GAO: Higher Education: Education Needs to Strengthen Its Approach to Monitoring Colleges’ Arrangements with Online Program Managers
What GAO Found At least 550 colleges worked with an online program manager (OPM) to support at least 2,900 education programs (e.g., certificate and degree programs) as of July 2021, according to the most recently [...]
Statement from Barmak Nassirian on President Biden’s Executive Order on PSLF and Student Loans
Statement from Barmak Nassirian Vice President for Higher Education Policy, Veterans Education Success on President Biden’s Executive Order Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government December 13, 2021 "We appreciate [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Victoria Torres Testimony to the Department of Education
My name is Victoria Torres and I live in Miami. I always wanted to be a midwife but those dreams were ruined for me by a for-profit school called Med Academy. When I asked the [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Kendrick Harrison Testimony to the Department of Education
Kendrick Harrison, Veteran Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 8, 2021 Good afternoon, my name is Kendrick Harrison and I am a military veteran, entrepreneur, and a father of four. I am also a former [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Brian Whitehead Testimony to the Department of Education
Brian Whitehead, Veteran Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 7, 2021 Good afternoon. My name is Brian Whitehead and I am from Loganville, GA. I served in the U.S. Army from 2000-2005. After I left [...]
Military Times: Feds Threaten Big Fines Against For-Profits Schools That Dupe Troops, Veterans
“Up until today, veterans and service members have been seen as a gravy train for some of the worst schools in America, exploiting grandiose marketing schemes and even outright lies to keep investors happy,” said [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Joshua Blumm Testimony to the Department of Education
Joshua Blumm, Veteran Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 6, 2021 My name is Joshua Blumm, I’m from Chico, California, and I am the son of a U.S. Marine veteran. I decided I wanted to [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Nicole Wilson Testimony to the Department of Education
Nicole Wilson, Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 6, 2021 Good afternoon. My name is Nicole Wilson and I’m from Akron, Ohio. I have served off and on from 2002 through 2020, serving active duty [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Tasha Berkhalter Testimony to the Department of Education
Tasha Berkhalter, Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 6, 2021 Good afternoon. My name is Tasha Berkhalter and I am an Army veteran from Lima, Ohio. After serving in the Army for more than 5 [...]
Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Student Loan Reforms Stand on Horizon
“Every one of the issues on the table is critically important and quite consequential for specific segments of the borrower population,” said Barmak Nassirian, vice president for higher education policy at Veterans Education Success, a [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Michelle Poitier Testimony to the Department of Education
Michelle Poitier, Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 5, 2021 Good afternoon, my name is Michelle Poitier and I’m a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy for 13 years. I am here today to [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Stephanie Stiefel Testimony to the Department of Education
Stephanie Stiefel, Veteran Testimony U.S. Education Department October 5, 2021 Good afternoon. My name is Stephanie Stiefel. I am here today to tell my story in the hope that what happened to me will not [...]
CNBC: Big Changes are Coming to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Instead, hundreds of thousands of people in public service jobs believe that they’re paying their way to loan cancellation only to discover at some point in the process that they don’t qualify for one technical [...]
Our Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking October Public Hearings
Jennifer Esparza, Veterans Education Success Testimony U.S. Education Department October 4, 2021 Good afternoon. My name is Jennifer Esparza, and I am a Law Fellow with Veterans Education Success. I wanted to speak to you [...]
60 Minutes: Military Members Promised Student Debt Relief in Exchange for Ten Years of Public Service say Promise is Often Broken
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was meant to erase student loan debt for borrowers who spent a decade as public servants. But the program has come up woefully short for members of the military. [...]
NPR: Troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Will Get Overhaul
A troubled student debt relief program for teachers, police officers and other public service workers will soon get the makeover that borrowers have been demanding. Next week, according to a source familiar with the plans [...]
The Century Foundation Report: Invasion Of The College Snatchers
"New data obtained by TCF reveal some colleges rely on OPMs to bring in up to one-half or more of their total enrollment." Read the report here.
Minnesota’s Attorney General’s Office: Former MSB/Globe Students to Finally Receive Nearly $24M in Debt Forgiveness, $16M in Restitution for Fraud
"Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that $23.6 million in debt relief has now finally been approved for former students of Minnesota School of Business (MSB) and Globe University (Globe) and that $15.8 million [...]
Our Statement for the Record: September 30th House Subcommittee on Education and Labor Hearing on Closed School Discharge
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON CLOSED SCHOOL DISCHARGE SUBMITTED TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE INVESTMENT SUBCOMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 30, 2021 Chairwoman Wilson, Ranking Member [...]
Letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs on Agency Information Collection Activity and the Assurance of Compliance with 85 Percent Enrollment Ratios
September 24, 2021 Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Submitted via electronic portal Re: Agency Information Collection Activity: Statement of Assurance of Compliance with 85 Percent Enrollment Ratios, 86 FR [...]
Veterans and Military Organizations’ Letter to the U.S. Department of Education Requesting Information Regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
September 24, 2021 U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 Submitted via electronic portal Re: Request for Information Regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, Docket ID: ED-2021-OUS-0082 To Whom It [...]
Our Public Comment Seeking Changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Proposed Rule on Reporting Debts to Credit Reporting Agencies
September 21, 2021 Submitted via electronic portal Jason Hoge Director of Operations Debt Management Center Office of Management, 189 1 Federal Drive Suite 4500 Fort Snelling, MN 55111 Re: RIN 2900-AR20-Threshold for Reporting VA Debts [...]
Our Letter to The U.S. Department of Education on their Renewed Recognition of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
September 20, 2021 The Honorable Miguel Cardona, Ed.D. Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary Cardona, We submit this letter on behalf of the undersigned organizations to urge [...]
Coalition Letter to California’s Governor Newsom in Support for SB 802
September 16, 2021 The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor Office of the Governor 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173 Sacramento CA, 95814 SB 802 (Roth) – Request for Signature Dear Governor Newsom: We represent a group of [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Judging a Degree by the Program, Not the College
Two new studies examine which degree programs at which institutions offer graduates the best chance of recouping their costs and repaying their loans. Read the full Inside Higher Ed story here.
Letter to US Department of Education on Joint Federal State Oversight
September 10, 2021 Beth Grebeldinger U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid 830 First Street NE Room 113F4 Washington, DC 20202 RE: Joint Federal State Oversight (Docket ID ED-2021-OS-0107) Dear Ms. Grebeldinger: Thank you for [...]
The Century Foundation: Predatory Colleges Think They Are Too Flawed to Fail. Biden’s Department of Education Should Prove Them Wrong.
For too long, however, predatory for-profit schools have enrolled students and harvested their federal aid without holding up the school’s end of the bargain, violating the terms of their PPAs; it’s time for ED to [...]
Inside Higher Education: The Debate Over Instructional Spending Policies
“The purpose of instructional expenditure policies was never to suggest that they (the authors of the report) -- either by themselves or in conjunction with outcomes -- would be adequate proxies for quality,” said Barmak [...]
Washington Post: Getting Educated While on Active Duty is Getting Harder as Military Limits Benefits
That means that many service members — including medics and others in fields in high demand — have to wait until they leave the military to go to college. Read the full Washington Post story [...]
Our Letter to Howard University Regarding the DC SAA Suspension Lift
August 31, 2021 Sent via email Dr. Glenn Phillips Howard University 2400 Sixth Street NW Washington, D.C. 20059 Dear Dr. Phillips, We are pleased that the suspension imposed by the Washington, D.C. State Approving Agency [...]
Letter From 22 Organizations to the US Department of Education On Nomination For Affordability and Student Loan Committee
Vanessa Gomez U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Room 2C179 Washington, DC 20202 Docket ID ED-2021-OPE-0077 August 31, 2021 Dear Ms. Gomez, The undersigned veterans and military service organizations write to make the [...]
Yahoo! Finance: Biden Administration Forgives $1.1 Billion in Student Loans for 115,000 Borrowers
The evidence against ITT was made possible due to investigations by partners at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Iowa Office of the Attorney General, as well as Veterans Education Success. Read the full [...]
Our Statement on the Department of Education’s Announcement Regarding Automatic Total and Permanent Disability Discharges
Earlier today, the Department of Education announced a significant policy shift that will automate loan discharges for borrowers with total and permanent disability through a data match with the Social Security Administration. This move will provide [...]
Memorandum From William Hubbard to Department of Veterans Affairs on Changes to VBA Webpage
MEMORANDUM TO: James Ruhlman, Education Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs FROM: Veterans Education Success DATE: August 17, 2021 RE: Veterans Benefits Administration Webpage: Restoration of Benefits After School Closure or if a School is [...]
Statement from 50+ Veterans Organizations on the Situation in Afghanistan
RE: Situation in Afghanistan As events rapidly unfold in Afghanistan, the news may be distressing to many service members, Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. You are not alone. The undersigned organizations care for, represent, [...]
Our Letter to the Office of Postsecondary Education Regarding Accrediting the Distance Education Accrediting Commission
August 15, 2021 Herman Bounds Director of Accreditation Group Office of Postsecondary education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 Submitted via electronic portal Re: Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for [...]
Our Letter to the Office of Postsecondary Education Regarding Accrediting SACSCOC
August 15, 2021 Herman Bounds Director of Accreditation Group Office of Postsecondary education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 Submitted via electronic portal Re: Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for [...]
Our Press Release: Veterans Education Success Announces Christopher Madaio as Vice President for Legal Affairs
For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford | President (202) 838-5050 August 16, 2021 Veterans Education Success Announces Christopher Madaio as Vice President for Legal Affairs Washington, D.C. – Carrie Wofford, President of Veterans Education Success, [...]
Military.com: Errors Cost Student Vets GI Bill Benefits. Now, Howard University Is Scrambling to Save VA Funding
Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group that often lobbies Congress on GI Bill issues, told Military.com that Howard surely has issues with processing veteran benefits, but it's a relatively small [...]
GAO: VA Could Better Inform Veterans with Disabilities about Their Education Benefit Options
As of August 2020, approximately 4.7 million veterans had a serviceconnected disability, making up about 26 percent of the total veteran population. As these veterans transition to civilian life, many choose to pursue higher education [...]
Student Veteran Statement: Tasha Berkhalter Written Statement to Senate Judiciary Committee
Tasha Berkhalter, Army Veteran Statement for the Record United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Student Loan Bankruptcy Reform Full Committee Hearing August 3, 2021 My name is Tasha Berkhalter, and I am an Army [...]
Student Veteran Statement: Joshua Queen Written Statement to Senate Judiciary Committee
Joshua Queen, Air Force Veteran Statement for the Record United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Student Loan Bankruptcy Reform Full Committee Hearing August 3, 2021 My name is Joshua Queen, and I am an [...]
HR 3486: Recognizing Military Service in PSLF Act
"To direct the Secretary of Education to deem each month for which certain Federal student loans are in deferment during a period of active duty service as months counted toward public service loan forgiveness." Sponsored [...]
Our Testimony to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
Barmak Nassirian, Veterans Education Success Written Testimony National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity July 27-29, 2021 My name is Barmak Nassirian and I serve as the Vice President for Higher Education Policy at [...]
Letter From 5 Higher Ed Organizations to The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements on Distance Education
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements President/CEO and Board of Directors 3005 Center Green Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301 July 26, 2021 Re: Proposed 21st Century Guidelines for Distance Education Dear President Williams and Members [...]
Letter From 5 Higher Ed Organizations to The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements on Student Protection
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements President/CEO and Board of Directors 3005 Center Green Drive Suite 130 Boulder, Colorado 80301 July 26, 2021 Re: Call for Policy Proposals Dear President Williams and Members of [...]
Letter From 12 Organizations to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
Dr. Michelle Asha Cooper National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Dear Dr. Cooper: This letter is submitted on behalf of the 12 undersigned organizations to commend [...]
Letter to Education Department Regarding Adtalem Walden University Acquisition
July 21, 2021 The Honorable Miguel Cardona, Ed.D. Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary Cardona: We write to express concern regarding Adtalem’s proposed acquisition of Walden University [...]
Our Letter to Congress Endorsing H.R. 2668, the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act
July 14, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 RE: Call to update Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement tools under FTC Act, Section 13(b) [...]
Our Letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regarding the Veteran Readiness and Employment Questionnaire
July 14, 2021 Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Ave., NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission Re: Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Veteran Readiness and Employment Questionnaire, OMB Control No. 2900-0092 Dear [...]
Chicago Sun-Times: FBI Agent Who Fought VA for GI Bill College Benefits Wins Appeal; Case Could Help Vets Nationwide
The case has been watched by veterans and educational organizations around the country. The nonprofit organizations National Veterans Legal Services Program and Veterans Education Success filed briefs in support of Rudisill. Read the full story [...]
Letter from 14 Organizations in Support of California Senate Bill 802
The Honorable Evan Low Assembly Business and Professions Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 379 Sacramento, California 95814 July 9, 2021 RE: SUPPORT for SB 802 Dear Chair Medina: We represent a group of student, veteran, [...]
Our Press Release: Veterans Education Success Announces Barmak Nassirian as Vice President for Higher Education Policy
For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford | President (202) 838-5050 July 7, 2021 Veterans Education Success Announces Barmak Nassirian as Vice President for Higher Education Policy Washington, D.C. – Carrie Wofford, President of Veterans Education [...]
Our Testimony to the California Senate Judiciary Committee on Assembly Joint Resolution No. 12
William Hubbard, Veterans Education Success Testimony California Senate Judiciary Committee July 2021 Good afternoon to the Honorable Members and your staff: I speak with you about Assembly Joint Resolution No. 12, and wish to register [...]
Letter from The Nation’s Leading Military and Veteran-Serving Organizations to California Legislators on Assembly Joint Resolution No. 12
Good morning, Nearly 20 veterans organizations oppose AJR-12, and for good reason. This is contrary to information shared by the California-Accredited Law Schools and their lobbyists (ref. letters attached). Despite all the arguments their lobbyists [...]
Our Press Release: Veterans Education Success Announces the Addition of Will Hubbard
June 7, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: [email protected]; (202) 838-5050 Veterans Education Success Announces the Addition of Will Hubbard Washington, D.C. – Carrie Wofford, President of Veterans Education Success, announced today that Will [...]
Massachusetts Attorney General Secures Nearly $300,000 for Students of Online For-profit School
For Immediate Release July 2, 2021 AG HEALEY SECURES NEARLY $300,000 FOR STUDENTS OF ONLINE FOR-PROFIT SCHOOL Settlement Provides Payments for Certain Former Ashford University Students and Resolves Allegations that School Charged Excessive Fees and [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Tasha Berkhalter Testimony to the Department of Education
Tasha Berkhalter Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 My name is Tasha Berkhalter and I am an Army veteran from Lima, Ohio. I would like to tell you a bit of my story. After [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Jay Hernandez Testimony to the Department of Education
Jay Hernandez Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 My name is Jay Hernandez, and I am a Marine veteran from Oregon City, Oregon. I became a U.S Marine because I wanted more out of my [...]
Our Formal Written Submission to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
July 1, 2021 Docket ID: ED-2021-OPE-0077 Vanessa Gomez U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., SW Room 2C179 Washington, DC 20202 Dear Ms. Gomez, On behalf of Veterans Education Success, I write to submit comments [...]
Our Testimony to the Federal Trade Commission during July Open Commission Meeting
James Haynes, Veterans Education Success FTC Testimony Federal Trade Commission July 1, 2021 Good afternoon, my name is James Haynes and I am here today on behalf of Veterans Education Success. Student veterans have long [...]
Letter to the Department of Education Regarding Accountability and Borrower Protection
July 1, 2021 Dr. Michelle Asha Cooper Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs United States Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Room 2C179 Washington, DC 20202 [...]
The Highland County Press: Department of Education Announces Approval of New Categories of Borrower Defense Claims Totaling $500M in Loan Relief to 18,000 Borrowers
"These findings were made possible thanks to evidence provided by partners at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Iowa Office of the Attorney General, as well as Veterans Education Success. The Department looks forward [...]
Coalition Letter: Support for California’s SB-802
The Honorable Jose Medina Assembly Higher Education Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 173 Sacramento, California 95814 RE: SUPPORT for SB 802 as Amended 5/5/2021 Dear Chair Medina: We represent a group of student, veteran, consumer, [...]
Collection of Statements to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Negotiated Rulemaking 2021 Public Hearing Statements and Testimony of Veterans of the Armed Forces
Robert F. Muth Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Robert F. Muth, University of San Diego School of Law Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good Afternoon Thank you for the opportunity to provide this public comment on potential issues for future negotiated rulemaking. [...]
Wesley Wilson Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Wesley Wilson, Higher Ground Veterans Advocacy Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning, thank you for allowing me to provide comment here today. I am Wesley Wilson, and I am a current student veteran [...]
Our Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
William Hubbard, Veterans Education Success Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning, my name is Will Hubbard, and on behalf of Veterans Education Success—a non-profit focused on serving veterans seeking the transformative power of [...]
Student Veteran Submission: William Buchanan Testimony to the Department of Education
William Buchanan Testimony U.S. Department of Education June 2021 Good afternoon, I am Dr. William Buchanan (Ph.D.), a service-connected disabled Veteran and first-generation college graduate. I am here today to discuss the total and [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Nicole Wilson Testimony to the Department of Education
Nicole Wilson Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning. My name is Nicole Wilson and I’m from Akron, Ohio. I have served off and on from 2002 through 2020, serving on active duty [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Jarrod Thoma Testimony to the Department of Education
Jarrod Thoma Testimony U.S Education Department June 2021 Good morning, my name is Jarrod Thoma, I am a Veteran of the U.S. Army, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thank you for the opportunity to offer [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Chris Wolfla Testimony to the Department of Education
Chris Wolfla Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning/afternoon. My name is Chris Wolfla and I’m from North Vernon, Indiana. I spent six years in the Navy as a medic and completed two [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Patricia Chang Testimony to the Department of Education
Patricia Chang Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 My name is Patricia Chang and I’m from Coconut Creek, Florida. As a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, I earned my GI Bill for my [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Antonio Luna Testimony to the Department of Education
Antonio Luna Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning/afternoon. My name is Antonio Luna and I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. After completing my active duty in the Marine Corps in 2014, I enrolled in [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Department of Education Cancels Loans for ITT Tech Students
"Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success -- an advocacy group that provided evidence to the department to aid in its decision -- applauded its decision in a release. “'So many veterans came to [...]
Washington Post: Biden Administration Delivers Debt Relief to Some Former ITT Tech Students
“The Education Department said that evidence, along with findings from advocacy group Veterans Education Success, serves as the basis for the approvals. "'So many veterans came to us about how ITT Tech cheated them,' said [...]
Our Press Release: Veterans Education Success Applauds Department of Education’s $500 Million in Loan Relief to 18,000 Borrowers Scammed by ITT Technical Institute
For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford | President (202) 838-5050 June 16, 2021 Veterans Education Success Applauds Department of Education’s $500 Million in Loan Relief to 18,000 Borrowers Scammed by ITT Technical Institute The Department [...]
Navy Times: The 2021 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges Rankings Are Out. Is Your School On The List?
Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, said there had been “loud consensus” from veterans organizations that Congress “had to remove the recruiting target from the backs of veterans.” The new regulations won’t go into [...]
Letter from Congressman Takano to California Legislators on Assembly Joint Resolution No. 12
Congressman Takano sent the following letters to Members of the California State Legislature, including Mark Stone, Thomas J. Umberg, Bob Archuleta, Jacqui Irwin, Connie M. Leyva, and Jose Medina. I write in regard to Assembly [...]
NPR: Once Banned, For-Profit Medical Schools Are On The Rise Again In The U.S.
Two universities are eyeing the chance to be the first to build a medical school in one of the few states without one. The jockeying of the two schools to open campuses in Montana — [...]
FTC Sends Nearly $30 Million in Refunds to People Tricked into Enrolling by School Operator’s Lead Generators
June 9, 2021 U.S. Federal Trade Commission For Release Career Education Corporation refund distribution, averaging more than $3,700 per person, is the largest per person average in agency’s history The Federal Trade Commission is sending [...]
Our Letter to the VA Advisory Committee on Education Regarding June 9-10 Meeting
June 7, 2021 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Services 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission to [email protected] Re: Advisory Committee on Education Meeting June 9-10 Dear Members of the Advisory [...]
Press Release: Veterans Education Success Announces Will Hubbard as Chief Policy Officer
June 1, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: [email protected]; (202) 838-5050 Veterans Education Success Announces Will Hubbard as Chief Policy Officer. Washington, D.C. – Carrie Wofford, President of Veterans Education Success, announced the [...]
NBC News: Public Colleges in 49 States Send Students’ Debts to Collection Agencies, Imperiling Financial Futures
"Brendan Mullican, a former student at Sam Houston State, served in the Navy for four years, including in the Middle East during the 2003 Iraq War. Mullican, the first in his family to go to [...]
Veteran and Servicemember Complaints about Misconduct and Illegal Practices at Dream Center schools
Introduction This memo summarizes and analyzes complaints received by Veterans Education Success from military-connected students who attended Dream Center schools. These schools were formerly owned by Education Management Corporation (EDMC), which closed some schools [...]
Our Press Release: Analysis of How the Defense Department’s Tuition Assistance Funds are Spent
For Immediate Release Contact Walter Ochinko May 25, 2021 Veterans Education Success Releases Analysis of How the Defense Department’s Tuition Assistance [...]
Factsheet: Defense Department Tuition Assistance Program: Enrollment and Credentials Earned, by Institutional Sector, for Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year (FY) 2019, almost 250,000 servicemembers participated in the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Tuition Assistance (TA) program. The program allows eligible servicemembers to take postsecondary classes on a part-time basis during [...]
USA Today: A College Closed, Upending One Veteran’s Life. Two Years Later, He’s Still Rebuilding
"Harrison didn’t know the safeguards he’d depended on were not as solid as they appeared. For example, the Veterans Affairs Department doesn’t track how well a university prepares its students for the workforce, said Carrie [...]
New York Times Editorial: How to Stop Schools That Prey on Veterans
How to Stop Schools That Prey on Veterans Under Betsy DeVos, the Education Department sold out to predatory for-profit colleges. It’s welcome news that Washington is taking steps to protect students. By The Editorial Board [...]
