Last week, the U.S. Dept. of Education finally passed a somewhat compromised rule aimed at reining in for-profit colleges by penalizing them if too many of their graduates failed to succeed. But even that flawed rule is too much for a group representing for-profit colleges, which labeled it “arbitrary and irrational” in a lawsuit seeking to block it. [More]
for-profit colleges
Rule Aims To Hold For-Profit Schools Accountable For Grads’ Success, But May Fall Short
By 10.30.14
The Dept. of Education has been trying for years to craft a “gainful employment” rule that would penalize schools — mostly for-profit career training programs — by taking away access to federal funds if they fail to provide the adequate tools for their students to find work. Two years after failing to enact a heavily compromised version of these rules, the Ed. Dept. folks have unveiled the latest version with stricter guidelines, but which some consumer groups say don’t do enough to protect students at these schools. [More]
Group Makes Debt Disappear, Pays $3.9M Toward For-Profit Students’ Outstanding Private Loans
By 9.17.14
If you’re one of the millions of consumers saddled with hard to repay student loan debt, you’ve probably dreamed of the day when your repayment obligation is finished. While it will take most of us years to reach that fine day, others are finding their student loan debt have been paid in full by a group of strangers. [More]
John Oliver On For-Profit Colleges: You Might As Well Go To Hogwarts
By 9.8.14
What would it look like if you condensed all our hundreds of stories about student loans and for-profit colleges into a profanity-filled, hilarious rant that takes a brief detour to discuss Lyndon Johnson’s scrotum? John Oliver answered that question on Sunday night. [More]
Regulations Help To Rein In Runaway For-Profit Colleges, But Schools Still Find Loopholes
By 8.15.14
If a company routinely charges more for its products than the competition and its product is often inferior to the more affordable option, that business won’t remain open for long. But thanks to deep-pocketed backers and a government that has handed over hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student aid without asking too many questions, the for-profit college industry continues to rake in the bucks while frequently leaving its students with subpar educations and faint employment hopes. Some federal regulators have attempted to make the industry more accountable, but these schools continue to take advantage of loopholes while legislators and consumer advocates scramble to make reform. [More]
There Are So Many Things Wrong With This Everest University Job Posting That We Might Cry
By 8.14.14
Earlier this summer Corinthian Colleges proved to be in it for the long haul when, despite striking a deal with the Dept. of Education to either sell off or close most of its schools, it continued to pepper television airways with ads and badger attendees at college fairs in order to entice students to enroll. Now the company is showing that those questionable marketing skills aren’t just for students, but also to hook potential educators and support staff. [More]
Corinthian Colleges Subpoenaed In Possible Criminal Investigation
By 8.14.14
Corinthian Colleges — the company that operates for-profit college chains like Everest, WyoTech, and Heald — is already under investigation by various state and federal regulators, but the company has disclosed to its investors that it may also be the subject of a criminal probe by federal prosecutors. [More]
Comcast Makes Money Off Everest University Ads, Even As Schools Are Being Sold Or Closed
By 7.31.14
Earlier this summer, facing lawsuits and investigations from multiple state and federal agencies, Corinthian Colleges Inc. struck a deal with the U.S. Dept. of Education to either sell off or wind-down most its schools, including Everest University, WyoTech, and Heald College. Yet Corinthian continues to plague the airways with ads, enticing potential students into enrolling in schools that may not exist in a few months. And guess who is making money off the ads? The folks at Comcast. [More]
Aggressive Recruiting At Military Bases Pays Off: For-Profit Schools Received $1.7B Of Post-9/11 GI Bill Funds
By 7.30.14
The Post 9/11 GI Bill aims to further the education of United States servicemembers and their immediate family members, but a new government report reveals that most of those funds are going to further increase the bottomline at for-profit colleges. [More]
Corinthian Colleges Continued Lobbying During Negotiations With Dept. Of Education
By 7.25.14
You can’t say they didn’t try. Corinthian Colleges Inc. – the for-profit college operation behind chains Everest, Heald and WyoTech – spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for lobbying right up until it was announced that its schools would be closing or sold. [More]
Corinthian Colleges Employee: “We Work For The Biggest Scam Company In The World”
By 7.24.14
Corinthian Colleges — the operator of for-profit school chains Everest University, WyoTech, and Heald Colleges — is selling off or shutting down campuses as it faces lawsuits and investigations from multiple state and federal agencies. The allegations involve bogus job-placement stats, grade manipulation, and misleading marketing. We recently spoke to several current and former CCI teachers and admissions staffers who confirmed these bad practices and explained that it was all done in pursuit of billions of dollars in federal aid from taxpayers. [More]
Proposed Bill Would Keep Many For-Profit Schools From Targeting Military Servicemembers
By 7.22.14
Legislation making its way though the Senate could put an end to for-profit marketing campaigns targeting servicemembers and their families by changing the way in which those schools count student aid. [More]
Your Corinthian-Operated School Is Closing, But You Might Not Be Completely Screwed
By 7.18.14
It’s not everyday that a higher education institution shuts down or announces it might be sold. But for the thousands of students attending Corinthian College Inc. (CCI) schools — like Everest University, WyoTech, or Heald College –– that’s their new reality, and it’s one that leaves more questions than answers. [More]
Student: Corinthian Colleges’ Demise Is Like “Watching A House Fall On A Witch”
By 7.17.14
The downfall of Corinthian Colleges — the operator of Everest University, WyoTech, and Heald College — has put for-profit education chains in the spotlight, with people focusing on allegations of bogus job-placement statistics, grade manipulation, questionable marketing practices, and speculation regarding what will happen to $1.4 billion in federal student aid. But what about the actual students who have been watching this collapse from the inside? What about their stories? [More]
Corinthian Employees: School Manipulated Grades, Job-Placement Stats To Score Federal Aid Money
By 7.16.14
When a college touts its job-placement statistics to prospective students and investors, does that number only refer to graduates who have jobs in their field of study? What about people who have decent jobs that aren’t in that field, but which they wouldn’t have gotten without the extra schooling? And should that stat include every grad who is earning any sort of paycheck, regardless of how meager the income or how unrelated to their education? [More]
Everest University Campuses Closing; Senator Warns Consumers Not To Enroll
By 7.9.14
Students at Everest University (also known as Everest College) – one of the schools owned by under-fire for-profit education group Corinthian Colleges Inc. – received some not so comforting news yesterday: their schools are on the chopping block as part of group’s deal with the Department of Education. And that doesn’t come a minute too soon for one legislator who is now warning consumers not to enroll at the campuses. [More]
Corinthian Colleges To Sell Off 85 Campuses; Close 12 Others
By 7.7.14
While most of us spent the July 4th weekend relaxing and trying to not think about work or school, the folks at faltering for-profit education company Corinthian Colleges — operators of Everest University, WyoTech, and Heald College — were busy slapping For Sale signs on almost all of their campuses around the country. [More]
The Government Has 1.2 Billion Reasons To Keep Corinthian Colleges Afloat
By 7.2.14
For the last week, we’ve been telling you about the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. Dept. of Education and Corinthian Colleges, the operators of the for-profit Everest University, WyoTech, and Heald College chains, that would sell off some of the schools and wind-down the others. Some people have asked why the government doesn’t just let Corinthian collapse. Part of the reason is that it would leave some 72,000 students in the lurch, but a big motivating factor is that the government could end waving bye-bye to more than $1 billion in student loan debt. [More]
