GLEN ELLYN, Ill. (CBS) – Several students studying at the College of DuPage to become ultrasound technicians say they’ve wasted thousands of dollars in the program and are considering a lawsuit against the college.

Liz Franke is one of them. She’s 33-years old, and was inspired to change careers by an ultrasound technician she credits with saving her son’s life.

Now, she and others say the College of DuPage’s ultrasound program leadership decides on a whim who’ll go on in the program, that COD takes tuition for a class that doesn’t exist and gives arbitrary grades for that class, and that students are subjected to bullying by the head of the program.

Franke says program leaders decide before proficiency exams are given who will not go on in the program.

Liz Franke plans to apply elsewhere. She says, “This is an unfair playing field, and I’m not going to put my family and myself and my finances through another year.”

Another student, 49-year old Renee Daniel of Bartlett, says she had mostly “A”s in her classes and passed two of her proficiency scans, but made one mistake in her third proficiency and was dropped from the program.

Daniel says she can’t understand why she was dropped, and that she’s looking for a lawyer to take her case. She says she used up all her life’s savings, and still has college loans to pay off.

Meeghan Sheppard, of Evergreen Park, says she received “pushback and intimidation tactics” for asking basic questions. She also complains that, with minimal training, students are given 10 minutes to perform ultrasound scans that in-hospital techicians get 30 minutes for.

College of DuPage spokesman Joe Moore says COD is investigating the students’ claims.

On the sonography program’s homepage, one student credits the staff and professors with helping her reach her true potential.