Sanford-Brown Institute Reviews

"I pursued a degree in DMS. Diagnostic Medical Sonography, or "Ultrasound" from Sanford Brown Institute, Landover, Maryland. I earned my Certificate but did not attend my graduation. I was convinced that I was taking the right step on a new career path to hedge myself against inflation. In 2007, the Economy went bust, the Housing Market Burst and Sanford Brown made employment promises to me they did not keep. If you didn't pay your loans you were not admitted into class or pulled out immediately. There was a half a million dollars worth of students in my class of initially 21 then down to about 11 or 12. I had so much faith in an Ultrasound Career. I've got plenty of text books and good grades to prove it! Did the staff care? Yes, and no. Did my externship Ultrasound Tech in Bowie MD., care about me? Not really. She was excellent at her job (didn't take her Reg.) but she would talk to me about Real Estate and family problems! An externship requires FIVE full months of UNPAID WORK! I was in a long distance relationship and my boyfriend helped me tremendously. I will never forget that. We both had high hopes about my potential earnings of $45,000 - $80,000! My Ultrasound Career never emerged, my relationship with him is gone, and Sallie Mae is breathing down my back for REPAYMENT! This is my advice to anyone reading this message, who feel they got BURNED.....Put your hope in the Lord of Glory! He knows exactly what happened and what your particular situation is. Somethings are beyond our control or understanding. BELIEVE there is a way to pay your outstanding loan, along with having it forgiven or dismissed??? Appreciate the experience as best you can, because you can never, ever get that TIME BACK! For those thinking of attending SANFORD BROWN. Unbeknownst to me, their reputation is VERY POOR! It's a quick/crash course 18 months and costs lots!!!So do not go there! For those of us who did, I wish we could form an allegiance to have a portion of our loan DISMISSED based on DECEPTIVE PRACTICES by SANFORD BROWN. Many of which we are unaware, said for the LIES about JOB PLACEMENT! Their cardiovascular students were given a reprieve for not finding work in their field of study. The Good Lord Can Help Us Free Ourselves From DEBT!!!Pray for this EVERYDAY!!!Here's to your AORTA and INFERIOR VENA CAVA!"

"This is not a school. This is a certificate mill. The teachers are exhausted, and couldn't care less about your future. They just want to graduate you and take your $35,000. I should have known when I looked at the reviews and had to go 18 down before I found a positive one. I did it anyway. I love ultrasound, and it will be a great career; however, I first need to pass my registry. They do not prepare you. It is a horrible set up as well. I have been out of the classroom almost a year -- and I can just now sit for my exam. Go to Kent. It is a longer program, but it is 100% worth it. I met quite a few girls through my externship. They are prepared, the teachers are amazing, and its half the price!! AND they get a real degree. I will forever tell people to STAY AWAY from sanford brown. Horrible school. HORRIBLE!!!!!"

"I graduated from medical assistant in 2011 they say they help with Job placement yea ok they didn't set me up with one interview the school is a joke the credits don't transfer anywhere I wish I had just gone to a community college and not wasted my time or money I did get a job on my own and they told me you don't even need to go to school to be a medical assistant please don't make the mistake I did and waste your time and money go to a community college."

"I enrolled in Sanford brown thinking it will help be do something with my career in a short period of time for the time being, well i was wrong! It was a complete waste of time! The campus i attended ended up closing or is still in the process of closing. I had a few classes i had dropped but was going to make up, but no i couldn't because the school was closing, so now they dropped me from the school, they said i couldn't no longer make up any classes and at that i still have to pay all my student loans! The staff does not care about there students, we had different teachers every mod, that says something. All the teachers did was read off a power point that was provided to them. I will NEVER recommend this school to anyone. Its better if you go to a University and get the education you pay for! All campuses should be shut down!"

"First of all i only attended bc i wanted to go on to futher schooling after my time there. they assured me it was nationally accredited and my credits would transfer anywhere. LIE! not only is it not accredited but i could not find a single school that would take their credits. and if your looking for "respectable" job do not even tell them you went there.On top of that i just recently got a bill for the full amount of the school. i have never received any bill till now and it was from a collection agency saying i owed 13,000 dollars?! my portion which i thought was paid since i consolidated my loans into one loan of about 2,000(or so i thought). financial aid told me only about a 1000 of that loan was going to come out of pocket. i have no idea what is going on, but im sure my credit has been taking a huge hit and ill need to talk to a lawyer.I really wish i had never stepped foot in that place. all the wasted time/money/travel on an "education" i cant use. these people should be locked up."

