For Profit Schools: Scams That Leave You "Dumber" and Poorer.

[Joe the Liberal]

For-profit college target the poor and minorities, and students who enroll end up with debt that far outweighs that of their nonprofit and public school peers.

August 30, 2010

By Makaiya Brown

If you’ve spent any length of time in an urban community in the U.S., I’m sure you’ve seen the ads on public transportation or heard the television commercials from schools where you can train to be a medical assistant or a computer technician. But before you or someone you know signs up for a “promising career” at one of those for-profit colleges, take heed!

For-profit colleges have been around for years. The University of Phoenix, Sanford Brown, DeVry University, and ITT Technical Institute are just a few of the more popular ones. It appears that these schools target minorities, low income individuals and anyone dumb enough to believe their ads. The most memorable are the commercials from ITT Technical Institute: Because you can’t get the jobs of tomorrow until you get the skills today. Start by calling ITT Technical Institute.

But I’m here to tell you these schools are not the answer to a promising career! I think schools like ITT are a money sucking scam! With record unemployment in the U.S. and African Americans making up a large percentage of the unemployed, I fear that more African Americans may be lured into the trap of dishonest for-profit schools only to find themselves with a degree or certificate that they cannot use and loads of debt that they cannot pay.

According to data provided by U.S. Department of Education, students who enroll in for-profit colleges end up with debt that far outweighs that of their nonprofit and public school peers. The data showed that last year 350,000 University of Phoenix students were responsible for repaying almost $5 billion in outstanding loans, yet only 44 percent of them had the financial means to repay their loans. Don’t get me wrong, students who attend public universities can graduate with large amounts of debt as well. However, all of my friends who’ve gone to 4-year accredited public or nonprofit universities have gained skills and jobs that have allowed them to pay off their loans. I can’t say the same for friends who’ve enrolled in schools like ITT Technical Institute or the University of Phoenix.

More... http://www.alternet.org/economy/148021/university_of_phoenix%2C_devry%3A_scams_that_leave_you_%22dumber%22_and_poorer/?page=1

[applegrove]

1. I once went to the registration at a for profit school in Montreal. I was interested in a few

courses. They had bussed in some 25 years old hard sell types to sell the courses. It was all a sell job and they knew nothing about the courses. Because I was 40 I was able to get the kid to back down from the hard sell. I didn't take the courses offered. I just bought the textbook and that was it. But I saw a whole room full of kids behind me with blank cheques from their parents and I thought this is just awful.