Nebraska Appleseed wants the Unicameral to study for-profit colleges to determine if those schools are engaging in “problematic practices.”
There are 12 for-profit colleges in Nebraska, with most located in the Lincoln and Omaha areas. A report issued last week by Nebraska Appleseed says it costs students significantly more to attend a for-profit college than a community college. And, according to the report, it isn't clear if those students are graduating at the same rate as other college students.
James Goddard, Nebraska Appleseed's Economic Justice Director, says they want to know if the same concerns exist with for-profit schools in Nebraska as at the national level. Those include poor graduation and retention rates, and higher costs.
According to the report, 6,159 students attended for-profit colleges in Nebraska during the 2013-14 school year. Goddard says these colleges attract more non-white students than other Nebraska colleges do, something Nebraska Appleseed wants the Legislature to study.
The report recommends that Nebraska lawmakers look at key performance measures, student access to for-profit schools, and the standards those schools follow.