It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the Florida Attorney General’s investigation into eight mostly for-profit colleges.
But the investigation hasn’t gone away. Instead, it’s grown into a multi-state effort.
Attorneys general from 10 states, including Florida, have started a coordinated investigation into the allegations of deceptive marketing practices and other complaints against for-profit colleges, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Florida will still conduct its own independent investigation, but under the agreement, attorneys general from the other states will share what they find and possibly work jointly on investigations, the Chronicle reports.
Former Attorney General’s office started investigating eight for-profit colleges in October: Kaplan University, the University of Phoenix, MedVance Institute, Everest University, Argosy University, Sanford Brown Institute, Concorde Career Institute and Keiser University. Keiser has since switched to non-profit status, but is still part of the investigation.
The Chronicle didn’t have the complete list of states in the coalition, but said it includes Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, and Oregon. The Boston Globe reported that Massachusetts is involved as well.
A spokesman for the Association of Private Sector Schools and Colleges, an industry lobbying group, said he doesn’t expect the investigation to find widespread problems.
“We support a dialogue with the attorneys general that is based on hard facts, on principles fairly applied to all, and is not a product of ideology, innuendo or anecdote,” spokesman Bob Cohen said in a statement to the Huffington Post. “We firmly believe such a conversation will demonstrate that there is no systemic, sector-wide issue here.”
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