Who Said It: A Closer Look at Trump U and Other For-Profit Institutions
Who Said It: A Closer Look at Trump U and Other For-Profit Institutions
You’ve probably heard a lot recently in the news about Donald Trump’s for-profit school, Trump University. Like many for-profit colleges, the school pressured students into maxing out credit cards and savings for subpar courses, misled students, and charged insane fees. But the crazy thing is programs like Trump U are a lot more common than you probably realize—for-profit colleges exist all over the U.S. and take advantage of students on a daily basis. Guess who some of the bad guys are!
You’ve probably heard a lot recently in the news about Donald Trump’s for-profit school, Trump University. Like many for-profit colleges, the school pressured students into maxing out credit cards and savings for subpar courses, misled students, and charged insane fees. But the crazy thing is programs like Trump U are a lot more common than you probably realize—for-profit colleges exist all over the U.S. and take advantage of students on a daily basis. Guess who some of the bad guys are!
Which school uses a recruitment process called the “pain funnel,” in which an admissions officer asks students increasingly probing questions about “where their lives are going wrong” in order to compel students to enroll?
Which school consistently recruited low-income students for their federal financial aid dollars (an estimated half of which could not read past a sixth-grade level)?
Which school encouraged customers with little money to pay tuition with their credit cards by saying the following: “We teach the technique of using OPM ... Other People’s Money…It’s O.K., just max out your credit card.”
Which school’s internal handbook includes the following weird instructions for set-up at a free orientation? “Keep the room below 69 degrees, set up the chairs…so that attendees need to walk past sales tables in order to exit… and be sure ‘For the Love of Money’ by the O'Jays is playing in the background.”
Which school settled a 2009 lawsuit when former employees alleged that they based recruiter earnings off of the number of students they convinced to enroll?
Which school’s recruiters were instructed by management to tell prospective students that if they enrolled in the school’s criminal justice program, they could get jobs doing forensic science work like they saw on TV shows like “CSI Miami”?
Which school allegedly told teachers to “go above and beyond” to keep students enrolled and tuition dollars coming in, even when they were failing?
Which school encourages students to illegally report less income than they actually have, or more dependents than they have, in order to increase federal financial aid?
Which school manipulated attendance policies, forcing students to stay enrolled so it could keep taking their tuition dollars?
Which school promised lifetime career assistance, but allegedly stopped serving alumni after their first job placement?