Military.com: This GI Bill Rule Change Could Cost Veterans Thousands of Dollars a Semester
"That full-time status ensures their housing allowance remains steady, consequently helping them complete their post-secondary education," said Tanya Ang, vice president of advocacy group Veterans Education Success. "VA has been able to adequately address this [...]
Letter to Education Department Regarding the Center for Excellence in Higher Education
March 26, 2021 Ms. Robin Minor Acting Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Via e-mail: [email protected] Dear Ms. Minor: As advocates for students and [...]
Letter to the Education Department Re: Colorado Tech U and American InterContinental U
March 24, 2021 Ms. Robin Minor Acting Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Via e-mail: [email protected] Dear Ms. Minor: We write, as organizations who [...]
Ed Source: California Agency that Oversees For-Profit Colleges to Face Critics
"It's protections like that that make robust oversight of for-profit schools a benefit to the state and a strong oversight agency vital, said Ramond Curtis, the state policy manager of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group [...]
New York Times: Congress Closes Loophole That Made Veterans a Target of For-Profit Schools
"The change won’t be effective until 2023, a delay that Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group, called 'a bitter pill to swallow.' But the delay was necessary to reach a [...]
Washington Post: Congress Makes Student Debt Forgiveness Tax-Free, Limits Revenue that For-Profit Colleges Get from Enrolling Veterans
"Military organizations and veterans groups voiced concerns that predatory schools will continue to target veterans, but they hailed the compromise. 'A bipartisan solution is always a stronger solution,' said Tanya Ang, vice president of the [...]
90/10 Loophole Closure Is On its Way to the President’s Desk!
Congress’ Reconciliation Package Includes Provision to Close Loophole Long-Sought by Veterans Organizations March 10, 2021 3:00 p.m. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. Veterans Education Success hails the House of Representative's approval this afternoon of a [...]
Military.Com: New Law Finally Closes GI Bill Loophole Allegedly Used to Scam Veterans
"'After nearly a decade of requests from veterans and military organizations, we are grateful Congress is moving to finally remove the target from the backs of veterans and service members by closing the 90/10 loophole,' [...]
Military Times: GI Bill Vets May Be Less Attractive to For-Profit Schools Under New Law
"'After nearly a decade of requests from veterans and military organizations, we are grateful Congress is moving to finally remove the target from the backs of veterans and servicemembers by closing this loophole,' said Carrie [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Senate Approves $40 Billion for Colleges; Measure Also Would Tighten Up the 90/10 Rule on For-Profit Colleges
“'This is a game changer. Finally, after a decade of our asking, Congress is going to stop the ugly harassment of veterans by for-profit colleges,' said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success. 'Of course, [...]
Military.com: Vet Groups Make Final Effort to Kill GI Bill Loophole Through COVID Relief Package
"On Friday, 31 veterans advocate groups and military organizations penned a letter to the Senators stressing the need to close the so-called 90/10 loophole. Currently, for-profit schools must collect at least 10% of their revenue [...]
Bipartisan amendment to delay implementation of 90/10 loophole closure in the COVID relief reconciliation package
Below is the text of the bipartisan amendment to delay implementation of the 90/10 loophole closure in the American Recovery Act (COVID relief reconciliation plan). This deal was brokered between Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill [...]
Republic Report: Independence University Operator Seeks To Conceal Record of Trial It Lost
"An additional brief supporting the AG office position was filed last week by lawyers representing Debbi Potts, a former CEHE employee who blew the whistle on the company to Colorado authorities; Nannette Wride and Katie [...]
U.S. Senate Closes 90/10 Loophole in Bipartisan Amendment to COVID Relief Reconciliation Package
On Saturday, March 6, 2021, at approximately 7 a.m., the Senate approved, by voice vote, a bipartisan amendment to delay the implementation of -- and thereby secure bipartisan agreement to support -- the 90/10 loophole [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Closure of 90/10 Loophole
Congress’ Reconciliation Package Includes Provision to Close Loophole Long-Sought by Veterans Organizations March 6, 2021 7:00 a.m. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. Veterans Education Success hails the Senate's approval, by voice vote, at 7 [...]
More than 30 Veterans and Military Organizations Urge Congress to Close the 90/10 Loophole in Reconciliation
March 5, 2021 The Honorable Patty Murray, Chairwoman The Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairwoman Murray and Ranking Member Burr: [...]
Our Testimony to the Education Department (NACIQI) on the Accreditor ACICS
Testimony of James Haynes Federal Policy Manager, Veterans Education Success U.S. Department of Education National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Review of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) [...]
Diverse Issues in Higher Education: NACAC Creates Committee to Improve Financial Aid and College Admissions Systems for Racial Equity
"The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has announced a committee to reimagine financial aid and college admissions in the pursuit of racial equity in postsecondary education. Members include... Kendra Allen, associate director of [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Tightening the 90-10 Rule; Provision in COVID-19 Relief Bill Would Ease Incentives for For-Profit Colleges to Target Veterans
"Instead, the GI Bill dollars count toward helping for-profits meet the 10 percent minimum requirement. To advocacy groups like Veterans Education Success, that incentivizes for-profit institutions to aggressively try to get service members and veterans [...]
Statement on the Senate’s Move to Close the 90/10 Loophole in the Reconciliation Package
STATEMENT FROM CARRIE WOFFORD, PRESIDENT OF VETERANS EDUCATION SUCCESS, ON CONGRESS' MOVE TO (FINALLY) CLOSE THE 90/10 LOOPHOLE "We are grateful Congress is moving to finally remove the target from the backs of veterans and servicemembers [...]
Military.com: VA is Asking DOJ for Help Getting Back GIBill.com After Losing Domain Rights
"Veterans Education Success, a nonpartisan veteran advocacy group, sent a letter to Biden last week urging him to take steps to expand GI Bill protections, including reclaiming the lost domain GIBill.com, which has in the [...]
Republic Report: The Monitor Insists Perdoceo is Doing OK. Whistleblowers’ Evidence Shows Otherwise
"Also not satisfied is Carrie Wofford, president of the group Veterans Education Success, which has carefully monitored abuses at and law enforcement probes of Perdoceo. After I shared the findings of McKenna’s report, Wofford said, [...]
Our Letter to President Biden – Ideas for an Executive Order
February 17, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden: Thank you for committing to protect veterans, servicemembers, and military families from predatory colleges that deceive them [...]
Military Times: COVID Relief Package Includes Major Change in For-Profit Colleges’ Rules on GI Bill Benefits
“We are relieved and hopeful that this will finally remove the target from the backs of servicemembers, veterans, and military families,” said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, in a statement. Read the full [...]
Our Letter to the VA regarding the Center for Excellence in Higher Education
February 12, 2021 Thomas J. Murphy Acting Under Secretary for Benefits U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20571 Re: VA Compliance with 38 U.S.C. § 3696(a) regarding the Center for [...]
Diverse Issues in Higher Education: A GAO Report Prompts Scrutiny of For-Profit College Conversions
"On Sept. 28, the nonprofit Veterans Education Success sent a petition to the Federal Trade Commission asking them to investigate Ashford University, a for-profit college. For-profit colleges, like Ashford, often pursue GI Bill funds because [...]
Our op-ed in Stars & Stripes: VA Should Rein in Predatory For-Profit Schools
McDonough Should Prioritize Putting An End to the Fleecing of America’s Veterans by Predatory For-Profit Colleges By Carrie Wofford As Denis McDonough prepares to take the helm as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he [...]
Senators raise GI Bill questions at nomination hearing for VA Nominee Denis McDonough
In case you missed our live-tweeting, Senators asked important GI Bill questions of VA Secretary Nominee Denis McDonough at his confirmation hearing on January 27, 2021. We are grateful that Senators on both sides of [...]
Public News Service: Sweeping Legislation Boosts Protections for Student Veterans
Listen to the audio here Public News Service January 11, 2021 RICHMOND, Va. -- Thousands of veterans in Virginia and across the nation now have additional educational support with the signing of landmark legislation that [...]
NBC-9 KTSM: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act approved
The bill passed through Congress, gaining bipartisan support and endorsement from Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans Education Success and Student Veterans of America. It passed through the House of Representatives with a 400-1 vote. See [...]
Military Times: Women Veterans, Students Would See Expanded Services and Benefits Under New Law
After a lengthy wait, President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law a sweeping veterans policy measure that includes new protections for women veterans, student veterans and individuals struggling with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.... The [...]
Veterans Education Success Celebrates Landmark Law Protecting the GI Bill
Veterans Education Success Celebrates Landmark Law to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges January 5, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: [email protected] Veterans Education Success celebrates landmark legislation to [...]
New York Times: Clearing the Wreckage at the Education Department
Clearing the Wreckage at the Education Department The institution lies in ruins right when it’s needed most. By The New York Times Editorial Board Jan. 2, 2021, 3:00 p.m. ET The departing education secretary, Betsy [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Unanimous Passage of Landmark Legislation to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges
December 16, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: [email protected] Veterans Education Success hails unanimous passage of landmark legislation to protect student veterans and ensure better oversight of GI Bill colleges Veterans Education Success proposed, [...]
Stars & Stripes: Congress passes sweeping end-of-year bill impacting ‘every corner’ of the veteran community
WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Wednesday that increases resources for homeless veterans, creates a Department of Veterans Affairs advisory committee for Native American veterans and mandates that every VA hospital hire a dedicated women’s [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Veterans Group Hails Passage of Bill Protecting Students
“This landmark legislation will significantly weed out predatory colleges that seek to take advantage of veterans,” Carrie Wofford, president of the advocacy group Veterans Education Success, said in a statement. Read the full story at [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Senate Passage of Landmark Legislation to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges
December 9, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford ([email protected]) and Tanya Ang ([email protected]) Veterans Education Success hails Senate passage of landmark legislation to protect student veterans and ensure better oversight of GI Bill colleges [...]
Coalition letter to the Biden Transition Team regarding for-profit college influence
December 1, 2020 Ted Kaufman 1401 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20230 Cathy Russell 1401 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Mr. Kaufman and Ms. Russell, As organizations working on behalf of students, veterans, [...]
Our letter to NC-SARA re: state reciprocity rules to protect student veterans
Our letter, with our higher education allies, to the NC-SARA leadership regarding state reciprocity rules to protect student veterans.
Coalition letter to the Education Department re: ACICS accreditor
November 20, 2020 Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation Group Office of Postsecondary Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Re: Petition for Renewal of Recognition, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and [...]
Five Policies the Biden-Harris Administration Must Tackle to Protect College Students
Jointly authored by Carrie Wofford, Debbie Cochrane, Lanae Erickson, Antoinette Flores, Amy Laitinen, and Robert Shireman With the nation deep in a global pandemic that has forced an economic recession, the newly elected Biden-Harris Administration [...]
Our Remarks at Veterans Day Press Conference with California Attorney General Becerra
November 11, 2020 Press Conference with Attorney General Becerra Remarks of Carrie Wofford, President, Veterans Education Success Good day. We are pleased to join you today. Thank you, Attorney General Becerra. We are grateful [...]
Press Conference with Virginia Governor to announce new law for disabled veterans
We were pleased to join the Virginia Governor at his bill signing ceremony for SB 745, which ensures disabled veterans do not have to pay Virginia state income tax when their student loans are forgiven [...]
Our Testimony to the Education Dept. NACIQI Hearing on Accreditors
Testimony of Walter Ochinko Research Director, Veterans Education Success U.S. Department of Education National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Review of the Higher Learning Commission July 29, 2020 Thank you for the [...]
Public Service Loan Forgiveness – Montana Supreme Court Decision
We filed an amicus brief about the importance to veterans of Public Service Loan Forgiveness, in a case about whether students can use state law to sue student loan servicing companies that fail to comply [...]
FTC Online Tool on Consumer Complaint Data by Military and Veterans
July 13, 2020 U.S. Federal Trade Commission For Release The Federal Trade Commission launched a new tool that explores data about problems military consumers may experience in the marketplace. For the first time, data about [...]
Our Press Release: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rescission of Ability to Repay Puts Servicemembers and Veterans at Greater Risk of Being Preyed on by Lenders
For Immediate Release Contact: Mike Saunders | Director of Military & Consumer Policy (202) 838-5050 July 9, 2020 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rescission of Ability to Repay Puts Servicemembers and Veterans at Greater Risk of [...]
Our Press Release Condemning the Trump Administration’s Decision to Give Deceptive Colleges a Free Pass
July 2, 2020 WASHINGTON, DC – Veterans Education Success condemns the Trump Administration’s decision today to ignore federal law in order to protect predatory colleges, when it notified 5 schools at risk of losing eligibility [...]
VA’s Resolution of 3696 Violations by 5 schools
On July 2, 2020, VA notified 5 schools at risk of losing eligibility to enroll GI Bill students over deceptive recruiting that their prior resolutions with federal and state law enforcement would suffice, rendering 38 [...]
Washington Post: VA backs down from plan to suspend University of Phoenix and other colleges from accessing GI Bill benefits
VA backs down from plan to suspend University of Phoenix and other colleges from accessing GI Bill benefits “The only winners today are the schools that used their money and political influence to evade the [...]
Stars & Stripes: VA Allows Penalized For-Profit Schools to Enroll GI Bill Students; Advocates Say Move Breaks the Law
VA Allows Penalized For-Profit Schools to Enroll GI Bill Students; Advocates Say Move Breaks the Law Veterans Education Success, a veterans’ advocacy group in Washington, says the VA move violates a federal law that forbids [...]
Letter from Education Department to Devry University on Borrower Defense Applications
June 23, 2020 Mr. F. Willis Caruso, Jr., Interim President and CEO Mr. John Lorenz, Chief Financial Officer Ms. Barbara Bickett, Chief Financial Aid Director Cogswell Education LLC DeVry University 1200 East Diehl Road Naperville, [...]
For-Profit K12 Online Schools Are Doubling Down on Their Sales Pitches to Districts. Beware of Pandemic Predators
This op-ed was published by The 74 Million on June 22, 2020, here. Wofford & Boulay: For-Profit Online Schools Are Doubling Down on Their Sales Pitches to Districts. Beware of Pandemic Predators Since the coronavirus [...]
COVID-19 and Postsecondary Enrollment: Lessons from the Last Recession
Click here to download a PDF of the report. On June 8, 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the U.S. economy had peaked in February 2020 and officially [...]
Election 2020: Policy Memo for Candidates: Supporting Military-Connected Students in Higher Education
Election 2020: Policy Memo for Candidates: Supporting Military-Connected Students in Higher Education Read the report and visit our webpage here: https://vetsedsuccess.org/election-2020-policy-memo-for-candidates-supporting-military-connected-students-in-higher-education/
Our Letter to the VA Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Readjustment
Our letter to the VA Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans June 11, 2020 Department of Veterans Affairs Readjustment Counseling Service (10RCS) 810 Vermont Avenue Washington DC 20420 Via electronic submission to [...]
Schools with Repeat Law Enforcement Settlements
Many Corporate School Chains Repeatedly Settled Lawsuits for Misleading Advertising, High-Pressure Recruiting, and False Certifications On March 9, 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notified five institutions of higher education that it possessed evidence [...]
The Capital Forum: VA Letter Gives Company Additional 30 Days to Provide Information Before Making a Determination Whether to Disapprove Enrollment of GI Bill Beneficiaries
"Walter Ochinko, Research Director at Veterans Education Success, was skeptical of the company's claims. 'In court documents, Perdoceo promised that it would cease deceptive recruiting and false certifications yet it was caught again and again, [...]
2020 Toolkit for State Policymakers
Visit the website page here: https://vetsedsuccess.org/2020-toolkit-state-policymakers/
Are Student Veterans Going to be Denied Access to CARES Act Emergency Relief Funds?
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized more than $6 billion in emergency cash grants “to students” enrolled in campus-based postsecondary education, to be distributed by their colleges. On April 9, 2020, [...]
VA’s Guidance to Schools on Correcting Violations of 38 USC 3696
On May 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sent guidance to 5 schools at risk of losing eligibility to enroll GI Bill students because of 38 USC 3696, which prohibits VA from approving [...]
11th Circuit ruling in Great Lakes
We filed an amicus brief about veterans' need for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, in support of a legal case regarding students' rights to use state law to sue loan servicing companies that fail to honor [...]
Veterans Education Success Thanks Congress for Passing Important COVID-19 Fix for GI Bill and other VA-Funded Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tanya Ang, Vice President, (202) 838-5050 March 19, 2020 Congress Clears Important COVID-19 Fix for GI Bill and other VA-Funded Students WASHINGTON, DC: This morning, Congress cleared an important COVID-19 fix [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Maryland as the 1st State in the Nation to Close the 90/10 Loophole
Veterans Education Success Hails Maryland as the First State in the Nation to Close the 90/10 Loophole FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ANNAPOLIS, MD – As they prepare to adjourn over Coronavirus concerns, lawmakers in Annapolis, MD, [...]
Reveal: Veterans Affairs Bans University of Phoenix From New GI Bill Enrollments
"Wofford said the trade commission’s $191 million settlement with the University of Phoenix left the VA little choice but to enforce the law. 'The law is clear,' she said. 'Colleges found to use erroneous, deceptive [...]
The Bellevue Leader: VA Will Suspend Enrollment of New GI Bill Students at Bellevue University, Other Colleges
"The president of Veterans Education Success, Carrie Wofford, praised Monday’s move by the VA. 'This sends a powerful message, one we’ve been advocating for VA to exercise since 2012, that the federal government and taxpayers [...]
WTOP: VA Moves to Suspend New GI Bill Enrollment at 5 Universities
Carrie Wofford, president of the advocacy group Veterans Education Success, said in a statement that the VA’s decision was “more than justified” and sends the message that “the federal government and taxpayers will no longer [...]
Arizona Republic: VA Plans to Suspend New GI Bill Enrollments at University of Phoenix
Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success, said the organization is grateful the VA intends to suspend new GI Bill enrollments at these five schools. “This sends a powerful message, one we’ve been advocating [...]
Inside Higher Ed: GI Bill Enrollment to be Halted at Five Universities
“This sends a powerful message, one we’ve been advocating for VA to exercise since 2012, that the federal government and taxpayers will no longer tolerate schools that seek to defraud veterans and other military-connected students [...]
Washington Post: VA Plans to Suspend University of Phoenix and Other Colleges from Accessing GI Bill Benefits
“We’re grateful VA intends to suspend enrollment of new GI Bill students at these institutions,” said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group. “This sends a powerful message … that the federal [...]
Stars & Stripes: VA to Suspend Some GI Bill Enrollments, Holding Back More Than $200 Million from ‘Deceptive’ Universities
“We’re grateful VA intends to suspend enrollment of new GI Bill students at these institutions. This sends a powerful message, one we’ve been advocating for VA to exercise since 2012, that the federal government and [...]
Politico: VA Plans to Suspend GI Bill Funding for New Students at 5 Universities
“'We’re grateful VA intends to suspend enrollment of new GI Bill students at these institutions,' said Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success, who previously led investigations into the for-profit education industry in the [...]
HR 6157: Transparency for Student Veterans Act
"To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to collect and include certain student outcome information in the GI Bill comparison tool of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and [...]
Letter to the Education Department regarding disabled Americans’ student loan relief
We joined education and consumer organizations in a policy letter to the Education Department calling for student loan relief for disabled Americans.
Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Deal in the Works?
"'Chairmanship succession can be unpredictable, depending on the complicated Rubik's cube of committees and seniority and requests that Senator McConnell may face,' said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success and former Democratic senior counsel [...]
The Capitol Forum: Perdoceo Education Corporation: Department of Education Defers $39M of Title IV Money from 2019 to 2020 to Save AIU from Violating 90/10; Experts Expect Congressional Scrutiny
"Walter Ochinko, research director for Veterans Education Success, told The Capitol Forum he wasn't surprised to hear about Perdoceo's 90/10 manipulation strategies. 'For-profit schools closely monitor their compliance with the 90/10 Rule and resort to [...]
Our Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun: How to Stop For-Profit Colleges from Preying on Veterans
Our President Carrie Wofford's op-ed with Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and Aaron Ament, President of Student Defense. By Wesley K. Clark, Carrie Wofford and Aaron Ament For The Baltimore [...]
Letter to the Senate regarding “short-term” programs for Pell
A letter from Veterans Education Success and leading education policy organizations to the Senate education committee leaders urging evidence-based, data-driven decision-making on opening Pell Grants up to very short-term programs.
Lima Veteran Goes to Washington
A terrific news story about a brave veteran, Tasha Berkhalter, whom we brought to Washington to tell Congress what they need to do to help veterans with student debt caused by college fraud. Lima Veteran [...]
Republic Report: FBI Raids For-Profit College Owned by Tennessee State Senator
"The school’s website... also states that students may be eligible for veterans benefits, and the organization Veterans Education Success tweeted documentation that the VA has approved the school for those benefits." Read the full story [...]
VA’s Approval of Ashford for GI Bill (Feb. 2020)
On Feb. 14, 2020, VA approved Ashford's eligibility for GI Bill. Letter pasted below. In approving Ashford, VA's leadership is once again flouting 38 USC 3696, which forbids VA from approving GI Bill to schools [...]
Politico: Ashford University Approved for GI Bill Eligibility
"Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group that focuses on student-veterans, said in statement that it learned "the leadership of VA decided to affirmatively approve Ashford for GI Bill and ensure Ashford's continued access to GI [...]
Maryland Military Coalition Support Letter for MD Senate Bill 294
The Maryland Military Coalition, representing sixteen veterans and military service organizations, submitted the following letter of support for the Maryland Senate Bill 294 to force colleges to close the 90/10 loophole and honor the GI [...]
22 Veterans & Military Organizations Letter to Education Department RE: Disabled Veterans’ Loans
22 leading Veterans and Military Service Organizations submitted a public comment to the US Education Department thanking the Education Department for moving forward with a process to ensure totally and permanently disabled ("TPD") veterans' legal [...]
Grand Forks Herald: Defunct Globe University, Minnesota School of Business pushed to liquidate assets and repay students
Grand Forks Herald "Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison wants a now-defunct chain of for-profit colleges to liquidate its remaining assets to repay the students it defrauded. Ellison’s office filed a motion in U.S. bankruptcy court [...]
