Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Penn Foster's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Penn Foster

  200 Hickory St Scranton, PA 18505-1135

  
• 

  Penn Foster College

  14300 N Northsight Blvd Ste 125 Scottsdale, AZ 85260-3674

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recently completed all of my medical billing and coding program early in the year in 2/2025 and I had notified the school that I was having financial hardship and requested an payment extension in the process of this request i was told that some sections of my program was marked incomplete which is false as you can not progress to the next section of your program unless the previous section is completed and they had marked sections incomplete on my program in 2 separate sections which one came before the other and refused to look into this error in my program causing my program to be incomplete marked as needing a program extension when I had been calling the school for months before the program deadline to complete and they have been refusing to assist me in any way and refusing my request for making a complaint to resolve this issue I was denied the right to make a complaint by a school representative when I called and all the representatives want is money for an extension that I dont need because I finished my program before deadline. I would like for the school to resolve this issue and correct my program and any false fee saying that I owe for an extension.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/19/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address Enaudea's concerns. I would like to confirm Enaudea's Medical Billing and Coding program status is currently "Academic Complete". This status indicates that all education requirements have been met. Once Enaudea meets the outstanding financial requirements, they will be considered "graduated".

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/19/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  REMOVED
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Deceptive enrollment for medical training program. At cancellation, I was told I owed $1641 for services rendered which was a small amount of course work with no books or online resources provided. Withdrew and was told I could pay off this amount on autopay over several months but then was sent a bill for the entire amount due in REMOVEDthey were sorry I was misinformed.I do not think that this cost accurately represents services rendered when no texts, live classes, recorded classes, or books were provided and I only worked through 1/4 of the credits for the program before realizing that they do not provide appropriate resources for educational programs.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/19/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

  I welcome the opportunity to address Ms. REMOVEDconcerns. We have reached out to Ms. REMOVEDdirectly to discuss her account balance and answer any additional questions or concerns she may have. We are committed to the overall satisfaction of our learners. 

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I enrolled in penn foster and tried multiple times to withdraw. I emailed them and called within the cancelation time frame but they said they would charge me a cancelation fee of over 200 dollars. I called them. I've tried stopping my auto pay but there website won't allow it. I am not even doing the educational program so they can't say im trying to get it for free. I just want my tuition back for the months they have been charging me.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2025

  Dear REMOVED,
  I hope you're doing well. I wanted to sincerely apologize for the trouble you experienced while trying to withdraw from the program. I understand how frustrating that process can be, and I appreciate your patience as we worked through it.
  After reviewing your account, I saw that you had only completed the Introduction course. Based on that, I was able to waive the remaining liability and have scheduled a refund for the amount youve paid so far a total of $138.
  Refunds typically take 2 business days to process in our system, followed by standard bank processing time, which may vary depending on your financial institution.
  If you have any questions or need further assistance, please dont hesitate to reach out. Were here to support you and wish you all the best in your next steps.
  Warm regards,

  Learner Escalations team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2025

  They are saying I owe them money. They owe me almost 200 00 for classes I did not use. I just want my money back.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Through Penn Foster's program, which was supported by REMOVED's paid employee learning initiative during my tenure, I completed my high school education. I fulfilled all course requirements and should have graduated with a 3.4 GPA. However, Penn Foster has not provided my official diploma due to an administrative issue, specifically the absence of a cover page on my last two essays. I emailed them on May 8th but did not receive a response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/05/2025

  Showing I got all credits and classes marked completed 

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2025

  Dear REMOVED
  I hope this message finds you well.
  We had the high school manager review your student account, and they shared the following feedback regarding your essay submissions. They have also emailed you directly with instructions on how to revise and resubmit your work for grading.
  Here are the findings:
  English 2 Exam REMOVEDReceived: March 3, 2025 Returned for revision: March 6, 2025 The assignment was only one paragraph and submitted as a PDF instead of a Word document. You were advised to review Lesson 6 for specific directions and requirements to complete the assignment properly.
  English 3 Exam REMOVEDReceived: March 18, 2025 Returned for revision: March 23, 2025 The submission lacked in-text citations and a Works Cited page. You were informed that in-text citations are necessary to credit authors when using their work. An example was provided: if you use information from Mr. REMOVEDyou should cite it as (REMOVED). Additionally, all sources must be listed on a separate page at the end of your essay.
  English 4 Exam REMOVEDReceived: March 26, 2025 Returned for revision: April 3, 2025 Similar to the English 3 assignment, this submission did not include in-text citations. The same guidance regarding proper citation and source listing was provided.
  Please take time to review the feedback and revise your assignments accordingly. If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to reach out.
  Best regards,

  Learner Accommodation team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2025

  They shouldn't have marked my courses as completed if that's the case! That's false advertisement if you ask me. I'll reach out to REMOVEDabout them getting a refund for the courses. And I'll continue to share my poor experience with this school anywhere I see fit.  Because the way I see it if requirements weren't met they should have never marked the courses as completed!! 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I applied for schooling through Penn Foster, all was fine and going well until a month ago when the website started glitching out, and I couldn't do my coursework. I contacted support to have them fix the issue, and they have not fixed it, I haven't been able to do schooling in over a month, and I'm still getting charged for it. They were also supposed to send me practice kits over a month ago, and I still haven't received them. I called to cancel and now they are trying to claim that I owe over $200 despite the fact that again I have not been able to do my schooling, and they took money out of my account while I was unable to do the schooling. They never explained why I owe $200 for a month to month schooling system that is supposed to be $69 a month, and I only started in September. I'm requesting a partial if not a full refund, as well as to have this "debt" removed from my record.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2025

