APA is deeply concerned about Argosy's closure on students, faculty, staff and alumni. We developed this page in response to the most frequent questions we are receiving and in an earnest attempt to support members of our community within our powers.
We will update this page as frequently as new information emerges.
APA has taken this matter very seriously. It has affected the well-being of students, faculty, and staff across Argosy’s campuses, many of whom are our peers, colleagues, APA members, and governance leaders within APA. Argosy also trained a significant portion of the next generation of psychology’s providers, educators, and others in the workforce, which has impact on the nation’s access to health care.
Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, ABPP, APA’s 2019 president, and Beth Rom-Rhymer, PhD, chair of the Council Leadership Team, said in part on March 7, 2019: “Our principal charge is to protect students and the public by promoting consistent quality in the teaching of psychology…We are developing a nimble advocacy strategy…Moreover, we are in constant contact with relevant agencies and other affected accreditors, so that we stay apprised of the rapidly changing terrain…APA does not have authority over the decisions of the psychology programs, the institution, the Department of Education, and the Argosy receiver. We must be careful to maintain our role as an evaluator and policy guide—APA is committed to continuing to do all within its scope as an accreditor to facilitate these transitions.”
Further APA action steps are described in the responses below.
Many students and faculty were rightfully distressed by the lack of clarity about what happened when their institution suddenly closed. Based on the emails and calls we have received, we understand that some students found support in one another via online forums they have created through social media. Some students have told us they reached out to local universities about their abilities to transfer credits. Some students reached out to members of Congress to start a case file, share their concerns about financial aid and other matters, and demand action by the government. We provide greater information about a number of these options in this FAQ.
There is a process for this called Federal Loan Dischargeopens in new window. Read about general criteria, eligibility, and information specific to Dream Center/Argosy. Federal Direct Loans, Perkins Loans, and Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) are eligible for discharge. It is important to note that the government says, “If you completed or are in the process of completing a comparable program of study at another school through a teach-out, by transferring academic credits or hours from the closed school, or by any other comparable means, you are not eligible for a closed school discharge.” Also, note that private loans are not eligible; you would have to check with your private loan servicer, or possibly the higher education officeopens in new window in the state where your closed school was located, to see if there are any closed-school discharge options.
APA has learned that some students are also considering applying for borrower defense to loan repaymentopens in new window. This is different from loan discharge. This is a process that can be used when a school has misled the student or engaged in other misconduct in violation of certain state laws. APA offers no legal advice in this situation. Please note that the media is reporting this to be a lengthy process that may not end favorably for the applicant.
The federal government advises that you contact your private lender or loan servicer to discuss your options. Please note that there may not be any recourse with your loan provider for loan discharge as there would be with federal loans (see question above), but specific information will be described in the lending documents or promissory notes that you signed when you took out your loan. It is possible that the higher education officeopens in new window in your state has a special process or fund to assist nonfederal student aid borrowers when schools close. Finally, you may wish to contact the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureauopens in new window to discuss other options.
Currently, Argosy states that transcripts, diplomas, and enrollment verifications can be requested online through a third-party company called Parchment. Visit this website to request any of these items.opens in new window For any further questions regarding Parchment, please complete their online customer support formopens in new window.
The federal government advises that inquiries may also be made to the agency in a particular stateopens in new window that licensed a closed school. APA has learned that some of these agencies have acquired student files, but there is no consistency as to the handling of these files as of yet.
Yes.
You can verify accreditation by contacting APA’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation.
Under a federal law known as FERPA, you have a right to view your student records, sometimes known as your paper-based student file. APA recommends that students (including those transferring to other schools) learn what is in their records. For most students, this likely includes information such as the student’s application to graduate school, contact information, grades and test scores, health and immunization records, disciplinary reports (if applicable), documentation of attendance, lists of courses taken, awards conferred and degrees earned, and lists of special accommodations (as applicable). The standard list is outlined in this FAQopens in new window.
If you transferred schools and wish to view your record, you can contact your new school’s department chair, registrar, and/or designated administrator (such as director of clinical training in some doctoral programs) to request access to view your records and learn what records may exist for you. Some, but potentially not all of your records, were likely transferred to this new school. In some cases, the records that transferred may only be those that were enough to admit you, such as your transcript, GRE scores, and immunization records. In other cases, every bit of documentation may have been transferred. We understand that each Argosy campus may have handled things somewhat differently, and each degree program or department within an Argosy campus may have handled things differently as well.
If you did not transfer to a new program, vacated your training, or already graduated from Argosy, your existing records will remain for an undisclosed period of time with a keeper of records (see below if you were an Argosy clinical doctoral student, and otherwise contact the agency in the stateopens in new window that licensed a closed school). You can contact the keeper of records to see if they have a policy or procedure for requesting access or check first to see if this process is already described on the keeper’s website.
For clinical psychology doctoral students only: APA has learned from colleagues that records may now be housed in the following locations. Please note that APA does not have your records, and it is not guaranteed that these locations will have your records:
In addition, for students in clinical doctoral programs, a school may maintain two records for you: (1) A record that is kept with the registrar and (2) a record some call a student’s “training file” that usually stays in the department or program. This training file may or may not contain logs of service/client-contacts hours, sample written documents, copies of contracts for practicum/internship training, copies of syllabi, copies of comprehensive/qualifying examination reports, copies of theses/dissertations, reference letters, advanced training information, and other information relevant to your professional career.
