PBS has a great new documentary out about the for-profit education industry in America. If you or someone you know is looking at a degree program from a college that is out to make as much profit as possible, be sure to spend some time watching and sharing this video before ending up in a huge amount of student loan debt.
Unfortunately, the embedded video doesn’t seem to be working right now so you’ll have to watch the video from the Frontline webpage over here.
There are plenty of happy graduates who did manage to find jobs related to their degree programs, but many others struggle to compete with degree holders who completed a more traditional academic path. Since the schools are designed to optimize owner and investor profit, they can end up costing five or six times as much money as community colleges – even two or three times more than state universities or private schools.
One reason for the high costs is the advertising budget – new schools need to spend big bucks to get their name out. Traditionally, institutions have relied on word of mouth and a strong academic reputation, but when you’re just building your school you can’t point to any famous graduates or job placement statistics.
Between expensive tuition bills, aggressive marketing, and an almost predatory aim toward acquiring new students, its best to go in with a healthy dose of skepticism before signing on to any long term commitments. It might not even be possible to transfer credits earned from one institution to another one, so don’t get sucked in with those high pressure tactics designed to get you in class ASAP! Its always a good time to head back to school, but its always worth spending some time on the proper research first.
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