A federal class-action lawsuit filed in April alleges that the for-profit school Florida Career College is 'a sham' — and that it targeted economically vulnerable people of color. The school has been allotted $17 million in federal pandemic aid.
The median annual earnings of FCC graduates who ultimately found employment ranged from $8,983 to $32,871, according to the suit, which helps explain why, according to the most recent federal data, just 23% of FCC students have been able to pay down any of their loans' original balance within three years of leaving.
"The thing that upsets me the most about this is how much it preys upon people's hopes and dreams," says Ben Miller, who studies higher education accountability at the left-leaning Center for American Progress."You know, you have a lot of folks who want to make a better life for themselves. They have maybe one shot at college, and you rip them off and basically ruin it."
Gunderson insists that career colleges, including FCC, have been held to unrealistic standards. He points to the gainful employment rule, which he says measured students' incomes relatively soon after graduation."You've got to go into the five- or 10-year mark before most of these occupations have what you and I would call our respectable salaries.
."It is important we get these grants into the hands of our students right away, so they can better deal with this crisis."lawmakers set aside in the CARES Act to help colleges and vulnerable students during the coronavirus pandemic. But Ben Miller says, in Congress' haste to help schools that serve low-income students, lawmakers are giving money to many schools with questionable records like FCC's.
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