Drive on most freeways or highways in the United States and you’re bound to see them. Big brick buildings the proudly display their names. Billboards that tout the success one can have attending them. I’m talking, of course, about the surge in for-profit colleges in the last decade.
University of Phoenix, Everest College, National University, and a slew of others that have been around for two or more decades have become a dominating force in many communities and on daytime TV.
But what’s the real cost of enrolling and attending one of these McColleges? College, Inc. delves into the world of for-profit colleges, showing us the people who buy them, run them, expand them, and make billions off of them. The enrollment at many is higher than regular colleges and universities. They can take tens to hundreds of thousands more students due to online classes. Despite the convenience afforded by these multi-location post-secondary schools there may be dangers lurking in the shadows.
College, Inc. explores and exposes the underbelly of these programs. Do they aggressively recruit unqualified students just to make a quota and get bonuses? Do they promise great programs and deliver sub-standard experiences that don’t prepare students for the real world? And do they really supply students with an education that is the equivalent or better than a traditional four-year college?
With interviews on both sides of the issue, including the current United States Secretary of Education, this insightful documentary shows that sometimes if a program seems too good to be true it just might be.
College, Inc. is available NOW on DVD!