We push VA to protect veterans from colleges’ deceptive recruiting. We helped bring to VA’s attention a Vietnam-era statute, 38 USC 3696, that requires VA to cut off GI Bill funding to schools that engage in deceptive recruiting, and in 2020 we strengthened that statute to cover 21st-century advertising methods and lead generator companies and by requiring VA to act within strict timelines and ensure students are protected.
OUR WORK
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
New York Times: Veterans Groups Seek a Crackdown on Deceptive Colleges
WASHINGTON — Some of the nation’s largest veterans and military organizations sent letters last week to the Veterans Affairs Department asking it to crack down on colleges that prey on veterans by charging exorbitant fees for degrees that mostly fail to deliver promised skills and jobs.
Twenty Three Veterans and Military Organizations Ask VA for Better Oversight of the GI Bill
A letter to Secretary McDonald requesting additional oversight of the GI Bill to protect veterans from predatory colleges. Signed by 23 veteran and military organizations.
Trends in Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about ITT Technical Institute
What follows is a public version of a “trends analysis” document Veterans Education Success prepared detailing the types of harm observed by us in our work providing free legal services to service members, veterans, and [...]
Press Release: Yale Law School Study Says VA Can – and Should – Deny G.I. Bill Funding to For-Profit Schools That Employ Deceptive Marketing Practices
March 1, 2016 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford Yale Law School Study Says VA Can - and Should - Deny G.I. Bill Funding to For-Profit Schools That Employ Deceptive Marketing Practices Contradicts VA Position [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
.@VetAffairsOIG audit report says @VAVetBenefits is failing to properly regulate State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and without significant change billions of tax dollars meant for veteran education/reintegration will be wasted. https://t.co/IiVCK4xHe4 pic.twitter.com/GqY8FdGutl
— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) December 4, 2018
- VA’s policy advisory to State Approving Agencies to not change a school’s approval based on accreditor probations and other interim government actions (Aug. 30, 2018)
- VA’s 2018 agreement with US Federal Trade Commission (updating its 2015 agreement with US Federal Trade Commission)
- FTC’s response to FOIA request for documents regarding any school recruiting activities referred for review by VA to FTC under the agreement (Nov. 14, 2018)
- Letter to the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 23 veterans and military organizations, led by VES, demanding VA adherence to the law and better oversight of college recruiting and protection for veterans from deceptive recruiting (May 16, 2016)
- New York Times coverage: Veterans Groups Seek a Crackdown on Deceptive Colleges (May 21, 2016)
- Report by Yale Law School, with VES (and commissioned by VES) outlining VA’s obligations under the law: “VA’s Failure to Protect Veterans from Deceptive College Recruiting Practices” (2016)
SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
We stand up for student veterans who were ripped off by predatory bad-actor schools.
Ashford University
Veterans Education Success is closely monitoring Ashford University’s attempts to maintain GI Bill access in light of Ashford’s significant consumer fraud against students and attempts to deceive VA:
- 2021 Update | February 2, 2021
- Decision of the US Federal Circuit Court to Dismiss Ashford University’s Lawsuit against VA | March 3, 2020
- California’s assertion of authority to continue approving and disapproving schools, regardless of VA’s suspension | Sept. 10, 2019
- VA’s suspension of California as a State Approving Agency, based in part on California’s refusal to act on Ashford and California’s disapprovals of other schools | Sept. 6, 2019
- California’s response to VA’s letter requiring it to act on Ashford’s application | Jan. 15, 2019
- VA’s letter to California requiring it to act on Ashford’s application | Jan. 2, 2019
- California declines to act on Ashford’s second request for approval to serve GI Bill students | Dec. 14, 2018
- Ashford petitions US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for an extension of time to file a motion while negotiations with VA continue over state approval | Dec. 7, 2018
