Student Protections
The Issue
For decades, unscrupulous colleges and universities, primarily for-profit, have used predatory recruitment practices to lure students into sub-prime education programs that offer little in the way of educational benefit and leave students with large amounts of student loan debt. These predatory institutions have targeted low-income students for their eligibility for federal student aid and subsidized student loans. Such practices often involve high-pressure sales tactics, commissioned sales, and misrepresentations to students.
The Solution
NACAC supports strong regulations to protect students and taxpayers against waste, fraud, and abuse. Included among our priorities are:
- Strengthen the ban on incentive compensation in higher ed recruitment
- Promote informed student decision-making through transparency
- Ensure proper oversight and accountability for institutions that engage in predatory practices
Congress and the Department of Education created program integrity laws and regulations to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in federal student aid programs. Likewise, state legislatures have instituted protections to the same effect. However, changing administrations and political control have resulted in a cycle of regulation and deregulation which can often frustrate long-term efforts to protect students from predatory recruitment.
Take Action: Support the For-Profit College Conversion and Accountability Act
Take Action: Support the Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers Act
NACAC In Action
NACAC and other organizations request ED for increased transparency to protect students and taxpayers (March 2021)
In a letter to Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona, NACAC and other organizations request ED to commit to increasing transparency into how schools are performing and actions the Department takes when schools are harming students and taxpayers.
NACAC supports legislation providing protections for Veterans against predatory colleges (April 2021)
In a letter to Senator Schatz (D-HI), NACAC supports the “Veterans Educational Assistance Transparency and Accountability Improvement Act of 2021”. This legislation would make a significant improvement in the availability of information to Veterans seeking to enroll in college.
NACAC and other organizations urge ED Secretary to provide relief for defrauded student loan borrowers (April 2021)
Along with other organizations, NACAC urges ED Secretary, Dr. Miguel Cardona, to take quick action on the continued withholding of relief to borrowers defrauded by predatory schools. The prompt actions should provide a fair and efficient adjudication process and hold schools accountable.
PostsecData, National Skills Coalition, NACAC, along with other organizations applaud the introduction of the College Transparency Act of 2021 (April 2021)
NACAC and other organizations applaud the introduction of the College Transparency Act of 2021 for championing all-around education transparency. This act will empower students and families when making decisions about their education such as costs, outcomes, but as well as about their policymakers and institutions.
NACAC supports HR 2700 on providing critical protections for students and taxpayers (April 2021)
NACAC sent a letter of support to Rep. McBath (D-GA) for introducing the “For-Profit College Conversion Act of 2021” (HR 2700). This bill would expand a much-needed oversight for for-profit college conversation to non-profit college status.
