of 2024! If you look under chat support, you'll find the many messages I've sent that are actually marked "RESOLVED" when NOTHING has been RESOLVED!! I don't even know it's been marked as such unless I sign in. No emails, no calls, no messages from ANYONE! And to think I was considering taking another course after completing my GED. Nope, not anymore. I'll bring my education and business ELSEWHERE where this doesn't happen. I've also notified other people that were considering giving this company their money for a course and told them NOT TO!!! Now I've missed over a month of classwork time bc of this switch and nobody communicating with me. I want a refund for the time I've missed and time added back that I lost due to their muck up!Penn Foster Response
01/29/2025
Dear Ms. ********************* you for taking the time to write a review for Penn Foster High School. I sincerely apologize for the lack of communication you have experienced, as this is not the experience we wish to set for our students. To provide clarity to your questions, I have sent you a direct email to the email associated with your account. I look forward to assisting you further.
Best regards,
Kendall
Learner Success Accommodations Specialist
Review from Madison S
1 star01/23/2025
I would give 0 if I could. I paid to enroll on their online program. None of my credits have transferred. I can't get a hold of anyone. On line chats disconnect. My email is not answered. When I tried to cancel, they asked for more money. I have never even started the program. They have my credit card info so I am concerned.Penn Foster Response
01/27/2025
Dear Madison,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review and sharing your concerns. I am truly sorry to hear about your negative experience, as this is not the kind of experience we wish for our students.Please check the email associated with your student account as I have reached out to you directly to address your concerns.
Thank you,
*******
Learner Success Accommodations Specialist
Review from Petra A
1 star01/16/2025
I let my time on my course lapse. That's on me. However, I am trying to give penn foster MORE MONEY for a 6 month extension so I can get it over with. I have been trying TO GIVE THEM MONEY!!! for about a week now. It took about 3 days for someone to tell me there is a problem on their end collecting payment. The agents are clueless and THERE IS NO ONE WITH ANSWERS ANYWHERE!!!!! I have to keep calling back, waiting on hold to be told the same thing...I don't know why this is happening....and asked the same stupid question...would you like to try another card? NO, I WOULD NOT LIKE TO TEY ANOTHER CARD!!! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CARD. THE VERY SAME CARD PENN FOSTER TOOL ALLLLLLL MY PAYMENTS FROM AND WITHOUT FAIL. NOW IT'S THE CARD. To say I'm frustrated would be putting it lightly. Can I please pay this money and finish the course so I don't have to deal with penn foster anymore or can I get my money back?!Penn Foster Response
01/21/2025
Hello *****,
Thank you for taking the time to review Penn Foster Group. I do apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you have faced as this is not the experience we strive to set for our students. I have reached out to you directly to resolve this issue so you can continue learning promptly.
Thank you,
*******
Learner Success Accommodations Specialist
Review from KELLIE F
1 star11/26/2024
At this point, if I could give a 0 stars I would. I was initially enrolled with ******** and had no problems. **************** was good. There was correspondence and resolutions were made in a timely manner. I was rolled over/merged into the system with Penn Foster due to a merge and from day one it has been a total nightmare. My dashboard shows I'm in the 4th semester instead of the 7th. I can get to the 7th semester and I've just finished my first class of the 7th semester. I've been requesting the next class to be opened up since 10/23/24 and to date it is still not open. I was told I had a final exam to take next on the 7th semester and I tried to explain to them, I've only taken one class in this semester and I'm not due another final just yet. I've opened case tickets. They've been closed with no answers, response or solutions. I've made several requests for a supervisor to call so that maybe I could explain where I am in my studies and hopefully convince them to take a look at where I was prior to this merge. To date, I'm still locked out of my classes and they're wanting me to enroll in the next semester and pay again when I had just paid for this (7th) semester at the end of August. I don't know what options I have. I feel like I'm being held hostage by a college I didn't even choose to enroll in. I'm beyond frustrated. They have my money and they have me locked out of my classes and all this time I've been trying to get all of it straightened out, I have until 08/25/25 to finish these classes and they've literally STOLE a month of my time.Penn Foster Response
12/04/2024
Dear ******,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I sincerely apologize for the issues you've experienced, and I truly appreciate your patience as we work through the challenges with our new system.
