This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

BBB Warns of 7 Red Flags of a Shady For-Profit School

Looking a higher education? Watch out for "shady schools."

Enrollment at for-profit schools—including trade schools and online universities—has skyrocketed in recent years. Unfortunately, not all schools offer a quality education and enrolling in a sub-par program can be a waste of time and money. When checking out for-profit schools, BBB recommends doing your research and looking for seven red flags.

When applying to a for-profit school, BBB recommends looking out for the following red flags:

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The recruiter uses high-pressure sales tactics. If a sales rep is subjecting you to high pressure sales tactics—including bullying you or claiming you have to sign up immediately, just walk away. A reputable school will take the time to answer your questions, allow you to talk to a financial aid advisor and not push you into making a hasty decision.

The recruiter exaggerates potential income or guarantees a job. Beware of any school that guarantees you will get a job after completing their program. Landing a job is never a sure thing, especially in this economy.  If the representative tells you how much money you’ll make after completing their program, confirm it with a third party—don’t just take their word for it.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The prices are inflated when compared to other options. In some cases, schools are charging as much as $14,000 for a certification in massage therapy while a similar certification at a local public college would have cost only $520. Before signing up with any for-profit school, do your research and compare costs against other for-profit schools and public colleges.

The school is not accredited.  Accreditation is extremely important, but not always easy to confirm. Ask the school’s representative about national and regional accreditation and then confirm with the accrediting organization. You can check with the US Department of Education at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ to learn which post- secondary schools are accredited by approved agencies. More information on the importance of accreditation is available through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s website.

The degree or program seems too easy to obtain. Diploma mills pose as online schools and often promise to give you a cheap and easy degree. Unfortunately, such diplomas aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on and won’t be recognized by the military, employers or other colleges. If the degree seems too easy to earn—this includes simply taking a test online or earning your degree based largely on life experience—it probably isn’t legitimate.

The school does not disclose information as required. Don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions when talking to recruiters and if you get the runaround instead of clear, concise answers, it’s a bad sign.

The recruiter encourages you to lie on financial aid forms. Some recruiters are encouraging students to lie on their financial aid applications in order to get more money from the government to pay for tuition. If you get caught lying on your financial aid forms, not only will you have to pay the government back the money you borrowed, you could be fined and sent to prison.




We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?