The state agency that regulates cosmetology licensing said Thursday 19 schools have offered to accept students from the suddenly-shuttered Regency Beauty Institute.
After more than 50 years in business, Regency Beauty Institute has shut down for good, the company confirmed on its website late Wednesday.
All 79 locations nationwide closed Sept. 28 without warning. The school had campuses in Arlington, Plano, Mesquite, Lewisville, and Dallas.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) confirmed to WFAA that 512 students attended RBI at 12 campuses statewide.
Ray Pizarro, director of education and examination division at TDLR, says credit hours earned at Regency Beauty will follow the students to their next school.
"We want those students to know that they will be made whole," Pizarro said.
That's good news for Dayana Macedo, who began the 12-month program in August. She is one of 38 students displaced from the Mesquite campus.
"I have nowhere to go and I have to put my plans on hold, so it's very upsetting," Macedo said.
Students at the location on North Central Expressway in Plano came to class only to find a sign on the door saying the location was permanently closed.
Student Tricia Gumowski said she found out on Facebook, days after she paid thousands of dollars for tuition and supplies.
"There are single mothers who go to this school every day trying to get a better career for themselves ,and they're trying to figure out, 'Are my hours going to transfer? Am I still going to have to pay all these student loans? Where's all our money that we gave you up front?'" Gumowski said.
"This is incredibly difficult news for everyone affected: especially our students, teachers, and staff. We recognize that some of you may be finding this out for the first time by reading this. We are truly sorry for the abrupt nature of this information," the school said in a statement on its website.
Regency said it is in the process of mailing students their transcripts and is working on a process to help students transfer to other nearby beauty schools.
But students are concerned about whether their credits will transfer.
"I'm halfway done, and we're hoping all those hours can be transferred, because they told me [I've taken] over 40 hours that can't be transferred. But in this situation, we hope they make an exception," said student Shatora Rand.
Students will only be allowed to go in and collect their personal items on Thursday, Sept. 29, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 30, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
After that, Regency said, it would no longer have access to its buildings. Students of the school can click here for more information.
Read the full statement from Regency below:
"This is incredibly difficult news for everyone affected: especially our students, teachers, and staff. We recognize that some of you may be finding this out for the first time by reading this. We are truly sorry for the abrupt nature of this information.How did this happen? In short, the organization does not have the cash to continue to run the business. There are multiple intertwined reasons: declining numbers of cosmetology students nationwide, a negative characterization of for-profit education by regulators and politicians that continues to worsen and, in light of these factors, an inability to obtain continued financing.
This is not another case of a school being forced to shut down because it was accused of wrongdoing. We held ourselves to high educational and ethical standards. The environment is simply not one that allows us to remain open. We diligently explored a range of strategic options that would benefit our students, teachers, and staff — and allow us to remain open. Unfortunately, those efforts were not successful."
AVEDA Institute Dallas confirmed Thursday that it is offering to help students during this time.
"Aveda Institutes would like to offer our heartfelt support to Regency Beauty Institute’s staff and students during this time of transition. At Aveda, we care for the world around us and make it a priority to foster and develop our students’ love and passion for the beauty industry. We feel confident that Regency wanted to provide the very best education for their students and are saddened to see so many affected by this closure. We remain 100% committed to our industry and will be opening our doors to Regency students to discuss options for completing their education. Students are invited to attend open houses Friday, September 30 from 3:00pm-5:00pm."
Go here for more information about AVEDA.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says it is investigating how to help students affected.
“TDLR staff found out about the sudden closure of Regency Beauty Institute late last night," Susan Stanford with TDLR said. "Our immediate and main concern is for the students. We are meeting in Austin [Thursday] to determine the best plan to assist the students.”