December 10, 2019

FTC Nails University of Phoenix For Ad Whose Deceptions Reflect Disturbing Deal

I’ve written here before about the shameful practice of many large employers offering a dubious benefit to their employees: “discounted” tuition to overpriced for-profit colleges, some of them schools that have faced numerous law enforcement actions for fraud and deception. I’ve questioned why these employers would want to steer their employees to schools that ruin
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November 20, 2018

Scam Websites Tried to Trick Military Recruits Into Entering For-Profit Colleges

We reported in September on a Federal Trade Commission action to shut down a chain of scam websites aimed at attracting people who wanted to join the U.S. military. Sites operating at domains including Army.com, Air-Force.com, and Navyenlist.com seemed like official military portals, but their real aim was to steer visitors to high-priced, low-quality for-profit
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January 27, 2016

Federal Trade Commission Sues For-Profit DeVry For Deceiving Students

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today filed a lawsuit against one of the largest for-profit colleges, DeVry University, for allegedly misleading students about job placement rates and salaries for the school’s graduates.  The FTC complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges, “Through the use of English and Spanish-language advertisements and other marketing materials,
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October 6, 2015

For-Profit Colleges Appear to Use Random WASP College Name Generator

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Yesterday, Birmingham, Alabama-based for-profit college company Education Corporation of America (ECA) announced the new name for the campuses, until now called Kaplan College, that it recently bought from Graham Holdings Company. The schools will henceforth be known as “Brightwood College.” Are the schools to be named after New England education pioneer Jebediah Brightwood?  Nope. It appears that there
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April 9, 2014

Law Enforcement Investigations and Actions Regarding For-Profit Colleges

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Pending and past federal and state government investigations and actions regarding for-profit colleges Compiled by David Halperin, Attorney, Washington DC       UPDATED 03-05-24 This is a list of pending and past significant federal and state civil and criminal law enforcement investigations of, and actions against, for-profit colleges. It also includes some major investigations
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March 31, 2014

Quiz: Which For-Profit College Are You?

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Time to find out how badly you rip off students and taxpayers.   Read the book here. PARODY. Not affiliated with anyone else’s Feed. This article also appears on Huffington Post.

November 18, 2013

Finally, A Chance To Curb the Abuses of For-Profit Colleges

Outside the room where the Department of Education holds its rulemaking sessions. Two of past three Assistant Secretaries for Post-Secondary Education later became lobbyists for for-profit colleges.

This morning, in a packed room on the 8th floor of a K Street building, the U.S. Department of Education resumes talks in pursuit of a “gainful employment” rule aimed at penalizing for-profit colleges that leave students deep in debt and without decent paying jobs. It’s called a “negotiated rulemaking,” bringing together representatives of schools, students,
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October 14, 2013

More Trouble for For-Profit Colleges: They Can’t Keep Calling Your Cell

The for-profit college industry is under pressure. Many of its biggest companies are being investigated by federal agencies and state attorneys general for fraud and misrepresentation — deceiving students, regulators, and investors about job placement rates, costs and quality of programs, transferability of credits, and other matters. Enrollments are down, and share prices have been
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