GREENWOOD, Ind. (WTHR) - Regency Beauty Institute announced Wednesday night they are shutting down.
The for-profit school is closing all 79 of its campuses nationwide, which includes three in central Indiana. The school issued a statement saying it doesn't have the cash to continue to run the business.
"It's just been a whirlwind," said student Kasey Neff. "Like for a while, I thought it was a dream, 'til I woke up this morning and it's still going on, it's still hard for all of us."
The cosmetology school suddenly shuttered all 79 of its campuses nationwide, including branches in Castleton, Avon and Greenwood.
- RELATED: Regency Beauty Institute website
Neff is halfway through her studies to become a cosmetologist. After six months of classes and paying tuition, her future is uncertain.
"I have no idea where my money is...that I've paid my tuition so far, I don't know if I'll ever get it back or not but...I just, I just want to continue what I'm doing," she said.
This is the second for-profit trade school to close down just this past month, once again leaving thousands of students wondering if they can finish their degrees and also how much money they have lost.
On September 6, ITT Technical Institute suddenly closed its doors. The Carmel-based college had more than a hundred campuses nationwide with 40,000 students and 8,000 employees.
"What do I do from here? I'm really not sure," said instructor Lisa Reams, who’s taught at Regency’s Greenwood branch for the past two years.
While Regency is a much smaller college, the impact for those affected is huge.
"The main thing we want to do as educators is we want to help these students," said Reams.
Reams says that means assisting students with getting into a new beauty school. While some credits might transfer, tuition that has been pre-paid may be lost.
"Just don't know how that's gonna go. It's so fresh, so new. And just such a shock. None of us knew anything until 6 o'clock last night. We had no clue at all, yesterday was business as usual," she said.
A day later and a new reality.
"We're just here to support each other and to move on from here," said Neff.
Students and their teachers looking for a fresh start.
