THERE WILL BE CHARTS

Last week the association that represents the For-Profit College industry was in Washington DC meeting with legislators and their staff.

In preparation I sent this “Dear Colleague” to other Members of Congress suggesting a few questions they could ask.

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9 Questions to Ask in your APSCU/For-Profit College Meeting

Are you meeting with the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities or a for-profit college this week? Here are 9 important questions you should ask to make sure you are getting you the whole story:

1. 32 state attorney generals, the CFPB, SEC, FDIC, and DOJ are all investigating the practices of for-profit colleges. Is your company one of them? How should “bad actors” be dealt with?

2. What percentage of your income comes from all types of Federal aid (including military and veterans education benefits)? Don’t you think that warrants some regulation?

3. What percentage of your budget do you spend on marketing and recruiting vs. academic instruction? What percentage goes to profit?

4. What percentage of your students default on their federal loans?

5. How many of your professional programs lack programmatic accreditation? May I have a list of all your professional programs and their accreditations?

6. What is your job placement rate and how do you define placement? Do you count short-term placements?

7. Do you have formal rules against recruiters contacting a prospect more than 3 times or engaging in “pain-based” recruiting and emotional manipulation?

8. Is there any threshold you think appropriate to cut off federal funding for the worst performing career education programs? 

9. Do you expect any of your school’s programs to fail the metrics in the Department’s last public gainful employment proposal? Which programs and why?

Sincerely,

Mark Takano
Member of Congress