Can I sue my private college for breach of contract?

I have been attending a private college (Sanford Brown Institute) off and on since August of 2006. I attended for Surgical Technology. I completed all of the classroom training and went out to my externship in June of 2007. I was asked to leave externships until I could get my nailbiting version of OCD under control. Against my will - I left. I worked on my nailbiting issues for 6 months and then called the school back to get re-assigned back out to my externship. They said I had been out to long and that I would have to repeat the last semester again. I didn't have to pay - I could just audit it to make sure I still knew what I was doing. Since I had no choice, I agreed.

I had to wait until the next semester for that class came around again which was not until February of 2008. I found out the beginning of February that I was pregnant and would be due in October. I let the director know before I repeated the semester. He said it wasn't an issue and that I would be able to go out to externships. I repeated the last semester as required by the school and was thoroughly expecting to go out to externships in May of 2008. I found out 2 weeks before externships - middle of May- that they would not let me go because I was pregnant. Even though I could have gotton a doctors note saying I was fine, they told me know. They told me to call them back after I had the baby and they would re-assign me. I have heard that line before!

So I called the school in November of 2008 and asked to be re-assigned and what do you know - they tell me no. They said it has been to long and they will not let me back. I have done everything they have asked of me and now they won't let me finish the schooling that I am paying for. When I returned in February of 2007 - apparently no one re-enrolled me. They are saying that technically on paper I have not been in school since May of 2007 even though they have records of me being there for months last year. I completed all the assignments and tests just as any student so there are records of me being there. And a whole class of students can verify it. I am not really wanting my money back - I am wanting my career. I have an 18,000 student loan on a career I dont have because of this college.

I do not imagine that you would have grounds to sue the school. The nail biting issue is what initially prompted your inability to continue, then the subsequent pregnancy. Neither of these were the schools fault. In other words had these two issues not arose, you would have graduated by now.

While it is unfortunate how these events unfolded, the two main issues, the nail biting and the pregnancy were not something to which they contributed----yet you want to hold them responsible for the RESULT of your actions--as necessary as they were for you at the time. You didn't do something bad for which you are being punished. But the choices you made resulted in your inability to continue.

I suspect that if you read your paperwork it says very clearly that if you are out of school for a designated period of time, then you cannot do certain things. The fact your wanting to return was not convenient to how the semesters fell is unfortunate ---the same with the pregnancy. All of these things set you back , so to speak, but I am not sure how you can prove any breach of contract on their part.

That being said, I have not seen your paperwork---it may be helpful to take your paperwork to an attorney who specializes in contractual law and perhaps he or she can go over it with a fine tooth comb and look for a loop hole.

Good luck.