California's legislature voted overwhelmingly to extend the charter of the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, which regulates most of the state's for-profit institutions and is credited with reducing fraudulent schools. The Republican governor, however, has vetoed the measure amid heavy lobbying by trade-school officials,…

Reports on trends to extend state student financial aid to students attending for-profit colleges. State legislatures are following the lead of Congress in treating proprietary institutions like traditional colleges. Examples from Colorado, Indiana, and Ohio are offered, as are data on the 10 states and territories that provide the largest share…

The student loan default rate was 9.6% in 1996, a decline of 12.8% since the 1990 peak, saving the federal government $3 billion over six years. Since 1993 the Department of Education has barred 1065 institutions, mostly for-profit trade schools, from participating in federal student loan programs; institutions with a 40% default rate can lose…

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…

The surge in federal aid to students at proprietary schools, many of whom drop out, means that students seeking bachelor's degrees at non-profit public and private institutions are getting less aid. Proprietary schools claim they are doing a better job of educating disadvantaged students. (MSE)

Increasingly, lawmakers are treating proprietary institutions like traditional colleges. Only six years ago, the for-profit trade schools were battling to avoid being thrown out of federal student aid programs. As reauthorization of the Higher Education Act approaches, signs suggest the schools may be treated as members of the higher education…

Discusses why, for these three liberal arts scholars, for-profit colleges offer an attractive alternative to traditional academe. (EV)

Believing they are threatened by the Education Department, which they consider unfriendly, officials of proprietary schools have made substantial campaign contributions over the past two years to shore up their support in Congress, just at the time lawmakers prepared to consider changes in student-aid rules that would be unfavorable to…

A commercial enterprise, the Teaching Company, is recruiting gifted college teachers to record courses on video and audio tape, to be marketed nationally in an adult education series. While some colleagues dismiss such ventures, participating faculty feel the company is helping their disciplines. Some of the company's competitors hire actors…

Describes how a federal program let a California for-profit institution, the Masters Institute, expand its distance education offerings, but then led to its closure because of findings of financial aid fraud. (EV)

Faculty at nonprofit colleges and universities are concerned about the quality of faculty at the for-profit University of Phoenix, and about the personnel policies that support them. This institution's faculty lacks tenure, and most teach part time. Ninety percent are fully employed elsewhere. The fast-paced courses and regimented curriculum are…

Colleges and universities will be held directly responsible for loan repayments by their former students. Most postsecondary institutions with default rates of more than 20% are for-profit trade schools, community colleges, or historically Black colleges. (MLW)

A study to examine the repayment of Guaranteed Student Loans is described. It found that most of the institutions with more than 60 percent of their student loans in default are proprietary schools. The study is aimed at helping state and federal policymakers make decisions on student-aid programs. (MLW)

More and more young Black males are choosing to enlist in the military, attend vocational and technical schools, or take jobs instead of going to college. Many yield to peer pressure and stop studying; further, role models do not exist for young Black men. (MLW)