- VA’s letter to California regarding its contract performance and disagreements with California’s disapprovals of some schools | Aug. 24, 2018
- California response to VES’ FOIA request showing US Department of Veterans Affairs employees who have a conflict of interest because they are also on payroll at Ashford | April 4, 2018
- California declines to act on Ashford’s request for approval to serve GI Bill students | Feb. 21, 2018
- California Attorney General sues Ashford for deceptive recruiting and marketing and abuses of students in financial products | Nov. 29, 2017
- Ashford sues VA | Nov. 21, 2017
- Senators’ Letter urging Defense Secretary Mattis to warn Servicemembers attending Ashford and to cease new enrollments | Nov. 21, 2017
- Senators’ Letter urging VA Secretary Shulkin to warn GI Bill students attending Ashford | Nov. 21, 2017
- Student Veterans of America cautions students about continued enrollment at Ashford University | Nov. 20, 2017
- VA Announces Potential Probation of Ashford | Nov. 9, 2017
- VA Letter to Ashford Denying Arizona as “main campus” | Nov. 9, 2017
- VA Notice to GI Bill Students at Ashford | Nov. 9, 2017
- VES Report: Ashford’s Fight to Maintain GI Bill Access Raises Questions about the Enforcement and the Adequacy of Statutory Requirements | Nov. 9, 2017
- VES Compilation of a Sampling of Ashford Student Veteran Complaints
- Chronicle of Higher Education expose: “Inside the Scramble to Save Ashford U: How Political Maneuvering Kept GI Bill Funds Flowing to a For-Profit University” | Nov. 9, 2017
- Bridgepoint Company response to VA action | Nov. 9, 2017
- Bridgepoint SEC filing | Nov. 14, 2017
- VA Letter to Ashford re: Iowa and Arizona facility codes | Sept. 13, 2017
- VA Letter to Arizona SAA denying approval of Ashford | Aug. 3, 2017
- VA Letter to Arizona SAA continuing to deny approval of Ashford | Aug. 17, 2017
- Arizona SAA approval of Ashford | July 6, 2017 | and VA’s response
- Arizona’s Application Form for an Out of State License | Arizona’s licensure procedure and requirements
- VA Alert to Students: Ashford University Update — You can continue to attend Ashford beyond August 16th | Aug. 4, 2017
- Ashford e-mail to students | July 26, 2017
- VA Alert to Students: Critical Information for Students Attending Ashford University on the GI Bill | July 20, 2017
- Iowa District Court Rejects Ashford University’s Claims, Effectively Pushing it Out of GI Bill | July 17, 2017
- VA Alert to Students: Information for Students Attending Ashford University on the GI Bill | June 6, 2016
- Ashford CA SAA Application | table of contents
- 2015 Consent Order by US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for Ashford’s deceiving students about its institutional loan scheme
American InterContinental, Colorado Tech, and Trident – owned by Perdoceo (formerly Career Ed Corporation)
- 2021 Update (February 2021)
- 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 (March 2020)
ECPI
- Virginia Department of Veterans Services Withdraws GI Bill Approval for Medical Careers Institute (MCI) – School of Health Science of ECPI University, Virginia Beach Campus | Dec. 2015
- ECPI’s pass/fail rates on the Nursing exam
- Irene Coons, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Use of Standardized Tests Within Nursing Education Programs
Grand Canyon University
- 2021 Update (Feb. 2021)
- Education Department’s denial of non-profit status to the for-profit college Grand Canyon University (Nov. 2019)
ITT Tech
- VA Notice to ITT Students re: Loan Forgiveness Options | Nov. 2016
- Important Announcement for Students Using the GI Bill at ITT Educational Services, Inc.
- CalVet Suspends GI Bill Approval for ITT
DeVry
University of Phoenix
Purdue Global/Kaplan
Other Schools
- VA Notice: Safeguarding the Integrity of the GI Bill | March 2017
- College of Beauty and Barber Culture owners sentenced to jail and to pay $4.5M in restitution)
Good news for #Veterans. If you attended #ITTTech and you still owe #ITT money, that's now erased. If you paid ITT after it declared bankruptcy in Sept. 2016, you'll get that back. Others, please stand by. This is just the first step.
Free help: [email protected] https://t.co/NySN7nWl2b— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) November 28, 2018
“VA’s approval of a program to accept education benefits communicates to potential students that the school is deemed a quality school.” – Our VP @TanyaMAng https://t.co/Io5uH1oZzV
— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) January 27, 2019