Ive reached out to you directly to ensure we maintain an open line of communication as we address your IT-related concerns. Please know that the IT request submitted on your behalf has been added to a high-priority list, and we are treating it with urgency. I expect a resolution within 72 business hours.
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience, and Im committed to resolving this for you as quickly as possible.
Best,
*******
Learner Success SpecialistReview from Ashlyn S
1 star11/25/2024
**************** is terrible, you can voice your questions or concerns and they never have a response that makes sense. Supposedly if you cancel before completing a lesson, they will refund you everything besides the non-refundable fees and registration fees. However, when I attempted to cancel without completing any lessons or turning in any quizzes or tests, they still charged me nearly $500 to cancel. They also do not let you remove any payment methods from your account through the student portal, so they will take your money either way. I was cancelling because I could not afford the program anymore due to big life changes, but I still had to pay all of that money just to cancel. They seem to be pretty greedy and only really care about the money.Penn Foster Response
12/04/2024
To whom it may concern:
I am grateful for the opportunity to address Ms. ******* concerns. Ms. ****** officially enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program on July 29, 2024, by completing and submitting a signed enrollment agreement and fulfilling the necessary down payment requirements.Ms. ****** requested program cancellation well beyond the 5-day cancellation window and therefore had an outstanding cancellation balance as per the signed enrollment agreement. Despite this, as an act of good faith we have refunded all amounts that were previously paid by Ms. ****** as of November 27, 2024.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and frustration this has caused Ms. ******* Our Learner Success Team wishes her continued success in all of her future endeavors. At Penn Foster College, we are dedicated to the educational advancement and overall satisfaction of all our students.
Sincerely,
******* E
Learner Success SpecialistReview from Kim R
1 star11/18/2024
Im not entirely sure what transpired in my situation, but Ill attempt to provide a concise overview. I was progressing well in my studies and was performing exceptionally well on my tests. However, I encountered an issue when a specific section of the course required a particular textbook that I never received. I promptly contacted their customer service department, and they informed me that they would rectify the situation within three months.Three months later, I received five textbooks, all of which were incorrect. The textbooks contained the same incorrect material. I was frustrated and unable to continue my studies, so I requested a refund. After receiving the refund, I was sent the incorrect textbook once again. Now, I possess five copies of the same incorrect textbook. This situation has been extremely inconvenient and frustrating.I strongly advise against using Penn Fosters customer service, as they need significant improvement in their customer service department.Penn Foster Response
11/20/2024
To Whom It May Concern:
I am grateful for the opportunity to address Ms. ********* concerns. Ms. ******** officially enrolled in the Home Remodeling Program with Penn Foster Career School on March 15, 2024, by completing and submitting a signed enrollment agreement and fulfilling the necessary down payment requirements.I was extremely saddened to learn of the confusion that occurred surrounding textbook(s) for Ms. ********* program. Since this complaint has been brought to our attention, we have worked quickly to resolve and have honored Ms. ********* request to cancel her program and issue the refund due.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and frustration this has caused Ms. ********* At Penn Foster Career School, we are dedicated to the educational advancement and overall satisfaction of all our students. We wish Ms. ******** the best in all her future endeavors.
