School Accountability & Student Protections

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Letter from Chairman Levin to VA re CEHE and Florida Coastal

The Capitol Forum: Perdoceo Education Corporation: Data Shows that Deferral of $39M Title IV Funds in 2019 Saved Company from 90/10 Violation; Company Likely Needs to Find New Funding Sources Ahead of 2023 When New Law Closing 90/10 Loophole Takes Effect

"Perdoceo thought that its purchase of Trident University International would cure its problem with AIU’s nearly 90 percent 90/10 ratio as of 2019,” said Walter Ochinko, Research Director at Veterans Education Success. "However, Percdoceo failed [...]

For-Profit Trade School Owner Guilty of Defrauding Veterans

April 19, 2021 - The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the owner of for-profit trade school Retail Ready was convicted of defrauding student veterans. Jonathan Dean Davis ran an HVAC training course and collected [...]

Bloomberg: Ex-Temple Business Dean Cheated for Prized Rank, U.S. Says

The former dean of Temple University’s business school fed false data to U.S. News & World Report for years to inflate the school’s ranking and attract students, federal prosecutors alleged, in their latest crackdown involving higher education. Read [...]

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 [...]

Forbes: Is $10,000 In Student Loan Forgiveness Next, After Biden Administration Cancels $1 Billion?

“We thank the U.S. Department of Education for rescinding its harmful borrower defense partial relief policy,” said Veterans Education Success, a veterans advocacy group, in a Tweet. “There is more work to be done... but [...]

Our Statement for the Record: Legislative Priorities for 2021

STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEES ON VETERANS AFFAIRS FIRST SESSION 117TH CONGRESS March 18, 2021 Chairmen Tester and Takano, Ranking Members Moran and Bost, and Members of [...]

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Veterans’ Education Advocates Celebrate Closure of the 90/10 Loophole

“The schools have now been put on notice,” said Veterans Education Success Vice President Tanya Ang. “… The hope is that the schools [will] actually really use this time to change and address and fix [...]

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 [...]

Seattle Times: Big aid bill also aids students: making debt forgiveness tax-free, curbing for-profit schools

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 [...]

NPR: The Latest Coronavirus Relief Bill Includes A Provision That Will Help Veterans

"We have helped thousands of veterans apply for what's called borrower defense to repayment.' Carrie Wofford is with Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit. 'Which means a student who was defrauded should have his student loans [...]