Brightwood College

Brightwood College
Type For-Profit, provisionally accredited[1]
Students 9000
Location United States
Campus Locations 10 in California; 2 in Indiana; 1 in Maryland; 1 in Nevada; 1 in North Carolina; 1 in Ohio; 1 in Tennessee; 11 in Texas
Affiliations Education Corporation of America
Website www.brightwood.edu

Brightwood College, formerly Kaplan College, is a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and is owned and operated by Education Corporation of America. Main qualifications offered include health, business, criminal justice, information technology, nursing and professional training (trades) programs.[2]

History

Before being acquired by Education Corporation of America (ECA) in September 2015,[3][4] Kaplan College was part of Kaplan Higher Education, a subsidiary of Kaplan, Inc.

Kaplan, Inc., purchased the American Institute of Commerce, a business training school founded in 1937, and renamed it Kaplan College in 2000, later renaming it to Kaplan University in 2004.[5]

In 2000, Kaplan acquired Quest Educational Corporation, which served 30 schools in 11 states.[6] Quest Education Corporation was renamed Kaplan Higher Education in 2002.[7]

In April 2004, Kaplan Higher Education owned 64 campuses, including Hesser College in New Hampshire and CEI College in California.[8]

California locations operated under the Maric College brand from 2004-2008, then as Kaplan College. In June 2008, Las Vegas-based Heritage College was folded into the Kaplan College brand. In 2010, the Texas schools acquired as part of the Quest purchase were renamed Kaplan College.

In October 2015, Kaplan College's Dayton, Ohio campus was renamed Brightwood College.[9] The remaining Kaplan College locations became Brightwood College in February–March 2016.[10][11]

Campuses

  • Bakersfield, California
  • Chula Vista, California
  • Fresno, California
  • Modesto, California
  • North Hollywood, California (founded in 1982 as Modern Technology College)
  • Palm Springs, California (founded in 2004 as Maric College)[12]
  • Riverside, California (founded in 1990 as Computer Education Institute)[13][14]
  • Sacramento, California
  • San Diego, California (founded in 1976 as Maric College)[15][14]
  • Vista, California
  • Hammond, Indiana
  • Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Beltsville, Maryland
  • Towson, Maryland
  • Las Vegas, Nevada (founded in 1990 as Professional Careers, Inc., later Heritage College)[16][17]
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Dayton, Ohio
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • Arlington, Texas
  • Beaumont, Texas
  • Brownsville, Texas
  • Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Dallas, Texas
  • El Paso, Texas
  • Fort Worth, Texas
  • Friendswood, Texas
  • Houston, Texas
  • Laredo, Texas
  • McAllen, Texas
  • San Antonio, Texas (two locations)

Accreditation

Brightwood College was accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). On Dec. 12, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it no longer recognizes the ACICS as an authorized accrediting agency. The college is approved to receive Title IV funding under a provisional Program Participation Agreement (PPA) for 18 months while it is seeking a new federally recognized accreditor.[1] It is provisionally certified by the Department of Education until June 12, 2018.

Criticisms

Alleged improper recruiting

Kaplan College, while a part of Kaplan Inc, was one of 15 for-profit colleges cited by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for deceptive or questionable statements that were made to undercover investigators posing as applicants.[18] The Pembroke Pines, Florida and Riverside, California campuses were both cited in the GAO report.[19] Andrew S. Rosen, President of Kaplan, Inc., described the tactics as "sickening" and promised to eliminate such conduct from Kaplan.[20] On November 30, 2010, the GAO issued a revised report with several significant edits, altering key passages and softening several of the initial allegations. However it stood by its finding that the college had encouraged fraud and misled potential applicants.[21] Five years later, Kaplan College was sold to Education Corp. and renamed Brightwood.

References

  1. 1 2 "ACICS Loss of Accreditation Recognition". Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  2. ↑ "Brightwood College". Brightwood College. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  3. ↑ "Education Corporation of America Completes Purchase of Kaplan College Campuses". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  4. ↑ Fain, Paul (7 May 2015), "Can for-profit colleges survive their slump?", The PBS NewsHour, retrieved 10 September 2015
  5. ↑ "Statement of Accreditation Status". Higher Learning Commission. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  6. ↑ "Kaplan Will Acquire a Chain of Post-Secondary Schools". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Educational Medical, Inc. Changes Name to Quest Education Corporation".
  8. ↑ Julie Flaherty (2004-04-25). "The Alternative Universe: A Guide". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Dayton College Changing Its Name". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  10. ↑ "Education Corporation of America Announces Re-Branding of Kaplan College Campuses". Business Wire.
  11. ↑ Callahan, Katie (February 28, 2016). "Kaplan College Rebrands as Brightwood College After Acquisition". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Brightwood College in Palm Springs, CA
  13. ↑ Brightwood College in Riverside, CA
  14. 1 2 Kaplan Higher Education Acquires Ten Cei Campuses In Southern California
  15. ↑ Brightwood College in San Diego, CA
  16. ↑ Brightwood College in Las Vegas, NV
  17. ↑ Kaplan Higher Education Acquires Heritage College
  18. ↑ "Testimony : For-Profit Colleges : Undercover Testing Finds Colleges Encouraged Fraud and Engaged in Deceptive and Questionable Marketing Practices" (PDF). Gao.gov. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  19. ↑ Blumenstyk, Goldie (2010-08-06). "Kaplan Suspends Enrollment at Campuses Where Federal Investigators Found Recruiting Abuses - Finance - The Chronicle of Higher Education". Chronicle.com. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  20. ↑ Vise, Daniel de; Paul Kane (2010-08-05). "GAO: 15 for-profit colleges used deceptive recruiting tactics". The Washington Post. ISSN 0740-5421. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  21. ↑ Anderson, Nick (8 December 2010). "GAO revises its report critical of practices at for-profit schools". The Washington Post.
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