Greater State Scrutiny Needed for For-Profit Colleges
End Notes
[1] National Center for Education Statistics, “Undergraduate Enrollment,” updated May 2020, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cha.asp.
[2] For details, see Victoria Jackson and Matt Saenz, “States Can Choose Better Path for Higher Education Funding in COVID-19 Recession,” CBPP, February 17, 2021, https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-can-choose-better-path-for-higher-education-funding-in-covid.
[3] National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, “COVID-19: Stay Informed,” accessed February 4, 2021, https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Alejandro Vazquez-Martinez and Michael Hansen, “For-Profit Colleges Drastically Outspend Competing Institutions on Advertising,” Brookings Institution, May 19, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/05/19/for-profit-colleges-advertising/.
[6] National Center for Education Statistics, Table 311.15. Number and percentage of students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by distance education participation, location of student, level of enrollment, and control and level of institution: Fall 2017 and fall 2018 (prepared December 2019), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_311.15.asp.
[7] Robert Shireman, “The For-Profit College Story: Scandal, Regulate, Forget, Repeat” Century Foundation, January 24, 2017, https://tcf.org/content/report/profit-college-story-scandal-regulate-forget-repeat/.
[8] Sandy Baum et al., “Trends in Student Aid 2019,” College Board, November 2019, https://research.collegeboard.org/pdf/trends-student-aid-2019-full-report.pdf.
[9] Stephanie Riegg Cellini and Cory Koedel, “The Case for Limiting Federal Student Aid to For-Profit Colleges,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 36, No. 4, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22008.
[10] Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “Feds found widespread fraud at Corinthian Colleges. Why are students still paying the price?” Washington Post, September 29, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/09/29/feds-found-widespread-fraud-at-corinthian-colleges-why-are-students-still-paying-the-price/; Rowan Moore-Gerety, “What Former Employees Say ITT Tech Did To Scam Its Students,” NPR.org, December 7, 2016, https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/07/502601724/what-former-employees-say-itt-tech-did-to-scam-its-students; Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “Argosy University closes its doors; students scramble to transfer,” Washington Post, March 10, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/09/argosy-university-closes-its-doors-students-scramble-transfer/.
[11] U.S. Department of Education, “Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Increases Accountability for Low-Performing For-Profit Institutions,” July 1, 2015, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-obama-administration-increases-accountability-low-performing-profit-institutions.
[12] Erica L. Green, “DeVos Repeals Obama-Era Rule Cracking Down on For-Profit Colleges,” New York Times, June 28, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/us/politics/betsy-devos-for-profit-colleges.html.
[13] Robin Howarth and Lisa Stifler, “The Failings of Online For-Profit Colleges: Findings from Student Borrower Focus Groups,” Brooking Economic Studies Program, March 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/The-Failings-of-Online-For-profit-Colleges.pdf; Kimberly Hefling, “Vets to Congress: Cut off for-profit colleges’ incentive to recruit student veterans,” Politico, March 29, 2019, https://politi.co/2FIqqlQ; Julie Anderson, Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, and Barbara Gault, “Single Mothers Overrepresented at For-Profit Colleges,” Institute for Women’s Policy Research, September 6, 2017, https://iwpr.org/iwpr-general/single-mothers-overrepresented-at-for-profit-colleges/.
[14] Stephanie Hall, Ramond Curtis, and Carrie Wofford, “What States Can Do to Protect Students from Predatory For-Profit Colleges,” Century Foundation, May 26, 2020, https://tcf.org/content/report/states-can-protect-students-predatory-profit-colleges/.
[15] The American Rescue Plan now being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives would provide $40 billion in relief funding for institutions of higher education and would address the 90/10 loophole related to veterans’ educational benefits.
[16] Vivien Lee and Adam Looney, “Understanding the 90/10 Rule: How Reliant Are Public, Private, and For-Profit Institutions on Federal Aid?” Brookings Institution, January 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ES_20190116_Looney-90-10.pdf.
[17] National Association of State Student Grant & Aid Programs, “NASSGAP Annual Survey,” accessed February 16, 2021, https://www.nassgapsurvey.com/.
[18] Ohio Department of Education, “Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG),” accessed February 16, 2021, https://www.ohiohighered.org/ocog.
[19] Victoria Jackson, “Building better need-based aid in Ohio,” Policy Matters Ohio, May 10, 2019, https://www.policymattersohio.org/research-policy/quality-ohio/education-training/higher-education/building-better-need-based-aid-in-ohio.
[20] Hall, Curtis, and Wofford, op. cit.
[21] Ibid.
[22] The Century Foundation has a comprehensive set of steps states can take to protect students from predatory for-profit colleges. For the detailed list of recommendations, see Hall, Curtis, and Wofford, op. cit.