A group of students claims a New York school backed by Jay-Z underdelivered on its promise.
According to the Gothamist, a group of students is alleging that the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn overpromised on financial awards to fund their eduction.
Several offer letters the students have received from the school describe incentives such as a “full-tuition scholarship” and “financial grants” that would allow them “to graduate without debt.” However, the letters did not mention that the financial awards would not cover housing costs or certain academic fees, which can add up to more than $22,000 per year.
“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,” an email from the school’s academic adviser read.
One student, Justice Stephenson, admits the offer appeared “too good to be true,” but ultimately she moved forward and pursued a degree in vocal performance in Fall 2021 under a “Hope Scholarship,” which was granted to the “highest-need” students. According to a former employee who requested to remain anonymous, around 50 students were admitted under the “Hope Scholarship” during the 2021, which was its launch year.
“ I remember being just generally conflicted about school and then coming across this school made me feel a sense of security,” Stephenson expressed. “It was a full scholarship immediately. It was a music school, which is iconic and the dream. And Jay-Z is involved.”
Stephenson is now a part of the 2025 graduating class and will be walking away with $5,000 in debt (reduced from $26,000), a far cry from what appeared to be a promise of graduating without debt. This was the case for at least a dozen students who collected debt between $5,000 and $39,000.
“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,” explained Ashley Barksdale, a Hope scholar who owes LIU over $22,000, per the Gothamist.
Some of the students became homeless due to the housing fees or made the decision to drop out or transfer schools. Ajaiya Thomas was a Hope scholar who transferred to another university to continue her studies in veterinary medicine after finding out she owed $19,000 to LIU.
Clarifying the confusion around the schools’s cost, LIU marketing chief Jackie Nealon says that students should have received letters stating that they would graduate “tuition debt-free,” although Nealon did not share such a document with the Gothamist to verify. This also conflicts with the students’ understanding of graduating without debt as letters shared with the outlet did not appear to reference that these other fees are not covered under the award’s terms.
“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 told the outlet. “The offer letter also expressly includes that neither university fees nor housing costs are included in the scholarship.”
However, the Gothamist notes an online archive reflects the school did change its language around its Hope Scholarship from “debt-free education” to a “tuition-free education” in 2023.
The school also appeared to fall short in other ways. According to students, it was advertised that they would be taught courses from guest lecturers such as Rihanna, DJ Khaled, and the Jonas Brothers, but this never materialized. Students in the 2021 class also share that the school initially did not have a recording studio, and they pooled their own resources to create it themselves. This is despite Nealon’s claims that students from the 2021 class had access to a theater, piano lab, practice rooms, and “sound-treated” studio spaces. She also claims that the university later “added and updated campus facilities to adapt to the evolving needs of the industry.”
“You look at this paperwork where this very expensive institution is telling you you’d be able to get all these opportunities for less, you’re going to get your college paid for, and they use this propaganda to get you in,” Thomas said.
To resolve their debt, school officials have told some students to consider private loans. Still, at least 16 students claim it has been difficult to reach the school’s administration to resolve concerns around financial aid and discuss their enrollment.
“My dad thought it was a scam,” said Hope Scholar Sumante Hutchinson, who opted to sleep on couches in a student lounge instead of incur more debt through student loans. He already owes $37,000. “Come to find out it kind of has been a scam.”