  Dear REMOVED,
  I hope this message finds you well.
  I want to sincerely apologize for any technical issues that may have prevented you from accessing your coursework, as well as for the lack of study materials that were issued. We understand how frustrating this must be and deeply regret any inconvenience caused.
  If you wish to withdraw from the course, please reply to this email confirming your decision. Upon confirmation, I will be happy to waive the remaining liability of $219.40 and issue a refund for any payments made to date.
  Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please dont hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if theres anything else we can do to support you.
  Warm regards,

  Learner accommodations team

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/10/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  REMOVED
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am being contacted by Penn Foster October 2025 about an enrolled from January 2022. I enrolled, but I did not complete any assignments, classes, etc. I even tried to cancel but that situation was very confusing. Now they are trying to charge me for the entire program, claiming I even made several payments to them. When receiving my bank statements, it is confirmed I did not make multiple payments to them. I made two payments, and they werent even the correct amounts the Penn Foster customer service lady told me. I am now in collections, and when reaching out to their collection agency, they were trying to convince me to pay $300 on the spot to get my debt from Penn Foster canceled and taken off my credit report. The customer service rep. REMOVEDwas very rude, didnt want to offer any sort of help. Just told me You need to pay this balance. When I tried to tell her again she cut me off and said Can I help you with anything else? They are going against their own policies and this whole situation is feeling like a scam. I am not happy I have to deal with this and I see I am not even close to the first REMOVEDthat has had to deal with this nonsense.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

  I welcome the opportunity to address Ms. REMOVEDconcerns. We sincerely regret any inconvenience or frustration this situation has caused. We have honored Ms. REMOVEDrequest to drop the outstanding balance of her REMOVEDenrollment with us as she only earned 1 credit.

  We are pleased to have been able to assist and come to a resolution for Ms. REMOVEDWe wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/22/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  I accept the resolution they provided. I am just curious why they tried to go against their policy in the first place? I truly believe these people are out to get money from anyone they can, so please use caution when interacting.
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  REMOVED
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/16/2025

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid my tuition full to some fraudulent debt collector they sent my way and still havent gotten my diploma , I will be taking legal actions but using this to warn people about this scam .

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

  We sincerely regret any inconvenience or frustration Ms. REMOVEDfaced during her time enrolled with us. I am pleased to advise we have reached out to Ms. Menyfield directly to advise of the resolution. Ms. REMOVEDis officially a graduate! We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and sending our congratulations for this big achievement!

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/15/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Unresolved $600 Balance After Program Withdrawal No Response from Penn Foster I withdrew from the Penn Foster Optician program about a week ago and was informed that I owe a $600 balance. I have made multiple attempts to contact Penn Foster through email and phone to reduce payment due to my short amount of enrollment and how little of the program I completed. I have received no response to my emails at all and the one time I got in contact with a representative on the phone they did not resolve my issue or give clear answers to my questions, just hurried me off the REMOVEDsupport ticket number is CAS-REMOVED-F6D5P6. Ive emailed all provided support addresses and called the main and billing lines several times without success. I want to resolve this balance properly and prevent it from being sent to collections.I am requesting a reduction or a clear statement of my remaining balance and instructions on how to make payment or resolve the issue.Thank you for your help in getting a response from Penn Fosters financial department.Program: Optician Student Name: REMOVED

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

  I welcome the opportunity to address Ms. REMOVEDconcerns. We have reached out to Ms. REMOVEDdirectly to discuss her outstanding liability and resolution. We look forward to answering any further outstanding questions she may have. We are committed to the overall satisfaction of our learners. 

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/14/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I enrolled in a career program with Penn Foster August 2024. I graduated from the program and received my diploma in April 2025. It was explained to me that my first exam attempt was covered in my tuition via exam voucher. I submitted my application for said exam in March 2025, couple weeks before finishing the program. here we are October 2025 and I still have not received a code to take my exam. My account is in good standing, financially and academically. Every time I call They tell me where they can see my previous attempts to get my code. Once I finally received a code, I was advised by REMOVEDthat the code had already been used by another student. Numerous cases has been made for this voucher code and not one resolution!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

   

  I welcome the opportunity to address Ms. REMOVEDconcerns. We sincerely regret to learn that Ms. REMOVEDhas had a less than satisfactory experience while enrolled with us. I am pleased to advise our team has promptly provided Ms. REMOVEDthe voucher code via email and this issue has been resolved.

  We wish Ms. REMOVEDthe best in her future endeavors.

   

  Thank you,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/16/2025

  I have received my code and scheduled my exam. Thank you so much!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  REMOVED
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/11/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  i have not used the program in months im trying to just cancel my account with them but they are saying i need to pay a $400 liability fee plus administrative fee and enrollment. REMOVEDalready paid about $220 and only completed the introductory course. i dont feel like i need to pay the liability fee on top of everything else that would be basically the full tuition when ive only used a few classes! that seems ridiculous to me! I hadnt even started semester one!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2025

  To Whom It May Concern,

  I welcome the opportunity to address Ms. REMOVEDconcerns. We have reached out to Ms. REMOVEDdirectly to further discuss the outstanding liability in ordinance with their signed enrollment agreement. We look forward to coming to a resolution with Ms. REMOVEDyou,

  REMOVED

  Learner Success Accommodation Specialist