In
a segment on for-profit schools reported by Dan Rather, he discussed a young
mother drowning in debt she incurred obtaining an education from a for-profit
school. The young mother stated going back to school was an investment in
herself. She goes on to state that she was rushed into signing up and registering. She claims for-profit school counselors are not
counselors in earnest, but sales associates whose goal is to enroll students
and sign them up for financial aid and loans as fast as possible. Maybe that is
true of some for-profit schools. Kai Wright, a Salon
contributor, wrote, “Young,
Black and Buried in Debt: How for-profit colleges prey on African-American
ambition,” which delves into the issue directly. It’s an interesting
article. However, shoddy for-profit organizations don’t just target
African-Americans, they target everyone in poverty. A better title would have
been “Buried in Debt: How for-profit colleges prey on the ambitions of
Americans trying to escape poverty.” Therefore, yes, maybe her desires were
preyed upon at that specific for-profit school. That does not relieve her of her
responsibility to make an informed decision. That does not mean that all
for-profit schools prey on students. Bottom line: We must make an informed decision about
education.
All
schools, for-profit, public, and private provide a unique opportunity to obtain
an education that may or may not directly lead to opportunities. Google
"issues with ITT” you’ll find a list of complaints, and warnings informing
that ITT is a scam. Google "issues with +ECPI University" you'll find positive
results. Your education experience depends on you, your situation, and how you
plan to use the degree. Nevertheless,
extra attention must be given to the cost, student means to finance, and
accreditation at for-profit schools.
Cost. Consider a Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree
from ITT costs $40,896. In comparison, the Baltimore City Community College
(BCCC) Law Enforcement/ Correctional Administration (LECA*) AAS degree program
costs $5,984 (MD residents) and $14,280 (non-MD residents). The cost difference between ITT and BCCC
for similar degrees: ITT is more expensive by $26,616 (non-MD residents) and
$34,912 (MD residents). However, one year toward an undergraduate degree from +Yale University costs $42,300, which is more than it costs to complete ITT's Criminal Justice
AAS degree program. Bottom line: ITT is arguably a good school, and so are BCCC
and Yale; regardless of where you attend school,
education is expensive.
- The ITT Criminal Justice AAS degree program totals 96 credit hours (see page 54
of info packet), and cost per credit hour is $426 (see page 145 of info
packet).
- The BCCC LECA AAS consists of 68 credits, at $88 per credit MD residents and
$210 for out of state residents.
Student means to finance. Scholarship;
obtaining a scholarship is the best option, especially a scholarship that
covers tuition and living expenses. Military service or academy; an
individual can sacrifice some of their time serving in the armed forces in
exchange for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill or attend a service academy and complete military
service obligations after graduation. Military service and service academies
are great options, and a means to avoid debt. Grants; federal and local
grants will help cover a portion or all of the costs of tuition, but the
individual must qualify. Apply for financial aid at fafsa.ed.gov. Lastly, there are student
loans, or self-finance. Parents, do your research or get help. Students, do
your research and/or get help, especially if you are an adult going back to
school. Bottom
line: do not turn your opportunity into misfortune, weigh your options to
finance.
Accreditation. In short,
accreditation could determine if your associate degree will transfer to a
school that offers a bachelor's degree. Further, it's reported some employers
view accreditation as a means to validate the institution from which the
associate, bachelor's, or master's degree was issued. For more info check the links: http://www.back2college.com/library/accreditfaq.htm
and http://www.50states.com/college-resources/accreditation.htm.
The +The White House scorecard makes it easy to search for a college that is a
good fit for your situation. You can use the college scorecard to find out more
about a college’s affordability and value to make an informed decision about
which college to attend. Another online tool is College Reality Check, and there are
many more. The scorecard and College Reality Check are just a few of the many means
to aid the decision making process.
Ultimately,
an education provides the faculty to exploit opportunities as they arise.
Obtaining an education is the one of the best options to escape poverty. Being
educated is essential to wholly enjoying the liberty that life in the United
States affords. Having an education, whether traditional or technical, does not
guarantee success, but without an education the scope of what an individual can
achieve, do, and experience are severely limited. While acquiring an education
is an essential part of American life, one size does not fit all. We must be
careful as parents and students to ensure we are evaluating our situations
uniquely. To state to your child, get your education, or, to proclaim I'm going
back to school is cliché. Today's environment requires planning and extreme
thought.
