Students Suing Globe University over Misleading Marketing Strategies

Five students filed a class action lawsuit on Wednesday against Globe University in Woodbury, Minn. claiming that the for-profit college used deceptive advertising to mislead prospective students about job placement, starting salary rates, and the university’s accreditation. The plaintiffs, four alumni and one current student, represent students who attended both the Woodbury and Sioux Falls locations since 2007.

As a college you never want to hear that a student is unhappy with their education.

One of the plaintiffs, Sarah Beck of Sioux Falls, claimed that when she enrolled at Globe she was told the university was fully accredited and her credits would transfer to any other school or university, according to the StarTribune. However, after Beck graduated with more than $40,000 in student debt in 2010, she was denied from three postsecondary institutions who claimed that “Globe’s health care management program is unaccredited,” according to the complaint. The plaintiffs allege that both the university’s advertisements and enrollment staff used exaggerated claims about wages to expect upon graduation in order to “enroll as many students as possible by any means, so financial-aid profits flow to its pockets,” according to MPR News.

“Lawsuit aside, as a college you never want to hear that a student is unhappy with their education,” Globe University’s spokeswoman Naomi McDonald said.

However, Globe denies the accusations: “We know the sentiment of these five does not reflect all, and we will not allow it to case a black eye on the thousands of students proud to be a member of our school.”

These students are not the first ones to accuse Globe of deceiving students. In August, Globe was ordered to pay nearly $400,000 after former dean, Heidi Weber, won a whistleblower lawsuit against the university over alleged ethical violations. According to Weber, she was fired after complaining about falsified job placement numbers among other misleading recruitment tactics.