Education is supposed to be done for altruistic purposes, right? No, like most things, education is all about the money whether it’s provided by a private or public education facility. A private Germany school is demonstrating this very fact by suing a student for graduating early:
Marcel Pohl completed 60 examinations in 20 months, gaining a grade of 2.3, and was officially ex-matriculated in August 2011. Such a course usually takes 11 semesters, but he only needed three.
Now the Essen-based School of Economics and Management (FOM) want the 22-year-old to pay his fees up the end of 2011 – an extra €3,000.
[…]
Pohl completed his turbo degree by dividing up all the simultaneous lectures with two friends and then swapping notes. At the same time, he completed an apprenticeship in a bank.
[…]
“We’re always against slow students,” said his lawyer Bernhard Kraas. “But when someone hurries and finishes early, suddenly he has to pay. That can’t be right.”
But the FOM argues that its fees are the total price for the studies, independent of how long the studies last. But if that it is the case, it remains unclear why they are only calling for a part of the cost for 11 semesters.
The question that will arise from this is whether the students agreed to pay a fixed amount for their degree or payments were based on classes that were taken. It’s one thing if the contract says a degree will be given in exchange for passing various classes and payment of $10,000, it’s an entirely different thing if the contract says a degree will be given in exchange for passing various classes.
I’m guessing the school based payments on a per class basis and are upset that somebody found a way to game their system so they could graduate without having to actually pay for an attend all the classes.