How do you build the Harvard University of the for-profit college sector? That’s perhaps a silly question at face value but the question reveals the challenge of manufacturing prestige and legitimacy in a higher education system that is fundamentally ordered by the former and fueled by the latter, frequently in the form of accreditation.
A common lament about higher education is that it has become more of a private good than a public one, with students as consumers and colleges as businesses focused on hawking their product. But that model won’t cut it anymore, at least not for the nation’s largest regional accreditor, which in January redefined what an institution’s philosophical bottom line should be.
A federal court has again ruled against the U.S. Department of Education on its “gainful employment” regulations, with a decision that is likely to complicate a possible appeal. It could also fuel broader debates about government data collection in higher education.
In an unusual partnership, Thunderbird School of Global Management today announced it is forming a partnership with a for-profit educational provider, Laureate Education, to offer educational programs around the world.
Officials at community colleges, which along with for-profit institutions are the major recipients of federal work force development funds within higher education, have mixed views on the House bill.
The government says its plans to exempt for-profit higher education providers from VAT are developing, despite a Budget announcement postponing the proposals because of “significant concerns”.
The owners of America's big for-profit colleges have developed a big bag of tricks to keep tens of billions of federal dollars flowing their way, regardless of the bad consequences for students and taxpayers. Every time we think we've seen it all, a new brazen tactic emerges.
Wisconsin’s Educational Approval Board, which decides whether for-profit colleges can operate in the state, has shut down a committee that was charged with developing accountability standards for the colleges, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Much of the criticism of for-profit higher education relies on the assumption of an unavoidable tension between quality and profit. This tension typically is framed in a way in which the pursuit of profit is directly connected to reduction in quality, requiring countervailing external regulations and explicitly enforced internal safeguards.
After being in the doghouse for more than two years, for-profit colleges such as Apollo (APOL), DeVry (DV), Corinthian College (COCO), and Strayer College (STRA) are rallying today - Apollo reported better-than-expected profits this morning. Does it mean that the sector has turned the corner? Should investors go bargain hunting in the sector?
For most of the past decade, private for-profit educational institutions were the fastest growing—and arguably the most visible—part of U.S. higher education.
For-profit colleges look worse than ever following a study from Stanford's Caroline M. Hoxby and Harvard's Christopher Avery. The new study found that for-profit schools spend much less on instructional cost per student than all other schools.
For-profit colleges are finding it tougher to do business in general these days, but particularly in California. They’re feeling the effects of negative publicity about the for-profit sector, tighter federal regulatory controls, and a somewhat better economy, meaning that more people can find jobs without turning to college to learn new skills or improve existing ones.