Are for-profit colleges worth the cost? Graduates are split on the value of their degrees
Chris Quintana
January 31, 2023
Only about 40% of students who attended a for-profit university say their degree was worth the cost, according to new polling shared with USA TODAY.
That sentiment emerges at a time when Americans are broadly questioning the value of a college education. For-profits, however, are often the subject of additional federal scrutiny and criticism because of their recruitment practices and high cost of attendance compared to public schools.
“Compared to public higher education institutions, for-profit colleges have been criticized for being more expensive with similar or worse outcomes for graduates, who tend to be left with higher debt,” reads the report from Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research firm, and funded by Arnold Ventures, a philanthropic organization found by billionaires Laura and John Arnold.
