For-Profit Colleges Charging More While Doing Less for Poorest

[marmar]

Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Kimberly Connacher, a bank teller, tried to get to Modesto Junior College early enough each evening to beat about 44 other students to a seat and avoid having to stand through her English class.

It was the long, nighttime walk through the community college’s jammed parking lots in Modesto, California, that prompted Connacher to transfer about a year ago from the campus, where she paid about $80 a class, to Apollo Group Inc.’s University of Phoenix, where the cost was more than $1,000. She took out $12,000 in loans to cover the expense.

“I didn’t want to go to school at night, but that was all that was open at Modesto,” said Connacher, now 20, who earns $11 an hour. “The classes were crowded and hard to get into, my teachers seemed overwhelmed, and that was the last straw.”

As state budget cuts lock students out of community-college classrooms or force them to stand in class, for-profit colleges are attracting hundreds of thousands of poor and minority students, charging up to 10 times as much for the same degree.

The industry, including Washington Post Co.’s Kaplan University, has tripled enrollment to 1.8 million in the past decade by pouring billions of dollars into marketing and recruiting, offering flexible online classes and outfitting more-modern campuses while states slash funding for community colleges. As much as 90 percent of revenue at each for-profit college comes from federal student aid. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ak74tbtHR6aM&pos=10

[bluestateguy]

1. These schools are preying off of vulnerable people

Students from poor uneducated families that don't know a whole lot about higher education, other than that it can be a ticket into the middle class.

They are good people, but they get caught up in the promises these jive turkey schools make, perhaps not knowing that they can take comparable classes at a public CC for much, much less tuition.

[elehhhhna]

2. Bonus: appolllo is owned by Carlyle Group.

[Confusious]

3. Private companies can always do it cheaper and better!

Proof that the free market works!

Thats sarcasm BTW.