Last year, the Department of Defense took a bold move against the University of Phoenix, placing the nation’s largest for-profit college on probation and putting tuition assistance for active-duty students at the school at risk. This gave the rest of the for-profit education industry notice that the DoD was not going to stand idly and let those institutions exploit veterans.
The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against DeVry University, alleging that its advertisements deceived applicants about the likelihood that students would find jobs in their fields of study and be offered superior salaries post-graduation.
Service members and veterans are attractive candidates for any college or university. There are many esteemed universities that court us for the diversity and dynamic perspective we bring to campus, but some other schools want us for other reasons. We often are suckered into attending schools that are more expensive, have lower graduation rates, and are perceived as worthless by many employers.
If three colleges owned by a for-profit education company facing bankruptcy, the closure of all its campuses, and a long history of substandard education and graduation rates can’t be put on a “not recommended” list, who can?
The sweeping bipartisan Veterans Affairs reform bill signed by President Barack Obama on Thursday failed to address a long-time loophole that allows for-profit schools and universities to rake in billions of dollars in federal GI Bill money.