Sincerely,
******* E
Learner Success SpecialistReview from Mark K
1 star11/12/2024
No stars, this company 4th year in a row will not send educational supplies to progress the pharmacy technician course or complete it. They intentionally are dodging emails and placing you on hold so they can force the next month's payment. I'm also been taking a similar program in another website that does the same thing, but with better customer service. I think they all run a ponzi scheme to spy on you if you make your payments to sell you more loans or something. Never heard of anyone graduating this program, or honesty from the **** over the phone. Neither of the programs are committed to the student at all. I will not give them entitlement to my life for $1500 so they could make business partners in the debt collection agencies. Report this scam to local law enforcement.Penn Foster Response
11/14/2024
Dear **** ****,
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review about Penn Foster. We welcome all feedback and use each and every suggestion to improve our students experience. We would like to add that each and every student situation is different, and we would like to treat them independently as Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. Reviewing your account, we reflect numerous communications regarding the eligibility of receiving the Practice Lab Kit. You have not yet met the requirements for the kit to be released. We have emailed you directly to discuss further.
Thank You
****** ********Review from larietha w
1 star11/06/2024
This was the worst mistake i have ever made enrolling in this school and i wish i had checked the reviews 1st. I had my card on file for automatic payments and in October they took 2 payments and i sent them proof from my bank and it caused me to have overdraft fees and basically, they told me they don't care they only see 1 payment posted to my Penn foster account and take it up with my bank. So, this means my card information is possibly compromised in this school system because the payment clearly went to someone's account in the organization, and they clearly don't care because the email said they were closing my case as if i was lying and no further investigation would be taken to track this payment down and see where it was applied to. This school should be shut down and i will be looking into getting a class action lawsuit against them. I am a hardworking taxpayer who lives on a budget and this unexpected charge caused me an unnecessary hardship and they aren't doing anything about it and i no longer want to be associated with the school even though I'm not done with my course. and there need to be a rating of zero they don't deserve any stars.Penn Foster Response
11/12/2024
To Whom It May Concern:
I am grateful for the opportunity to address Ms. ************** Ms. ***** officially enrolled in the Tax Preparation Program with Penn Foster College on September 25, 2024, by completing and submitting a signed enrollment agreement and fulfilling the necessary down payment requirements.Ms. ***** brought it to our attention that there was a double payment processed on her bank account last month. Upon investigation we found only one payment both processed and applied on our end. As an act of good faith, we have applied the discrepancy amount as a credit to Ms. ***** account balance.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and frustration this has caused Ms. ****** Our Learner Success Team is fully committed to assisting Ms. ***** on her academic journey, and we wish her continued success as she progresses. At Penn Foster College, we are dedicated to the educational advancement and overall satisfaction of all our students.
Sincerely,
******* E
Learner Success SpecialistReview from Whitney M
1 star10/26/2024
They are FRAUDS. My son spent the entire summer, so 6 weeks getting through their math course. Come to find out our entire state doesn't even accept credits from them. They say nowhere in their High School program that some states may not accept credits. Then when I wrote and said I want to cancel my plan, they said because he has finished his course already, we have to pay for everything. It had been actually less than 6 weeks and he had finished about 70 percent and they wanted me to pay over a thousand dollars. I reached out and they wouldn't budge. They said that I signed a contract agreeing to this. It's a way for frauds to get their money, even though they know some people may stop, or in this case demand to stop paying because they're not accepted. It's so ridiculous. I would suggest you stay away from this company.Penn Foster Response
10/28/2024
To whom it may concern:
I am grateful for the opportunity to address Mr. ****** concerns. Mr. ***** officially enrolled in the Penn Foster High School program on May 23, 2024, by completing and submitting a signed enrollment agreement and fulfilling the necessary down payment requirements.
On November 1, 2002, Penn Foster High School was granted accreditation by the ************************ on Secondary Schools. Penn Foster High School is accredited by the Distance Education ********************** (DEAC) in ***************, and our school is licensed by the ************************ of Private Licensed Schools. Penn Foster is also accredited by Cognia. Students wishing to transfer coursework from Penn Foster High School to another Institution should check with the receiving institution to understand their policy on transfer credits.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and frustration this has caused Mr. ****** Our Learner Success Team is fully committed to assisting Mr. ***** on his academic journey, and we wish him continued success as he progresses. At Penn Foster High School, we are dedicated to the educational advancement and overall satisfaction of all our students.
Sincerely,
******* E
Learner Success Specialist
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