Not all talk is cheap. Especially not if it comes from the mouths of professors, former corporate executives, or Washington insiders who understand the workings of the $20-billion for-profit higher-education industry and how impending tougher regulations might affect it. Then the talk can be worth hundreds of dollars an hour, thanks to the growing…

"Doing well by doing good" is the business mantra of the for-profit-college industry. But one does not have to look far to find people who question the slogan's sincerity or the very legitimacy of that model. And that was even before reports of some companies' abusive student-recruiting practices and questionable educational standards fed a public…

For-profit colleges are some of the biggest critics of the federal graduation rate, arguing that it gives an inaccurate image of their institutions. They point out that the official calculation doesn't take into account the vast majority of the students who attend their institutions, most of whom are neither "first-time" nor "full-time." So major…

Describes the financial and stock performance of companies in the higher education sector during 2000, and describes how the Chronicle of Higher Education's stock index of for-profit colleges has shown a return of 108 percent since the end of 1999. (EV)

Discusses how Kaplan, the test-preparation company, has purchased 41 for-profit higher education institutions in less than two years, thereby becoming an industry player. (EV)

Describes how for-profit education companies see advanced degrees for school teachers as a growth market (EV)

Describes how Temple University ended Virtual Temple, its for-profit distance education effort, saying that such companies cannot make money. However, universities with similar programs--such as Columbia, Cornell, New York University, and the University of Maryland--disagree. (EV)

Describes how for-profit education companies are taking their turf battle overseas by buying colleges and creating networks with local partners. (EV)

Discusses how private-equity funds are pouring millions of dollars into higher-education companies, and that college endowments are among the investors. (EV)

The new president of American InterContinental University bought the for-profit institution and plans to distinguish it from others by offering students fast-paced programs providing "good return" on tuition investment. The growth strategy is built on the concept of "power campuses": new branches specializing in business…

Sylvan Learning Systems, a company best known for its tutoring and testing operations, plans to create a network of private, for-profit universities in a dozen countries overseas, at the rate of about one institution a year. The director of the U.S. Information Agency will leave his post to head the venture. The plan has received mixed reactions.…

Describes articulation agreements, special recruiting efforts, special degrees, scholarships, and convenient locations as some of the ways for-profit institutions are actively pursuing community college students. For-profit institutions are increasingly "transfer friendly," as several examples illustrate. (SLD)

Describes the growth of Argosy Education Group Inc., the nation's largest for-profit provider of doctoral programs, especially doctorates in clinical psychology, through its 10-campus chain of American Schools of Professional Psychology, as well as doctorates in education and business through the University of Sarasota (Florida). Critics focus on…

Known primarily for its tutoring and testing of grade-school and high-school students, for-profit Sylvan Learning Systems has developed interests in distance education, teacher education, English-language training, and college-level study outside the United States. The company is consciously stepping up its presence in areas associated with higher…