Get the Facts
Information and background on the issue of accountability.
The coalition works together in support of policies that protect students from predatory practices, address student debt that results from deceptive and illegal conduct by colleges, ensure that career education programs offer value for taxpayers and a path to economic advancement for students, and that better ensure the promise of higher education becomes a reality for all students but particularly for students of color, low-income students and veterans.
What to Know About the Gainful Employment Rule
March 8, 2019
Fact sheet on the Gainful Employment (GE) rule. The Higher Education Act (HEA) requires that all career education programs receiving federal student aid “prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation,” however the HEA does not define “gainful employment.” The purpose of the Gainful Employment Rule is to provide that definition.
What to Know About the Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule
March 8, 2019
Fact sheet on the Borrower Defense to Repayment (BD) rule. The Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule offers students relief from federal loans borrowed based on fraudulent, misleading or illegal acts by their schools. Borrower defense is an established legal right for many forms of consumer credit, and it has been a part of the Higher Education Act for many years.
Q&A on the 90-10 Rule
January 25, 2016
The 90-10 Rule is a federal law barring for-profit colleges from receiving more than 90% of their revenues from Department of Education federal student aid. It is modeled on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ long-standing 85-15 Rule, which prohibits more than 85% of a program’s students from receiving VA funding.
Harkin: Report Reveals Troubling Realities of For-Profit Schools
July 30, 2012
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin’s seminal report on the for-profit college industry. Read news release issued at the time and the full report.
Legal Brief from 16 Organizations in Support of the Gainful Employment Rule
March 1, 2018
Sixteen organizations representing students, veterans, consumers, faculty and staff, civil rights, and more in support of 18 states in their lawsuit against the US Department of Education to stop the illegal delay of the gainful employment rule. The legal brief documents how the Department’s unlawful actions harm students, remove powerful incentives for schools to obey the law, and violate the APA.
Law Enforcement Investigations and Actions Regarding For-Profit Colleges
April 9, 2014
Compiled by Republic Report, a list of pending and recent significant federal and state civil and criminal law enforcement investigations of, and actions against, for-profit colleges. Includes some major investigations and disciplinary actions by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense. It does not include investigations or disciplinary actions by state education oversight boards. It also does not include lawsuits prosecuted only by private parties — students, staff, etc.
Policy Brief from Eight Civil Rights Groups in Support of the Gainful Employment Rule
November 3, 2014
A coalition of eight civil rights organizations released a policy brief, urging the U.S. Department of Education to release a strong gainful employment regulation to protect students, particularly African-American and Latino students, from substandard career education programs. The brief, “Gainful Employment: A Civil Rights Perspective,” documents the adverse outcomes that African-American and Latino students experience as a result of policies and practices implemented at for-profit colleges. Students at for-profit colleges are much less likely to graduate, more likely to default, and more likely to incur debt than students at public and non-profit schools. The brief details how a strong gainful employment rule will provide much needed protections to both students and taxpayers.
NACAC Letter Opposing Loopholes in Incentive Compensation Ban
June 10, 2015
Letter from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) opposing an amendment would create dangerous loopholes in the statutory ban on incentive compensation (commissioned sales) that was enacted more than 20 years ago with broad bipartisan support.
Letter to Secretary Duncan from Members of Congress About For-Profit Colleges Converting to Non-Profit
April 27, 2015
Nineteen Members of Congress sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan asking him to “carefully examine the recent conversions to determine whether these institutions may legitimately be treated as non-profits for purposes of Department of Education regulations or whether they instead should remain covered by the rules and notifications governing for-profits”. They also ask about the Department’s process for reviewing these conversions.
Final Education Department Program Integrity rules
October 28, 2010
Includes regulations on the issues of incentive compensation, misrepresentation, state authorization and credit hour.
