Ashford University Holding my transcripts and Associates Degree San Diego California

 I attended Ashford University from September 2010 through December 2013. I graduated with my Associate's degree in Organizational Management. Do I have any documentation showing that I graduated?? NO!

When I began school at Ashford, I started out doing my Bachelor's degree. I did end up dropping to an Associate's when life started to get a little rough and school was just too much for me and my family at the time.  I called the school, worked everything out, straightened out my financial aid (or so I thought) and I moved forward with finishing up the dgree. 

About 2 weeks after I dropped to the Associate's degree, the financial lady calls and tells me that they made a mistake doing my financial aid package and now I didn't receive enough funds to cover the cost of my classes.  My choices were, A. Pay the amount now (I believe it was like $5000.00) or the school could "loan" me the money to cover the classes and I could make monthly payments to pay them back.

Never once was I told I wouldn't receive my degree until this amount was paid in full.

I made my monthly payments and fell on a hard few months where my marriage was struggling.  I missed two payments and BAM my account is in collections and now they want the FULL amount to release my degree. Well if I am already having a hard time, what makes them think I have $3000 laying around.

Here I am almost 2 years after I graduated from this slimy school, and I still have no degree, not even transcripts saying I have a degree. But I sure am having to pay that $200/mo payment to the government for letting me "borrow" that money to go to school.

So, even if I pay off the $3000 to the credit collector, how do I know if I will EVER see my degree?? How is this even legal?

Should I seek an attorney?