List of for-profit schools (not
all inclusive):
Academy of Art University - San Francisco, California
Allied College - Maryland Heights, Missouri and Fenton, Missouri
Allied American University - Laguna Hills, California
American Career College - Los Angeles, California
American College of Education - Illinois
American InterContinental University - multiple locations
Anthem Institute - formerly the Chubb Institute; multiple locations
Antonelli College - multiple locations
Argosy University - multiple locations
The Art Institutes - multiple locations; not to be confused with University of
The Arts
Ashford University - Clinton, Iowa
Ashmead College - multiple locations
Banner College - Arlington, Virginia
Banner Institute - Chicago
Berkeley College - New York and New Jersey; not to be confused with University
of California, Berkeley, Berklee School of Music or the Berkeley College at
Yale University
Blair College - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Brooks Institute of Photography - multiple locations
Brown College - Mendota Heights, Minnesota; not to be confused with Brown
University in Providence, Rhode Island
Brown Mackie College - multiple locations
Bryant & Stratton College - multiple locations
Bryman College - multiple locations; not to be confused with The Bryman School
in Arizona
Bryman Institute - multiple location
California Miramar University - San Diego, California (formerly known as
Pacific Western University)
The College of Westchester - White Plains, New York
Collins College - Phoenix, Arizona area
Colorado Technical University - multiple locations
Columbia Southern University - not to be confused with Columbia University
Daniel Webster College - Nashua, New Hampshire
Daymar College - Owensboro, Kentucky
Deaconess College of Nursing - St. Louis, Missouri
Deep Springs College - Deep Springs, California
DeVry University - multiple locations
DigiPen Institute of Technology - Redmond, Washington
ECPI University - formerly ECPI College of Technology; multiple locations;
includes Medical Careers Institute multiple locations in Virginia
Engine City Technical Institute - South Plainfield, New Jersey
Everglades University - Boca Raton, Florida
Everest College - multiple locations
Everest Institute - multiple locations
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - FIDM (four locations in
California)
Five Towns College - Dix Hills, New York
Florida Metropolitan University - multiple locations
Full Sail University - Winter Park, Florida
Georgia Medical Institute - multiple locations
Gibbs College - multiple locations
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business - multile locations in Minnesota
Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, Arizona
Hamilton College (Iowa) - now part of Kaplan University; formerly operated from
multiple locations in Iowa and Nebraska; not to be confused with Hamilton
College in Clinton, New York, or with the unaccredited Hamilton University
Harrison College (Indiana) - multiple locations
Heald College - based in San Francisco: multiple locations in California,
Portland, and Honolulu
Herzing University - multiple locations
Hesser College - multiple locations in New Hampshire
High-Tech Institute - multiple locations
International Academy of Design and Technology - multiple locations
ITT Technical Institute - multiple locations
Kaplan College - multiple locations; includes Maric Colleges and Kaplan Career
Institutes
Kaplan University - multiple locations
Keiser University - multiple locations
Kee Business College - multiple locations in Virginia
Kendall College - Chicago, Illinois
Kitchen Academy - Los Angeles, California
Le Cordon Bleu - multiple locations
Lincoln Group of Schools - multiple locations
Las Vegas College - Henderson, Nevada
Los Angeles Film School - Los Angeles, California
McCann School of Business and Technology - multiple locations
McNally Smith College of Music - Saint Paul, Minnesota
Mildred Elley - multiple locations
Miller-Motte - multiple locations
Monroe College - multiple locations
Mountain West College - Salt Lake City, Utah
National American University - multiple campuses, including Mall of America
National College - multiple U.S. locations
National Institute of Technology (United States) - multiple locations; not to
be confused with National Institutes of Technology in India
National Paralegal College - Phoenix, Arizona
National School of Technology - multiple locations
Neumont University - multiple locations
NewSchool of Architecture and Design - San Diego, California; not to be
confused with The New School
Ohio Business College - multiple locations
Olympia Career Training Institute - multiple locations
Parks College - multiple locations
Pioneer Pacific College - multiple locations in Oregon
Pittsburgh Technical Institute - Oakdale, Pennsylvania and Cranberry Township,
Butler County, Pennsylvania
Potomac College - Washington, D.C. area
Rasmussen College - multiple locations
Remington College - multiple locations
Rhodes Colleges, Inc - multiple locations; not to be confused with Rhodes
College
Rochester Business Institute - Rochester, New York
Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
SAE Institute - formerly the School of Audio Engineering
Salem International University - Salem, West Virginia
San Joaquin Valley College - California, multiple locations
Sanford-Brown College - multiple locations
Schiller International University - multiple locations
School of Visual Arts - New York City
South College, Knoxville, Tennessee
South University - multiple locations; not to be confused with Southern
University or the University of the South
Southern States University, California
Southwest Florida College Tampa, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Bonita Springs
Southwestern College - multiple locations; not to be confused with Southwestern
