But in November 2008, she was abruptly dismissed from the program without warning, Whitaker said.

"They told me my grades were not acceptable and that I was unprepared," Whitaker said. "I knew I was passing prior to my final exam. But I was told very rudely that I had failed."

Whitaker, 39, wasn't alone. Ten other students were booted from the program for similar reasons, she said. It was too late for any of them to get refunds on the $22,000 each had paid in tuition.

Whitaker said she appealed and asked to see her graded final exam.

"They said no," Whitaker said, and told her to consider becoming a practical nurse instead.

Today, Whitaker and four of the former nursing students filed suit against the school in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleging breach of contract and fraud.

The group's attorney, Vivienne Crawford, said the school lacked qualified instructors and consistently ran out of supplies as basic as latex gloves and needles.

Crawford also said school administrators never told students that the program had not been accredited. The lawsuit also claims that the state told the school to close its clinical training due to a low pass rate and was placed on provisional status in April, 2008 for failing to comply.

School officials did not return several calls seeking comment.

"They knew we weren't getting the education we were paying for," Whitaker said. "They didn't do what they said they were going to do, which was teach us to be nurses."

The students who filed suit are all African American and describe themselves as members of the Liberation of Students Rights Group of Philadelphia.

Twenty of the school's first class of 30 students graduated in 2007, according to the school's Web site.

The school, based at Girard Medical Center in the city's Francisville section, was placed on provisional-approval status in spring 2008 by the State Board of Nursing because of its low student pass rates, Dean Carole Baxter told The Inquirer in July.

Baxter said the school is well-equipped and has an able faculty. She also said it was "not uncommon" for the accreditation of a new school to take years.

The 12-month program, which prepares students to take certification exams to become registered nurses, was established in 2006 with financial help from the state, said Crawford, the students' attorney. It was designed to increase the number of registered nurses who would then work in North Philadelphia's underserved community.

Since her dismissal Whitaker, the mother of two children, has put her studies on hold and is looking for a job.

She still owes $22,000 in loans she took out to pay St. Joseph's tuition.

Crawford said the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

"The price tag for each student is different," Crawford said. "Some are single mothers who put their entire lives on hold. It's been a horrendous nightmare. They did not know until the second semester that the school was not accredited."

Whitaker would be happy to recoup the tuition, she said, but said the suit is not just about money.

"Ideally, we want our dreams to become registered nurses to come true," she said. "We've put in the work and done everything we've been required to do."