Reviews

This profile includes reviews 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

Review Details

• Review fromErica-Faye H

  Date: 09/13/2025

  1 star
  I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Ashworth College (Penn Foster Group) regarding my ongoing difficulties in obtaining my conferred bachelor’s degree transcript. I have been attempting to request my official transcript in order to apply to MSW programs, but I have encountered numerous issues that remain unresolved. Despite multiple attempts, the college’s system has been consistently down, preventing me from completing my request. I have also been hung up on during phone calls, received incorrect transcripts, and have not received any updates or clear communication from their administration. This level of service is unacceptable, especially considering that I have fulfilled all financial obligations and completed my coursework. As an alumnus, I am appalled to learn that Ashworth College appears to have purged records of graduates, making it impossible for alumni to access their own transcripts or login to their accounts. This is a breach of my rights and a serious concern regarding record-keeping and transparency. Given these circumstances, I am requesting a full refund of my tuition paid to Ashworth College. I believe it is unjust to pay for a degree that I am unable to verify or present to graduate programs. Furthermore, I am considering legal action to address this matter. In addition, I must express my dissatisfaction with the college’s customer service. Their lack of professionalism and responsiveness demonstrates a clear disregard for students’ needs and a focus solely on profit. I strongly advise others to exercise caution and consider alternative institutions for their education.

  Penn Foster

  Date: 09/15/2025

  Hello *****,

  Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Student feedback is very valuable to us. This seems to be a duplicate complaint. We have responded to your other complaint submitted in an effort to keep the communications in one place.

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromGrace J

  Date: 09/05/2025

  1 star
  This school is an absolute sham. I enrolled in my second semester of my program in April and still have not received my textbook for my FIRST COURSE Of the semester despite literal DOZENS of emails, phone calls, and help tickets to their team. Ive been getting told since June that my book (that should have been shipped in April) is expected to arrive in 7-10 days. Every. single. time. I reach out. But they are unable to find a tracking number for me, yet nobody will answer me on whether theyve contacted the shipping company looking for a tracking number. I have six months left to complete my entire semester. I have resorted to reporting them to ******************* for Private Postsecondary Education which still has gotten me NO answers or textbook. I should add that Ive paid upfront in full for this semester They even have a section on this page saying They ask that prior to filing a complaint with the BBB please contact them directly at this number andCorinne ****** or ***** ***** would be happy to help you. I tried calling that number and it doesnt even ring, just a message saying No one is available to answer your call. Leave a message.

  Penn Foster

  Date: 09/08/2025

  Hello *****,

  Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I do regret to learn about your less than satisfactory experience and apologize for any inconvenience or misinformation. According to the response from our shipping team, the textbook mentioned is no longer in print. One of the Learner Success Advocate supervisors will be reaching out shortly to provide a digital access code for you to view the digital version of the book.

  Best of luck with your studies!

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromMia M

  Date: 06/30/2025

  1 star
  This school is terrible, I put my daughter in this program with great hope. I do NOT understand how they are creditable. Every conversation I have had regarding my daughters grading or not hearing back on her completed assignments has been with a call center NEVER one department person or actual instructor. ONE PAPER has been returned 4 times with zero information just some generic paper that keeps being attached. She rewrote her assignment 4 times!!! NOW WILL BE 5, she was supposed to graduate once this assignment was complete 4 ALMOST 5 months later NOTHING!! They are holding her degree hostage !!! I paid for this she completed every assignment she should be completed with DEGREE IN HAND . Its disappointing and UNACCEPTABLE . I am starting to believe this school should be inspected by someone for competence. I have numerous emails and put in tons of calls. I get NO resolutions !! NONE !!

• Review fromImelda M

  Date: 06/28/2025

  5 stars
  I graduated in 2015 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Assisting. All my financial obligations were met and I graduated and earned my degree without issue. I understand that life happens and we cannot predict when difficult situations arise. The college has rules in place and agreements that we sign understanding their rules and regulations. We must follow instructions and be prepared when we face difficulties. Ask for help if needed but its not the colleges fault when difficulties do happen. I finished and I am proud to have earned my Degree.

• Review fromMarq J

  Date: 06/17/2025

  1 star
  It has been two months and neither our student nor admin can obtain the information that is needed to verify enrollment. They continuously redirect and point us to another department because their "legacy" students are not accessible. I have tired calling, emailing, and even using their chat (which they suggested to do) and yet, ***** has been able to help this student. Each time we complete another form or provide the information required, we are given yet another reason why the records cannot be accessed.

  Penn Foster

  Date: 06/18/2025

  Hello Marq,

  Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for us. We have reached out to obtain additional information regarding your account and to assist further.