TICAS: The Evolution of the For-Profit College Industry
The Evolution of the For-Profit College Industry: New Challenges for Oversight focuses on important changes to the sector, which include the growth of online education, the efforts of for-profit colleges to convert to non-profit status, [...]
Law Enforcement Actions Against Predatory Colleges
This document summarizes government actions against predatory colleges, providing links to the government actions. If you are aware of a law enforcement action or private lawsuit that is not listed, please email us at [email protected]. [...]
New York Times: Protect Veterans from Fraud
On January 1, 2020, the New York Times ran a full-page editorial by the Editorial Board featuring Veterans Education Success' work: "Nevertheless, a 2018 report from Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit that provides legal help [...]
Key Photos from our work Elevating Veteran Voices: 2019
Check out photos of our veterans telling Washington what's needed!
Letter from Congress to VA regarding VA’s obligation to protect veterans from deceptive colleges
December 20, 2019 Dear Secretary Wilkie: We write today in the wake of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlements with for-profit Career Education Corporation (CEC) and University of Phoenix (UOP) for unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices. [...]
Military Times: Veterans Group Applauds FTC for Gaining $50 Million Settlement Plus $141 Million in Canceled Student Debt in University of Phoenix Deceptive Ad Case
The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock [...]
Press Release: University of Phoenix Student Veterans Available for Media Interviews
Media Availability: Student Veterans from University of Phoenix February 13, 2019 What: This week the US Federal Trade Commission announced a legal settlement with the University of Phoenix for defrauding students - especially military students. The FTC found “UOP’s [...]
NBC News: University of Phoenix Settlement “Drop in the Bucket” for Student Debt, Advocates Say
"Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, called the settlement a 'really important step forward' in protecting veterans. 'The broader context of this case is for-profit colleges are incentivized by federal laws to target veterans,' [...]
Associated Press: The University of Phoenix to Cancel $141 Million in Student Debt
"The settlement was commended by some educational groups, including Veterans Education Success, which main advocacy is to help military veterans. The organization's president, Carrie Wofford, thanked the FTC for its work. She said that 'enough is [...]
PBS NewsHour & Hechinger Report: For-Profit Colleges that Get GI Bill Money Need More Oversight, Veterans Say
The VA has received at least 37 complaints about Ashford from GI Bill beneficiaries. An advocacy group called Veterans Education Success (VES) has collected 113 more from veterans and service members, many of which echo [...]
NBC News: University of Phoenix to Cancel $141 Million in Student Debt
"The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock [...]
Air Force Times: Veterans Group Applauds FTC for Gaining $50 Million Settlement Plus $141 Million in Canceled Student Debt in University of Phoenix Deceptive Ad Case
"The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock [...]
Reveal News: University of Phoenix settles for record $191 million on charges of deceptive advertising
“It would be hard to claim that the Federal Trade Commission suing a school and receiving $200 million is not evidence of deceptive recruiting,” said Carrie Wofford, director of the national nonprofit group Veterans Education [...]
Republic Report: FTC Nails University of Phoenix For Ad Whose Deceptions Reflect Disturbing Deal
The FTC investigation found that some companies asked by Phoenix to appear in the ads objected to the false portrayal. But other companies presumably did not object, since so many appear in the ads. And [...]
Forbes: University Of Phoenix Pays $191 Million For Deceiving Students
Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, applauded the announcement and spoke to the findings. “The FTC’s findings should shock every patriotic American. Enough is enough. It's time to stop the fleecing of America’s veterans [...]
Washington Post: FTC reaches $191 million settlement with University of Phoenix in deceptive-advertising probe
“Enough is enough. It’s time to stop the fleecing of America’s veterans and service members by predatory colleges,” said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group. “We thank the FTC for its [...]
Chicago Tribune: University of Phoenix to pay $50M, cancel $141M in student debt to settle false-advertising claims
"The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock [...]
Our Press Release on FTC Settlement with University of Phoenix
Press Release Embargoed until the FTC’s Announcement Goes Live (likely 11 a.m. December 10, 2019) Contact: Carrie Wofford (202) 838-5050 Federal Trade Commission’s Settlement with University of Phoenix Puts Pressure on VA and DOD to [...]
PBS NewsHour: University of Phoenix agrees to $50M settlement over false ad claims
"The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock [...]
42 Veterans and Military Organizations Request Senate Action on HR 4625, Protect the GI Bill Act
42 of the nation's leading veterans service organizations and military service organizations wrote the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to request its speedy passage of HR 4625, Protect the GI Bill Act, which cleared the House [...]
Wall Street Journal: Which College Graduates Make the Most
New government data shows which college degrees are instantly paying off and which ones leave graduates loaded with debt but skimpy income. Some of the examples are striking. Bismarck State College can now boast its business [...]
Our Letter to VA Regarding Ashford
We submitted a letter to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, providing key information about Ashford University.
S. 2857: Bipartisan Protect Veterans’ Education and Taxpayer Spending Act of 2019
Introduced by Senators Carper (D-DE), Cassidy (R-LA), Lankford (R-OK), and Tester (D-MT) Bill text is available here
Georgetown Center on Education & the Workforce: A First Try at ROI: Ranking 4,500 Colleges
Using data from the expanded College Scorecard to rank 4,500 colleges and universities by return on investment, A First Try at ROI: Ranking 4,500 Colleges finds that bachelor's degrees from private colleges, on average, have higher [...]
Politico Morning Education: Veterans Education Success is adding to its legal team
"Veterans Education Success is adding to its legal team. Lt. Col. Aniela Szymanski , a Marine Corps Reserve judge advocate general, will serve as senior director for Legal Affairs and Military Policy. Marine Corps veteran [...]
Voice of San Diego: Thomas Jefferson Law School was Temporarily Stripped of GI Bill Participation
“'It solves the Thomas Jefferson problem,” said Carrie Wofford, president of the advocacy group Veterans Education Success. The bill, H.R. 4625, also addresses other issues the federal VA highlighted in explaining why it took over [...]
Politico Morning Education: A Report from Veterans Education Success Analyzes Veteran Student Loan Borrowing
"A report from Veterans Education Success analyzes student loan borrowing in academic year 2015-16, and compares undergraduate veterans who received GI Bill educational benefits to those who did not. It also examines the cumulative student [...]
Stars & Stripes: Some Guard Troops Deployed to US-Mexico Border Aren’t Earning Federal Benefits
“Our brave National Guard women and men deserve clarification now,” said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success. Read the full story from Stars & Stripes here.
California backs down from threat to fight VA for GI Bill oversight
California backed down from a fight with the Department of Veterans Affairs over a decision that restricts the state’s power to regulate for-profit colleges enrolling students with GI Bill benefits. California had used its authority [...]
HR 4613: VA Reporting Transparency Act
This bill requires VA to post on the VA website all reports to Congress, so that the public may see them. Read the full bill at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4613/text
What Graduation Rates Have Missed for Community College Students
A report from the Center for American Progress.
The Century Foundation: How to Stop Sudden College Closures
The U.S. Department of Education’s current system of financial oversight of colleges does not forecast the future condition of an institution but rather only examines the past and it implements well-intentioned but ineffective interventions that [...]
Politico Morning Education: Veterans Education Success is out with two new policy briefs
"Veterans Education Success is out with two new policy briefs: Weak Return on Investment at Trade Schools that Enroll GI Bill Beneficiaries and Proposed Short-Term Pell Safeguards Should Be Further Strengthened." Read the full Politico [...]
Learn about the Protect the GI Bill Act
Overview of The Protect the GI Bill Act Gives Student Veterans the Same Rights as Other Students Contained within the larger Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement [...]
Our Oral Testimony on VA’s Debt Collection & GI Bill Overpayments
On Sept. 19, 2019, Veterans Education Success' Director of Military & Consumer Policy, Mike Saunders, testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, regarding GI Bill "overpayments" and VA's aggressive debt [...]
21 Military & Veteran Organizations’ Letter to CFPB on Debt Collection
Veterans Education Success organized and led a letter from 21 national military and veteran service organizations to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding its proposed changes to debt collection rules.
GAO Report: More Information Could Help Student Parents Access Additional Federal Student Aid
US Government Accountability Office report: More Information Could Help Student Parents Access Additional Federal Student Aid Highlights: "About 1 in 5 undergraduates were raising children in 2015-16, according to the Education Department. Child care costs [...]
Defense Department Office of Inspector General: Audit of Controls at Military Installations for Schools Participating in the DoD Tuition Assistance Program DODIG-2019-122
The US Defense Department (DoD) Office of Inspector General determined whether military installations had implemented controls for the DoD Tuition Assistance Program that were designed to ensure that educational institutions with authorized access to DoD [...]
Veterans Education Success releases 2 new reports on VA’s oversight of the GI Bill
VES released 2 new reports: VA’s increased Tasking of SAAs with Payment Audits is Impeding Quality Oversight of Schools; and Inconsistent Governing Statutes are Fueling Disagreements Between VA and the States Reports Shed Light on [...]
House Veterans Chairman Takano’s statement on VA’s suspension of California SAA
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Department of Veterans’ Affairs decided to break with the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education [...]
Press Release: We Respond to VA’s Decision to Suspend California’s Role as a State Approving Agency for GI Bill
September 6, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: CARRIE WOFFORD, PRESIDENT (202) 838-5050 VETERANS EDUCATION SUCCESS RESPONDS TO VA’S DECISION TO SUSPEND CALIFORNIA’S ROLE AS A STATE APPROVING AGENCY FOR GI BILL Washington, DC -- Today’s [...]
HR 4162: GI Bill Planning Act of 2019
This bill: extends in-state tuition at public universities and colleges for all veterans, eliminating the provision that had required veterans to enroll "within 3 years" of leaving military service; gives servicemembers more time (6 months) [...]
1st Half of 2019 – Our Accomplishments
VES' activity and accomplishments in the first half of 2019
HR 4085: Student Veteran Empowerment Act of 2019
We are grateful to the GOP leadership of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for this excellent bill, which: Helps solve the problem of GI Bill overpayments by requiring monthly enrollment verification; Ensures that "deemed approved" [...]
Our Statement for the Record on School Closures
Our statement for the record at a rescheduled US House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the impact on veterans of mid-semester school closures.
HBO: Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas: The Cost of College
The HBO news show, Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas, worked with Veterans Education Success to expose for-profit colleges' targeting and fraud against veterans. They interviewed student veterans we are helping and whistleblower former college recruiters [...]
Protecting Servicemember Loan Rates
Military and veteran groups wrote to the Department of Defense thanking them for automating SCRA rights and asking for restitution to servicemembers who previously were not accorded to these rights that they were entitled to. [...]
Our Statement for the Record: The Impact on Veterans of School Closures
Our statement for the record at a US House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the impact on veterans of mid-semester school closures. Two of our student veterans who were impacted by a school closure also [...]
HR 2618 – aiding military spouses with license portability and residency
HR 2618 amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide a guarantee of residency for registration of businesses of spouses of members of the uniformed services, to improve occupational license portability for military spouses through [...]
Should Colleges Spend the GI Bill on Veterans’ Education or Late Night TV Ads? And Which Colleges Offer the Best Instructional Bang for the GI Bill Buck?
Every year, around 700,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill students enroll in an institution of postsecondary education, a benefit earned through sacrifice and service to our nation. The GI Bill represents America’s thanks for veterans’ military [...]
Our Statement for the Record: House Veterans Affairs Committee: Pending Legislation
Our statement for the record on pending legislation before the US House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Our Statement for the Record with SVA on College Accountability (Senate)
Veterans Education Success and Student Veterans of America teamed up to provide the US Senate education committee with our suggestions for higher education accountability.
Our Statement for the Record with SVA on College Accountability
Veterans Education Success and Student Veterans of America teamed up to provide the House of Representatives education committee with our suggestions for higher education accountability.
Our Statement for the Record: Legislative Priorities for the 116th Congress
Our statement for the record before the special bicameral House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees hearing on legislative priorities for the 116th Congress.
Military Times: Vet groups are blasting Trump’s education secretary. Here’s why.
Veterans’ education benefits are being undermined by the federal government, according to officials with two prominent advocacy organizations focused on student veterans.
WaPo: Veterans groups ask VA secretary to keep GI benefits out of the hands of predatory colleges
Three dozen advocacy groups are calling on Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to intensify monitoring of college programs that enroll veterans after an audit found lax oversight could result in $2.3 billion in tuition benefits [...]
Proposed Education Department Regulatory Changes Should Be Reevaluated Based on GI Bill Oversight Lessons
ED’s rulemaking should be revaluated based on the lessons learned from GI Bill oversight and the impact on veterans. In each of the areas ED is proposing changes, veterans have been disproportionally harmed in a [...]
Our New York Times op-ed: Betsy DeVos vs. Student Veterans
Our President Carrie Wofford authored an op-ed in the New York Times: "As the political makeup of the 116th Congress begins to congeal, the question of what, if anything, this divided government can do together [...]
The Predatory Underworld of Companies that Target Veterans for a Buck
The recent law enforcement crackdown on for-profit colleges is well documented. These schools mislead students by promising a fast track to a brighter future and then loaded students up with mountains of debt for worthless [...]
Elevating Veterans’ Voices | After Action Report | 2018 Roundup
https://twitter.com/GIBillRights/status/883125419859423232 https://twitter.com/GIBillRights/status/892853535485964288 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/998645840058179585 https://twitter.com/gibillrights/status/1012354236523466754
Veteran Student Loan Debt 7 Years After Implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
In May 2018, we reported on trends in veteran student loan debt from just before the 2009 implementation of the more generous Post-9/11 GI Bill (2007-08) to 3 years after the new benefit became available [...]
Politico: Betsy DeVos’ Bet on Boot Camps
As Americans look to build the skills they need for the fast-changing job market, a new type of education provider has swept onto the scene: the coding boot camp, an intensive, short-term training program for [...]
Veterans Education Success announces new staff, promotions
January 14, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact: Barrett Y. Bogue, Senior Communication Advisor (202) 670-5587 Announcing New Staff and Key Partnerships to Better Support Military-Connected Students in Higher Education VES is expanding their team and [...]
Our Letter urging VA to follow the law on schools that defraud veterans
After multiple for-profit colleges have been caught defrauding veterans, the VA has still failed to act. We wrote a letter to the VA reminding the agency of its duty to protect veterans.
Free Credit Monitoring for Servicemembers
VES and other veterans and military service organizations write to US Federal Trade Commission regarding free credit monitoring for servicemembers
USA Today and AZ Central: What Happens to Students When Private Colleges Close in Arizona?
Marta Villanueva enrolled in a culinary program at the Art Institute of Phoenix as a way to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety after leaving the Army. She used GI Bill benefits to pay for [...]
USA Today and AZ Central: Step by Step: What Students Can Do When a College Closes
Thousands of students have seen their educational ambitions cut short by the swift closures of private colleges in Arizona and nationwide. Several major private schools, most for-profit operators, have contracted or closed in recent years, leaving students out [...]
Connecting Vets Radio: Frustrated by Issues with Your GI Bill? Some Help is on the Way
Student veterans paying for school with the G.I. Bill have struggled with late payments, penalties and are sometimes forced to take out additional loans in order to ensure that they can attend classes on time. [...]
Republic Reports and Huffington Post Career Education Corp., Tied to DeVos Aides, Pays Millions to Settle State Claims of Illegal Practices
For-profit college chain Career Education Corp., a company closely tied to top officials of the Betsy DeVos Department of Education, announced today it has settled with the attorneys general of 48 states and the District [...]
2018 Year-End Report
A summary of VES' work in 2018
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Annual Reports on GI Bill Usage and Other Benefits
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published reports on the usage of GI Bill and other military benefits.
Politico Morning Education: Veterans Education Success is out with an issue brief examining the closure of Education Corporation of America
Veterans Education Success is out with an issue brief examining the closure of Education Corporation of America.
American Heroes Network: Veterans Education Success’ Mike Saunders explains severely disabled veterans’ right to student loan forgiveness
As the Director of Military and Consumer Policy, Mike leads Veteran Education Success’ consumer protection policy work, including servicemembers’ protections under the Military Lending Act and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Mike joined VES as Legal [...]
Military Times Rebootcamp: Could This Government Program Wipe Away All Your Student Loan Debt?
Until recently, if you were 100 percent disabled or had a finding by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of Individual Unemployability (IU) you could get your student loans forgiven, but with one expensive caveat: [...]
New America Foundation: The Cautionary Tale of Correspondence Schools
In July, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced the formation of a negotiated rulemaking committee to develop regulations to expand access for students to “high-quality, innovative programs” by revising or rescinding a sweeping range [...]
Could Education Corporation of America’s Sudden Closure Have Been Avoided?
Earlier this month, another for-profit college chain closed abruptly, leaving more than 20,000 students and 4,000 GI Bill beneficiaries wondering why this happened and how this will affect their future educational endeavors. On December 5, [...]
Our Amicus Brief in the 11th Circuit re Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Veterans Education Success filed an amicus brief regarding the importance of Public Service Loan Forgiveness and opposing loan servicers' active misrepresentations to students about Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The case is Lawson-Ross v. Great Lakes [...]
Understanding Student Outcomes at Newly-Shuttered Education Corporation of America Colleges and at its Sister School Members of the Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) Trade Association
In light of the December 5, 2018, announcement by the Education Corporation of America (ECA) that it is closing the 70 campuses it operated under the brand names Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Golf Academy [...]
Career Education Colleges and Universities: Outcomes at Selected Member Schools
After a brief history of CECU, this report provides “key takeaways” from our analysis of both descriptive and outcome data for the 26 CECU-member schools. The report concludes with a discussion of some of the [...]
Task & Purpose: The VA May Blow $2.3 Billion in GI Bill on Schools That Don’t Deserve It, the IG Says
The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued the latest in a series of five audits charging that the Department of Veterans Affairs' oversight failures could potentially lead to $2.3 billion in GI Bill money [...]
Stars & Stripes: VA says it reversed course on underpaid GI Bill recipients, though lawmakers remain skeptical
WASHINGTON — After Department of Veterans Affairs officials admitted the agency had no plans to retroactively pay some student veterans who are likely to receive incorrect housing stipends during the next year, VA Secretary Robert [...]
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Inspector General: VA’s Oversight of State Approving Agency Program Monitoring for Post-9/11 GI Bill Students
Prior VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports have identified significant financial risks in how the education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill are administered. The OIG conducted this audit to determine if VA and [...]
Postsecondary Non-Completion Among Veterans: Contributing Factors and Implications
This paper uses Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS), a longitudinal survey conducted by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to examine factors contributing to and the impact of non-completion for “first-time” student [...]
Politico Morning Education: Veterans Education Success issued a new analysis today
Meanwhile, the group Veterans Education Success issued a new analysis today based on government data that found student veterans demonstrate stronger rates of persistence and completion of higher education goals compared with their non-veteran peers.
Newser: VA Won’t Repay Vets After GI Bill Snafu
(NEWSER) – A major snafu has hit benefit payments to student veterans under the GI Bill—and congressional aides tells NBC that they have been told the veterans are never going to be paid back. The [...]
Why Aren’t More Undergraduate Student Veterans Enrolling at Selective Colleges? Veteran Undergraduate vs Graduate Student Demographics
Selective colleges with high graduation rates enroll far fewer veterans pursuing undergraduate certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degrees than those seeking post-baccalaureate degrees such as master’s, PhD’s, or certifications. This Issue Brief explores demographic and enrollment [...]
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Unacceptable Delays in GI Bill Aid Point to Larger Problem
The deaths of three American soldiers in Afghanistan this week are a tragic reminder of why it’s so important for the nation to keep its promises to military men and women, Veterans, no matter where [...]
ConnectingVets.Com: VA Fix to Ongoing GI Bill Fiasco: Hurry Up and Wait
"I am encouraged by the steps Under Secretary Lawrence, and his staff are taking, but expect VA to correct student's monthly housing allowance from fall 2018 well before spring 2020, said Tanya Ang, director of [...]
UPI: Lack of info, fear causing thousands of U.S. vets to default on student loans
Earlier this year, tens of thousands of disabled U.S. veterans became eligible to have their student loans entirely forgiven -- but more than half are in default, new figures show. In April, the Education Department [...]
Politico Morning Education: Vets Groups Target Lead Generator Sites
VETS’ GROUPS TARGET LEAD-GENERATOR SITES: Twenty-eight veterans groups seek a greater push to target websites that appear to be official military recruitment sites but really lead a user to what they call a “bad actor” college. [...]
DOL Urged to Exercise Caution With Apprenticeship Programs
Letter urging the US Department of Labor to ensure adequate quality controls in apprenticeship programs approved for GI Bill
Our Letter to FTC Regarding Fake Military Recruiting Websites
28 Veterans and Military Leaders ask US Federal Trade Commission to release the names of the schools that participated in fake military recruiting websites Related letter to US Congressional Armed Services Committees [...]
Veterans Organizations Recommend Tanya Ang for 2019 Negotiated Rulemaking
Recommendation to the US Education Department of negotiators representing veterans and military students in 2019 Negotiated Rule-Making
CNBC: Many disabled veterans eligible for student loan forgiveness are still paying
"The news comes out of a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit that provides free services to veterans, back in June that was answered around Veteran’s Day." Read the [...]
Politico: New Data on Veterans Eligible for Student Loan Discharges
More than half of the veterans with disabilities whom the Education Department has identified as eligible to have their student loans canceled are already in default on their debt, according to new federal data.
NBC: Veterans haven’t received GI Bill benefits for months due to ongoing IT issues at VA
“I don’t see that there is an immediate fix, and I don’t see how this is going to be addressed in the spring or summer semesters,” said Tanya Ang, the policy and outreach director of [...]
AP: How military service impacts student loan repayment options
Veterans tend to be older than traditional undergraduates and are likelier to be employed while in school, says Kathy Payea, senior research fellow with Veterans Education Success. They also may be supporting families.
Education Dept’s Response to our FOIA re Disabled Veterans
The Education Department responded to our FOIA request regarding totally disabled veterans' legal right to loan forgiveness. The FOIA response shows that more than half of the 42,000 totally and permanently disabled veterans who are [...]
