Scrutinize for-profit colleges

The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.: Put into the context of a boxing match, the recent moves against for-profit colleges in Kentucky amount to a one-two punch.

Attorney General Jack Conway recently announced investigations into the questionable business practices by some for-profit postsecondary schools. Subpoenas were delivered to six proprietary colleges that do business in Kentucky, requiring them to provide information about student loan default rates, advertising claims, student recruitment practices, transfer of credits and accreditation claims.

As Conway pursues concerns on a consumer-protection track, Kentucky legislators are discussing complaints about the schools and whether the state’s oversight of the schools is strong enough.

Although lawmakers point out that some for-profit schools do an excellent job, some are concerned that the majority of members on the Board of Proprietary Education, which oversees the licensing of more than 100 for-profit schools in Kentucky, are employees of those schools.

The complaints and discussions about for-profit schools transcend Kentucky.

Almost 2 million students — or about 10 percent of the nation’s college student population — attend for-profit schools for degrees ranging from business administration to cosmetology.

The federal government is examining the same problems as Kentucky’s attorney general and Legislature, and could craft new regulations for the schools.

At the heart of all the investigations is whether students and the public are being fleeced.