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromWanda M

  Date: 05/30/2025

  2 stars
  My experience with Penn Foster dates back to 2012. Just a guess. Anyway, I started my first semester. The last class that I finished was comp app. I finished with ending with a graded project that I did't pass, missing it by a few points. After that I got a message saying that i owe for two semesters. it is bacause i did'nt pass my comp app class. Now i'm paying for two semesters at the same time. I cannot keep this up. I reached out to penn foster, but to no avail. Anyway, i don't think that i should have to pay for both semesters. Penn Foster has ******** changed, not for the better, but for the worse. What I'm saying is i cannot afford the school. I know that this review will not change anything but I just thought that i would write one anyway. Also, i just wish that the school would just go back to being how they were in the beginning. ***** care about the students, and not so much about money.

  Penn Foster

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Dear Ms. ******************** you for taking the time to leave a review for Penn Foster College. We greatly value our students feedback and take it into great consideration. Please note that each semester entails a separate enrollment agreement and payment plan. You are currently being charged correctly for both of your active term enrollments per your signed enrollment agreements. If you have additional questions about your account, please reach out to our Learner Success Advocate team at ************ and they will be happy to assist. We are wishing you all the best on your learning journey! 

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromKeyana B

  Date: 05/12/2025

  1 star
  I enrolled with Penn Fosters distance education school on January 5th, 2017 & completed all of my courses May 16th 2017. I was told that if I completed my courses before the expected date of January 5th 2020 then I would get my diploma and the rest of the payments would be expunged off my account. I was 16 years old at the time, I am now 24 years old going on 25 & to this day I have still not received my *********** am being told I have to pay off $1000-2000 to be able to receive my diploma. I enrolled into ******-***** College in May of 2017 at the age of 16 and was unenrolled because of never receiving my transcripts or even a diploma. I am just now receiving transcripts stating i have completed everything academically but will still not receive my diploma. I will be suing. *** had financial hardships and so did my mother as well at the ********* were misdirected & misinformed & because of this I have been penalized from going to college. NO college will accept me no matter how good the grades are. And yes I could go get my GED or take the Hisets but why should I have to do that when I worked hard and busted my tail taking all those courses to get my high school diploma with penn foster. I have a lawyer that has told me we could win because I have proof and documentation of all that was told to me. But instead of taking legal action ive been trying to reach out to penn foster for them to just issue my diploma since theyve already closed my account completely anyways.. Theres a way they could work with me after all this time but if not then , legal action it is.

  Penn Foster

  Date: 05/16/2025

  Hello *** *******, 

  Thank you for taking the time to write a review for Penn Foster. I do apologize for the inconveniences you have faced. We have reached out to you via email to discuss further.

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromGavin C

  Date: 04/17/2025

  1 star
  I have work to submit for 1 class, however, the IT department has promised me for over a month they will unlock the class for my submission, but they wont. Im calling and calling, given their promise it will be taken care of in 3 days. Then I call back to find out it will be 10 days, etc. I was promised it would open today, but guess what? Ive already had a one on one with an instructor and must have another tomorrow because they are so lousy. Its a joke with my friends they are an IT driven product and cant get that right even! I cant graduate or get a job because of their inability to function. Im so frustrated, I dont recommend the, maybe they want more money and holding my graduation hostage?

  Penn Foster

  Date: 04/18/2025

  Dear Mr. ******************* you for taking the time to leave a review for Penn Foster High School. I do apologize for the inconvenience and delays you have faced as that is not the experience we aim to provide our students. 

  I am pleased to inform you that our Education Team has successfully added the retake, and it is now live. Please log in to continue at your earliest convenience. Please reach out if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromHailie G

  Date: 04/12/2025

  1 star
  If I could give a 0 star, I would. I canceled my enrollment in the veterinary technician program in 2024, paid my remaining balance in full even though I was going through financial troubles, but suddenly months later (Feb ****** and today Apr 1******) they are trying to charge me for some SIP thing when I am no longer enrolled in Penn Foster. Funny thing is, I contacted PF via the chat in February, and the representative ******* said that the charge was in error, but now they are trying to do that same charge again. Not happy at all

  Penn Foster

  Date: 04/14/2025

  Dear Hailie,

  Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for Penn Foster College. We greatly value our students feedback and overall satisfaction. We can confirm we have made the necessary adjustment(s) and your account is "paid in full." No further charges will be incurred. 

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this situation has caused, and we are pleased to have this resolved in a timely manner. 

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist

• Review fromKirsten T

  Date: 04/09/2025

  3 stars
  My son got his HS diploma from PF at a point when we thought a GED was the only option. That was really great. I'm looking at this as an option for my youngest child, but I'm really very concerned about the extremely consistently low reviews from the past 12 months. I'm not interested in paying for anything where there is no institutional support and I have to request help by leaving a bad review!

  Penn Foster

  Date: 04/10/2025

  Ms. ******,

  Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for our school. We value the feedback given and take it into serious consideration. We have reached out to you via email to provide further assistance.

  Thank you,

  *******

  Learner Success Accommodations Specialist