Research & Reports

Postsecondary Outcomes for Undergraduate Veterans of Color

As America grapples with systemic racial injustice, it is more important than ever to examine the outcomes of veterans of color who are using the GI Bill to earn a postsecondary credential. In a 2011 [...]

Veterans’ Use of Private Student Loans: A Primer

Click here to download a PDF copy of the report.  Highlights Based on our analysis of ED survey data from academic year 2007-08 to 2015-16: The proportion of undergraduate student veterans at for-profit schools taking [...]

Impact of Disability on First-Time Student Veterans’ Persistence and Attainment

Click here to download a PDF copy of this Issue Brief Highlights  Among undergraduate veterans who enrolled in postsecondary education for the first time in 2011-12, 33% reported a disability, compared to 15% of non-veterans [...]

Annual and Cumulative Student Loan Debt Among Veterans Using and Not Using GI Bill Benefits

This Fact Sheet examines student loan borrowing in academic year 2015-16, comparing undergraduate veterans who received any GI Bill educational benefits (beneficiaries) to those who did not (nonbeneficiaries). In addition to their borrowing during that [...]

Weak Return on Investment at Trade Schools that Enroll GI Bill Beneficiaries

Highlights We found that student outcome data at Title IV- participating trade schools that enroll GI Bill beneficiaries in certificate programs showed a disappointing return-on-investment but robust retention and graduation rates (see table 1). For [...]

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 [...]

Despite a Long History of Employee Conflicts of Interest with For-Profit Schools, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Oversight is Insufficient

The Student Veteran Experience with Transcript Withholding

Colleges frequently withhold their students’ academic transcripts for balances due, even when the debt is disputed. Indeed, transcript withholding is one of the most common debt collection tactics used by colleges across all sectors. Many [...]

Veterans with Student Loans They Never Authorized or Wanted

Following publication of our report, the U.S. Department of Education reached out to request a meeting to discuss our findings.  Soon thereafter, the Department sent a warning letter to all colleges and universities nationwide, available [...]

Our Analysis: Project’s Findings on the Effect of Closing the 90/10 Loophole Have Serious Shortcomings

In February 2021, the Veterans Education Project (the Project) released a report on the impact of closing the 90/10 loophole. The report’s authors were Jason Delisle, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), [...]

Issue Brief: Investigative Analysis: Advertising Trends for Selected Postsecondary Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Click here to download a PDF copy of the report. Click here to download the Appendix including screen-captured ads as part of the analysis.  Highlights Our investigation examined how a [...]

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 [...]

Our Review of a Report on Housing Allowances for Fully Online Post-9/11 GI Bill Beneficiaries

Hypothesis in Search of Evidence: Housing Allowances for Fully Online Post-9/11 GI Bill Beneficiaries  A March 2023 Urban Institute paper on Post-9/11 housing allowances is a hypothesis in search of evidence, and much of the [...]

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 [...]

Our Black History Month Blog: Black Veterans and the GI Bill

Black History Month compels us to explore the experiences of Black WWII veterans with the G.I. Bill and the historical forces that, today, present obstacles to current Black college students. I.  Economic Impact of the [...]

Investigative Analysis: Advertising by For-Profit and Other Schools in Response to COVID-19

Statement by Veterans Education Success (August 5, 2020) - "Veterans Education Success regrets to inform you that this report has been removed. Although we are confident in our findings about the number of ads that [...]

SAS Global Forum 2020 Report: Post-9/11 GI Bill: Teasing Out Insights about Veterans’ Success in Postsecondary Education

By Walter Ochinko, Research Director, Veterans Education Success Abstract This paper (1) examines the challenges researchers face in using publicly available databases to track veterans use of GI Bill benefits and their success in earning [...]

The 85-15 Rule and Related GI Bill Safeguards

The impact of the 85-15 rule—a requirement that education programs enroll at least 15% non-veterans to ensure schools are not bilking VA, as occurred after WWII—has evolved over time. This Issue Brief presents the Congressional [...]

Oregon: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing Oregon public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: • Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, • Dollars received for students using the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance, • Federal student aid (grants and loans), and • Select [...]

Maryland: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing Maryland public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, Dollars received for students using the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance, Federal student aid (grants and loans), and Select student outcomes—default and graduation [...]

New York: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing New York public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, Dollars received for students using the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance, Federal student aid (grants and loans), and Select student outcomes—default and [...]

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 – recruitment at military bases, discounts offered for veterans, focus on the military friendly culture of [...]

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.  

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, cannot pay employees based on how many students are recruited or receive federal student aid [...]

Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about Perdoceo Education Corporation

I. Introduction This memo analyzes and provides representative examples of over 500 complaints from military-connected students who attended schools owned by the Perdoceo Education Corporation, formerly known as the Career Education Corporation and referred to herein as CEC. These complaints by GI Bill beneficiaries—both veterans and eligible family members—and active- [...]

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 and sold most to the Dream Center in 2018.[1] These schools include The Art Institutes, [...]

Purdue Global/Kaplan – Recent Actions and Concerns

Purdue Global (Kaplan) Recent Actions and Concerns In March 2018, Purdue University finalized the acquisition of Kaplan University, a for-profit institution offering primarily online education. Kaplan University transferred 14 campuses, 30,000 students, and 2,100 faculty and staff to Purdue Global in exchange for $1. Kaplan is still owned by Graham [...]

DeVry University – Recent Actions and Concerns

DeVry University Recent Actions and Concerns DeVry University is currently owned by Cogswell Education LLC, after changing ownership several times in the past from DeVry Educational Group to Adtalem Global Education. Cogswell Education is controlled by private equity firms. Government and Other Actions In 2020, a class action lawsuit brought [...]

Colorado Technical University, American InterContinental University, & Trident University – Recent Actions and Concerns

Colorado Technical University, American InterContinental University, & Trident University Recent Actions and Concerns Colorado Technical University (CTU), American InterContinental University (AIU), and Trident University are owned by the for-profit company Perdoceo Education Corporation, publicly traded on the NASDAQ under PRDO and formerly known as Career Education Corporation (CEC). Government and Private Actions [...]

University of Phoenix – Recent Actions and Concerns

University of Phoenix Recent Actions and Concerns University of Phoenix is a for-profit college owned by Apollo Global Management, previously publicly-traded on the U.S. stock market. The company’s stock suffered after numerous government investigations revealed that the school had violated its MOU with the Department of Defense and aggressively targeted [...]