For-profit colleges, once accused of duping students, hope to rebound under Trump

"Once the largest college in the country, it saw enrollment dwindle over the past 15 years after it and several other large for-profit schools came under fire for allegedly misleading prospective students and using illegal recruitment tactics to boost enrollment. But now the university is staging a comeback, partly with help from Washington."

"In January, the Education Department said new accountability rules will treat for-profit, nonprofit and public colleges equally. The agency said the regulations, which are still being finalized, will end 'the long-standing practice of selective enforcement under the last two Democrat Administrations, based on tax status and politics.'"

"The Trump administration also made some technical changes that will make it easier for some private schools to comply with a rule barring for-profit colleges from relying on federal aid for more than 90 percent of their funding. The Education Department rescinded a $37.7 million fine last year for Grand Canyon University."

University of Phoenix, once the nation's largest college, experienced significant enrollment decline over 15 years following investigations into misleading recruitment practices at for-profit institutions. The school is now staging a comeback supported by regulatory changes from the Trump administration, which has signaled it will stop targeting for-profit colleges for extra scrutiny. The parent company's public listing on the New York Stock Exchange enables fundraising through stock sales. New Education Department accountability rules treat for-profit, nonprofit, and public colleges equally, ending what the agency describes as selective enforcement based on tax status. Technical modifications also ease compliance with the 90 percent federal aid funding cap. Analysts project accelerated enrollment growth for the institution.

Read at The Washington Post