Veterans Organizations Call for Automatic Loan Forgiveness for Disabled Veterans
A letter to the Department of Education requesting automatic loan forgiveness for disabled veterans.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences: Military Service and Educational Attainment of High School Sophomores After 9/11: Experiences of 2002 High School Sophomores as of 2012
This Statistics in Brief examines 2002 high school sophomores’ entrance into military service through 2012, up to 8 years after most graduated from high school in 2004. The report provides estimates regarding the timing of [...]
ABC4 News: College of Charleston announces new scholarship for U.S. military veterans
The College of Charleston has announced the establishment of it's first endowed scholarship dedicated to veterans. Vietnam veteran Gerald "Jerry” Polis, a member of the college's Class of 1962, is establishing the Gerald D. Polis [...]
Advice for Accreditors
Recruiting practices by institutions of higher learning is an area fraught with deceptive and misleading practices, due to a number of competing incentives. While veteran recruiting practices differ from civilian recruiting in some respects – [...]
Military Times: Many student veterans risk eviction for late GI Bill payments. So this city is stepping in.
Student veterans in New York City who are at risk of being evicted from their homes because of delayed GI Bill payments from Veterans Affairs are getting a little extra help from the city’s government. [...]
U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) Meets with Washington Student Veterans about Protecting the GI Bill and Student Veterans
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/1056993468558372865
Higher Education Act Reauthorization: Senate Democratic Committee principles
“Go back and say to your children and to your grandchildren, and those who come after you and follow you—tell them that we have made a promise to them. Tell them that the truth is [...]
Letter urging the FCC to protect veterans’ internet access
In an age when work, banking, communicating, healthcare, and more are all tied to the internet, it is important to protect the internet access to those veterans who need it most.
U.S. Department of Justice prosecutes 4 VA employees for receiving bribes from 3 for-profit colleges in exchange for steering disabled veterans and $2M in Voc Rehab funds to the schools
WASHINGTON – A former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official pled guilty today to demanding and receiving bribes from three for-profit schools in exchange for enrolling disabled military veterans in those schools and facilitating [...]
Inside Higher Ed: New York City Sues For-Profit College
Cities rarely sue colleges, but New York has received so many complaints against for-profit institutions that it brought a complaint Friday against Berkeley College New York in state court. The New York City Department of [...]
Military Times: 8 Tips to Help Vets Pick the Right College
Like military planning, “prior planning prevents piss poor performance.” And the more you know about your life’s missions — your allies, potential enemies and the college terrain — the better your results will be in [...]
Is Trident University a Good Choice for Military-Connected Students?
Trident, a University that focuses heavily on recruiting military-connected students, has a mixed record. Its outcomes are better than Ashford’s, another for-profit school that is exclusively online, and the proportion of Trident students with federal [...]
DIIHE: Analysis: ACICS-Accredited College Students Have Negative Outcomes
Students who attend schools approved by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) are twice as likely as their counterparts at other schools to end up with unmanageable debt, according to a Veterans [...]
Politico: Veterans Education Success is out with a new analysis of student outcomes at for-profit schools that are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.
The group finds that outcomes at the schools are worse now than they were in 2016 when the Obama administration terminated the accreditor. The Trump administration has recommended a one-year extension of federal recognition for [...]
Student Outcomes at Colleges Approved by the Accreditor ACICS
Veterans Education Success analyzed the most recent U.S. Department of Education (Department) data to determine student outcomes at the approximately 100 schools still accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Changes to College Scorecard Anger Veterans Groups
As they push forward with a plans to drop the accountability rule known as gainful employment, Education Department officials have talked up plans to expand consumer information as an alternative to the hotly debated regulations. [...]
U.S. Government Accountability Office: Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Education Department Needs to Provide Better Information for the Loan Servicer and Borrower
As of April 2018, over a million borrowers had taken steps to pursue Public Loan Service Forgiveness (PSLF) from the Department of Education (Education), but few borrowers have been granted loan forgiveness to date. The [...]
New York Times: As Economy Roars, Army Falls Thousands Short of Recruiting Goals
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Army fell thousands of troops short of its recruiting goals this year, the first time it has done so since the height of the Iraq war 13 years ago. The shortfall [...]
The Hill: Protect the Military Lending Act
Standing with the troops requires more than lip service. It also requires action. When the Pentagon found that predatory payday loan shops and unethical car dealers were trolling military bases and aggressively targeting the troops [...]
The Hill: “Protect the Military Lending Act” by LtGen Dana T. Atkins and Joyce Wessel Raezer
Our president Carrie Wofford wrote this op-ed for the heads of the Military Officers Association of America and the National Military Family Association. Standing with the troops requires more than lip service. It also requires [...]
Press Release: Veterans and Military Service Organizations Urge Education Department Not to Rollback Student Protections and Quality Controls in Program Integrity Rules
September 14, 2018 For Immediate Release: Contact: Carrie Wofford, (202) 838-5050 Veterans and Military Service Organizations Urge Education Department Not to Rollback Student Protections and Quality Controls in Program Integrity Rules Veterans also Travel [...]
Veterans and Military Organizations Write VA to Fix Delays in GI Bill Payments
As an IT issue wreaked havoc on GI Bill payments, 15 veteran and military organizations wrote a letter urging VA Secretary Wilkie to find a prompt solution.
28 Veterans Organizations Call on the Education Department to Stop Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Public comment from 28 veterans and military service organizations urging the Education Department to maintain strong integrity rules against waste, fraud, and abuse, and to expand competency-based education.
VA Proposes to Waive Ethics Rule for VA Employees
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to waive the application of applicable Federal regulations (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) for all VA employees who receive any wages, salary, dividends, profits, gratuities, or services from, or own [...]
Press Release: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ Rescission of Gainful Employment Fails Statutory Obligation to Stop Waste, Fraud, and Abuse and to Protect Taxpayer Dollars – and Knowingly Puts Veterans and Servicemembers at Risk
September 13, 2018 For Immediate Release: Contact: Carrie Wofford, (202) 838-5050 Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ Rescission of Gainful Employment Fails Statutory Obligation to Stop Waste, Fraud, and Abuse and to Protect Taxpayer Dollars – and [...]
Our Public Comment Opposing the Rescission of Gainful Employment
Public Comment by VES against the Education Department’s proposal to completely rescind the requirement that career college programs meet minimum Gainful Employment metrics
Inside Higher Ed: For-Profit Chain Will Close Dozens of Campuses
Education Corporation of America, a for-profit higher education provider with locations across the country, plans to close 26 campuses -- a third of its current total -- by early 2020. The closures would affect almost [...]
US Federal Court Orders Education Department to Honor Students’ Rights to Loan Relief
A US federal court ordered the Education Department to stop delaying and diminishing students' rights to student loan relief. Read the full court order here: https://predatorystudentlending.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/show_temp-2.pdf Read more about the case here: https://predatorystudentlending.org/cases/bauer-v-devos-capps-v-devos/ Read all [...]
Courtroom hearing on Colorado Attorney General’s Lawsuit against Stevens-Henager College America for defrauding students
This is an action brought by the state of Colorado pursuant to Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
Inside Higher Ed: FTC Shuts Down Scam Military Websites
The Federal Trade Commission has reached agreements to shut down several copycat military websites that targeted people looking to join the armed services and then used their personal information to market for-profit colleges, the commission [...]
Press Release: Our Full-Page Ad for the Military Lending Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 CONTACT: Dom Slowey, 781-710-0014 [email protected] Mike Saunders: 202-838-5050 [email protected] Veterans & Military Service Organizations Urge CFPB & DOD Not To Rollback Servicemembers' Protections Under the Military Lending Act WASHINGTON [...]
Federal Trade Commission shuts down predatory fake military websites (Army.com, Air-Force.com, NavyEnlist.com, and ArmyEnlist.com)
The operators of copycat websites army.com and navyenlist.com have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they targeted people seeking to join the armed forces and tricked them by falsely claiming to be affiliated [...]
Military Times: Advocates launch $250K ad campaign to support protections for troops against predatory lenders
Nearly 40 military and veteran service organizations have launched a $250,000 advertising campaign urging the Defense Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue strong enforcement of a law that protects service members and [...]
Military.com: Vets Groups Urge Mattis to Keep Pressure on Payday Lenders
Nearly 40 veterans and military family organizations have joined in a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney urging them to keep in place oversight [...]
Politico: Military Groups Speak Out
Starting today, Veterans Education Success has taken out ads in news outlets across the country, including near military bases, featuring a letter from 38 military and veteran service organizations calling on the Consumer Financial Protection [...]
CAPPS v. DeVos & Bauer v. DeVos | DOCUMENTS
This brief is submitted by the National Consumer Law Center (“NCLC”) and by 17 legal aid and other non-profit organizations that work on behalf of students and student loan borrowers, consumers, low-income individuals, teachers, college [...]
Press Release: Veterans Organizations Oppose DeVos’ Proposed Borrower Defense Rule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2018 CONTACT: Walter Ochinko, (202) 838-5050 VES Research Director and Borrower Defense negotiator representing military and veteran students on both the 2016 and 2018 negotiated rulemaking panels Twenty-Seven Veteran [...]
Proposed Borrower Defense Rule: Worse than 2016 for Military-Connected Students
This chart makes clear the differences between the 2016 rule and the proposed 2018 rule at the US Education Department.
27 veteran and military service organizations oppose the Education Department’s rollback of protections for taxpayers and students in Borrower Defense rule
A letter by veteran organizations in opposition of the Education Department's rollback of veteran protections. Individual veterans also filed their own public comments about their experiences.
Flight Training Caps Will Save GI Bill $504 Million Over 10 Years, But Will They Cost Pilots?
New legislation, establishing a maximum tuition and fee structure for all VA-funded flight programs, will save the GI Bill $504.4 million over the next ten years, according to estimates from the Veterans Administration. A number of veterans [...]
Press Release: Resignation of Student Loan Ombudsman, Seth Frotman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28, 2018 CONTACT: Tanya Ang, Vice President, (202) 838-5050 Yesterday, the Student Loan Ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (CFPB) announced his resignation in a letter to the Acting CFPB [...]
AP: For-profit colleges have allies now, but complaints persist
A lawsuit against Ashford University describes an admissions office with a cutthroat sales culture more akin to a used-car lot than a place of higher learning, peddling “false promises and faulty information” to lure students [...]
CFPB and DoD: Protect Servicemembers’ Rights
38 veterans and military service organizations call on the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and US Defense Department to stop the rollback of servicemembers' rights under the Military Lending Act Resubmitted Sept. [...]
DIIHE: Possible Enforcement Changes to Military Lending Act Spark Outcry
Two letters containing 38 signatures of veteran and military organization service members are expressing concern about the enforcement of the federal Military Lending Act (MLA) have been sent to U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis [...]
Stripes: Mulvaney is Urged Not to Weaken Consumer Protections
Almost 30 military associations and veterans groups on Thursday sent a joint letter to Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, urging that he not weaken CFPB enforcement of the 2006 Military [...]
Military Times: Advocates to Mattis: Don’t waver in protecting troops against predatory lenders
Leaders from organizations representing millions of current and former service members and their families are urging continued strong enforcement of the Military Lending Act, in letters sent Thursday to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and [...]
The Washington Examiner: Don’t Lower Standards for Federally Subsidized For-Profit Colleges
Conservatives complained a lot about Barack Obama when he was president. But not everything he did was bad. One of the things Obama did that actually made a lot of sense was try to stop [...]
NYT Opinion: The Bane That is Betsy DeVos
Today let’s talk about the evil deeds of Betsy DeVos. We’ve been distracted, what with Omarosa and the Manafort trial and that $90 million military parade we were so looking forward to. At the same time, [...]
CNN: Betsy DeVos’ rollback of Obama’s for-profit college rules is almost complete
(CNN) Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is rolling back another Obama-era regulation that was meant to protect students from abusive practices by for-profit schools and colleges. On Friday, DeVos said she plans to fully repeal [...]
New York Times: DeVos Ends Obama-Era Safeguards Aimed at Abuses by For-Profit Colleges
WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos formally moved Friday to scrap a regulation that would have forced for-profit colleges to prove that the students they enroll are able to attain decent-paying jobs, the most drastic [...]
Press Release: Betsy DeVos Ignores Veterans on Gainful Employment
For Immediate Release: Contact: Carrie Wofford, (202) 838-5050 August 10, 2018 Betsy DeVos Ignores Veterans on Gainful Employment Education Department failed to consider veterans’ perspectives in gutting the Gainful Employment rule, which imposed accountability on [...]
NYT: Mulvaney Looks to Weaken Oversight of Military Lending
The Trump administration is planning to suspend routine examinations of lenders for violations of the Military Lending Act, which was devised to protect military service members and their families from financial fraud, predatory loans and [...]
American Military University settles lawsuit with Massachusetts Attorney General, paying $270,000 for high pressure enrollment tactics and failure to disclose graduates’ job prospects
BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey today announced a settlement with an online for-profit school over allegations that the school violated Massachusetts law by failing to make mandated disclosures to prospective students about job placement [...]
U.S. Department of Treasury: A Financial System That Creates Economic Opportunities Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation: Report to President Donald J. Trump per Executive Order 13772 on Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System
President Donald J. Trump established the policy of his Administration to regulate the U.S. finan- cial system in a manner consistent with a set of Core Principles. These principles were set forth in Executive Order [...]
Veteran and Servicemember Complaints about Misconduct and Illegal Practices at Trident University
What follows is a public version of a “trends analysis” document we prepared detailing the types of harm observed by us in our free legal services to service members, veterans, and their dependents who brought [...]
Military Times: Vets Could Be Hurt by Proposed $13 Billion Cut to Student Loan Relief
Veterans and other students defrauded by their schools would have a harder time getting their federal loans erased under new rules proposed by the Trump administration Wednesday. The proposal, which aims to replace a set [...]
Press Release: Ed Department Proposes Rules to Help Predatory Schools Instead of Veterans
DeVos’s Proposed Borrower Defense Rule Rewrites Epitaph For Predatory Schools Like Corinthian and ITT July 26, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Walter Ochinko, Research Director, who served as a Borrower Defense negotiator representing military and [...]
CNBC: Thousands of Students Who Say They Were Defrauded by the Art Institute Awaiting an Answer From the Government
"Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit advocacy group, has said some for-profit schools do not explain to students that they’re signing up for loans. She has argued that the 'master promissory note,' [...]
Military Times: New GI Bill Transfer Restrictions: 7 Things You Need to Know
The Pentagon’s new rules on transferring GI Bill benefits to dependents, announced last week, have created a lot of concern and confusion among service members, veterans and military families. Will you still be able to transfer [...]
Military.com: How to Fight VA Debt
The Department of Veterans Affairs says you owe them money. You disagree. But how do you fight Uncle Sam when he comes for your cash? If there's one thing military members know, it's that when the Defense [...]
DeVry students in Texas sue DeVry based on FTC’s findings of deceptions about job placement
This lawsuit seeks damages from Defendants for violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (“DTPA”), fraud, negligent misrepresentations, and restitution for unjust enrichment against Defendants ADTALEM GLOBAL EDUCATION, INC., and DEVRY UNIVERSITY INC. Defendants [...]
Protection for the Office of Servicemember Affairs
Our public comment urging the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to maintain robust consumer financial education and to protect the Office of Servicemember Affairs
Elevating Veterans’ Voices | After Action Report | Winter/Spring 2017-18
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Center for American Progress: The 85 Colleges That Only ACICS Would Accredit
June 12 was supposed to be the end of the road for colleges that relied on the Accrediting Council for Independent Schools and Colleges (ACICS) for access to federal financial aid, marking 18 months since [...]
The Denver Post: GOP higher education legislation will hurt service members, veterans and their families
After serving approximately four years in the U.S. Army, I was eager to pursue my lifelong passion for electronics by earning a degree in engineering. Following in the footsteps of my father and many of [...]
Piercing the Veil of Covert For-Profit Colleges
Recent efforts by certain predatory for-profit colleges to convert to nonprofit status1 raises the question of whether the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can continue to exercise jurisdiction over those entities’ misleading and deceptive recruiting [...]
Center for Responsible Lending: A Bitter Pill: Gainful Employment and Credentialism in Healthcare Support Fields: Findings from the Gainful Employment Data, Website Disclosures, and a Focus Group of For-Profit College Borrowers
The marketing of for-profit colleges is ubiquitous, yet student outcomes are consistently poor. These outcomes include high dropout rates, low and unstable earnings of graduates, and heavy debt burdens that students are unable to repay, [...]
42 Ethics, Veterans, Consumer, and Education Leaders Oppose VA’s Revised Ethics Proposal
42 federal ethics experts, national veterans and military service organizations, and consumer protection and education experts urge the US Department of Veterans Affairs to properly implement an anti-corruption ethics law for VA employees taking gifts [...]
Military Times: Should VA Employees Be Allowed to Work at For-Profit Schools?
Traditionally, employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs haven’t been allowed to moonlight at for-profit schools or receive gifts, services or other financial benefits from such institutions, which enroll tens of thousands of veterans using the GI [...]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Deal under scrutiny as Art Institutes face accreditation setbacks
An email appeared in students’ inboxes on Jan. 23: “I am writing to share some very exciting news with you,” wrote Daniel C. Snyder, director of student services for The Art Institute of Colorado. The Denver school — [...]
Inside Sources: Higher Ed Reform Bill Stalled in U.S. House
A bill from the U.S. House education committee is a good start on tackling student loan debt, say supporters, but the legislation still faces hurdles in getting to the House Floor for a vote. An [...]
Education Dept. 2018 Letter to DeVry Outlining PPA Requirements
The U.S. Education Department imposed requirements on DeVry in 2018
Storm the Hill | PROSPER Act | After Action Report
In June, representatives from America's largest Veterans Service Organizations stormed Capitol Hill to encourage lawmakers to oppose a proposed piece of legislation called the "PROSPER Act," a terrible bill which would have decimated military families [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Seeking Votes on PROSPER, GOP Appears to Come Up Short
House leaders were mum on plans for the PROSPER Act after reportedly taking the temperature on members’ support for the bill earlier this week. College groups, student organizations and veterans' representatives meanwhile renewed pressure on [...]
California Attorney General Secures $67 Million in Debt Relief for Defrauded Former Corinthian Students in California
SAN FRANCISCO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced a settlement with Balboa Student Loan Trust (Balboa) that will provide $67 million in critical debt forgiveness and other much-needed relief for the 34,971 Californians who [...]
New York Times: Betsy DeVos Reinstated College Accreditor Over Staff Objections
WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos disregarded a scathing review by her own staff this spring when she reinstated the watchdog body that had accredited two scandal-scarred for-profit universities whose bankruptcies left tens of thousands [...]
Our Letter Urging Education Department Not to Postpone State Authorization Rules for Distance Education
Our public comment urging the Education Department not to postpone implementation of State Authorization rules (distance education providers)
The Hechinger Report: Military Veterans Decry Debt, Useless Diplomas from For-Profit Colleges
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After serving four years in the military, John Andrews, 42, adjusted to civilian life by working at his local Walmart in Arkansas. Encouraged by co-workers, he also went back to school, hoping [...]
Toms River Patch: Man In $24M GI Bill Fraud Scam With Toms River Woman Get 5 Years
NEWARK, NJ – A Pennsylvania man who conspired with a former college assistant dean from Toms River in a scheme that stole more than $24 million from the Post 9/11 GI Bill was sentenced Monday [...]
Letter to CFPB Regarding Consumer Complaints
Veterans and Military leaders urge the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to maintain robust public reporting and database of consumer complaints
The Hill: A Call To Service Without Debt
As a country, we have encouraged our children to strive for bright futures. We prod them to go to college, pursue apprenticeship programs, and otherwise climb the ladder of opportunity by seeking educational opportunities beyond [...]
Inside Higher Ed: For-Profit Tuition Rises as GI Benefit Grows
A long-held conservative viewpoint on financial aid goes like this: as government assistance gets more generous, colleges and universities simply respond by raising tuition, worsening affordability. A new working paper takes a look at the so-called Bennett [...]
Inside Sources: For-Profit College Conversions to Nonprofit Entities Attacked as Regulatory Shields
Opponents of for-profit colleges are warning that schools will use a conversion to nonprofit status to shield themselves from regulatory scrutiny. The verbal beatdown came during a three-hour hearing of a U.S. Department of Education [...]
Bloomberg: Student Debt Surprise: How Veterans Get Loans Without Knowing It
Jonathan Ngowaki was halfway through getting his undergraduate degree at DeVry University when he got a letter saying he was $15,000 in debt. The letter confused him not only because he’d told the school [...]
NYT Opinion: Predatory Colleges, Freed to Fleece Students
Try as they might, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress cannot disguise that they continue to do the bidding of the for-profit college industry, which has saddled working-class students with crushing debt while providing [...]
Republic Report: Inside a For-Profit College Conversion: Lucrative Ties, Troubling Actions
On the phone, Brent Richardson, the CEO and co-chairman of the new non-profit Dream Center Education Holdings LLC (DCEH), seemed to be losing patience. DCEH was now running the Art Institutes (Ai), Argosy University, and [...]
New York Times: Education Department Unwinds Unit Investigating Fraud at For-Profits
WASHINGTON — Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and [...]
Military Times: Pentagon: “Loan Forgiveness is a Recruiting Tool.” Lawmakers: “Cut it Anyway.”
Veteran education advocates are continuing to fight a controversial bill that would sunset a student loan forgiveness benefit for public-sector employees, including service members, hoping their efforts — and the Pentagon’s opposition — can keep it from [...]
Our Letter Requesting Oversight of For-Profit College Conversions
VES public comment regarding oversight of college accreditors to US Education Department's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
The Century Foundation: Background on Bogus Nonprofit Conversions (powerpoint slides), provided to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
A student enrolling at a for-profit college is two hundred times more likely to end up filing a fraud complaint seeking a refund on their federal loans than a student enrolling at a nonprofit.
Military.com: Why Aren’t More Vets Applying to Get GI Bill Restored?
"Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, is grateful for the VA’s efforts, but concerned about the response rate. She said some veterans may not be applying simply because they’re not opening mail from the [...]
Military Times: Why Aren’t More Vets Applying to Get GI Bill Restored?
Last year, about 8,000 veterans got a message in their inboxes telling them they may qualify for a new law that restores education benefits to GI Bill users whose schools have abruptly closed. Nine months later, Veterans [...]
