DAYTON (WDTN) — Students at a Dayton Cosmetology School were left stunned on Wednesday night when they learned their school was closing it’s doors.

Regency Cosmetology School on Miamisburg-Centerville Road sent automated phone and text messages to students informing them the school was closing effective immediately.

A statement on the school’s website read, in part, “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 website, regency.edu, says all 79 campuses nationwide were closing, citing financial reasons, declining enrollment and increasing pressure on for-profit schools as reasons for the closure.

Students gathered outside the Dayton campus, expressing concern and anger over the way the announcement was made.

“Completely, 100 percent out of the blue,” Norma Rogers-Parks said. “We have people graduating in less than a week, people graduating in three weeks and there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Rogers-Parks said there were nearly 30 full or part-time students at Regency’s Dayton campus. And, she says it’s not just those students who were affected by Regency’s decision to close.

“They had new people coming in today (Wednesday) that signed their papers stating that they wanted to go further with the financial aid process to become a student here at Regency, and it was all a lie,” Rogers-Parks said.

A flier posted on the door of the Dayton campus said that students had to get their personal items on Thursday from 3-5 p.m. or on Friday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

As for tuition already collected by the school, Rogers-Parks said the school hasn’t let students know if they’ll get their money back, or if any of the credit hours they’ve earned will be transferable to other schools.

Rogers-Parks said she earned 450 of the necessary 1,500 credit hours to graduate. She says she’s considering a transfer to another school, but she’s unsure what to do right now.

“I have no idea, honestly,” Rogers-Parks said. “This is my dream.”

“I’ve been doing this for eight years, just trying to get a career out of it,” Rogers-Parks said. “This is what I’m good at and now I’m at a roadblock.”

To see Regency’s complete statement on closing, click here.