Northwestern College, a for-profit institution in Illinois that closed abruptly last week, has been accused of lying to students about transfer agreements that don’t exist, local media reported.
In an email obtained by WGN9, Northwestern College officials told students it had “identified several institutions that have comparable academic programs and have indicated they will accept our students, provide credit for coursework completed on a satisfactory academic basis and will expediate the admission and enrollment processes” in the wake of the college’s closure.
The college named six partner institutions, according to WGN9. However, the colleges contacted by the TV station disputed having transfer pathways for Northwestern students and said they were never contacted by Northwestern College leaders.
Some of the institutions called Northwestern out for making false promises. For instance, Moraine Valley Community College, one of the institutions Northwestern named, set up a webpage to provide transfer information for students but made clear it had no agreement with Northwestern College.
“Northwestern College indicated that Moraine Valley Community College will provide expedited admission and enrollment for Northwestern College students but this is not accurate. Statements made by Northwestern College were not vetted nor endorsed by Moraine Valley,” officials wrote on a landing page for Northwestern College students.
Contacted via LinkedIn, Northwestern president Lawrence Shumacher—who has led the 122-year-old college since 1977—did not respond to a request for comment from Inside Higher Ed.