"The answer to this is no, always no. My program was MBC, and our main instructor was very nice to us, and the only people who had problems with her were the ones who were lazy and did not want to do the work. She was undoubtedly knowledgeable in the field of medical coding. But her lack of education in basic anatomy and physiology made for some very awkward moments in class. Also, the class length lead to some huge gaps in knowledge of basic coding concepts.In our A & P courses, all tests were open book. We could begin a new chapter, a new body system one day and literally have an open book test about it the very next day, then onto the next system. It wasn't until the last A & P class in which another instructor acted as a substitute that our class actually learned something of substance. There were other courses that pretty much were a waste of time, including one course in which the instructor read notes out loud from her desk, had conversations with the students closest to her while all the other students were involved in their own conversations, and the instructor felt no need to reign in the disruptive students. When this wasn't going on, we watched movies. No textbooks anywhere to be found. Instead of this course, I would have preferred a course that focused on HIPAA, EHR guidelines, and medical ethics.Another course, another instructor who gave us handouts (you guessed it, no textbooks) and then proceeded to test us on concepts that had never been discussed in class or in the handouts.Another course, no textbook, and on the first day, the instructor hands us a packet of Word documents that were exactly the same as ones we had done in a previous course. It was then that I realized that they weren't really training us to be competent coders with a strong clinical background, but medical secretaries.As further proof of this, the branch of Sanford Brown I attended actively discourages students from sitting for the industry-standard Certified Professional Coder (CPC) or Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exams, instead steering them toward a lesser certification that is not recognized nationally. I believe this is because they know that the education they provide to students is sub-par. You could pay a community college the same amount you pay Sanford Brown during the course of your study and have nothing left to pay when you're done. With Sanford Brown, the monthly out of pocket costs are just the beginning, with several thousands left to pay in student loans.So please, if you're thinking about this school, and they ask if Sanford Brown is right for you, read and remember the reviews you read online from people who have been there before you. I'm sure you'll find that the answer to that question is a resounding NO."

"I warned people about this school years ago, I went there for 2 years, from 1987 to 1989. I wish I would have used the money towards a community college, my so called business courses there got me nowhere it left me bitter. By the time I learned what a rip-off it was I was too determined to get my diploma. When I complained to the so-called Dean of the school about teachers dating students to make top grades among other complaints, I was labeled a trouble maker, and later had to get a lawyer just to get my two-bit diploma, it was 2 years of my life I wish I would have spent otherwise. ANOTHER WARNING DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!"

"Oh my gosh, I had been looking for reviews about this school and hadn't found any on google or any other site so glad I found these! All these reviews are accurate, I went there planning to do the cardiovascular sonography program in which case they made me do the billing and coding first, which was a total and complete waste of time and money the instructors treat you like crap and fail you on purpose jst to get your bill higher. Upon finishing you cant find a good job, and the school doesn't bother to inform you about your own graduation. Please look else where like a community college its more affordable and more reputable than this school."

"The school is a sub par school. Some of the instructors are recent graduates. Yes you read that right, some of the instructors are RECENT GRADUATES. This place is such a joke. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA. The only reason I stuck around was because by the time I realized how bad it was I had already incurred $15,000 in debt for the books and tuition not including my time and other expenses to go there. Since NONE of the the credits transfer to any school that I found (Itried 11 different schools), I would have wasted all of that money. I did get a bachelors but employers look at a bachelors from sanford brown as though it is a prize from the cracker jack box. No employer respects this school that I have found. I was told I would immediately be able to find a good paying ($4,5000 to $80,000) by the school. I graduated in February and the only job I could find is for $11 an hour. I am unable to pay back my $44,000 student loan at this pay. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND COMMIT TO A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE NOT THIS LAUGHING STOCK OF A COLLEGE (AND I USE THAT TERM LOOSELY REFFERRING TO THEM)."

"Bottom line this school is a rip off! They do everything they have to ,to get you in even if it means lie...they lied about the interest rates of the loans, always had different staff didn't pay for things they said they would like certification. From the get go I should've knew something was wrong , I went there for the surgical technology program then a day before they called & told me the classes wasn't starting...until months later & pretty much kept pushing about the.medical assisting program...That was so unstable through the whole time I can count only one of my teachers that actually stayed the whole time...its more but the point its a big mess & the loans are no joke...trust me I've been trying to rate this Sch for the longest! ..go else where!!!!!!"

