Peru Fines University for Charging Student for Unattended Semester, Improper Credit Reporting

Peru's National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Intellectual Property (Indecopi) has sanctioned Universidad Privada del Norte (UPN) for wrongly charging a student S/3,376 for an academic semester she had withdrawn from before it began. The university also improperly reported the debt to a credit bureau and failed to provide clear instructions on how to formally withdraw.

The case originated from a student's complaint. She argued that UPN demanded payment for the Industrial Engineering program despite her timely notification of withdrawal before the start of the 2025-I academic semester. During the investigation, UPN acknowledged the charges, confirming its responsibility for multiple violations of the Consumer Protection and Defense Code.

Indecopi found UPN committed three infractions: improperly charging the debt, using abusive collection methods by reporting to Infocorp (a credit bureau), and not providing adequate information about the withdrawal process. Consequently, the university received three reprimands, one for each violation.

In addition to the reprimands, Indecopi mandated corrective actions. UPN must remove the debt from its records, halt all related collection activities, issue a certificate confirming no outstanding balance, and remove the negative credit report. The university must also provide the student with clear withdrawal procedures and pay S/36 in procedural costs. Indecopi noted that any claim for damages would need to be pursued separately.