For-profit schools, like many other online colleges and traditional colleges, receive a lot of federal money in the form of governmental financial aid awarded to students in need. However, for-profit college’s recruiting and instructional policies have come under scrutiny as they receive what seems more than their fair share of Uncle Sam’s money.
Although online for-profit colleges enroll only 10 percent of all higher education students, they receive almost half of all federal student loans. Many are wondering whether the for-profit schools are letting their bottom line effect how they educate and teach their students – which is why the Governmental Accountability Office decided to investigate the school policies undercover.
The Governmental Accountability Office Goes Undercover, Reports on For-Profits
15 for-profit online colleges were tested, including the largest schools such as the University of Phoenix and Kaplan University. Undercover agents applied to the school with fake identities and 12 of the 15 schools admitted them. During the agents’ enrollment they proceeded to submit shoddy work, if indeed, they submitted their work at all. They sent in copied essays and badly done assignments and missed classes.
Results of the Report on For-Profit Online Colleges
6 of the colleges responded to the poor performance by contacting the student and offering extra help. 2 colleges acknowledged the plagiarized work the student was submitting, but did nothing about it. Several professors still gave students passing grades despite the poor performance.
Overall, 8 out of the 15 colleges “passed” the undercover test by adhering to the minimum standards of quality college institutions – unfortunately that means the remaining 7 failed the test, or got mixed results.
What to Take Away From the Report
The report had mixed signals. Schools passed or failed the undercover investigations at almost a 50-50 rate –supporting some claims that finding success or a good program at an online college is very much a crapshoot. In the spirit of mixed signals the report managed to anger both defenders and the opposition to online schooling – and a good deal of the middle scratching their heads in indecision. For-profit schools were outraged that not-for-profit schools were not equally tested as well.
The greatest falling of the report is not in its results, but in that it simply was not big enough. Only 15 federal agents went undercover, and of those only 12 actually enrolled online. This is a shockingly small study for a problem that could cost the government billions of dollars. There were not even multiple agents at one school. Results based on this small of a testing group can hardly be definitive at all.