For-Profit ITT Tech Closes Metro Atlanta Campuses
ITT Educational Services headquarters in Carmel, Ind., is shown Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. The company, which operates vocational schools, announced “with profound regret” in a statement Tuesday that it is ending academic operations at all of its more than 130 campuses across 38 states. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michael Conroy / Associated Press
ITT Technical Institute is closing its four campuses in the metro Atlanta area, along with dozens of others across the country, becoming the latest for-profit school to shut down after federal scrutiny.
Katie Peace said she graduated from ITT Technical Institute’s Kennesaw campus with a degree in science and criminal justice four years ago. This week, she, like many students and alumni, heard the news that the college was shutting down.
“How could I have wasted two years in a school that now is nothing?” she said.
Peace said she’s worried about her credentials.
“My degree is worthless. A lot of agencies around here do not recognize ITT degrees, especially in the criminal justice field, and I found that out after I graduated,” she said.
In a blog post to students, the U.S. Department of Education said completed degrees were not worthless, and students’ credentials can’t be taken away.
ITT Tech was barred from enrolling students who get federal financial aid last month, and, in a press release, the company says that’s what forced the school to shut down. The Department of Education says the school wasn’t complying with a number of accreditation standards set by a group that accredits colleges.
“There are a lot of concerns that a large number of for-profit schools have really abused students,” said Stephen Burd, an education policy analyst at New America.
Burd said there have allegations students have been misled about employment prospects and taking out pricey student loans.
“There is going to be a lot of scrutiny related to how these bigger schools have been operating,” he said.
In recent years, the government has announced further regulations on for-profit schools to ensure students were getting their money’s worth.
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