When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos hit “reset” on revamped Borrower Defense rules that aim to ensure students at troubled schools weren’t left with nothing but debt if their college collapsed, she noted that students who had already submitted claims for loan forgiveness wouldn’t be affected. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, as the Dept. hasn’t approved a single application in nearly six months. [More]
university of phoenix
University Of Phoenix To Stop Stripping Students Of Their Right To Sue School
By 5.19.16
A recent study found that student enrollment agreements at virtually all of the nation’s biggest for-profit colleges have forced arbitration clauses that strip students of their rights to file a lawsuit against the school, and in most cases bar students from joining their similar or identical disputes together. Under pressure from lawmakers and consumer advocates who questioned how these schools could continue to take billions in federal aid while trying to avoid accountability in the courtroom, the nation’s biggest for-profit educator has decided to stop using the controversial arbitration clauses. [More]
Student Loan Companies Tell Congress: Debt-Collection Robocalls Are In Borrowers’ Best Interest
By 3.10.16
Show me someone who supports robocalls, and I’ll show you someone that has very few friends. Which is why it’s baffling that the Senate has yet to act on a bill introduced last fall that would close a loophole allowing the government to make debt-collection robocalls. But you know who does support robocalls? The student loan companies that are currently trying to convince Congress that these invasive annoyances are really for our benefit. [More]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Claims University Of Phoenix Defrauded The Federal Government
By 3.9.16
You can now add the University of Phoenix and its parent company, Apollo Education Group, to the list of for-profit educators who find themselves on the defendant end of a whistleblower lawsuit. A former Phoenix employee is accusing the company of submitting false student aid information in order to receive federal funding it was not entitled to. [More]
AGs Seek Better Protections For Servicemembers Deceived By For-Profit Colleges
By 2.29.16
Federal regulators must do more to protect servicemembers from unscrupulous colleges seeking to get their hands on their education benefits. That’s the message eight states want to get across to the secretary of Veteran Affairs following reports that some for-profit colleges target military personnel using predatory practices. [More]
Struggling University Of Phoenix Parent Company To Go Private
By 2.8.16
Between its sinking stock price, sagging enrollment, and the hot spotlight of federal investigations, the nation’s largest for-profit education chain has decided to go private. [More]
Judge Orders University Of Phoenix Parent Company To Turn Over Documents To Feds
By 1.19.16
Just because the University of Phoenix may be able to once again recruit on military bases and enroll new students using the military tuition assistance program doesn’t mean the for-profit college behemoth’s problems are behind it. Instead, a court ruled last week that the school’s parent company, Apollo Education Group, must provide records requested by federal investigators nearly six months ago. [More]
University Of Phoenix May Be Up For Sale
By 1.11.16
Increased government scrutiny and falling enrollment at the University of Phoenix may be too much for Apollo Education Group, the parent company of the for-profit college mega chain. The company is reportedly exploring its options on what to do with the school, including a sale. [More]
Lawmakers Continue Crusade To Rein In For-Profit Colleges Targeting Servicemembers
By 11.10.15
In recent months federal regulators and government agencies have increased scrutiny of for-profit colleges and their interactions with servicemembers, veterans and their families. Today, lawmakers furthered that mission by introducing legislation that would restore previous limits on how much money these educational institutions can receive from the federal government via military benefits and other programs. [More]
Chairman Of University Of Phoenix Parent Company Dumps Millions Of Dollars In Stocks
By 11.2.15
Just a week after University of Phoenix’s parent company Apollo Education Group attempted to tone down the role the troubled for-profit college has played in the company’s falling stock prices and public image, new regulatory filings show the corporation’s own chairman may not have the same faith in the organization, as he dumped nearly $10 million in company stock. [More]
University Of Phoenix Parent Company Tries To Explain Sinking Stock Price
By 10.23.15
For the second time this year, University of Phoenix’s parent company Apollo Education Group attempted to tone down the role the troubled for-profit college has played in the company’s falling stock prices and public image during a phone call with investors. [More]
Under-Investigation Educators Still Received $8.1B In Federal Funds Last Year
By 10.13.15
The federal government has ramped up its efforts to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive for-profit colleges in recent years: implementing so-called gainful employment rules this summer, discharging millions of dollars in student loans for students who were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges and restricting the University of Phoenix’s ability to participate in tuition-assistance programs for active-duty servicemembers. Still, these steps appear to have done little to keep questionable for-profit colleges from getting their hands on billions of dollars in funding straight from the government. [More]
University Of Phoenix Barred From Military Bases, Using New Tuition Assistance Funds
By 10.9.15
For-profit college chains like the University of Phoenix spend a lot of time and money recruiting active-duty military personnel. But the school has come under fire in recent months for allegedly crossing some legal lines in its efforts to attract students from the armed forces. Yesterday, Phoenix’s parent company revealed that the school is currently barred from recruiting on U.S. military installations, and that Department of Defense tuition assitance funds can not be used to pay for classes for new students. [More]
Servicemembers At Failing For-Profit Schools Not Protected By Veterans Affairs
By 8.18.15
When a for-profit college closes its doors, students are often left with hefty student loan tabs and little recourse. Some of those borrowers may be eligible for a discharge of their debts through the Dept. of Education, but others – like the thousands of veterans who used their GI Bill benefits to finance their education – are simply out of luck, often losing their chance to obtain a degree, thanks in part to failures within the Department of Veterans Affairs. [More]
University Of Phoenix Stops New Enrollment At 14 Campuses, 10 Learning Centers
By 8.13.15
The country’s largest for-profit college chain is about to get a bit smaller, as a new report reveals that The University of Phoenix is no longer accepting new enrollments at two dozen campuses and learning centers across the country. [More]
University Of Phoenix Faces Probe Into Military Recruiting Practices
By 8.10.15
A little more than a week after federal regulators set their sights on the University of Phoenix for possible deceptive and unfair business practices, the California Attorney General’s office is joining the investigation party by opening a probe into the for-profit college’s military recruitment practices. [More]
Regulators Investigating University Of Phoenix’s Business Practices
By 7.30.15
Apollo Education Group, owners of the country’s largest for-profit college – University of Phoenix – is the latest target for federal regulators set on reining in the for-profit education industry for engaging in allegedly deceptive marketing practices. [More]
List Of Transfer Schools For Corinthian College Students Includes Other For-Profit Chains Under Investigation
By 4.28.15
Just because students who attended the now closed Everest University, Heald College or WyoTech campuses can’t finish their college career with Corinthian Colleges Inc., doesn’t mean they can’t finish their education somewhere else. For student who would prefer to transfer to a similar program rather than receive a refund, the Department of Education has provided a list of viable colleges. But that list has quickly garnered criticism from lawmakers because it includes other for-profit education institutions under scrutiny. [More]
