Hyderabad: Narrating the problems he was facing after being cheated by Empower and Valmiki Consultancy, one of the victims, I. Manoj Kumar, said, “My situation here is miserable because my consultancy has cheated me, giving wrong information.” He said he was facing financial trouble as his deposit had not been refunded. “I need to pay my semester fee at the present university. I want my money back and I don’t want this to happen with others.”
Another student, P. Divya, also had a similar experience in the US after being misguided by the same consultancy. “I was told that I got admission at Marshall University for Masters in Health Care Administration but the offer letter was issued from INTO Marshall. After coming to the US, I paid the total fee of $9,015. Later, I was shocked to know that before starting my Masters programme at Marshall, I need to complete a bridge course in English language for a year.”
Ms Divya too transferred to Sacred Heart University but the INTO Marshall University has refused to refund her fee. Another student, Venkateshwar, said, “I was processed by Empower Edu Ventures. They gave me an offer letter from Marshall and asked me to sign on it so that I could get I-20. The offer letter was given by Valmiki Consultancy. They didn’t tell me the original course structure and didn’t mention that a full semester would be an English course. The consultancy forced me to pay the deposit before leaving India by threatening to cancel my I-20.”
Sri Harsha, another student, alleged that he had been guided by Global Tree Consultancy, also regarding Marshall University. “I was given admission in Marshall University. I was told that if I didn’t pay the entire semester fee from India, my I-20 would be cancelled and I would be sent back. I was forced to pay the deposit and the tuition fees before I left that university,” he said.
Ranjith Kumar and Shaik Kareem alleged that they too had been cheated with regard to Marshall University. Anvesh alleged that Empower Edu Ventures and Valmiki Consultancy had misguided him during his application process at Marshall University.
However, the consultancies denied the allegations. “These students lack the mandatory IELTS/TOEFL qualification. They need to complete a bridge course in English. They were sent to the US after signing the required documents. They were well aware that they had to complete the bridge course before getting Masters admissions. Some students are trying to malign us after obtaining I-20 as they want to shift to other universities with cheaper fees or take up part-time jobs against US norms. We have all the evidence,” said Sridevi, US admissions incharge at Valmiki Consultancy, Secunderabad.