U.S. Defense Department: Credentialing Program Utilization
The report that follows is submitted in response to the request in Senate Report 115-125, page 150, that the Department of Defense (DoD) submit a report to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate [...]
Veteran Student Loan Debt Before and After the Post-9/11 GI Bill
A major goal of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which modernized veterans’ educational benefits, was to provide veterans with the opportunity of a debt-free, postsecondary education—or, at a minimum, to mitigate their student loan debt. The [...]
Third Way: The Pell Divide: How Four-Year Institutions are Failing to Graduate Low- and Moderate-Income Students
Since 1972, the Pell Grant has served as the primary tool for increasing access to higher education for low- and moderate-income students. That’s why the federal government continues to spend nearly $30 billion dollars on this [...]
National College Access Network: Defining College Affordability: Shutting Low-Income Students Out of Public Four-Year Higher Education
College affordability is a perennial topic around kitchen tables, in the media, and for stakeholders with interest in seeing more students access and complete a postsecondary education. Low- and middle-income students and families wring their [...]
Letter from Veterans, Military, and Consumer Organizations regarding protection from Credit Bureau abuses
Consumer and Veteran groups asked Congress to protect service members from credit bureaus infringing on their rights.
Swords to Plowshares: The Path Forward: What Universities Need to Know to Help Student Veterans Succeed
During the 2017-2018 academic year, Swords to Plowshares’ Institute for Veteran Policy conducted qualitative research with 75 veterans and nine campus staff from Bay Area colleges to assess formal and informal supportive practices on campuses [...]
Despite a 2016 Statute, the GI Bill Still Pays for Degrees That Do Not Lead to a Job
VES’s 2015 report, The GI Bill Pays for Degrees that Do Not Lead to a Job, identified 8-degree programs offered by 15 different schools, at both brick and mortar campuses and online, that failed to [...]
CNBC: Trump Moves to Cancel Student Loan Debt for Disabled Veterans
"'Many disabled veterans are currently unaware that they can be eligible for student loan debt forgiveness,' said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit advocacy group. 'It’s horrific,' Wofford said 'There are disabled [...]
The Washington Post: Trump administration streamlining student debt forgiveness for permanently disabled veterans
The Trump administration announced plans Monday to make it easier for permanently disabled military veterans to have their federal student debt wiped away.
Military Law Matters: Predatory For-Profit Colleges that Target Veterans who have the GI Bill
Learn how Veterans Education Success provides free legal services for veterans including college and career counseling to veterans, servicemembers, and their survivors and families who have faced college fraud or abuse in using their GI [...]
Task & Purpose: ‘They Didn’t Have To Kill Him’: The Death of Lance Corporal Brian Easle
The thing that everyone remembered about the man in the light gray sweatshirt was how composed he was, how polite and respectful. One morning this past summer, he quietly entered a Wells Fargo bank branch in the Atlanta suburbs in a desperate state. But he didn’t curse or even raise his voice. He just calmly relayed the litany of setbacks and obstacles that had led him to an extraordinarily reckless act.
Large For-Profit Schools Remain Dependent on Recruiting GI Bill Students Despite Overall Enrollment Declines
For several years, the media has reported on the decline in for- profit schools’ student enrollment. Missing in these articles are data on a key subset of students who are specifically targeted by for-profits—GI Bill [...]
For-Profit Schools’ Post-9/11 GI Bill Revenue and Enrollment Declined from 2014 to 2016
In this brief, we report separately on total GI Bill enrollment and enrollment for only the Post-9/11 benefit. Post-9/11 revenue includes tuition payments for qualifying GI Bill students through the Yellow Ribbon program under which [...]
Urban Institute, Student Loan Debt in America: An Interactive Map
Credit can be a lifeline during emergencies and a bridge to education and homeownership. But debt, which can stem from credit or unpaid bills, often burdens families and communities and exacerbates wealth inequality. This map [...]
Veteran and Military leaders letter to Congress opposing the PROSPER Act
Veteran and Military leaders wrote a letter to congressional leadership opposing the PROSPER Act.
Military Times: DOD Review: 0% of Schools Following TA Rules
Every single college that the Department of Defense examined last year, as part of a new tuition assistance review process, was found in violation of DoD rules ― but schools won’t be punished just yet. Marketing [...]
Inside Higher Ed: A Low Bar for Bar Passage
Nearly nine out of 10 law school graduates who sat for the bar exam within two years of graduating passed it, according to new data from the American Bar Association. But more than 10 percent of [...]
Veteran and military groups ask Congress to protect the rule against 300% interest “payday loans”
Veteran and Military organizations raise the alarm on unscrupulous practices of Payday Lenders. The American Legion also wrote Congress to protect the payday rule
Massachusetts Attorney General announces settlement with New England College of Business and Finance
BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey today announced a settlement with a for-profit online college based in Boston over allegations of failing to make proper disclosures of its programs for prospective students and engaging in [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Veterans Blast GOP Bill as Giveaway to For-Profits
Late last summer, President Trump signed into law a long-awaited update to the GI Bill -- a rare moment of bipartisanship in the first year of the Trump administration and a major victory for veterans’ groups.
Washington Post: VA Suspends DeVry University From a Key Veterans Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday suspended DeVry University from participation in a program that identifies schools doing a good job of serving former troops, in light of a federal lawsuit accusing the for-profit chain of misleading [...]
Military Times: Student Loan Forgiveness Benefit on the Chopping Block
A benefit that lets service members and other government workers write off student loan debt would vanish under a new proposal in Congress. Republican-backed legislation would eliminate a program that allows borrowers in full-time public [...]
Military Times: Student loan forgiveness benefit on the chopping block
A benefit that lets service members and other government workers write off student loan debt would vanish under a new proposal in Congress. Republican-backed legislation would eliminate a program that allows borrowers in full-time public service jobs to have their student loans forgiven after making payments for 10 years — a move that military and veterans groups say would hurt their members.
The Hill: A Law Connection
One nonprofit on the platform is Veterans Education Success, which provides free legal services to veterans who were taken advantage of by predatory for-profit colleges. “When Betsy DeVos came into the Department of Education, they started to [...]
Schools Receiving the Most Post-9/11 GI Bill Tuition and Fee Payments Since 2009
This issue brief focuses on cumulative Post-9/11 payments to schools, not enrollment. Eight of the top 10 recipients of Post-9/11 tuition and fee payments from fiscal years (FY) 2009 through 2017 were for-profit schools. These 8 [...]
U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General recommendations for HEA
U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General recommendations for HEA
30 Veterans and Military Organizations Ask the Education Department Not to Reinstate ACICS
30 Veterans and Military Service Organizations ask the Education Department not to reinstate Accredited Council for Independent Colleges and Schools https://vetsedsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/feb-2018-acics-vso-letter.pdf
Higher Education Act Reauthorization: Veterans Education Success Statement for the Record
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the Higher Education Act Reauthorization. “These colleges are approved by the government; you think they must be good, butthey're not. Schools taking our GI Bill and [...]
Our 2nd Submission to Ashford’s Accreditor
In Februrary 2018, VES submitted additional information to Ashford's accreditor.
Press Release: “Increasing College Success for Student Veterans and Today’s Students” | Student Veteran Panel Discussion
“Increasing College Success for Student Veterans and Today’s Students” Student Veterans Panel Feb. 22, 2018 On February 22, 2018, Veterans Education Success hosted a panel of student veterans who shared their experiences, ideas, and proposals [...]
The Chronicle: Ashford U. Faces New Setback in Battle Over GI Bill Funds
California regulators have shot down Ashford University’s request for GI Bill eligibility — dealing the for-profit college a significant blow that could reverberate nationwide. Under federal rules, colleges that serve veteran students are supposed to [...]
Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Student Veterans of America Statement for the Record
Chairman Alexander: Thank you for inviting Student Veterans of America (SVA) to submit our remarks on your white paper, “HigherEducation Accountability.”1 Established in 2008, SVA has grown to become a force and voice for the [...]
36 Veterans & Military Organizations Write the Senate Education Chairman regarding the Higher Education Act
36 Veterans and Military Service Organizations write to Senate Education Chairman regarding Higher Education Act Student Veterans of America comment on Higher Education Act VES Statement for the Record [...]
Marketwatch: Job-Training Programs at For-Profit Colleges Actually Make Students Worse Off
Students who attend programs at for-profit colleges with hopes of training for a career appear to end up worse off than if they never moved on to higher education at all. After attending certificate programs [...]
Veteran Preference in FTC Oversight
Veteran and Military organizations ask the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce to prioritize veterans and service members in Federal Trade Commission oversight.
Brookings Institution: Gainfully employed? New Evidence on the Earnings, Employment, and Debt of For-Profit Certificate Students
As the U.S. Department of Education proposes weakening the Gainful Employment (GE) rules regulating for-profit and vocational education programs, accurate estimates of the earnings outcomes and debt incurred by students in these programs are essential [...]
American Constitution Society: How a Growing Army of Lawyers is Helping Resist Injustice (and You Can Too)
After the 2016 presidential election, many progressive lawyers, including me, were asking, “What can I do?” We launched We The Action to help answer that question. We The Action is a platform that makes it easy for lawyers to [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Finds its Voice on PROSPER Act
With their attention occupied by tax reform last year, the higher education lobby had a muted response to the GOP's first crack at overhauling the student aid system and how it keeps colleges accountable. That’s [...]
Center for American Progress: A Second Status Update on ACICS Colleges
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will hold a May meeting to help decide whether the problematic accrediting agency Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) should again be allowed [...]
New York Attorney General announces settlement with Trump University for defrauding students
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released the following statement: "Today's approval of the Trump University class action settlement by the Ninth Circuit means that victims of Donald Trump’s fraudulent university will soon receive [...]
Legal News Line: DeVry University Students Allege School Misrepresented Employment, Income Rates of Graduates
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Legal Newsline) – DeVry University students allege they were misled by the school's advertising and are seeking restitution. Luis Rangel, Seth Adomako, Christina Cabello, et al. filed a complaint on Jan. 25 [...]
American Heroes Network: Veterans Education Success
Veterans Education Success provides: • Free Help for Veterans: Free legal services, advice, and college and career counseling to veterans, servicemembers, and their survivors and families who faced college fraud or abuse in using their [...]
Military Times: Court Settlement for Former ITT Students Moves Forward
Former students of the bankrupt ITT Technical Institute are one step closer to seeing some compensation. A judge gave preliminary approval Wednesday for former students of the collapsed chain of for-profit schools to receive a [...]
Children’s Advocacy Institute: Failing U: Do state laws protect our veterans and other students from for-profit postsecondary predators?
The Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI), part of the University of San Diego School of Law, identified several elements that are essential to addressing the problems outlined in this report and protecting students by effectively regulating [...]
FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Victory Media Advertising Case
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a final order settling charges that Victory Media violated Section 5 of the FTC Act in connection with its promotion of post-secondary schools to [...]
U.S. Defense Department position paper opposing “PROSPER” Act
DOD issued a position paper opposing the House PROSPER Act, which would curtail Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which DOD relies upon for military recruiting and retention.
Military Times: More Regulation Needed for ‘Predatory Schools’?
If the Veterans Affairs Department approves a school for GI Bill funding, does that mean it’s a good school? The answer should be yes, said Tanya Ang, policy and outreach director for the nonprofit Veterans [...]
Our press release on 49-state AG settlement with Career Education Corp.
Prior to 49-state AG settlement, Career Education Corporation took 5th highest amount of GI Bill Funds and had 3rd highest number of veteran complaints. Veterans Education Success provided the AGs with more than 400 veteran [...]
Elevating Veterans’ Voices | After Action Report | Summer and Fall 2017
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/883125419859423232 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/892853535485964288 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/898216664407445505 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/925095464386535424
The Incentive Compensation Ban and Its Importance to Veterans
The incentive compensation ban is a provision of Title IV of the Higher Education Act. It prohibits schools from using incentive compensation to pay employees working in recruitment and financial aid. Schools, in other words, [...]
MarketWatch: New Film Exposes How For-Profit Colleges Exploit Veterans and Single Moms
A little bit more than an hour into “Fail State,” a documentary about the rise of for-profit colleges, Jennifer Wilson, a graduate from one of these schools, looks at the camera and distills the essence [...]
Military Times: Wasting Money? Most New Recruits Pay $1,200 for Lesser Education Benefit
A large majority of new service members are spending $1,200 on a veterans education benefit they will never use. Military service branches automatically enroll their recruits in a decades-old GI Bill either during, or soon [...]
For Students Swindled by Predatory Colleges, Relief May Be Only Partial
Thousands of students who say they have been swindled by predatory for-profit universities will soon learn whether their loans will be forgiven by the Education Department, but under a new Trump administration policy, some students [...]
Our Submission to Ashford’s Accreditor
VES filed a formal 3rd party comment to Ashford's accreditor
Reveal: Senators Want to Examine Military Contracts with For-Profit Schools
Two U.S. senators have asked the Pentagon to hand over five years of sponsorship contracts between military bases and for-profit colleges, citing an exposé by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Records obtained by Reveal show [...]
Military Times: Military Advocates Want Details on Agencies’ Efforts to Stop Predatory Lenders
A consumer group and five military advocacy organizations have asked for information from six federal agencies about their enforcement efforts to protect service members and their families from predatory lenders. The organizations have asked for complaints the [...]
Veteran and Servicemember Complaints about Misconduct and Illegal Practices at Ashford University
In 2017, we conducted a review of the complaints we have received from veterans and servicemembers who have attended Ashford, as part of our free legal services for veterans and servicemembers. What follows is a [...]
The Hill: The Real Tax on Troops
A recent blog post by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) highlights an alarming trend as recruits join today’s All-Volunteer Force. According to CFPB, during last fiscal year, 70 percent of new recruits paid into the Department [...]
Student Loan Borrower Assistance: ED Turns 325,000 Student Loan Borrowers Over to Debt Collectors It Fired for Breaking the Law
With nearly a quarter of federal student loan borrowers in default, borrowers need a system that will help them to successfully repay their loans. Unfortunately, the Department of Education continues to reward contractors that lie [...]
Center for American Progress: Who Are Student Loan Defaulters?
Every year, 1 million student borrowers default on nearly $20 billion in federal loans. New data present the best picture ever accessible of who these borrowers are, the path they took into default, and whether or [...]
State Attorney Generals sue US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for withholding student loan debt relief to defrauded Corinthian students
SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and its Secretary, Betsy DeVos, for refusing to process debt relief claims submitted by tens of thousands of students [...]
CFPB: What Does the Coast Guard Know About The GI Bill That Other Services Do Not?
More than a hundred thousand servicemembers ship out to basic training each year. While their uniforms might be different shades of camouflage, active duty servicemembers are all given the same choice: "Should I pay $1,200 [...]
New York Times: New Higher Education Bill Rolls Back Obama-Era Safeguards
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans began work Tuesday on an extensive rewrite of the law that governs the nation’s system of higher education, seeking to dismantle landmark Obama administration regulations designed to protect students from predatory [...]
Reuters: U.S. Not Granting Loan Relief to Defrauded Students: Inspector General
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Education Department under President Donald Trump and Secretary Betsy DeVos has stopped cancelling the student-loan debt of people defrauded by failed for-profit schools and those borrowers face mounting interest and [...]
Business Insider: For-Profit Colleges Target Military Veterans: Military veterans are being targeted by an industry ‘infamous for saddling people with debt and useless degrees’
The Department of Education began negotiations to change regulations related to the for-profit college industry in December, a move that some advocates say will harm students. "This proceeding is blocking a regulation that was carefully considered and [...]
The Century Foundation: Gainful Employment and for-profit college regulatory structure
Some people refer to public, nonprofit, and for-profit as a college’s “tax status.” But that is misleading. The monikers refer to the legal requirements for how the institutions operate and who they are accountable to, [...]
The Borrower Defense Rule and Its Importance to Veterans
The Borrower Defense Rule gives the Education Department the authority to forgive federal student loans for students that prove their debt was incurred because they were defrauded by a school. It has been in place [...]
The Gainful Employment Rule and Its Importance to U.S. Veterans
The Gainful Employment Rule, finalized in 2014 and upheld by federal courts multiple times, implements the requirement in the Higher Education Act that career education programs (whether for-profit, public, or non-profit) must “prepare students for [...]
Harvard Law School Report: Veteran and Servicemember Complaints about Misconduct and Illegal Practices at Kaplan Schools
In 2017, Veterans Education Success contracted with Harvard Law School's Project on Predatory Lending to analyze complaints against Kaplan brought to Veterans Education Success by student veterans. For-profit schools have garnered significant attention for their [...]
Public Comments | Victory Media, “Gi Jobs” and “Military Friendly” Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission and Victory Media, Inc. have reached a proposed administrative consent agreement resolving allegations that Victory Media violated Section 5 of the FTC Act in connection with its promotion of post-secondary schools [...]
Forbes: The Loophole That Helps Schools But Hurts Veterans And Taxpayers
According to the Veterans Education Success report, Apollo Education Group (which owns the online University of Phoenix) collected 96.2% of its 2013 fiscal year revenue from federal sources: $423 million from VA and DOD benefits and another [...]
California Attorney General Sues Ashford University For Defrauding and Deceiving Students
SAN FRANCISCO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced that he is suing Ashford University, an online for-profit school based in San Diego, and its parent company Bridgepoint Education for engaging in unlawful business [...]
Veteran and Military organizations’ letter to Congress regarding Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Veteran and Military organizations’ letter to Congress requesting the preservation and expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness
New York Times: Exploiting Veterans for Profit
Editorial Exploiting Veterans for Profit By The Editorial Board Nov. 24, 2017 Despite efforts by Congress, the Obama administration and state attorneys general to stop the predatory practices of for-profit colleges, veterans and service members [...]
Our Letter to FTC Regarding “Military Friendly” Schools
19 Veterans and Military service organizations' public comment on US Federal Trade Commission's proposed settlement with Victory Media's "Military Friendly Schools" Additional comments by Student Veterans of America Additional comments [...]
U.S. Senators urge FTC to strengthen settlement terms with Victory Media over Defrauding Military Troops and Veterans
We write to provide comment to the proposed administrative consent agreement between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Victory Media, Inc. on October 19, which attempted to resolve allegations that Victory Media violated Section 5 [...]
Sampling of Student Complaints about Ashford University
"[Ashford] lied about the costs. When I asked to withdraw I was told I would have no debt. I asked a number of times. I explained to my advisor that I was struggling and they [...]
Rep. Mark Takano Public Comment on Victory Media settlement terms
Dear Mr. Clark: As Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in the United States House of Representatives, please accept my public comment regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed settlement with [...]
Military Times: What Will The Trump Era Mean for For-Profit Schools?
“It’s time for a regulatory reset.” With six words last June, Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s education secretary, ushered in a new era for schools that operate as businesses, putting a pause — and, some fear, [...]
Massachusetts Attorney General announces restitution for students deceived by unlicensed for-profit nursing school Hosanna College of Health, Inc. and school permanently barred from Massachusetts
BOSTON — A for-profit nursing school must pay restitution and is permanently barred from holding classes in Massachusetts after operating without a license and misrepresenting its training programs to dozens of local students, Attorney General [...]
U.S. Navy position paper opposing “PROSPER” Act
The US Navy issued a position paper opposing the House PROSPER Act, which would curtail Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which the Navy relies upon for military recruiting and retention.
Military Times: Ashford University’s GI Bill eligibility on the chopping block once more
Ashford University’s eligibility to enroll GI Bill users is once again in jeopardy. The Department of Veterans Affairs has deemed the school’s state-level approval “legally insufficient” and issued a notice to Ashford, a top enroller [...]
T&P: Beware: Military Dependents Can Be Forced To Repay Their Parents’ GI Bill
In 2012, Sgt. Desmond Watson’s daughter Jordan Bigbee turned 17, and he transferred his Post-9/11 GI Bill to her in the hopes that she’d never have to shoulder a student debt burden. “When you get [...]
Greenfield Reporter: Law Restores Education Benefits For Vets
A U.S. Navy veteran, Nyikos of Greenfield had exhausted 22 months of GI Bill benefits when ITT Technical Institute closed campuses across the country last September amid scrutiny of its accreditation and recruiting practices. He [...]
LinkedIn Blog: Is Transparency Really That Important in Public Policy? I’m Glad You Asked
Today was Day One in a series of sessions in the Department of Education’s Negotiated Rulemaking on Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR), also known loosely as Borrower Defense, or simply BD. Typically, the first morning [...]
FOX59: VA To Begin Notifying Thousands of Veterans Who Lost Benefits When ITT Tech Shut Down
In the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will begin notifying thousands of veterans caught up in the middle of the abrupt closing of ITT Tech last year. As part of the Forever [...]
Public Comment on Education Department Discretionary Funding
Veterans and military service organizations' public comment on the Education Department's priorities for discretionary funding Additional comments by Student Veterans of America Additional comments by Education and consumer groups [...]
U.S. Representative Luke Messer (R-IN) Meets with Indiana Student Veterans About Forever GI Bill; New Law Will Restore Benefits to Veterans Attending ITT Tech When School Closed
Rep. Messer Press Release here Photos here Coverage by Fox59 TV Indianapolis: VA To Begin Notifying Thousands of Veterans Who Lost Benefits When ITT Tech Shut Down; Greenfield Daily Reporter: Law Restores Education [...]
Marketwatch: These Colleges Use a Loophole to Make Billions Off the GI Bill
Over the past few years, the for-profit college industry has experienced a reckoning of sorts as increased scrutiny and the recovering economy led to enrollment declines and in the case of some schools — full-scale [...]
T&P: The Emotional Challenges of Student Veterans on Campus
This Veterans Day, Americans will honor the heroism and sacrifice of the nearly 22 million men and women who have served in the U.S. military. Among them will be student veterans. Since 2009, nearly one million veterans [...]
USA Today: For-Profit Schools to Vets: Thanks for Your Service — and Taxpayer-Backed Tuition
This Veterans Day, for-profit institutions of higher learning across the nation are thanking soldiers for their service — and tuition checks. Struggling with declining enrollment, for-profit colleges, universities and trade schools are increasingly turning to [...]
