OUR RESEARCH & REPORTS
Our published reports regarding college accountability and students’ rights.
Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about Ashford University
As part of our free legal assistance to students, Veterans Education Success receives complaints from students using veterans’ benefits, such as the GI Bill, to attend colleges and universities around the country. We received 109 [...]
Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about American InterContinental University
As part of the free legal assistance we provide to students, Veterans Education Success receives complaints from students using veterans’ benefits, such as the GI Bill, to attend colleges and universities around the country. We [...]
Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about University of Phoenix
As part of the free legal assistance we provide to students, Veterans Education Success receives complaints from students using veterans’ benefits, such as the GI Bill, to attend colleges and universities around the country. We [...]
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]. [...]
VA and States Should Act on Early Warning Signs When Risks to GI Bill Beneficiaries and Taxpayers Emerge at Participating Schools
This report is one in a series of three reports by Veterans Education Success on State Approving Agency (SAA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversight of GI Bill participating schools. A second report examines [...]
Congress Should Consider Authorizing VA to Require Letters of Credit from Schools in order to Mitigate Risks to Veterans and Taxpayers
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) lacks the authority to require letters of credit (LOC) from schools eligible to enroll GI Bill beneficiaries. In contrast, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) can require schools [...]
VA Still Not Enforcing 1974 Ban on Schools that Engage in Deceptive Advertising and Recruiting
Summary: This Issue Brief examines the history of schools that rely on misleading advertising and recruiting to enroll veterans and eligible family members and subsequent ban by Congress in 1974 based on contemporaneous findings of [...]
Proposed Short-Term Pell Safeguards Should Be Further Strengthened
Highlights Recently reintroduced legislation known as the JOBS Act would make federal Pell Grants available for very short, 8-week programs intended to help individuals “afford the skills training and credentials that are in high-demand in [...]
Overemphasis on Payment Accuracy Impedes More Effective SAA Oversight of Schools Participating in the GI Bill
Executive Summary State Approving Agencies (SAA), state-level entities that operate under contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), were established to serve as gatekeepers for GI Bill participating schools. Their ability to provide effective, [...]
Analysis of the Impact of Closing the 90/10 Loophole
We used a December 2016 Department of Education study to estimate the number of schools that would be affected by including GI Bill and Defense Department tuition and fee payments in the 90 cap on [...]
Army.com List of Partner Schools Exposed
The Federal Trade Commission shut down a number of copycat military websites in September of 2018. This report examines one of those websites, Army.com, and the list of partner schools it displayed while in operation. [...]
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 ADVOCACY LETTERS
Veterans Education Success works with our military and veteran allies to send policy advice to government officials.
Letter to VA Regarding Florida Career College
November 21, 2022 Betsy Wickham, Bureau Chief State Approving Agency Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Via email David Salgado, Director Veterans Education Program Texas Veterans Commission Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing [...]
Letter to VA Regarding Full Sail University
November 21, 2022 Betsy Wickham, Bureau Chief State Approving Agency Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits Veterans Benefits [...]
Letter to VA Regarding ASA College
November 21, 2022 William Clarke, Veterans Program Manager Bureau of Veterans Education New York State Division of Veterans’ Services Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary [...]
Our Testimony to the Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education on Protecting Veterans’ Education Benefits
November 17, 2022 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration Education Service 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission to [email protected] Re: Advisory Committee on Education Meeting November 29-30, 2022 Dear [...]
Our Letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Regarding Substantial Misrepresentations at the University of Arizona Global Campus
April 1, 2022 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 regarding Substantial Misrepresentations at [...]
