For Meets Non – the Merging of the Profit Sectors

For-profit schools have traditionally been at the cutting edge of online and distance learning. They are often a popular option for adult students who needed convenience and flexibility in order to balance all the responsibilities in their lives. Yet lower birth rates and the rebounding economy have caused declining enrollment throughout all sectors of post-secondary education. For-profit enrollment has been hit particularly hard. Increased regulations targeted specifically at for-profit schools combined with negative publicity have come together as a perfect storm that has led to a near crisis among for-profit schools. Each school has dealt with the challenge in different ways. Some have merged into one company. Others have converted to nonprofit status. Many have changed their focus to offering classes outside the United States. Some have even gone out of business. Yet a few high-profile schools have decided to…