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Inside the Scramble to Save Ashford U: How Political Maneuvering Kept GI Bill Funds Flowing to a For-Profit University
Ashford University’s future was hanging in the balance. The for-profit institution risked losing access to tens of millions of dollars in GI Bill funds. Over the summer, its lobbyists were scrambling.
The Economist: For-Profit Colleges in America Relaunch Themselves as Non-Profits: Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary, May Not Be Able To Rescue Them
GOVERNMENT funds set aside for college aid have long been a favoured target for grifters. After the second world war, veterans flush on GI Bill funds would sign up for sham television-repair courses. After receiving [...]
Military Times: Vets Groups Renew Efforts to Limit For-Profit Schools’ Access to GI Bill Dollars
Veterans groups are redoubling their efforts to restrict how much money for-profit colleges can accept from student veterans’ tuition payouts after indications that the industry is becoming even more reliant on their education benefits to [...]
Ashford’s Fight to Maintain GI Bill Access Raises Questions about the Enforcement and the Adequacy of Statutory Requirements
Ashford’s potential loss of its eligibility to enroll veterans using the GI Bill and its more than year-long effort to maintain that eligibility raises questions about the enforcement of statutory approval requirements by State Approving [...]
Press Release: Veterans Education Success Releases New Report Showing 90/10 Loophole is Worse Than Previously Thought: Department of Education Data Shows Increased Targeting of Veterans and Servicemembers, Highlighting Urgency of Closing 90/10 Loophole
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9, 2017 CONTACTS: Walter Ochinko, (202) 838-5050 Department of Education Data Shows Increased Targeting of Veterans and Servicemembers, Highlighting Urgency of Closing 90/10 Loophole Today, Veterans Education Success is [...]
Press Release: Ashford’s Fight to Maintain GI Bill Access
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Department of Education Data Shows Increased Targeting of Veterans and Servicemembers, Highlighting Urgency of Closing 90/10 Loophole
For several years, the media has reported on the declining enrollment in the for-profit sector. However, our analysis of federal revenue flowing to the for-profit sector from the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Defense [...]
The Century Foundation: College Complaints Unmasked: 99 Percent of Student Fraud Claims Concern For-Profit Colleges
The Century Foundation (TCF) has obtained new data from the U.S. Department of Education about nearly 100,000 “borrower defense claims”—applications for loan relief from students who maintain that they have been defrauded or misled by [...]
Our Statement for the Record: House Veterans Affairs Hearing on TAP
Our statement for the record before the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs regarding the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for exiting servicemembers.
Our Research Director was an official negotiator representing veteran and military students on the negotiated rulemaking panel on Borrower Defense
This Web page provides the public with background information regarding the Department’s negotiated rulemaking effort to make changes to the regulations for the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 [...]
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren: Insult to Injury: How the DeVos Department of Education is Failing Defrauded Students
This staff report examines the current status of Borrower Defense discharges under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump Administration. It includes recent data on the tens of thousands of unprocessed claims for relief, and [...]
New York Times: Revised Data Shows Community Colleges Have Been Underappreciated
A college degree is the key to unlocking many of the best careers in the modern labor market. But more than 20 million working-age adults in the United States are college dropouts, failed in some way by [...]
Higher Education Act Reauthorization: Senate Republican Committee white paper
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is working on a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The law dates to 1965 and has been reauthorized 8 times. The last reauthorization occurred in [...]
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) Meets with Oregon Student Veterans about Protecting the GI Bill and Student Veterans
https://twitter.com/RepBonamici/status/924055990164652032
DIIHE: Certain For-profit Colleges Leave Veterans in a Bind
Terry Jack will be the first one to tell you he has made his share of mistakes. By his own account, the Army veteran from Tucson, Arizona, has been twice convicted of a DUI. He says [...]
CFA: “Financial Companies Deny Military Families Their Day in Court”
Consumer Federation of America: Fact: Financial Companies Deny Military Families Their Day in Court
Huffington Post: FTC Slaps Wrist Of For-Profit College Marketer That Tricked Vets; Many Bad Wrists Remain
Last week the Federal Trade Commission announced it had reach a proposed settlement with a Pittsburgh-based marketing company called Victory Media. Victory had drawn attention for websites and print magazines that deceptively pitched a large [...]
Letter from Consumer and Veterans groups regarding 2018 NDAA and fair debt collection practices
Consumer, Education, and Veteran organizations urge for updated regulations for debt collectors.
Repayment Status for First-Time Student Veterans 12 Years After Enrolling
Veterans Education Success Releases Analysis of Veteran Student Loan Repayment and Default Rates FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Contact: Walter Ochinko (202) 838-5050 Kathleen Payea (202) 838-5050 October 23, 2017 - Today, Veterans Education Success [...]
The Trentonian: Mercer County Community College Received “Military-Friendly” Designation from Company Embroiled in Scandal
However, that honor may be tainted after the company, Victory Media, reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday over its alleged practice of allowing schools to be promoted as “military-friendly” if [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Crackdown on “Pay to Play” for “Military-Friendly” Colleges
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday announced a proposed settlement with a website whose "military-friendly" rankings of colleges and universities allegedly promoted institutions that paid to be included. Victory Media runs a number of magazines and websites [...]
Veterans Groups Praise White House Nomination of Rohit Chopra to US Federal Trade Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Carrie Wofford, Veterans Education Success: (202) 838-5050 Will Hubbard, Student Veterans of America Kelly Hruska, National Military Family Association October 19, 2017 – Today, the White House nominated former senior official [...]
Federal Trade Commission announces lawsuit and settlement terms with Victory Media/GI Jobs/Military Friendly
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a final order settling charges that Victory Media violated Section 5 of the FTC Act in connection with its promotion of post-secondary schools to [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails FTC Action Against Fraudulent “Military-Friendly Schools”
Veterans Education Success praises FTC’s Action Today Against Victory Media and GI Jobs Magazine for Defrauding Veterans with its Fake “Military Friendly Schools” Rankings and Promotions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Contact: Carrie Wofford (202) 838-5050 [...]
Kentucky Attorney General announces final approval of sanctions against National University (aka American National University of Kentucky) for defrauding students and failing to comply with state subpoena
FRANKFORT, KY. (Oct. 19, 2017) – Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced that his office has won the final appeal in a case requiring American National University of Kentucky to pay $147,000 in civil monetary [...]
Business Insider: VA Seeks “Narrow” Exemption to For-Profit College Ethics Law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will proceed with a narrow waiver to a federal ethics law banning employees from receiving benefits from for-profit colleges. The move comes after VA abruptly [...]
US Attorneys Office, District of New Jersey, announces $24 million GI Bill scam by Ed4Mil website and Caldwell University
NEWARK, N.J. – Two women today admitted their roles in a conspiracy that fraudulently obtained over $24 million from the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a federal education benefits program designed to help veterans who served in [...]
Politico: What’s Next for the VA’s For-Profit College Ethics Policy?
The Trump administration, in today's Federal Register, is officially backing away from its plan to exempt all Department of Veterans Affairs employees from a federal law prohibiting them from having a financial interest in or [...]
21 Veterans and Military Organizations Oppose VA’s Plan to Waive Ethics Laws for For-Profit Colleges
Veterans Education Success led 20 veterans and military organizations in speaking out against VA's plan to waive federal ethics laws for for-profit colleges.
Our Formal Legal Opposition to VA’s Plan to Waive Ethics Laws for For-Profit Colleges
Veterans Education Success (with pro bono help from Mayer Brown LLP's Supreme Court practice) submitted a formal legal opposition to VA's plan to waive federal ethics laws to enable for-profit colleges to give VA employees [...]
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Meets with Connecticut Student Veterans about GI Bill Issues, the Forever GI Bill, and How to Protect Student Veterans
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/918878116965175297 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/918877328457043969
Repayment Status for First-Time Student Veterans 12 Years After Enrolling
Drawing on the National Center for Education Statistics' First Look report on Student Loan Debt, Repayment and Default, this Issue Brief highlights key findings on veteran student loan debt.
Inside Higher Ed: VA Drops Plan to Nix Ethics Rule
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday dropped a controversial plan to suspend an ethics law that prevents its employees from receiving pay or other benefits from for-profit institutions, The Associated Press reported. A recent inspector general report had [...]
VA Employees’ Labor Union Opposes VA Ethics Waiver
Veterans Education Success worked with the VA employees' labor union to oppose VA's plan to allow for-profit colleges to give VA employees gifts, dividends, profits, salaries, wages, and services - in violation of federal ethics [...]
Associated Press: VA Abruptly Drops Plan to Suspend Ethics Law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs abruptly dropped plans Wednesday to suspend an ethics law barring employees from receiving benefits from for-profit colleges. The move comes after criticism from government watchdogs who warned [...]
New York Attorney General Announces $375,000 Settlement With Flatiron Computer Coding School For Operating Without A License And For Its Employment And Salary Claims
NEW YORK--Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a $375,000 settlement with Flatiron School, Inc. (“Flatiron”), a New York city-based coding school that operated without a license from the New York State Education Department (“SED”) [...]
Our Statement for the Record on Flight School Abuses
Our Statement for the Record on Flight School abuses
Pro Publica & USA Today: For-Profit Schools Reward Students for Referrals and Facebook Endorsements
Lyla Elkins transferred to North Nicholas High School in Cape Coral, Florida, in 2016 with hopes of sailing through its computer-based courses and graduating early. She didn’t realize the for-profit charter school would also be [...]
Reveal: Senators Urge Trump Administration to Scrap Plan to Waive VA Ethics Rule
Four U.S. senators are demanding the Trump administration scrap a plan to waive a 50-year-old anti-corruption law that prevents officials who administer the GI Bill from accepting money from for-profit schools backed by taxpayer subsidy.
Task & Purpose: To Protect Veterans, Keep The VA Ban On Employees Working With For-Profit Colleges
On Sept. 14, the Department of Veterans Affairs quietly announced that it will waive a common-sense ethics law for all of its employees. For over 50 years, the VA has prohibited employees from receiving payments or having [...]
PBS NewsHour: For-Profit College Students Twice as Likely to Default on Loans, Report Says
WASHINGTON — Students who attended for-profit colleges were twice as likely or more to default on their loans than students who attended public educational institutions, according to a federal study published Wednesday.
Education Department Hearing: Video of Sean Marvin, Veterans Education Success
VES is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to veterans who’ve beendefrauded by their school. Since we were created in 2012, thousands of veterans have contacted us. They regularly tell us about the [...]
Education Department Hearing: Testimony of Sean Marvin, Veterans Education Success
VES is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to veterans who’ve beendefrauded by their school. Since we were created in 2012, thousands of veterans have contacted us. They regularly tell us about the [...]
Education Department Hearing: Video of Melissa Bryant, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
On behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and our over 400,000 members, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak today at this hearing on educational regulatory reform. My [...]
Education Department Hearing: Testimony of Melissa Bryant, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
On behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and our over 400,000 members, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak today at this hearing on educational regulatory reform. My [...]
Education Department Hearing: Video of Bethany Keirans, Vietnam Veterans of America
On behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and its more than 80,000 members, I appreciate the opportunity to present this testimony regarding rules pertaining to Gainful Employability, Borrower’s Defense.
Education Department Hearing: Testimony of Bethany Keirans, Vietnam Veterans of America
On behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and its more than 80,000 members, I appreciate the opportunity to present this testimony regarding rules pertaining to Gainful Employability, Borrower’s Defense.
Education Department Hearing: Video of Tanya Ang, Veterans Education Success
Good morning. I am Tanya Ang, Director of Policy and Outreach at Veterans Education Success. Our mission is to protect and defend the integrity and priority of the GI Bill and other federal education programs [...]
Education Department Hearing: Video of Will Hubbard, Student Veterans of America
On behalf of Student Veterans of America, a higher education non-profit representing over 1.1 million veterans in post-secondary education, I stand before you strongly urging this body to stand with students. The intent of Executive [...]
Education Department Hearing: Testimony of Will Hubbard, Student Veterans of America
On behalf of Student Veterans of America, a higher education non-profit representing over 1.1 million veterans in post-secondary education, I stand before you strongly urging this body to stand with students. The intent of Executive [...]
Education Department Hearing: Testimony of Tanya Ang, Veterans Education Success
Good morning. I am Tanya Ang, Director of Policy and Outreach at Veterans Education Success. Our mission is to protect and defend the integrity and priority of the GI Bill and other federal education programs [...]
Our Testimony to the Education Dept. on Student Protections
Testimony of our Legal Director Sean Marvin before the US Department of Education Hearing
The Daily Free Press: For-profit Universities: Fake, Fraudulent and Supported by the Federal Government
For-profit universities have been scamming and swindling unsuspecting students for as long as they’ve existed. Many of these schools are unaccredited — providing students with credits that can’t be transferred and degrees that can’t be [...]
Vox: How Betsy DeVos is Quietly Erasing Obama’s Education Legacy
US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos came into the Education Department with a bold vision: that parents should be able to send their kids to school wherever they wanted, by way of government-funded vouchers. Nine [...]
T&P: VA About to Scrap Ethics Law that Helps Safeguard Veterans From Predatory For-Profit Colleges
An ethics law that prohibits Department of Veterans Affairs employees from receiving money or owning a stake in for-profit colleges that rake in millions in G.I. Bill tuition has “illogical and unintended consequences,” according to VA, [...]
The Chronicle: To Lighten the Regulatory Load, Focus on For-Profits
Dear Secretary DeVos: From the testimony and interviews you have given, I gather that you believe strongly in providing taxpayer funds to colleges owned by for-profit companies. You believe that, relieved of the requirements and [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Return of the College Scorecard: Education Department Updates Higher Ed Consumer Tool, Adds New Comparison Feature
An Obama administration initiative that provided consumer information on colleges and universities has survived for another year and into the Trump administration. The Department of Education published updated information on the College Scorecard Thursday, including a new [...]
Huffington Post: Troubles Compound for Predatory CollegeAmerica Chain
In August 2016, the Obama administration delivered a powerful blow to the CollegeAmerica/ Stevens-Henager chain of career colleges. The chain, previously a for-profit company, sold itself in 2012 to a small non-profit organization called the Center [...]
New York Times: Veterans Agency Seeks to Scrap Ethics Law on For-Profit Colleges
The Department of Veterans Affairs is pushing to suspend a 50-year-old ethics law that prevents employees from receiving money or owning a stake in for-profit colleges that pocket hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition [...]
Veterans Nominations for Education Department Rulemaking Panels
Veteran and military organizations nominate representatives to the Department of Education panels for Borrower Defense to Repayment and Gainful Employment.
Inside Higher Ed: Gainful Employment Failures Cluster in 10 States
An analysis from Third Way finds a high concentration of graduates who attended programs that failed the gainful-employment rule in just a handful of states. The Obama administration crafted the gainful-employment rule to hold career education programs [...]
Loyola Phoenix: Unregulated Universities Make Profit off Their Students
We’ve all seen the commercials before — the ones with successful members of the workforce raving about their experience at their respective for-profit institutions: Kaplan University, DeVry University, Everest University, ITT Technical Institute and a [...]
Fox 45 Baltimore (Video): What you need to know about for-profit schools
For-profit colleges have been the subject of controversy for leaving students without the skills promised. Marceline White from The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition joins us to talk about the potential dangers and give students alternative [...]
Inside Higher Ed Report: 20 University of Phoenix Campuses to Close
Phoenix New Times reported Monday that the University of Phoenix is planning to close about 20 campuses around the country. The campuses reportedly include both full-fledged campuses and smaller learning centers. The university did not confirm [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Wis. Governor Kills For-Profit Oversight Agency
After years of attempts, Scott Walker, Wisconsin's Republican governor, has successfully eliminated the state's Education Approval Board as an independent agency tasked with overseeing for-profit colleges. Walker's partial veto last week of a budget bill accelerated the timetable [...]
U.S. News & World Report: 1 in 3 ‘Career Colleges’ Saddle Grads With Limited Earnings Potential, Unmanageable Debt
ONE OUT OF 10 GRADUATES of so-called "career colleges" attended schools that were flagged for their students failing to make a high enough salary to sufficiently pay down their loans after graduating, according to data collected [...]
GQ: Betsy DeVos Accused Students Who Were Defrauded by For-Profit Colleges of Wanting “Free Money”
Betsy DeVos must love negative attention. You see, usually the secretary of education, though an important position, isn't an incredibly public one. I mean, sure, we all knew Arne Duncan played basketball, and were aware [...]
ABC 15 Arizona: Your college degree could be worthless if it isn’t from an accredited school
Most students are back in school. If you're supposed to graduate this year or next, or you're looking for a school, you may be concerned about the degree you'll be getting. In some cases, you [...]
Federal Trade Commission Nominations
Student Veterans of America Letter to U.S. Senate Commerce Committee re: Federal Trade Commission Nominations https://vetsedsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SVA-letter-FTC-nomination.pdf
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition launches campaign warning about risks of for-profit colleges
Nakia Trezevant spent a year studying information technology at ITT Technical Institute in Owings Mills. She said she has nothing to show for it but $12,000 in debt. The for-profit educational firm, which had two [...]
The Denver Post: DeVos Should Keep Rules Targeting For-Profit Colleges
For-profit colleges have their place in higher education, but too many operators have proved to be incredibly bad actors over the years, making reasonable rules meant to protect students the smart play.
National Guard Association Implementing New Changes
National Guard Association of the United States Resolutions to close the 90/10 loophole, require schools to disclose credit transfer and other policies, and reinstate GI Bill for veterans at closed schools https://vetsedsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NGAUS-Resolutions-2017.pdf
Phoenix New Times: Getting Educated or Getting Schooled? Divergent Views of Grand Canyon University
The recruiter arrived during the lunch break. Lisa Coslett met him while she was working at the daycare center. An enthusiastic man named Russ McKee encouraged her to consider a master’s degree in special education. [...]
Military Times: Vet Organizations Back Obama-Era College Regulations
Dozens of military and veteran service organizations are pushing back against the Department of Education’s decision earlier this year to suspend enforcement of Obama-era rules aimed largely at for-profit colleges and universities. Leaders of 36 [...]
34 Veterans & Military Organizations Urge DeVos not to Rollback Student Protections
A letter urging the Department of Education to not roll back protections for veterans.
U.S. Government Accountability Office: U.S. Education Department Should Address Oversight and Communication Gaps in Its Monitoring of the Financial Condition of Schools
The Department of Education (Education) reviews the annual audits of postsecondary schools to assess compliance with financial responsibility standards for schools that participate in federal student aid programs and increases its oversight of schools that [...]
Student Loan Hero: Betsy DeVos’ Controversial Decision Could Make Kaplan University and The Art Institutes Nonprofit
Yesterday, BuzzFeed News reported Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education have cleared the way for two for-profit institutions — Kaplan University and Education Management Corp (EDMC), the parent company of Argosy University, South University, [...]
CQ Roll Call: Veterans Groups Decry VA Plan to Relax For-Profit School Ties
A new Department of Veterans Affairs proposal to relax current conflict-of-interest rules and allow employees to more easily become involved with for-profit colleges has veteran advocates concerned that the schools could have more influence within the [...]
USA Today: New questions raised about how for-profit colleges recruit the military
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Even reserve Army attorneys say that Fort Campbell "missed something" that allowed a prominent for-profit college to recruit active duty soldiers at dozens of events two years ago before the school was temporarily [...]
Buzzfeed: The Education Department Will Allow Two Large For-Profit Colleges To Become Nonprofits
The Education Department has offered its stamp of approval for the controversial sale of two massive for-profit colleges, Kaplan University and the Art Institutes, according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed News — allowing both schools [...]
The Nation: Betsy DeVos Is Helping Education Profiteers Rip Off Students
When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed, the major fear was that she would radically overhaul the public-education system and institute a broad school-voucher program. It turns out that requires congressional action that hasn’t been [...]
Inside Higher Ed: VA Seeks Broad Waiver of Rule Barring Payments from For-Profit Colleges
The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to grant employees a waiver of a rule barring receipt of salary or other benefits from for-profit colleges. The proposed regulation was published in the federal register Thursday and would take [...]
Reveal: Trump Administration Seeks to Legalize Payoffs to VA Officials by For-Profit Schools
The Trump administration is seeking to waive a 50-year-old anti-corruption law that prevents officials who administer the GI Bill from accepting money from for-profit schools backed by taxpayer subsidies. The proposed regulation, published Thursday in the Federal Register, [...]
Washington Post: Ousted college accreditor wants another chance, but will DeVos agree?
The new leader of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, once one of the largest national accreditation agencies, wants the council to resume its role as the gatekeeper between colleges and billions of dollars [...]
Vice News: These students are suing their for-profit school
For-profit colleges and universities have received increased scrutiny in recent years for their part in helping to drive up the level of U.S. student debt, which now tops $1.3 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve [...]
New York Times: Federal Inquiry of Charlotte Law School is Disclosed by Suit
Barbara Bernier arrived at Charlotte School of Law four years ago to teach constitutional and other law courses. But what she found at the for-profit law school was different from her prior teaching experiences, so [...]
Westfair Online: Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy reintroduce bill aimed at predatory for-profit colleges
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are teaming with five of their Democratic colleagues in reintroducing the Students Before Profits Act, a bill designed to protect students who attended for-profit colleges from predatory lending [...]
Bloomberg News: Betsy DeVos Tells CFPB to Back Off on Student Loans: The Agency Has Survived the Trump Administration So Far; Will the Education Department Be the One to Kneecap It?
When federal policymakers killed banks’ ability to make government-backed student loans, David Bergeron should have been celebrating. A career official at the U.S. Department of Education, he had favored the move for years; it would save [...]
Reveal: University of Phoenix Gained Special Access to Military Base – For a Price
U.S. military commanders allowed representatives of the University of Phoenix to erect banners advertising the for-profit college on one of America’s largest military bases and permitted them to place promotional materials in high-traffic areas on [...]
Military Advanced Education & Transition: Cover Story: Carrie Wofford, President, Veterans Education Success Q&A: Protection From Predators: Shielding Student Veterans and Servicemembers From Fraud or Abuse
"We are a non-profit organization offering free services and advice to military veterans." Q&A with Veterans Education Success founder and president, Carrie Wofford.
