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Office of Higher Education Releases Report on Minnesota's For-Profit Institutions

5/6/2013


 

Contact: Sandy Connolly, Director of Communications
Office of Higher Education
(651) 259-3902

Students attending one of Minnesota's for-profit institutions are as likely to be employed one year after graduation as students from public two-year institutions, but pay more for tuition and accumulate more debt than their public-school counterparts. They are less likely to default on their student loans than students at Minnesota's public two-year institutions.

Additionally, median income levels among for-profit students are higher than public two-year students. This is in contrast to national trends, where for-profit students have the lowest median income. Many of Minnesota's for-profit institutions compare favorably to national for-profits on criteria such as student retention and graduation rates.

These findings are the result of an analysis conducted by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education on the for-profit sector in Minnesota. Released today, the report "For-Profit Postsecondary Institutions: A Review of Selected Institutions in Minnesota for Undergraduates", compares Minnesota's for-profit schools and their students with both state and national data, across all postsecondary sectors. The report examines enrollment trends, employment rates, cumulative debt and default rates, among others.

"This report examines the practices and results of Minnesota's for-profit sector, especially with regard to the success of their students," said Larry Pogemiller, Director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

Recent national studies have raised concerns about academic rigor, misleading recruitment practices and marketing efforts toward veterans by some for-profit institutions.

This study reveals that the number of veterans enrolled at for-profit institutions is not disproportionate, with the majority of veterans pursuing their postsecondary education at a MnSCU campus.

"This report was prepared to assist legislative policy makers, but is limited to available information, some of which is provided by the institutions themselves," said Pogemiller. "This is meant to be helpful, but is by no means exhaustive."

The report includes data on student outcomes, tuition rates, degrees conferred and other general information, according to Pogemiller.

View the report.

For more information, contact Sandy Connolly at 651-259-3902, or by email at sandy.connolly@state.mn.us.


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