As Veteran Student Enrollment Rates Increase, For-Profit Schools Rake in the Gold

Since the creation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, thousands of veterans have taken advantage of the government’s promise of tuition coverage for post-secondary schools. But veterans are not the only ones capitalizing on the government’s dime. In a recent congressional report stemming from an undercover investigation of 15 schools in the U.S., many college institutions are using deceptive and fraudulent marketing tactics to lure current and former military members into attending their schools.

The Government Accountability Office headed the investigation, strategically placing undercover applicants in the 15 schools. Some of the findings included the schools’ attempts to persuade the applicants to lie about their financial status, provide misleading *or* unclear information on the college’s graduation rate and misrepresent the applicants’ estimated post-graduate salaries.

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia originally drafted the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Senator Webb along with Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, gave the initial request for the review of the colleges.

The two senators claimed they had received word that some for-profit schools “may be aggressively targeting service members and veterans, signing them up for educational programs that bring little benefit to future employment opportunities.” There are additional issues as a result of the excessive tuition rates of some schools utilizing the government’s program. According to congressional aides, out of the top 10 recipients of funds from the GI Bill, seven were for-profit schools.

The senators are requesting a complete review of the bill as well as of the schools who have utilized fraudulent recruiting methods. Furthermore, they are asking for the VA to be more involved in the decision making process of which schools should be admitted into the program, what the schools’ drop-out and graduation rates are and if there has been any evidence *or* claims of veterans being cheated.

For more information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, visit MilitaryConnection.com. You may also use MilitaryConnection.com to register for the GI Bill by visiting this link.