Huffington Post: DeVos’ Embrace of Predatory For-Profit Colleges is Breathtaking
Betsy DeVos, whose interest in education prior to the Trump administration seemed mostly focused on K-12 schools, has made her mark as Secretary of Education instead with a remarkably blatant embrace of the worst demands [...]
Dallas News: Hundreds of veterans scramble after Garland for-profit college closes
GARLAND — Hundreds of veterans are scrambling to figure out what’s next for them after a for-profit college they were attending suddenly shut down Wednesday. The Texas Veterans Commission issued a news release Thursday evening [...]
Inside Higher Ed: New GI Bill Includes $75 Million for Non-College Providers of Technology Boot Camps
Last week President Trump signed into law a significant expansion of veterans' higher education benefits. The legislation, which has been dubbed the Forever GI Bill, received bipartisan support. Though its primary goal is to help more veterans get [...]
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Meets with Defrauded Louisiana Veterans, Hears How Some Colleges Target GI Bill with Consumer Fraud and Dishonorable Practices
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/900752796726820864 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/900753119268794368
Mercury News: Thousands of Former Corinthian Colleges Students Win Debt Relief
Approximately 13,000 Californians who attended now-defunct Corinthian Colleges will see some $51 million in debt relief as part of a settlement finalized Monday between the private equity firm Aequitas Capital Management and the state’s attorney general, [...]
The American Legion Resolution Against Force Arbitration
The American Legion Resolution in Favor of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Rule Against Forced Arbitration
American Legion Resolution to protect gainful employment and borrower defense
The American Legion resolution to protect gainful employment and borrower defense rules.
The American Legion Resolution to Close the 90/10 Loophole
https://vetsedsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/American-Legion-Resolution-90-10.pdf
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) Meets with Defrauded California ITT Tech Veteran at Veterans Town Hall, is Thanked for His Leadership Restoring GI Bill Benefits to ITT Tech and Corinthian Veterans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 22, 2017 Congressman Mark Takano meets with California Veterans about GI Bill Issues Active duty and former service-members earn educational benefits through Honorable service, but some schools target Veterans with [...]
Mercury News: Thousands of Former Corinthian Colleges Students Win Debt Relief: Californians Will Get Some $51 Million in Debt Relief
Approximately 13,000 Californians who attended now-defunct Corinthian Colleges will see some $51 million in debt relief as part of a settlement finalized Monday between the private equity firm Aequitas Capital Management and the state’s attorney general, [...]
Albany Times Union: DeVry Students to Get $2,800 Each
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that hundreds of students will receive restitution following the Attorney General’s investigation into DeVry Education Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries DeVry University, Inc. and DeVry/New York, Inc. (collectively, [...]
Attorneys General of several states announce $192 million in restitution for Corinthian students
BALTIMORE, MD (August 17, 2017) –Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, in coordination with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) and a coalition of 12 other state attorneys general, announced today a tentative settlement with [...]
Rep. David Young (R-IA) Meets with Defrauded Iowa Veterans, Hears How Some Colleges Target GI Bill with Consumer Fraud and Dishonorable Practices
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/898211985866842113 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/898216664407445505
Inside Higher Ed: The Slow Death of a For-Profit Law School: Abrupt Closure of Charlotte School of Law
Charlotte School of Law, a for-profit institution based in North Carolina, appeared to abruptly shut down Tuesday, just days after losing its license to operate in the state. No one associated with the law school publicly commented. [...]
Reveal: After Pushback, Trump Administration Says It Won’t Scrap Anti-Corruption Law
Faced with growing opposition from veterans groups, ethics experts and five U.S. senators, the Trump administration today abruptly abandoned its plan to suspend a 50-year-old anti-corruption law that prohibits for-profit colleges from enriching Department of Veterans [...]
Journal Sentinel: For-Profit College Shut Down in Wisconsin is Back Under New Ownership
A for-profit college shut down by the Obama administration in December is back in Wisconsin under new ownership, with four locations enrolling new students in career-education programs. Globe University had campuses in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Madison, Appleton [...]
WKBN TV: Proposed Changes to GI Bill Gives Veterans More Education Options
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) - The GI Bill helps veterans pay for school after they leave the Armed Forces. Now, Congress has approved some major changes to give veterans more options. "This is primarily about giving [...]
The Military Coalition’s Letter on Protecting the CFPB
The Military Coalition’s letter to Congress requesting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau be protected.
Military Times: Ashford University Maintains GI Bill Eligibility, Blasts VA
An online university in danger of losing its eligibility to enroll GI Bill users, recently allowed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue such enrollments pending court appeals, is accusing the VA of disseminating [...]
Politico: Morning Education: For-Profit College Faces Off with the Feds over Vet Benefits
FOR-PROFIT COLLEGE FACES OFF WITH FEDS OVER VET BENEFITS: Amid its battle with a state regulator, Ashford University is now sparring with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over its ability to accept tens of millions [...]
Boston Globe: Thousands Paying for an Education that Failed to Deliver
Thousands of former students in Massachusetts and across the country continue to be hounded about private loans they took out to attend for-profit schools that many say failed to provide the education they promised and [...]
The Buffalo News: Students of For-Profit Colleges Struggle the Most Repaying Loans
Students who attended for-profit institutions struggled the most to pay down the principal on their student loans. For-profit schools also produced lower shares of students who earned annual incomes of at least $25,000. Nearly 85 [...]
WV Gazette: Stop Delaying Loan Help for Defrauded Students
Not all colleges are created equal. Many are stalwarts of their community and churn out thousands of qualified graduates yearly. Others are on much shakier ground and end up crashing and burning, dragging lots of [...]
Forbes: How The White House Is Harming College Borrowers
For more than a generation, the GOP trope with a nod and a wink was "I'm here from Washington and I'm here to help." Yet sometimes, government policies do help Americans -- especially those with crippling college [...]
Student Loan Hero: What Veterans Need to Know About the New ‘Forever GI Bill’
Seventy-three years after the GI Bill was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt — providing members of the military, veterans, and their dependents with educational assistance — Congress has decided it’s time for an upgrade.
Buzzfeed: How The For-Profit College Art Institutes Found A Savior With Christian Roots
Last year, with one of the country’s largest college chains on the verge of collapse, a tiny nonprofit with roots in the Pentecostal Church came to the Obama Education Department with an idea. The Dream [...]
Military Times: Vets Hurt by School Shutdowns Would Get Benefits Restored Under New ‘Forever GI Bill’ Law
Jason Nyikos was working a high-paying, high-stress job at an Indiana machinery company when he decided to quit for what he thought would be a more laid back life as a college student, pursuing a [...]
Lexology: “Forever GI Bill” Will Expand Post-9/11 GI Bill for Veterans, Service Members and Family
The bill makes several important changes to the current Post-9/11 GI Bill program administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that directly impact future educational opportunities for eligible recipients. On August 2, 2017, the [...]
New York Times: With Rare Unanimity, Senate Sends G.I. Bill Expansion to Trump
This article is about legislation we spearheaded and features one of the students we assisted. WASHINGTON — Caleb Bennett was days away from starting the final semester of an associate degree at ITT Technical Institute [...]
Politico: Congress passes $3B expansion of GI Bill education benefits
The Senate signed off Wednesday on a sweeping expansion of GI Bill education benefits, sending the bipartisan legislation dubbed the "Forever GI Bill" to President Donald Trump’s desk. The bill, which would increase veterans benefits [...]
Stars & Stripes: Senate sends ‘Forever GI Bill’ to Trump’s desk
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that veteran advocates are describing as the largest expansion of veterans education benefits in a decade. With senators’ unanimous consent, the bill moves to President Donald Trump’s desk [...]
Military Times: New GI Bill passes Senate
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have unanimously passed legislation to make major changes to education benefits for military veterans. Now all that’s left is for President Trump to sign it into law — and the White [...]
New York Times: With Rare Unanimity, Senate Sends G.I. Bill Expansion to Trump
WASHINGTON — Caleb Bennett was days away from starting the final semester of an associate degree at ITT Technical Institute outside Indianapolis last fall when he got word that the school had unexpectedly gone belly [...]
Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) Meets with Defrauded Illinois Veterans, Hears How Some Colleges Target GI Bill with Consumer Fraud and Dishonorable Practices
https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/892853535485964288 https://twitter.com/GiBillRights/status/892852564294807556
Media Matters: Newspapers reveal human costs of Betsy DeVos’ abandoning defrauded students
AP: DeVos has not approved a single application for debt relief from 65,000 defrauded students. The Associated Press reported July 26 that the Education Department, led by Secretary Betsy DeVos, has not approved a single application for [...]
Veterans in Class Actions Lawsuits
The Military Coalition’s letter to Congressional leadership requesting veteran access to class action lawsuits against predatory lenders.
Dallas Morning News: For-Profit College Rules Get Reset by U.S. Department of Education, and it Starts in University Park
Last month, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos put the brakes on two Obama-era regulations designed to protect student borrowers at for-profit colleges, saying it was “time for a regulatory reset.” That reset started [...]
Buzzfeed News: Colleges All Across The US Are Closing At An Accelerated Rate
More than 5% of American colleges closed or stopped being able to take federal financial aid last year. That's a significant increase from previous years and a sign of the sharp decline of the for-profit [...]
Inside Higher Ed: House Committee Moves Ahead on Ambitious Expansion of the GI Bill
Testifying before the House of Representatives veterans' affairs committee Monday, Will Hubbard, the vice president of government affairs at Student Veterans of America, said if student veterans sat down to write an update to the [...]
DIIHE: Veterans Groups’ Objective: Defend Educational Protections
After hearing that the Trump Administration is taking action to decrease students’ rights and protections, 33 veterans and military service organizations have been voicing their concerns of how badly these actions will harm veterans and their families.
Politico Morning Education: Restoration of Veterans Benefits for Corinthian, ITT Students Will Be Added to GI Bill Expansion Deal
THE FOR-PROFIT-COLLEGE-CHIEF-TURNED-CONGRESSMAN WHO’S FIGHTING FOR BETTER STUDENT DATA: Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) might be new to Congress this year, but he’s no novice when it comes to the political battles over for-profit colleges that are flaring again as [...]
Our Statement for the Record on HR 3218, the “Forever GI Bill”/Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017
View Hearing Information VES Statement for the Record
NPR Marketplace Morning Report: Large GI Bill Expansion Provides a Big Boost for Veterans’ Education (radio interview)
House lawmakers yesterday announced bipartisan agreement on legislation to boost college aid for veterans. If passed, it would be the largest expansion of the GI Bill in nearly a decade.
Indianapolis NewsChannel 8: Veterans Await Help After ITT Tech Shutdown
WASHINGTON (WISH) -- When Carmel-based ITT Technical Institute shut down, thousands of the students impacted were veterans. Classes just stopped, and few other schools would accept their credits. Many veterans had spent their GI Bill education [...]
Christian Science Monitor: Students Caught in the Middle of For-Profit College Debate Ask, “What Now?”
On Sept. 6, 2016, Kevin Thompson switched on his car radio to the news that ITT Technical Institute was permanently closing its campuses nationwide. The Navy veteran was then 10 months into an 18-month bachelor’s program [...]
Associated Press: Lawmakers Reach Initial Deal to Expand GI Education Bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans and Democrats unveiled legislation Thursday that would provide the biggest expansion of college aid for military veterans in a decade, removing a 15-year time limit to tap into benefits and [...]
Ed. Dept. Hearings | Cancel and Revise Student Protections: Testimony of Navy veteran Kevin Thompson
I am E-6/AWO1 (Ret) Kevin Thompson, I have served in the US Navy for 20 years, have over 3,500 flight hours, multiple tours to the gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield, OEF and OIF [...]
Ed. Dept. Hearings | Cancel and Revise Student Protections: Testimony of Army veteran Ryan Clark
My story begins upon entering the army after deciding that it would be more prudent following my family's footsteps rather than finishing my secondary education out of high school. The opportunities provided by the military [...]
Ed. Dept. Hearings | Cancel and Revise Student Protections: Testimony of Sean Marvin, Legal Director, Veterans Education Success
VES is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to veterans who’ve beendefrauded by their school. Thousands of veterans have contacted VES since its creation in 2012.Here’s what just a few have said: “They made [...]
33 Veterans and Military Organizations Oppose DeVos’ Propose to Revise Borrower Defense and Gainful Employment Rules
A letter from Military and Veteran organizations urging Education Department to immediately enact the Borrower Defense for defrauded student veterans.
Greensboro News & Record: Opinion: Debt But No Degree
The Trump administration set out to reverse federal regulations developed by its predecessor, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is following that directive. Last month, she froze a rule that would help students get out of [...]
Ed. Dept. Hearings | Cancel and Revise Student Protections: Testimony of Will Hubbard, Student Veterans of America
On behalf of Student Veterans of America, a higher education non-profit representing over 1.1 million veterans in post-secondary education, I stand before you strongly urging this body to stand with students, and fully implement the [...]
Testimony of Walter Ochinko, Veterans Education Success, on Borrower Defense and Gainful Employment Rules
My name is Walter Ochinko. I’m the research and policy director of Veterans Education Success—a small non-profit that advocates for the promise and integrity of the GI Bill. I’d like to use my 5 minutes to [...]
Los Angeles Times: It’s Betsy DeVos’ Job to Protect Students From Predatory For-Profit Colleges. She Should Do It
Given Donald Trump's frequent campaign promises to wipe out "job killing" regulations on Day One, no one should be surprised that the Trump administration is going after federal safeguards that protect consumers at the expense [...]
USA Today: Trump Administration Begins Re-Writing For-Profit Regulations
THE TRUMP administration on Monday began the process of overhauling Obama-era regulations meant to protect federal student loan borrowers, mainly from for-profit colleges, and to provide relief to students defrauded by them. Secretary of Education [...]
New York Times: A Bipartisan Congress That Works? Veterans Committees Show How Its Done
WASHINGTON — Magnanimous hearings. Bipartisan votes. Substantial legislation on its way to becoming law. This is Congress? Something strange is happening in the staid hearing rooms of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees here [...]
Akron Beacon Journal: Protect Students From Predatory For-Profit Colleges
The for-profit college industry has an ally in the federal Department of Education. The businesses would like few things better than the rewrite, or rejection, of two regulations crafted by the Obama White House. Betsy [...]
Boston Globe: Fighting Back Against For-Profit Universities
When Stephano Del Rose enrolled in the New England Institute of Art in Brookline, he had bold dreams of a future in Web design and filmmaking. Lured by promises of cutting-edge digital equipment, internships, and [...]
Politico: 18 States Sue DeVos Over Delay of Student Loan Protections
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia filed suit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday over her delay of regulations meant to protect federal student loan borrowers defrauded by their schools. The lawsuit filed in Federal [...]
Dallas Morning News: For-Profit College Rules Get Reset by U.S. Department of Education, and It Starts in University Park
Last month, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos put the brakes on two Obama-era regulations designed to protect student borrowers at for-profit colleges, saying it was “time for a regulatory reset.” That reset started [...]
The Leslie Marshall Radio Show: GI Bill Expansion (interview at minute 19:25, and photos here).
Our guest host during this hour is Maggie Thompson of 'Generation Progress', a national organization that works with and for young people to promote progressive solutions to key political and social challenges. (On Twitter: @maggiekthompson)
New York Times: DeVos is Discarding College Policies that New Evidence Shows Are Effective
In June, the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, announced plans to dismantle a set of Obama-era policies devised to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit colleges. Yet data released in the final days of [...]
Associated Press: Promised College Loan Forgiveness, Borrowers Wait and Wait
BOSTON (AP) — Danielle Ramos’ student-debt nightmare was supposed to be over. Like thousands of others who studied at failed for-profit colleges, she was promised by the U.S. Education Department under President Barack Obama that [...]
ABA Journal: Charlotte School of Law Receives State License Restrictions; Some Say End May Be Near
Charlotte School of Law is not in compliance with state standards regarding financial resources, planning or stability, according to the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors committee, which handles state authorization and licensure for [...]
Our Statement for the Record on Senate Veterans Committee Pending Benefits Legislation
View Hearing VES Statement for the Record
New York Times: U.S. Halts New Rules Aimed at Abuses by For-Profit Schools
The Trump administration is formally reconsidering — and may dismantle — two new rules that were a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s crackdown on predatory for-profit colleges. The announcement by the Education Department on Wednesday [...]
New York Times: U.S. Halts New Rules Aimed at Abuses by For-Profit Schools
The Trump administration is formally reconsidering — and may dismantle — two new rules that were a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s crackdown on predatory for-profit colleges. The announcement by the Education Department on Wednesday [...]
New York Times: Ending the Curse of Remedial Math
Can you simplify this square root?” Erica Fells asks her class, and hands wave in the air. All but one of the students believe that it’s impossible to do so. The dissenter, Leslie Alcantara, lays [...]
Harvard Law School Legal Services Center: Court Orders Department of Education to Consider Student Loan Relief Application, Calling Request for Further Delay “Frivolous and in Bad Faith”
The United States District Court for the Central District of California issued an Order today that directs the Department of Education to rule on the loan relief application of a former Corinthian student that has been pending [...]
31 Veterans and Military Organizations Urge Protection for Defrauded Students
A letter to Congress and Betsy DeVos addressing the right of veterans to have education benefits reinstated after being defrauded by private for-profit schools.
Veterans and Military Organizations write to the House Veterans Affairs Committee on GI Bill issues
Veteran and Military organizations urge Congress to address specific GI Bill issues.
State Attorneys General Call on DeVos to Address Borrower Defense Applications
A letter from state Attorneys General to Education Secretary Devos explaining concern over the slow-moving Ed. Department handling of reimbursing students.
Veterans with Pending Borrower Defense Applications at the Education Department
"I have a so-called degree from ITT Tech and found that most employers laugh at it. During my time there I had accrued a fair amount of debt from this fraudulent school and am having [...]
USA Today: Feds Halt Alleged Student Loan Debt Relief Scam
Federal investigators have halted an alleged student loan debt relief scam that bilked more than $11 million from consumers nationwide. Strategic Student Solutions and several related companies falsely promised to reduce or eliminate student loan [...]
Stars & Stripes: Feuding Veterans’ Groups Find Agreement on Four Proposed Changes to the GI Bill
WASHINGTON — After their public disagreement stalled a congressional hearing last month, 35 veterans groups came together Thursday in Washington to reach some consensus on changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill and restart their activity [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Advocates Prod Stanford for Better Treatment of Student Veterans
Stanford University is among the world's wealthiest educational institutions, with an endowment north of $22 billion. Which made it all the more disturbing to Adam Behrendt that the university appeared to be shortchanging undergraduate veterans like [...]
New York Times: U.S. Crackdown on For-Profit Schools Is Said to Go Idle
The Education Department’s sweeping crackdown on fraudulent practices at for- profit colleges has stalled under the Trump administration’s appointees, several current and former department employees say. Current and former employees, who requested anonymity for fear [...]
Blue Voter Red State Blog: Kaplan Cheats Veterans and Uses Veterans to Cheat the Government
The reason I started blogging about the Purdue-Kaplan deal is that it’s so confusing. When I first learned about it, it’s like my brain just said, “Huh? . . . Better think about something else [...]
PJ Media: Veterans Groups Fear CFPB Gutting Will Harm Service Members
WASHINGTON -- Consumer advocates were furious Thursday after the House Financial Services Committee advanced legislation that would effectively dismantle an agency responsible for policing deceptive financial practices in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse.
“I have Student Debt, but No Degree” Veterans’ Letters to Ed Dept
Letters to the Education Secretary by students defrauded by schools
Financial Security for America’s Security
Veteran and Military organizations urge Congress for continued funding of CFPB’s Office of Servicemember Affairs.
Courthouse News: Students Say Profit-Seeking College Bled Them Dry
SANTA FE, N.M. (CN) — Students claim in court that profit-seeking Laureate Education deliberately allowed the Santa Fe University of Art and Design to fail, stranding them in the middle of the academic year. Laureate [...]
New York Times: Keep For-Profit Schools on a Short Leash
Editorial Keep For-Profit Schools on a Short Leash By The Editorial Board May 1, 2017 For-profit colleges that leave students with crushing debt and useless degrees must be feeling optimistic. They have longed to escape [...]
Yale Law School Report: Student Veteran Complaints Alleging Illegal Practices at University of Phoenix
In 2016 and 2017, Veterans Education Success contracted with Yale Law School's Veterans Legal Clinic to analyze complaints against the University of Phoenix (UOP) brought to Veterans Education Success by student veterans. UOP is a [...]
US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Servicemember Affairs, Charting our Course Through the Military Life Cycle
This report introduces the Office of Servicemember Affairs’ new focus: charting the financial issues a servicemember faces throughout his or her military career. We have received over 74,000 complaints from the military community since 2011 [...]
Yale Law School Report: Student Veteran Complaints Alleging Illegal Practices at Colorado Technical University
In 2016 and 2017, Veterans Education Success contracted with Yale Law School's Veterans Legal Clinic to analyze complaints about Colorado Technical University (CTU) brought to Veterans Education Success by student veterans and military students. What [...]
The College Voice: Marketing or Merit? Campus Vets Like Services, but Questions Surround Source of #1 “Military Friendly” Ranking
An article in Mercer’s December 2016 issue of the Viking newsletter explained how the college had “been named the number one military-friendly school among all two-year collegesin the nation by Victory Media, a provider of informational resource material [...]
Chronicle of Higher Education: There’s a Reason the Purdue-Kaplan Deal Sounds Too Good To Be True
In November 2010, Bloomberg News told the story of Iraq veteran Keith Melvin, who, after responding to a website ad, was contacted by the online, for-profit Kaplan University. The recruiters told him he could trust Kaplan because [...]
Monitoring Student Loan Servicers
Letter from VES to U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau re: monitoring of student loan servicers
Washington Post: Trump Administration Wants to Weaken Law Protecting Veterans From Predatory For-Profit Colleges, Senators Say
The Trump administration announced plans Monday to make it easier for permanently disabled military veterans to have their federal student debt wiped away. People with severe disabilities are eligible by law to have the government discharge their [...]
New York Times: Book Review Letter to the Editor regarding Lower Ed
To the Editor: Your review of Tressie McMillan Cottom’s “Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy” (March 12) missed the book’s key flaw: Cottom universalizes the experience of Atlanta-area, mostly [...]
