What Does the Closure of Argosy University Mean to the For-Profit Higher Education Landscape?
Dr. Everett Myers @ReenieHOO
@ReenieHOO
Dr. Mike Robinson: What does the closure of Argosy University mean to the For-Profit Higher Education Landscape? Especially given just four years earlier Corinthian Colleges were forced to shutter their doors because they also lost access to Federal Financial Aid.
Dr. Everett Myers: The continued closure of For-Profit schools in the higher education space (there is a distinction for the truly vocational educational aspects of for-profit programs) bodes well for the future of higher education however, the students caught up in the malfeasance of the for-profit sector will ultimately pay the price for their ill-informed choices and the unwillingness of the DoE to step up sooner and curb the clear abuses taking place in the for-profit educational space.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How does the failure of Argosy University impact current and past students?
Dr. Everett Myers: Current students will scramble to find alternative educational programs, and transferring credits among various institutions is notoriously difficult, not because it is difficult to assess the quality of the prior courses but rather because it’s a money issue, especially for graduate programs where the number of credits are usually far less than for an undergraduate degree. A few institutions are willing to accept former Argosy students however, to my knowledge, they are programs that have programmatic accreditation, i.e., Psychology. I’m not very confident other students will find alternatives acceptable, and most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Past students, depending on their sector of employment, will have difficulty securing certified academic transcripts which are sometimes required for additional educational pursuits along with certain employment opportunities. Had the DoE approached the For-profit sector in a business-like manner they would have created a reserve that would have been funded by the for-profit institutions to deal with situations of forced closure etc. Moreover, a sensible rule would have required for-profit institutions to have articulation agreements in place with other institutions of higher learning to ease the pain of closure and provide for a teach-out in the event of closure.
Instead, the DoE focused on rules that could easily be skirted and no policies/procedures in place to protect the students.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How difficult will it be for Argosy University students to transfer to other programs?
Dr. Everett Myers: There are a few institutions willing to accept former Argosy students however, to my knowledge, they are programs that have programmatic accreditation, i.e.,. Psychology. I’m not very confident other students will find acceptable alternatives. Students will have to find alternative institutions which may not accept the majority of their prior course work if any at all, and most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Dr. Mike Robinson: To what extent does the shutdown of Argosy University impact graduates? Will employers and graduate programs from other institutions accept an Argosy University credential?
Dr. Everett Myers: See the Above reply
Dr. Mike Robinson: Research is clear, students that attend for-profit higher education institutions tend to take on higher debt in their efforts to earn a degree. What happens to these students now?
Dr. Everett Myers: Indeed, the proprietary sector does cost more, the educational outcomes are less, and the monetary outcomes are indistinguishable from the traditional educational sectors. Unfortunately, the DoE has indeed let these students down by needing to be more proactive in establishing policies and implementing mechanisms to protect students. As stated previously, reserve accounts to fund/reimburse students in the event of a closure, articulation agreements to provide teach-outs and closer scrutiny of the financial accounting for student aid. I’m sorry to say most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Professor at NYU Center for Global Affairs
Dr. Everett Myers: The continued closure of For-Profit schools in the higher education space (there is a distinction for the truly vocational educational aspects of for-profit programs) bodes well for the future of higher education however, the students caught up in the malfeasance of the for-profit sector will ultimately pay the price for their ill-informed choices and the unwillingness of the DoE to step up sooner and curb the clear abuses taking place in the for-profit educational space.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How does the failure of Argosy University impact current and past students?
Dr. Everett Myers: Current students will scramble to find alternative educational programs, and transferring credits among various institutions is notoriously difficult, not because it is difficult to assess the quality of the prior courses but rather because it’s a money issue, especially for graduate programs where the number of credits are usually far less than for an undergraduate degree. A few institutions are willing to accept former Argosy students however, to my knowledge, they are programs that have programmatic accreditation, i.e., Psychology. I’m not very confident other students will find alternatives acceptable, and most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Past students, depending on their sector of employment, will have difficulty securing certified academic transcripts which are sometimes required for additional educational pursuits along with certain employment opportunities. Had the DoE approached the For-profit sector in a business-like manner they would have created a reserve that would have been funded by the for-profit institutions to deal with situations of forced closure etc. Moreover, a sensible rule would have required for-profit institutions to have articulation agreements in place with other institutions of higher learning to ease the pain of closure and provide for a teach-out in the event of closure.
Instead, the DoE focused on rules that could easily be skirted and no policies/procedures in place to protect the students.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How difficult will it be for Argosy University students to transfer to other programs?
Dr. Everett Myers: There are a few institutions willing to accept former Argosy students however, to my knowledge, they are programs that have programmatic accreditation, i.e.,. Psychology. I’m not very confident other students will find acceptable alternatives. Students will have to find alternative institutions which may not accept the majority of their prior course work if any at all, and most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Dr. Mike Robinson: To what extent does the shutdown of Argosy University impact graduates? Will employers and graduate programs from other institutions accept an Argosy University credential?
Dr. Everett Myers: See the Above reply
Dr. Mike Robinson: Research is clear, students that attend for-profit higher education institutions tend to take on higher debt in their efforts to earn a degree. What happens to these students now?
Dr. Everett Myers: Indeed, the proprietary sector does cost more, the educational outcomes are less, and the monetary outcomes are indistinguishable from the traditional educational sectors. Unfortunately, the DoE has indeed let these students down by needing to be more proactive in establishing policies and implementing mechanisms to protect students. As stated previously, reserve accounts to fund/reimburse students in the event of a closure, articulation agreements to provide teach-outs and closer scrutiny of the financial accounting for student aid. I’m sorry to say most will simply walk away from their educational pursuits with student debt sans a degree…..a terrible outcome!
Professor at NYU Center for Global Affairs