University
Specs Howard School of Media Arts - Michigan
Spencerian College - Kentucky, multiple locations
Springfield College - Springfield, Missouri; not to be confused with
Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts
Stevens-Henager College - multiple locations
Stratford University - multiple locations
Strayer University - multiple locations
Sullivan University - Kentucky, multiple locations
TCI College of Technology - New York City; in 2007 TCI also assumed
responsibility for the closed Interboro Institute, owned by EVCI Career
Colleges Holding Corporation[1][2]
Tooling University, Cleveland, Ohio
University of Advancing Technology - Tempe, Arizona
University of Phoenix - multiple locations
University of the Rockies - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Vet Tech Institute - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Victory University - Memphis, Tennessee
Virginia College - multiple locations
Walden University - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Waldorf College - Forrest City, Iowa
West Coast University - Los Angeles, California
Western Business College - multiple locations
Western International University - multiple locations
Western State University College of Law - Fullerton, California
Westwood College - multiple locations
Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech) - multiple locations
American Public University System - includes the American Military University
and American Public University; distance education; offices in Charles Town,
West Virginia, and Manassas, Virginia
American Sentinel University - distance education, based in Denver, Colorado
California InterContinental University - online, based in Diamond Bar,
California
California Southern University - online; not to be confused with The University
of Southern California)
Capella University - online
Drexel University Online
Grantham University - online
London School of Business and Finance - online
New Charter University - formerly Andrew Jackson University; distance
education; based in Hoover, Alabama
Northcentral University - online
Trident University International - formerly TUI University, formerly Touro
University International; online
University of Atlanta - distance education only; not to be confused with
Atlanta University Center or Clark Atlanta University
Here
are 20 popular career choices analyzed by Bankrate.com:
1.
Advertising, Marketing, Promotions -- 5.83 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$107,950
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $10,795
2.
Economist -- 7.08 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$91,860
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $9,186
3. Civil
Engineer -- 8.50 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$79,340
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $7,934
4.
Political Scientist -- 8.58 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$102,000
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $10,200
5. Pharmacist
-- 10.83 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 7
Cost of
degree: $92,421
Median pay:
$116,670
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $11,667
6.
Microbiologist -- 10.83 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$66,260
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,626
7.
Physician: Family or General Practitioner -- 10.92 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 8
Cost of
degree: $136,861
Median pay:
$172,020
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $17,202
8.
Accountant -- 11.50 years to repay
Minimum
required years in higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$63,550
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,355
9. Market Research
Analyst -- 12.42 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$60,300
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,030
10. Lawyer
-- 13.33 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 7
Cost of
degree: $103,677
Median pay:
$113,530
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $11,353
11. Dentist
-- 13.75 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 8
Cost of
degree: $139,298
Median pay:
$149,310
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $14,931
12.
Political Science Teacher: Post-Secondary -- 14 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$72,170
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $7,217
13. Public Relations
Specialist -- 14.67 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$54,170
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,417
14. English
Language/Literature Teacher: Post-Secondary -- 19.08 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$60,040
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,004
15.
Zoologist, Wildlife Biologist -- 20.58 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$57,710
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,771
16.
Librarian -- 22.33 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$55,370
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,537
17. Teacher
(full-time) -- 21.75 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$43,400
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $4,340
18.
Veterinarian -- 27.92 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 8
Cost of
degree: $114,268
Median pay:
$84,460
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $8,446
19. News
Analyst, Reporter, Correspondent -- 31.83 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 4
Cost of
degree: $52,596
Median pay:
$37,090
Annual
repayment at 10 percent of salary: $3,709
20.
Marriage and Family Therapist -- 34.67 years to repay
Minimum
required years of higher education: 6
Cost of
degree: $68,010
Median pay:
$46,670
Annual repayment
at 10 percent of salary: $4,667