New York Times: For-Profit Law School is Arizona is Put on Probation
Arizona Summit Law school, a troubled for-profit institution owned by the InfiLaw System, has been placed on probation by its accrediting body, the American Bar Association. The association’s move was announced on Monday and followed [...]
The Atlantic: The Closing of the Republican Mind on For-Profit Colleges
In Congress, on the presidential campaign trail, and in the editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal, Republicans have been unified in the belief that the Obama administration badly overreached in its attempts to regulate for-profit [...]
National Public Radio: How For-Profit Colleges Sell Risky Education to the Most Vulnerable
For-profit colleges have faced federal and state investigations in recent years for their aggressive recruiting tactics — accusations that come as no surprise to author Tressie McMillan Cottom. Cottom worked as an enrollment officer at two different [...]
Trib Live: GI Bill a ‘Cash Cow’ for Some Pennsylvania Schools
Federal records show that from 2011 to 2016, the for-profit school that graduates just 3.6 percent of enrolled veterans reaped $65 million through the Post-9/11 GI Bill — making it the largest recipient of money [...]
New York Times: Predator Colleges May Thrive Again
Editorial Predator Colleges May Thrive Again By The Editorial Board March 23, 2017 Congress has tried since the 1940s to curb predatory for-profit schools that survive almost solely on federal money while they saddle students [...]
Chicago SunTimes: Rolling Back For-Profit College Reforms Wastes Money and Lives
The reputation of the for-profit career college industry has been sullied for decades by con-artists and scammers. But in the last few years, some effort has been made to weed out the worst offenders, denying [...]
USA Today: Loosening of For-Profit School Rules Worries Student Advocates
Concerned that for-profit schools that don't deliver on promises may come roaring back under President Trump, advocates for students, teachers and veterans urged Congress this week to refrain from rolling back regulations enforcing the industry.
USA Today: Loosening of For-Profit School Rules Worries Student Advocates
Concerned that for-profit schools that don't deliver on promises may come roaring back under President Trump, advocates for students, teachers and veterans urged Congress this week to refrain from rolling back regulations enforcing the industry. Their letter, signed by [...]
Public Comment to Education Department Re: Distance Education Accrediting Commission
Letter to Education Department's National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity regarding Distance Education Accrediting Commission
Letter to Congress from 53 Veterans, Civil Rights, Consumer Protection, and Student Organizations
"In particular, we oppose all actions to delay, weaken, or repeal the gainful employment, incentive compensation, or recent “borrower defense to repayment” and college accountability regulations. Each of these accountability measures is essential to protecting [...]
New York Times: Betsy DeVos’s Hiring of For-Profit College Official Raises Impartiality Issues
As chief compliance officer for a corporate owner of for-profit colleges, Robert S. Eitel spent the past 18 months as a top lawyer for a company facing multiple government investigations, including one that ended with [...]
Huffington Post Hillbilly Irony: The GOP’s Embrace of the For-Profit College Industry Clashes with their Bootstraps Myth
It’s unusual for a book to make it onto everybody’s recommended reading list. JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, which relates his journey from distressed Middletown, Ohio to Yale Law school and Silicon Valley, is like the [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Feds Release Financial Responsibility Scores
The U.S. Department of Education this week released the annual update of its financial responsibility test scores for private colleges, which is based on data from 2014-15. The 187 institutions that have a failing score -- most [...]
The Century Foundation: When George H. W. Bush “Cracked Down” on Abuses at For-Profit Colleges
When George H. W. Bush became president on January 20, 1989, he inherited from the Reagan administration some unfinished business in higher education. Bill Bennett, President Reagan’s secretary of education, had launched an effort to [...]
VA’s Minority Veterans Report: Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics
US Department of Veterans Affairs report: "Minority Veterans Report: Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics" (March 2017) https://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Minority_Veterans_Report.pdf
Economic Policy Institute: Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy (panel discussion)
In Lower Ed Tressie McMillan Cottom—herself once a recruiter at two for-profit colleges—expertly parses the fraught dynamics of this big-money industry to show precisely how it is part and parcel of the growing inequality plaguing the country [...]
Politico: Veterans Groups Request Changes from University of Phoenix
VETERANS GROUPS REQUEST CHANGES FROM UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX: A group of investors with ties to the Obama administration has completed their purchase of the University of Phoenix’s parent company, as Michael Stratford reported this week. [...]
The Century Foundation: The Reagan Administration’s Campaign to Rein in Predatory For-Profit Colleges
No secretary of education has been more critical of traditional higher education than William Bennett, President Ronald Reagan’s second and best-known education secretary. Barely five days after taking office in February 1985, Bennett accused the [...]
Veterans and Military Organizations Urge Congressional Leaders to Keep Student Protections
On behalf of national organizations representing our nation’s military servicemembers, veterans, survivors, and military families, we write to urge you to ensure that important laws and regulations protecting students are not watered down or eliminated. [...]
Veterans and Military Organizations Ask University of Phoenix to Stop Deceiving Veterans
Veterans and Military Organizations Ask Buyers of University of Phoenix to Voluntarily Close 90/10 Loophole, Stop Deceptive Recruiting of Veterans and Service Members
VA Secretary Nominee David Shulkin commits to protecting veterans from deceptive, predatory colleges, answering Sen. Blumenthal
In this C-SPAN video, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, questions VA Secretary-Nominee David Shulkin on his commitment to protecting student veterans from deceptive, predatory colleges. At minute [...]
NY Daily News: DeVry University to pay $2.75M in deal with N.Y. attorney general for false ads on success of its graduates
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has reached a $2.75 million settlement with for-profit college DeVry University over misleading advertisements. Under the terms of the agreement revealed by Schneiderman on Monday, DeVry will pay $2.25 million [...]
Colorado Independent Veterans Feel Ripped Off by Colorado For-Profit College
Mark Glogouski has a bad heart. He relies on a pacemaker and defibrillator to keep it pumping. His doctors have repeatedly told him to avoid heavy labor if he wants to stay alive. So Glogouski, [...]
The Century Foundation: Truman, Eisenhower, and the First GI Bill Scandal
The 1944 GI Bill is rightly remembered as one of the most effective social policy programs in U.S. history. Thanks to the GI Bill, millions of soldiers returning from World War II had the opportunity [...]
Brookings Institution: How Much Do For-Profit Colleges Rely on Federal Funds?
The outgoing Obama administration placed for-profit colleges under a great deal of scrutiny. This includes gainful employment regulations that will require graduates of vocationally-oriented programs to meet debt-to-earnings requirements and borrower defense to repayment rules [...]
Here Are the Programs That Failed the Gainful-Employment Rule
For the first time, U.S. Department of Education on Monday released the names of programs and institutions that failed accountability standards for the new gainful-employment rule. Over 800 programs that failed the department’s standards risk losing federal [...]
New York Times: Student Victims Seek to Become Creditors in ITT Bankruptcy
It seems only right that victims of predatory for-profit education companies should have their student loans forgiven. After all, in addition to being left with mountains of debt, former students have worthless degrees from schools [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Two For-Profits Ordered to Pay Restitution to Students
A Minnesota judge this week ruled that Globe University and the Minnesota School of Business, two embattled for-profits, must pay restitution to more than 1,200 defrauded students, reported the Star-Tribune. The state's attorney general, Lori Swanson, had sued the [...]
Washington Post: Former Students Fight for a Stake in ITT Tech Bankruptcy
Veterans Education Success worked to help several hundred ITT Tech student veterans file claims in the ITT Tech bankruptcy. And we offered support to Harvard Law School as they represented the students in a "class" [...]
Minnesota Attorney General announces court order awarding injunction, penalties, and restitution to students defrauded by Minnesota School of Business and Globe University
Attorney General Lori Swanson Obtains Court Order Awarding Injunction, Penalties, and Restitution for Minnesota School of Business and Globe University Fraudulently Misrepresenting the Job Opportunities Available to their Criminal Justice Graduates. On September 8, 2016, [...]
CNA for the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness: Population Representation in the Military Services: Annual Reports
CNA Resource Analysis produces Population Representation in the Military Services (also known as “Pop Rep”) for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. This report, mandated by the Senate Committee [...]
U.S. Department of Education: New Analysis Finds Many For-Profit Colleges Skirt Federal Funding Limits: 90/10 Data Released
New analysis released today by the U.S. Department of Education reveals many for-profit schools would likely exceed the 90/10 federal funding limits if revenue from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense [...]
Federal Trade Commission Announces $100 Million Settlement with DeVry University for False Job Placement Claims
DeVry University and its parent company have agreed to a $100 million settlement of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging that they misled prospective students with ads that touted high employment success rates and income [...]
Kentucky Attorney General announces $1.2 million in restitution for students defrauded by Daymar College
FRANKFORT, KY. (Dec. 14, 2016) – Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced nearly 3,500 former students of Daymar College’s Kentucky campuses and online programs will this week begin receiving restitution checks totaling $1.2 million. The [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Bill Seeks to Guarantee Veterans Are Career-Ready
Last week's U.S. Senate-approved spending bill contained a provision that seeks to block student veterans from using their GI Bill benefits on career programs that won't help them land a job. The Career Ready Student [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Final Passage of Career Ready Student Veterans Act, Thanks Sens. Blumenthal, Cassidy, Tillis, and Reps. Miller and Takano
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Walter Ochinko, Policy Director Carrie Wofford, President December 12, 2016 SENATE PASSES CAREER READY STUDENT VETERANS ACT Legislation Headed to President’s Desk WASHINGTON, D.C. – Veterans Education Success (VES) today hailed the [...]
Benjamin Castleman, Francis Murphy, and William Skimmyhorn, Marching Across Generations? An Analysis of the Benefits Transfer Provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
This study explored the use of standardized tests within nursing programs. Standardized tests have been used within nursing programs for several decades (Shultz, 2010), but recently their use has increased. This rise in utilization may be [...]
U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing: Defense Department Actions Concerning Voluntary Education Programs
VES Letter to Senators McCain and Reed Veterans & Military organizations' 2013 public comment on Defense Department Voluntary Education MOU
The Kansas City Star: Missouri Senator Took Campaign Cash from Schools Accused of Ripping off Students
For the past two years, Sen. Roy Blunt has been a powerful ally to the nation’s beleaguered for-profit colleges as they fight government regulation. At the same time, the industry and its lobbyists have funneled [...]
New York Times: A Conveyor Belt of Dropouts and Debt at For-Profit Colleges
As college attendance has risen and investment in public institutions has flagged, the United States has relied increasingly on for-profit colleges, with disastrous consequences for many students. For-profits, once a tiny corner of higher education, [...]
Government Executive: Evidence-Based Policy Proponents Face Cost, Privacy, Political Hurdles
After three initial meetings, early hints are beginning to emerge on what may eventually become a package of recommendations from the congressionally authorized Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking.
Our Testimony before the Evidence-Based Policy Commission
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is America’s chief way of saying, “Thank you” to the men and women whosacrifice their bodies and their time to serve and protect our country. And it’s not just a thanks. [...]
Washington Monthly: For-Profit Colleges’ Campaign Contributions
For-profit colleges may be playing defense in the public perception, but they have not given up their offensive game, if their recent contributions to Congress are any indication. For-profit education colleges and trade groups donated [...]
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs, Report: Education Denied: The Importance of Assisting Veterans Harmed by School Closures (Oct. 2016)
For over 70 years, the GI Bill has helped our nation’s veterans and their families obtain a high- quality education. In 2008, Congress expanded higher education benefits for a new generation of returning service members [...]
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Economic Communities Initiative Pilot: 2016 Report & Highlights
In January 2015, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published the 2015 Veteran Economic Opportunity Report to provide data on indicators of the possible success of ongoing initiatives and barriers to economic competitiveness for [...]
The ITT Collapse: Lessons Learned and Dealing with Future Challenges
The seeds of ITT Tech’s collapse were decades in the making. Deregulation of the for-profit college industry certainly played a rise in enabling ITT’s increasing dependence on federal dollars, but corporate short-term thinking, greed, consumer [...]
Philadelphia Inquirer: ITT schools have been ripping off students and saddling them with debt for years
For decades, ITT Technical Institutes had a sweet deal: It gobbled up billions in federal student grants and loans in exchange for promised results that it rarely, if ever, produced. Finally, the Department of Education [...]
Washington Post: DeVry voluntarily dials back revenue from federal student aid
DeVry Education Group, one of the largest operators of for-profit colleges, said Tuesday that it will limit the amount of revenue it receives from federal student aid, including veterans and military tuition assistance, getting in front of a [...]
Washington Post: DeVry voluntarily dials back revenue from federal student aid
DeVry Education Group, one of the largest operators of for-profit colleges, said Tuesday that it will limit the amount of revenue it receives from federal student aid, including veterans and military tuition assistance, getting in front of a [...]
Indianapolis Business Journal: ITT Missteps Sowed Its Fate
Almost anyone under attack reflexively attacks back. And so it was on Sept. 6, the day top executives of ITT Educational Services announced they were closing their 136 ITT Technical Institutes, shuttering a pioneer in [...]
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Staff Perspective on Lead Generation (deceptive websites that sell personal information)
One pundit has called it the most pervasive industry that nobody knows about, which is why the FTC has sponsored a workshop, brought law enforcement actions, and just published a Staff Perspective to call attention [...]
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Opinion: Closing ITT Tech Helps Stop For-Profit Colleges from Shaking Down Students
Some for-profit colleges came to be a curse on the very students they were in business to help, doing little more than exploiting students for their federal grants, loans and veterans benefits while failing to [...]
Indiana Governor Mike Pence Letter to VA Secretary Calling for Reinstatement of GI Bill for Veterans at ITT Technical Institutes
As Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence sent a letter to the VA Secretary urging reinstatement of GI Bill for veterans at ITT Tech when it suddenly shuttered.
New York Times: Late to the Fight Against Predator Schools
The federal government’s failure over decades to regulate for-profit colleges freed the schools to prey on veterans, minorities and the poor by saddling students with crushing debt and giving them worthless degrees in return. This [...]
Washington Post: Everything ITT Tech students need to know now that the for-profit school has closed
The abrupt closure of ITT Technical Institutes on Tuesday left 35,000 students without degrees that many took on debt to complete. None of the options available to those students are simple and each comes with its [...]
Washington Post: Everything ITT Tech students need to know now that the for-profit school has closed
The abrupt closure of ITT Technical Institutes on Tuesday left 35,000 students without degrees that many took on debt to complete. None of the options available to those students are simple and each comes with its [...]
New York Times: Downfall of ITT Technical Institutes Was a Long Time in the Making
Doors were bolted shut and parking lots emptied at ITT Technical Institutes around the country this week after the chain of for-profit colleges announced it was closing for good. At some campuses, though, this was [...]
Stars & Stripes: Troubled for-profit ITT Tech Institute closes its doors on thousands of student veterans
SAN ANTONIO — ITT Technical Institute said Tuesday it was immediately closing all campuses, more than 130 in all, throwing into doubt the future education of thousands of student veterans attending there. The troubled for-profit [...]
Stars and Stripes: Troubled for-profit ITT Tech Institute closes its doors on thousands of student veterans
SAN ANTONIO — ITT Technical Institute said Tuesday it was immediately closing all campuses, more than 130 in all, throwing into doubt the future education of thousands of student veterans attending there. The troubled for-profit [...]
Indianapolis Business Journal: What Did ITT In? Short-Sighted Thinking, Critic Says
When Rene Champagne retired as CEO of ITT Educational Services in 2007 after 22 years at the helm, the for-profit education company was riding high—as evidenced by its stock market value of $2.9 billion. Oh, [...]
PoliticoPro: Despite shaky finances, ITT Tech still eligible to recruit veterans
With its accreditation in danger, ITT Tech is no longer allowed to enroll new students with federal funds. But there's one exception: veterans. In a statement to POLITICO, the Veterans Affairs Department said today that the [...]
New York Times: Crackdown on For-Profit Colleges May Free Students and Trap Taxpayers
The Obama administration’s decision to bar ITT Educational Services, one of the nation’s largest operators of for-profit colleges, from using federal financial aid to enroll new students shuts off the cash spigot to the troubled [...]
Misleading Websites and “Lead Generators”: A Case Study: Victory Media’s “Military Friendly Schools”
Too often, veterans and servicemembers are misled and deceived by websites and “lead generators” that steer the veterans and servicemembers to colleges that pay the websites, as part of a grand scheme by the [...]
Inside Higher Ed: U.S. Orders Ashford to Pay $137,695 for Aid Violations
An Education Department review of Ashford University's compliance with federal financial aid rules has resulted in a fine of $137,695 for a handful of violations, Bridgepoint Education, which owns Ashford, announced Tuesday. The review, initiated in [...]
Veteran and Servicemember Complaints about Misconduct and Illegal Practices at DeVry University
What follows is a public version of a “trends analysis” document we prepared detailing the types of harm observed by us in our free legal services to service members, veterans, and their dependents who brought [...]
Veterans and Military Organizations Ask the House Armed Services Committee to Keep Protections in Place to Prevent Fraudulent and Deceptive Recruiting on Military Bases
A letter to Congress requesting limitations to the access that college salespeople have to military bases as a protection for service members.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Settlements Totaling $4.29 Million With For-Profit School And Its Former Chief Operating Officer
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Brian Hickey, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education (“USDOE”), Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Region (“OIG”), announced [...]
Washington Post: Justice Department is Investigating Whether a For-Profit College Company Violated Federal Financial Aid Rules
The Justice Department has launched a probe into whether Bridegepoint Education, the owner of Ashford University and the University of the Rockies, is violating a law that prohibits for-profit colleges from getting more than 90 percent [...]
U.S. Investigates Bridgepoint Over Its Use of Federal Student Aid
Bridgepoint Education Inc., the for-profit owner of Ashford University, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice over claims that it “may have misstated Title IV refund revenue or overstated revenue associated with private [...]
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, A Profile of Military Undergraduates (statistics on military, veteran, and dependent college students)
The number of veterans who receive Veterans’ education benefits increased both before and after the Post-9/11 GI Bill went into effect in 2008. In the 9 years between 2000 and 2009, the number of veterans receiving Veterans’ [...]
Washington Monthly: The Obama Administration Makes Its Biggest Move Against For-Profit Colleges
With Donald Trump and Brexit wiping out all other stories, here’s one you’re likely to have missed—and it’s actually good news! Yesterday, in a surprisingly bold move, federal regulators voted to recommend shutting down the nation’s largest [...]
Huffington Post: For A Day, Broke Students Win
In a world of mass shootings, Brexit, and a looming dramatic presidential election, the deliberations of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity would hardly seem to matter. But, yesterday, it did.
Des Moines Register: Opinion: For-Profit Colleges Are a Bad Deal for Many
Like everything from cell phones to financial services, higher education is a heavily marketed product. Students and their families are customers. By now most Iowans should be cautious about buying what for-profit colleges are selling.
Inside Higher Ed: Fighting Access for For-Profits
Some for-profit institutions say they just wanted face-to-face access to their students on military bases like other traditional colleges that operate there. But veterans' groups and some Democratic senators are upset by a provision approved [...]
Center for American Progress: ACICS Must Go
Getting students to apply to and enroll in college can require a lot of creativity at an institution without any brand recognition. Even so, FastTrain College’s recruiting tactics took the idea of an exotic approach [...]
Education Dept Order: ITT Educational Services Inc. must increase its financial cushion to $123.7 million from $79.7 million
Dear Mr. Modany, On August 19, 2014, ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT) was cited in a letter by the Department of Education (Department) for late submission of its annual compliance audits and financial statements.
Inside Higher Ed: Weighing For-Profits’ Access to Military Bases
Nine states are now opposing an amendment the U.S. Congress is considering that would open up for-profit colleges' access to military bases. The amendment, proposed by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, in the U.S. [...]
States Ask Congress to Stop Predatory Schools’ Access to Military Bases
State Attorneys General letter to Senator Manchin to oppose his bill to open military bases to predatory schools
Washington Post: A Popular College Investment Promised Students a Career, But Didn’t Pay Off
Students who sought vocational certificates at for-profit colleges made an average of $900 less annually after attending the schools than they did before, according to a new study, leaving those who took out loans hard-pressed to pay them back.
Veterans and Military Organizations Ask Sen. Manchin to Keep Protections in Place to Prevent Fraudulent and Deceptive Recruiting on Base
Veterans and military organizations write a letter to Senator Manchin urging limited access to military installations for college salesmen. Separate letter from 12 state Attorneys General
Politico: Vets Graduation Rates Get Attention
VETS’ GRADUATION RATES GET ATTENTION: Ponder this figure ahead of Memorial Day weekend: The federal government has provided $62.4 billion for nearly 1.6 million veterans and their families to go to college since the post-9/11 [...]
Dear Senators McCain and Reed: Protect Our Service Members
Veteran and Military organizations write to Senators McCain and Reed urging protection of service members on military installations from collegiate salespeople.
BuzzFeed News: Inside the College That Abolished the F and Raked in the Cash
A college on the edge of Silicon Valley has turned itself into an upmarket visa mill, a BuzzFeed News investigation has found, deploying a system of fake grades and enabling thousands of foreign students to enter [...]
ProPolitico: Veterans groups slam amendment enabling easier access to military bases for-profit schools
Several veterans' groups want Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain and Sen. Joe Manchin to strip out an amendment from a defense policy bill that would enable for-profit colleges to gain easier access to military [...]
HuffPost Politics: Veterans Groups Oppose Manchin Amendment Giving For-Profit Colleges Unfettered Access to Military Bases
Just as America’s veterans organization are coming together to demand better government protection against deceptive and abusive practices by for-profit colleges, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) seems to want to move in the opposite direction, pushing [...]
The Hill: Groups Urge Senate to Oppose Defense Language on For-Profit Colleges
Military and veterans groups are urging the Senate to rid its defense policy bill of language they say would allow predatory for-profit colleges unfettered access to military installations. The 20 groups that have signed on [...]
Politico: Veterans groups slam amendment enabling easier access to military bases for-profit schools
Several veterans' groups want Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain and Sen. Joe Manchin to strip out an amendment from a defense policy bill that would enable for-profit colleges to gain easier access to military [...]