If you do not already possess, or your record does not contain, an original or official copy of service logs for your practicum, externship, or internship, and you need this to apply for internship, postdoctoral training, or licensure, you may want to consider asking the training site in question for a document that contains, at minimum:
This document should be on the site’s letterhead and signed by an official of the site.
To minimize any challenges down the road with licensure, we also encourage individuals to contact their state of interest for licensing, as each state is governed by its own specific rules and regulations.
Here is a link to state licensing boards’ contact informationopens in new window.
Additionally, if you are having difficulties retrieving your records for licensing, we recommend applying to request a waiver of licensure requirement from the state licensing board you are applying to.
Furthermore, ASPPB has developed resource materials to help Argosy students navigate the licensing process. Here is a link to their resource pageopens in new window regarding modification forms students can use and for any questions pertaining to the licensure process, please contact ASPPB.
Regarding practicum logs, if you’re not able to receive information from your training site, it is recommended that you contact APPIC to access your AAPI data.
According to an article in APA’s Monitor on Psychology, “Should you bank your credentials?”, credentials banking involves “submitting documentation about your internship, doctoral degree, postdoc, and other credentials to a central repository for verification and storage,” and “can offer peace of mind as well as convenience.” There are two organizations offering banking to Argosy students and alums, and both have stepped in to offer assistance at no cost. Please visit the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boardsopens in new window and the National Register of Health Service Psychologistsopens in new window for more information. You may also watch the recording of a webinaropens in new window APA hosted on March 18, 2019, by signing in to view it.
If you plan to transfer to another program, you must read the laws and regulationsopens in new window from the board of psychology in any jurisdiction where you plan to get licensed to ensure that your transfer will keep you license-eligible. For example, a handful of jurisdictions have requirements that applicants for licensure as a psychologist be in “residency” in the institution that grants their doctorate. You can access psychology board homepages from the ASPPB websiteopens in new window along with tips for contacting your state board. We recommend reaching out to the board or board administrator to get your questions clarified, as well as checking the public board minutes to see if this matter has been addressed in any recent meetings.
APA’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation has provided, and will continue to provide, verification of program accreditation per applicable accreditation procedure. Any person may obtain verification of the accreditation status of a program at a given time (e.g., the time of program completion) by contacting at apaaccred@apa.org. Correspondence containing the dates of program accreditation are provided to persons seeking this information.
If you are applying to a board that does have residency requirements that you may not meet, we encourage you to make your situation known to your future board.
APA advises you to think carefully about any of the options open to you, either through articulation agreements or by transferring to another program:
The current accreditation status for all programs accredited by APA is provided on APA’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (OPCA) webpage. The OPCA webpage contains an online directory of program accreditation statusesopens in new window. A change in accreditation status, when made, is posted in this directory as soon as possible. When situations arise that affect an APA-accredited program’s ability to operate, the APA Commission on Accreditation (CoA) considers the circumstances and works with appropriate regulatory, institutional, and other authorities managing the situation in an effort to facilitate the provision of quality education and training in health service psychology for those concerned.
The following information was obtained through consultation with OPCA. Additional requests for accreditation-related information can be addressed via email to OPCA.
The CoA’s Accreditation Operating Procedures (PDF, 780KB)opens in new window define “accredited, inactive” status in Section 8.2.d - D, as follows: “‘Accredited inactive’ designates a doctoral program that has not admitted students for two successive academic years or has provided the CoA with notice that it has decided to phase out and close the program.” In addition, this section states that “requests for inactive status are granted by the CoA for one year at a time. Request for renewal of inactive status must be done prior to the beginning of the academic/training year. Programs not granted renewal of inactive status are given notice that they are no longer compliant with the provisions of accreditation and then may be placed on probation.”
To maintain “accredited, inactive” status, a program is required to follow accreditation standards and submit a request for continuation of inactive status each year, before the beginning of an academic year (e.g., typically this is during the late spring–early summer). The CoA reviews submitted requests for renewal of inactive status and consequently determines if the continuation is to be granted. Programs requesting inactive status that are seen as remaining consistent with accreditation standards are typically renewed for the subsequent year. If, though, a program is seen as operating inconsistently with accreditation standards, the program could receive an adverse decision in accord with CoA policies and procedures. Adverse decisions allow for a time when programs are given the opportunity to show how they are consistent, prior to placement on probation. These processes are described in sections 8.2 and 8.3D of the Accreditation Operating Procedures.
The “accredited, inactive” status will remain in place if the program maintains consistency and files requests to continue as an inactive program through the time when its students have completed their degrees, unless the program requests that its accreditation be withdrawn or the program is found to not be compliant with accreditation standards. When admitted students have completed all degree requirements, the inactive program would then request to withdraw from accreditation.
As part of its listings of currently accredited programs, the directory of accredited programs on the OPCA web page lists the programs that have “accredited, inactive” status.
The CoA has a process by which members of the public may file a complaint if it is believed that an APA-accredited program is not in compliance with accreditation standards (PDF, 780KB)opens in new window. The procedures for handling complaints against accredited programs are intended to deal only with complaints based on purported lack of program consistency with the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology (SoA). It is not a mechanism for adjudication of disputes between individuals and programs. OPCA staff may be contacted for more information or to respond to questions about the complaint submission and review process.