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A Brooklyn school backed by Jay-Z said students could graduate debt-free. Now they're buried in it.
A dozen scholarship students at LIU-Brooklyn's Roc Nation school say they unexpectedly owe the university thousands of dollars.
gothamist.com
A Brooklyn school backed by Jay-Z said students could graduate debt-free. Now they're buried in it.
Justice Stephenson had recently graduated high school in Brooklyn and was questioning whether to take a gap year abroad or enroll in college when she received a text message from an unknown number that provided her answer.“I tried to reach you by phone. Roc Nation School at LIU is awarding you a full tuition scholarship. You will receive full tuition and be able to graduate without debt,” read the message from LIU President Kimberly Cline.
“It felt too good to be true,” Stephenson said. But her mother urged her to seize the opportunity to pursue what seemed to be a free degree in vocal performance. LIU was offering a “Hope Scholarship,” which the university says it awards to “highest-need” students.
In the fall of 2021 she became part of the inaugural class of the Roc Nation School of Music – a headline-grabbing partnership between LIU-Brooklyn and Jay-Z’s entertainment company that promised guest lectures from stars like the Jonas Brothers and Rihanna.
“ I remember being just generally conflicted about school and then coming across this school made me feel a sense of security,” Stephenson said. “It was a full scholarship immediately. It was a music school, which is iconic and the dream. And Jay-Z is involved.”
The text from the LIU president, she said, “made me feel special.”
But she started noticing unexpected charges tied to her studies. In 2023, Stephenson reached out to Kline directly with questions about her scholarship. Kline texted back, “I am in DC in meetings with Congress. I will reach out to you on Friday.” Stephenson said she hasn’t heard back since.
Now, Stephenson is preparing to graduate while also paying off $5,000 in student debt. She said she negotiated that amount down from $26,000 after arguing to LIU officials that she’d been promised a debt-free graduation.
Stephenson is among at least a dozen students in the first class of Hope scholars who said they unexpectedly owed LIU thousands of dollars despite receiving offer letters stating they’d graduate “without debt.” Gothamist spoke with several students who said the Roc Nation school did not live up to its promise of teaching the next generation of artists and entertainment entrepreneurs. In the program’s first year, students said they created their own DIY recording studio due to a lack of facilities.
Other scholarship recipients went to great lengths to stay enrolled, like couch surfing for months, after they realized they were on the hook for housing and other fees. At least four students said they dropped out of the school completely or transferred to other schools due to the unexpected costs. Financial aid experts say the confusion about the terms of the scholarship is a sign of universities’ increasingly aggressive marketing as they compete for students.
The 12 students who spoke with Gothamist shared financial records that show they owe money ranging from $5,000 to $39,000.
LIU-Brooklyn launched the Roc Nation School of Music in 2021.
Ramsey Khalifeh
In two separate cases, school officials suggested in writing that a student take out private loans to pay off an outstanding balance.
LIU marketing chief Jackie Nealon said the scholarship covers tuition only and that it enables students to graduate “tuition debt-free.”
“Upon admission to the university, Hope Scholarship recipients receive an offer letter from the university that outlines the full-tuition scholarship and any student obligations,” Nealon said. “The offer letter also expressly includes that neither university fees nor housing costs are included in the scholarship.”
The spokesperson did not provide any copies of scholarship offers detailing what wasn’t covered by the award.
Gothamist obtained several offer letters describing a “full-tuition scholarship” that, along with other “financial grants,” will allow the student “to graduate without debt.” The letters did not indicate that an assortment of academic fees and housing costs weren’t covered.
An online archive shows that in 2023 the university changed language on an LIU webpage about the Hope Scholarship from a “debt-free education” to a “tuition-free education.”
Ajaiya Thomas, a Hope scholar, said she abandoned plans to study veterinary medicine because of LIU’s statement she’d graduate debt-free. She transferred to a different university two years later due to $19,000 in unexpected charges from LIU.
Other students told Gothamist they felt deceived.
“When I saw that I still had to pay money and then take out extra loans so that I could have my room and board paid for, it was very, very misleading,” said Ashley Barksdale, 21, a Hope scholar who took out loans to help pay off more than $22,000 she owes LIU.
As students’ debt accumulated, some complained to administrators about the quality of the Roc Nation School, particularly in its first year. Students in the program majored in subjects including sports management and music production. But members of the inaugural class said the school didn’t have a professional recording studio, so they built one themselves. Celebrity guest speakers represented by Roc Nation like Rihanna, DJ Khaled and the Jonas Brothers never showed, despite advertising featuring their names.
“A big story of the day is the desperation of even very selective institutions to enroll students … There are simply not enough students to go around,” Ann Marcus, a higher education policy professor at NYU, said in an email, pointing to declining enrollment nationwide.
Muzik Duvell said he dropped out of the Roc Nation School because of the money he unexpectedly owed LIU. He has an outstanding balance of $17,549.
Ramsey Khalifeh
LIU did not respond to questions about total enrollment in the Roc Nation school, or the total number of Hope scholars. A former employee who worked at the school during the program's first year, but asked to not be named due to fear of retaliation, said the school accepted around 50 Hope scholars in its inaugural class. LIU would not confirm the number of Roc Nation students or scholarship recipients.
“The scholarship program is making an impact,” Nealon said.
The fine print
Kenyatta Beasley, a former music professor at LIU-Brooklyn, said the partnership with Jay-Z’s entertainment empire was intended to lure new students.“The name of the game was to get butts in seats and they make these promises, and so they said, ‘F--- it, we don’t want a small class. We’re going to admit everybody.’ And that’s what they did,” said Beasley, who now teaches at Hofstra University.
All of the initial correspondence reviewed by Gothamist between Hope scholar students and LIU staff does not specify what is not covered by the scholarship.
“Because you are a Hope scholar your tuition is fully covered. This means you do not need to make a tuition deposit. We can enroll you in classes right away!!” reads one email in summer 2021 between Barksdale and an academic adviser.
Many scholarship students received the same email.
“I am pleased to share that you have been awarded a Hope full-tuition scholarship… This scholarship, combined with financial grants will allow you to graduate without debt. As a Hope scholar, you don’t have to worry about tuition charges,” the email read.
The email didn’t mention any other costs. Annual undergraduate tuition at LIU-Brooklyn costs $40,000, while the cost for housing, a meal plan, student health insurance and a full-time university fee is an additional $22,000, according to the university’s website.
Kevin Ladd, the chief operating officer of Scholarships.com, which compiles scholarship opportunities across the country, said a “full-tuition” scholarship is distinct from a “full ride.”
