I’m not so sure that schools keeping money is an “atrocious unethical practice”. If you are offered a course placement it is encumbent on you to fulfil the terms of that placement, since the course could have been utilised by somebody else who did. I doubt there are many institutions who would refund you for poor effort or attainment on your part. This is particularly so when the school has made every reasonable effort to keep you on track through the course. Where the terms and conditions make clear the forfeiture for failure on the students part, you either accept them or you don’t. If the supplier has breached the terms of the contract then you have the option of redress through the courts.