Publication | December 23, 2019

The Evolution of the For-Profit College Industry: New Challenges for Oversight

In recent years, enrollment at for-profit colleges has fallen steeply due to sustained economic growth, the poor reputation of the industry as a result of increasing awareness of documented abuses, and stronger accountability policies that were put in place during the Obama Administration. However, after years of enrollment declines, for-profit colleges may be poised for a rebound.

The Evolution of the For-Profit College Industry: New Challenges for Oversight focuses on important changes to the sector, which include the growth of online education, the efforts of for-profit colleges to convert to non-profit status, and the increased use of online program managers (OPMs) by public and non-profit colleges to operate their online programs.