"I applied to the certificate MA program at the San Antonio campus. Although, the MA program in this school was programatically accredited, I knew that I was making a mistake and changed my mind twice within the 72 hour withdrawl deadline.During the enrollment process at this awful school, they HARASSED me to apply for financial aid even after I insisted that if I could not use my VA benefits I would not be going to this school. And yet after I was done enrolling,the recruiter escorted me to another room where she handed me a telephone to talk to the financial aid person! When I said, "what are you doing, I don't want financial aid," the recruiter acted like she forgot. I decided to go to this school after all with the promise to myself that if I worked hard, I would get good grades and get a job. Well, I left after a month and enrolled in a community college that offers a great MA program and I'll get an Associates in Applied Science as well. The reason that I left this school was the poor quality of their teachers. Only two had any degree at all, the others were either MA's with a certificate or EMT. I tried to stick it out but, when I had to spell out microdermabrasion, and help the TEACHER pronounce proliferation, I had had enough. She used almost every word out of context and taught anatomy by describing the femur, the hallux, and the mandible, as the thigh bone, the big toe, and the jaw line..."are you kidding me"? I feel terrible for the my classmates who stayed at this school because they too were disatisfied with this place. They will have to pay the SICK student loans they will owe because these for profit schools rape you in tuition fees. I wish them luck, and consider myself lucky that I can pay the VA back. Do yourself a favor, take a real assesment test and go to a community college."

"When I was to speak to a higher member of faculty, they asked who I was and why I was called, I breifly explained. They transferred me to him... And this time he answered and acted so nonchalant about what he did, explaining that they have no deadline for those papers. Terrible. This same problem has happened before with the test applications and also with this faculty member apparent never answers, calls back or emails. Apparently the school has no intentions on fixing the problem. And no repercussions for the guy who messed it up!!"

"I'm thinking about taking Surgical Tech program at Sanford Brown in NYC on 16th near union square. I've read some the reviews here for the school and its making me nervous about the program. I'm getting loans to pay for college so i dont want to get stuck with a loan and no way of paying it back bc no job would hire me. anyone take the surgical tech program and had success?"

"First thing is not every course at Sanford Brown is worth the money. It is your responsibility to look into different profession's expected growth, pay and earning potential, and check different websites to see job requirements so you have an idea of what to expect once you graduate. The MA field is already flooded, take note of that before deciding to go to school in order to become one! Just completing a program does not mean you are essentially 'ready' to work in a profession. If you lack certain basic skills and are not able to uphold professionalism in the workplace it will be difficult for you to get a job. That's through any school and any career path. You have to aim to be top of your class in order to be top of the pick when it comes to landing a job.Do your research! Don't just take an admission rep's word for everything, you have to be responsible for your own success. Make sure that the program you want to take is accredited by the body necessary for you to sit registry exams as soon as you graduate. Don't go by the schools website, go onto the accrediting body's website and look up accredited programs to ensure the SBI you choose to take that specific program at is accredited! I'm a future Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound student and have opted to take medical billing and coding in order to receive my 44 credits towards the DMU program. Its easier for me to go that route instead of community college. I checked the CAAHEP website for accredited ultrasound/sonography programs to ensure I am able to sit the registry upon graduation. SBI NYC, Garden City, and White Plains are on the list for programs in the state of NY. The better you do in your classes, the better the externship you land and are given the opportunity to amaze a potential employer. Use it to your advantage! Nothing will be handed to you, you have to bust your butt and take what you want.I will be taking two classes online during the upcoming spring semester (needed for DMU) at a university that offers an online Medical Imaging BS program open to candidates that have successfully completed a CAAHEP accredited course. I will be awarded up to 60 clinical credits for the SBI program and will be able to transfer in 30 more credits towards the 120 credit degree program. Bottom line is do your research, the school owes you nothing but the basics, its up to you to make it spectacular! No school can guarantee employment, I know people with law degrees that can't get jobs! It really is up to you to make yourself stand out and network while you are a student so you have employers attention upon graduation. Get out and speak to individuals that are successful in your career of interest and find out what they did to get where they are. I spoke to countless ultrasound technicians and the head of the echocardiography department of a well known hospital just to gain insight. All of the technicians went to Sanford Brown and the head of echocardiography told me to contact her when I graduate. I'm getting to know the right people from now."

"DMS PROGRAM REQUIRES 60 CREDITS. THIS PROGRAM WAS 18 MONTHS LONG TO INCLUDE CLINICALS. SO IT WAS VERY FAST PACED. EVERY TUES AND THURS WE HAD A TEST TO INCLUDE STUDYING 12 TO 22 SHEETS FOR EACH TEST SO YOU HAD TO STUDY DAY AND NIGHT AND MORNING. VERY INTENSE STUDYING TO PASS. I DIDN'T WORK DURING THIS TIME BECAUSE IT REQUIRED A LOT OF MY TIME. A LOT OF PERSONALITY CAME OUT DURING THE PROGRAM BECAUSE YOU WERE AMONG ADULTS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM TO ANYONE READY FOR CHANGE. DON'T FOCUS ON THE COST. YOU WILL MAKE THE MONEY TO COVER ALL EXPENSES. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE. THANKS SO MUCH SANFORD BROWN INSTITUTE. I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. IT'S WORTH IT LOOKING FORWARD TO STARTING MY NEW JOB NEXT YEAH GRADUATED IN MARCH. DO WORRY ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU GOING TO MAKE TAKE THE JOB PASS YOUR BOARDS THEN YOU CAN MAKE $35 HOUR AND UP. OH YEAH I'VE LEARN EVERYONE WANT START AT THE SAME TIME OR AT THE SAME PAY PRN IS BETTER THAN NOTHING TAKE IT GET IN THE DOOR. SOME CLINICAL SITES MAY HIRE STUDENTS AND START THEM VERY WELL SOME MAY START LITTLE LESS THE $20 TAKE IT AND MOVE ON."

