Keiser U. Does the Hustle; Kaplan, U. of Phoenix Next?

Keiser University of Fort Lauderdale hasn't admitted any wrongdoing.But the company/school agreed yesterday to provide free retraining -- and not to mislead prospective students. That is pretty horrible stuff coming from an educational institution.As our feature story showed not long ago, many for-profit universities are under scrutiny these days for not...

By Chuck Strouse

November 1, 2012

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Keiser University of Fort Lauderdale hasn't admitted any wrongdoing.

But the company/school agreed yesterday to provide free retraining -- and not to mislead prospective students. That is pretty horrible stuff coming from an educational institution.

As our feature story showed not long ago, many for-profit universities are under scrutiny these days for not being completely truthful to their students. The University of Phoenix and Kaplan University, two of the largest, are still being studied by Florida Attorney General Pam Biondi.

See also: For-Profit Colleges Cheat Students.

In 2010, the federal General Accounting Office put out a scathing report about the way for-profit colleges market -- among other things, suggesting that they marketed federal loan programs as "no cost."

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum started his own investigation -- and Keiser is the second school to reach an agreement with the state.

Given the incredible growth of student loan debt -- which now makes up more than the credit-card variety -- and all the talk in the presidential race about getting students more help toward an education, this is an issue that deserves scrutiny.

It's also one that anybody seeking a college education should stay focused on. Don't swallow the sales bull****.

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Chuck Strouse is the former editor in chief of Miami New Times. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and won dozens of other awards. He is an honors graduate of Brown University and has worked at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times.

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