Whistleblower Submission: Lisa Houck Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Lisa Houck, and I was employed in the admissions department at Hesser College, which was a for-profit school owned by Kaplan that is no longer open. I worked there from [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Paola Santiago Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Paola Santiago and I’m a veteran of the U.S. Army. I am here today because DeVry’s false advertising led me to waste my time and hard-earned benefits at a school [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Damian Pearsall Testimony to the Department of Education
Good morning. My name is Damian Pearsall and I’m a Navy Veteran. I graduated from the Art Institute of Indianapolis in their fashion design program. During recruitment, the school misrepresented the job prospects for its [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Brendan Mullican Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon, my name is Brendan Mullican and I am a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in the Iraq War. I decided to use my GI Bill benefits to earn a bachelor’s degree [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Kenneth Shaw Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon, my name is Kenneth Shaw. I served in the Navy and the Army. I attended Argosy University’s Dallas campus from 2013 to 2018 in their online business program. I completed all courses in [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
Higher Ed Dive: Ed Department Warns Colleges Against Misleading Veterans
An advocacy group, Veterans Education Success, has been pushing regulators on issues at the center of the Ed Department's warning. The group published a report Wednesday highlighting complaints from military veteran students who attended several [...]
Our Reaction to the Court Ruling Ordering Ashford U To Pay $22.37 Million Fine To Defrauded Students and Vets
Media Advisory & Backgrounder: Higher Ed & Veterans Story Contact: Carrie Wofford, President, [email protected] Organization that Brought Whistleblowers and Defrauded Veterans to Fraud Case, Veterans Education Success, Applauds Court Ruling For-Profit, Ashford University, Committed Extensive [...]
Our Statement for the Record: Legislative Priorities for 2022
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEES ON VETERANS AFFAIRS 117TH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION March 1, 2022 Chairmen Tester and Takano, Ranking Members Moran and Bost, and Members of [...]
ABC15 Arizona: For-profit schools accused of taking advantage of veterans
"We didn't know how to pay for college," said Alphi Coleman, an Army veteran who joined the military to help pay for college. "We didn't have counselors in our school to tell us how that [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Linda Lopez Testimony to the Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Public Comment of Linda Lopez February 18, 2022 Good afternoon. My name is Linda Lopez. I graduated from University of Oregon at 58 years old, and I’m currently working [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Daniel Dresen Testimony to the Department of Education
Testimony of Veteran Daniel Dresen U.S. Education Department’s Negotiated Regulatory Rulemaking Panel February 2022 Good afternoon, my name is Daniel Dresen and I’m a US Army National Guard veteran from North Highland, California. After serving [...]
Our Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking February Public Hearings
STATEMENT REGARDING ONGOING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING February 17, 2022 Hello, and thank you for the time to present here today. My name is Will Hubbard. I am a proud Marine Corps Veteran and [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Jenica King Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Jenica King and I’m an Army veteran and the spouse of an active duty servicemember. I used my GI Bill to attend Ashford University. One reason I went there is [...]
Student Veteran Submission: John Roberts Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is John Roberts, and I am an Army veteran. I was trained to fly helicopters, and when I retired, I wanted to earn my certification to fly airplanes. Liberty University was [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Ryan McKenzie Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Ryan McKenzie and I’m an Army veteran who attended DeVry University online. When I contacted DeVry, I was working long hours at a factory and needed to provide a better [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Alphi Coleman Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Alphi Black and I’m an Army veteran who used my GI Bill to attend the University of Phoenix. I graduated in 2018, but this did not provide the fulfillment and [...]
Coffee Or Die: GI Bill Benefits May Soon be Less Appealing to ‘Predatory’ Schools
“It’s a very community-driven process,” said William Hubbard of Veterans Education Success, an organization that advocates for student veterans. Veterans Education Success and numerous veterans it represents have testified during the Department of Education’s rule-making process. [...]
ISSUES
Policy issues of Veterans Education Success
Veterans Education Success works to improve post-secondary quality and student outcomes to ensure military-connected students enjoy a solid education leading to a successful civilian career. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to college quality and student outcomes.
Veterans Education Success seeks to ensure students have adequate protections and rights and also believes bad actor colleges should be held accountable if they’ve trampled on students’ rights. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to student protections and college accountability.
Vterans Education Success works to protect the GI Bill and other federal education benefits.