For-Profit Colleges

For the last several years, regulators have focused their attention on the for-profit college industry. Through registered complaints by students, independent investigations conducted by media outlets and federal-state government agencies, revelations have emerged detailing the misrepresentations and outright deceptive practices of these universities. According to a PBS Frontline investigation "for-profits had charged students nearly five times as much as community colleges, while getting the bulk of their revenue, up to 90 percent, from student loans and grants — often from the federal government." This has led many state attorneys general and federal regulators to investigate and file suit against the industry, shutting down several of these schools in the process.

Investigations

• A Subprime Education, Frontline PBS (Sept. 2016).

Cases

• Corinthian Colleges, Inc. 
   
• Education Management Corporation 

Advocacy

• Annie Waldman,  Attorneys General Come Down on Accreditor of For-profit Colleges, ProPublica (Apr. 11, 2016).

Legislation/Regulation

• U.S. Department of Education Final Regulations Draft (Oct. 2016).