Published: March 2017

Advocates urge ED to remain tough on fraudulent colleges

Advocates working on behalf of consumers, students, civil rights, veterans and servicemembers penned a letter to Education Secretary Betsy Devos, urging her to continue implementing and enforcing critical Education Department accountability provisions designed to protect students and taxpayers from unmanageable student debt and waste, fraud and abuse in higher education. In particular, we oppose all actions to delay, weaken, or repeal the gainful employment, incentive compensation, or recent “borrower defense to repayment” and college accountability regulations.

Consumer Action joined coaltion advocates in urging the Department of Education to implement, not weaken, delay or repeal, accountability provisions, including gainful employment, incentive compensation and borrower defense to repayment. Each of these accountability measures is essential to protecting students and taxpayers from sudden school closures and other misconduct by unscrupulous colleges, and to maintaining the integrity of our federal aid program. The regulation has already had a significant positive impact. The mere threat of sanctions under this rule prompted many colleges to eliminate their worst performing programs, to freeze tuition and implement other reforms to improve outcomes for their graduates. It is critical to students, their families and taxpayers that the Department of Education continues to uphold and enforce these common-sense regulations.

Lead Organization

American's for Financial Reform (AFR)

Other Organizations

Admiral Garry Hall on behalf of the Association of the United States Navy | American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) | Air Force Sergeants Association | American Association of University Professors (AAUP) | American Association of University Women (AAUW) | American Federation of Teachers | Americans for Financial Reform | Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) | Center for Public Interest Law | Center for Responsible Lending | Children’s Advocacy Institute | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Consumer Federation of California | Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization arm of Consumer Reports | Demos | The Education Trust | Equal Justice Works | Faculty Forward Network | Generation Progress | Higher Ed Not Debt | Housing and Economic Rights Advocates | The Institute for College Access & Success | Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | League of United Latin American Citizens | National Association for College Admission Counseling | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) | National Consumers League | National Council of La Raza (NCLR) | National Education Association (NEA) | Project on Predatory Student Lending of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School | Public Citizen | Public Counsel | Public Good Law Center | Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) | Public Law Center | SEIU | Student Debt Crisis | Student Veterans of America | U.S. PIRG | United States Student Association | University of San Diego School of Law Veterans Legal Clinic | Veterans Education Success | Veterans for Common Sense | Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund | Vietnam Veterans of America | Young Invincibles

More Information

For more information, please visit AFR's website.

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Advocates urge ED to remain tough on fraudulent colleges   (upholdEDregprotections.pdf)