International Academy of Design & Technology Reviews
Jun 18, 2015
They give less then satisfactory education and somehow I accured 71k in debt for a 4 year degree which is way about the federal government maximum loan amount for a student loan. How was this even possible? Now the school has a name change, same thing Everest did when the students started sueing them.
I attended IADT (International Academy of Design and Technology) online. This school no longer exists, as it was bought up by Sanford Brown another for-profit school. I was quite naive during the admissions process, which actually felt like a pushy sales pitch and was very quick and focused on getting all my paperwork filled out, not really on how much I would end up owing by the time I graduated. I was living in a rural area, trying to improve my employment options because I wanted to move back to an urban center and find a better job. I lived far from college campuses and didn’t have a car, so I thought an online college might be a good way to complete my degree. All admissions for IADT were done over the phone and internet after I filled out information from an ad on-line. I had 2 years previous schooling at two different community colleges but was only offered 8 credits towards my degree. I was told I would have the opportunity to test out of classes, math in particular, but when I was actually enrolled and went to the site to test out (which I had done successfully at my previous college), there was no test that existed for basic college algebra. This was my first red flag, but I was already enrolled and had signed all the paperwork. I had taken PreCalculus in High School and was confident that I didn’t need to take basic algebra, but I was forced to go through the motions and complete (and pay for) the same course I had taken my freshman year in high school. I found it absolutely ridiculous that this school didn’t have a test out option for basic college algebra!!... especially after being told that I would be able to do so during the enrollment process.
I pushed through and completed all of my coursework online (it was all a little too easy!). My last class was geared toward making a professional portfolio to go out and find a job with, yet it was not a requirement that we actually make a physical portfolio and our online portfolios were only available through the school for a short three months after graduation. Throughout my time with IADT I had many instances where I felt like I was attending a sub-par school that was letting it's students coast through without much of a challenge, but I already felt locked into the decision. Now I am stuck with a degree that doesn’t garner respect from anyone when I apply for a job and I feel like I will never be able to repay this debt. I accrued a size-able amount of student loan debt (now up to $28,000) for an AS in Graphic Design which has not helped me in my search for work in a field that is oversaturated with competition. Currently I am working a minimum wage job at a grocery store. My loans have been in forbearance and currently are in deferment. I have 3 months before I have to start paying $800/ month again. This is roughly my monthly income and practically impossible for me to pull off.
I deeply wish I never attempted to attend IADT and feel I could’ve learned all the skills offered by that school by watching youtube videos or paying $25/ month with an online software learning program. I feel like I and the Department of Education to whom I now owe a significant amount of debt were duped by a greedy fly-by-night "school" that really didn't care about their students education or whether they were able to find employment after graduation, meanwhile the school gets absorbed into another for-profit school and my degree loses its validity while the people who profited from running this "school" don't suffer any consequences and probably profited greatly.
The biggest mistake and only regret I have ever had was going to IADT. They sold me false hope! Promised accreditation, job placement, and never explained costs in detail. Now I am stuck paying over $100K in student loans for a degree that I don't use. How is that justifiable? I graduated in 2006, never placed in a job that paid over $9 an hour, ive paid over $30k in interest to Sallie Mae, and the school never fully disbursed my financial aid so there is money sitting in limbo as well. The teachers were nice but they seem to pass everyone. I did not feel challenged and really really really wish I would have attended Valencia community college instead. How this school or chain of schools is still up and running is beyond me. Something needs to be done so that future students are not taken advantahe of as I was.
International Academy of Design & Technology Reviews
They give less then satisfactory education and somehow I accured 71k in debt for a 4 year degree which is way about the federal government maximum loan amount for a student loan. How was this even possible? Now the school has a name change, same thing Everest did when the students started sueing them.
I attended IADT (International Academy of Design and Technology) online. This school no longer exists, as it was bought up by Sanford Brown another for-profit school. I was quite naive during the admissions process, which actually felt like a pushy sales pitch and was very quick and focused on getting all my paperwork filled out, not really on how much I would end up owing by the time I graduated. I was living in a rural area, trying to improve my employment options because I wanted to move back to an urban center and find a better job. I lived far from college campuses and didn’t have a car, so I thought an online college might be a good way to complete my degree. All admissions for IADT were done over the phone and internet after I filled out information from an ad on-line. I had 2 years previous schooling at two different community colleges but was only offered 8 credits towards my degree. I was told I would have the opportunity to test out of classes, math in particular, but when I was actually enrolled and went to the site to test out (which I had done successfully at my previous college), there was no test that existed for basic college algebra. This was my first red flag, but I was already enrolled and had signed all the paperwork. I had taken PreCalculus in High School and was confident that I didn’t need to take basic algebra, but I was forced to go through the motions and complete (and pay for) the same course I had taken my freshman year in high school. I found it absolutely ridiculous that this school didn’t have a test out option for basic college algebra!!... especially after being told that I would be able to do so during the enrollment process.
I pushed through and completed all of my coursework online (it was all a little too easy!). My last class was geared toward making a professional portfolio to go out and find a job with, yet it was not a requirement that we actually make a physical portfolio and our online portfolios were only available through the school for a short three months after graduation. Throughout my time with IADT I had many instances where I felt like I was attending a sub-par school that was letting it's students coast through without much of a challenge, but I already felt locked into the decision. Now I am stuck with a degree that doesn’t garner respect from anyone when I apply for a job and I feel like I will never be able to repay this debt. I accrued a size-able amount of student loan debt (now up to $28,000) for an AS in Graphic Design which has not helped me in my search for work in a field that is oversaturated with competition. Currently I am working a minimum wage job at a grocery store. My loans have been in forbearance and currently are in deferment. I have 3 months before I have to start paying $800/ month again. This is roughly my monthly income and practically impossible for me to pull off.
I deeply wish I never attempted to attend IADT and feel I could’ve learned all the skills offered by that school by watching youtube videos or paying $25/ month with an online software learning program. I feel like I and the Department of Education to whom I now owe a significant amount of debt were duped by a greedy fly-by-night "school" that really didn't care about their students education or whether they were able to find employment after graduation, meanwhile the school gets absorbed into another for-profit school and my degree loses its validity while the people who profited from running this "school" don't suffer any consequences and probably profited greatly.
The biggest mistake and only regret I have ever had was going to IADT. They sold me false hope! Promised accreditation, job placement, and never explained costs in detail. Now I am stuck paying over $100K in student loans for a degree that I don't use. How is that justifiable? I graduated in 2006, never placed in a job that paid over $9 an hour, ive paid over $30k in interest to Sallie Mae, and the school never fully disbursed my financial aid so there is money sitting in limbo as well. The teachers were nice but they seem to pass everyone. I did not feel challenged and really really really wish I would have attended Valencia community college instead. How this school or chain of schools is still up and running is beyond me. Something needs to be done so that future students are not taken advantahe of as I was.