"I was dropped in january towards the end of the moth I was not told this until the day before my final exam, and then was told that I cant come back until the 20th of february. I waited and then they still tried to keep me from being able to start where i left off, I ended up having to restart a mod that I already did. they pushed my externship back and now im forced to wait another month. This school just wants the money but does not care about their students."

"There is STILL some hope out there for those that had bad experiences with the school.Remember, school is big business and they "sell"So what can you do?You CAN transfer credit but they do not tell you how.I have been a part of the adult Ed system for sometime and know how to help everyone on this page.1) First, report them to Dept of Ed if you have a loan you feel you did not commit to and encourage others to do so.2)Next , try to get certificates from the school or at least a trasnscript or any classes completed3)Focus on getting "certified". A certificate of completion does not mean you are certified. Many agencies out there will accept your current transcript and allow you to take a $500-$1200 refresher course and sit for certification testing such as ECG Tech, Telemetry Tech, Medical Assistant, Certified Electronics Record Course, Cardiac Tech etc.Some are 3-5 classes and after allow you to sit for certification.Once certified, the CERTIFICATIONS count for college credit from 12-24 credits each certification you pass."

"I completed the entire course and completed one off site internship when I had to drop because they wouldn't give me a leave of absence. I was pregnant and wasn't allowed to work at the other site because they handled chemo drugs. It is going to cost me around $2,100 to re-enroll and I just received a letter in the mail stating that I have a loan out that they applied to with out my knowledge. This school is a joke. The "teachers" play favorites and tend to base your grade off of how much they like you and not what you are supposed to know. Don't waste your time. I don't plan on going back to finish the 80 hours to get my certificate. A waste of my time and money. Find a different school to go to."

"I went to Sanford Brown for the Medical Assistant program 9 months i graduated with a 3.8 gpa. After my externship i was told to go back to Sanford Brown so that i could set up a test date for my certification, they gave me the run around for over a year, making excuses. It's been over six years & i still have not gotten my certification. I wasted 9 months @ that school and i am still paying for that student loan. I couldn't find a job because noone would hire me without the certification. I drove over a 120 miles a day for 9 months & I have nothing to show for it but another damn bill. DON'T DO IT!!!!!!1"

"My experience refers to the White Plains, New York, branch.. I strongly DO NOT RECOMMEND this school, which is the worst school I ever dealt with in my life!!! First, the school's website does not really provide detailed information of the programs they offer. They don't have any information about the requirements of each program. Because of this, I had to arrange for a meeting with the school's Admission office (the person I met with doesn't deserve the title "counselor"). This was no problem, she was more than anxious to pencil me in on her appointment book. When I got there for the meeting, I haven't even sat down when the admission person told me right away that I qualify for the Cardiovascular Tech. Program (this is after their review of my transcript I emailed them prior to the meeting). That's great! The problem is I was actually inquiring for the Diagnostic Med. Ultrasound Program. All I heard from this person is how great the school is and was also asked how I'm going to pay for it. She did not go over the Program's requirements that I have to meet in order to get in. Instead, I was handed a school catalog for the schoolyear 2010-11 with an addendum attached to it. She also gave me a 5-minute quick tour of the school, then sent me on my way. After reading the catalog when I got home, I found out that half of what the admission person told me was crap! I needed to meet a lot of requirements that are listed on their catalog to be able to get in the Program. But because it is an old catalog, I thought I should clarify these requirements and make sure this is still the case. So I again contacted the admission person whom I met with. That was frustrating as I had to wait for almost a week for some kind of a response that did not really answer my questions. So instead of investigating to look for answers for me, she just referred me to contact the Program administrator directly, since she was "no help" to me, she said. So I did. After two voicemail messages and two emails to the Program administrator... still no response. So I emailed another person from the school (whose name was also given to me by the admission person). That was also a failure. For a school that charges $35,000 for a two-year program, I would think they could at least provide some information to the people who are checking out their school. Oh, you should also check out if the program you're interested in is accredited. Their DMU program is accredited, but their Medical Asst. Program is not. For all the wasted time and effort I put in to this school just to get information, I would rather not give them the money they charge for their program. You might be better off checking out your community college which will cost you half of what this school is charging and might also be accredited for the program you're interested in. I did, and I'm already registered to take summer classes."