Mitt Romney’s solution to increasingly unaffordable college tuitions keeps coming back to directing young people to the for-profit college industry. This is the same industry that is leaving many young people overwhelmed with student debt, and without a degree.
While on the campaign trail, Romney has cited Full Sail University at least twice as an example of a for-profit school using innovative ways to keep costs down. Unfortunately, when praising Full Sail, Romney fails to mention that the school has the third highest tuition in the country at an average of $42,809 a year after financial aid is applied. He also fails to mention that his super PAC has received about $240,000 just from the CEO of that school, who conveniently also doubles as co-chairman of Romney’s Florida fundraising team.
The sky-high tuition at Full Sail University is no anomaly when looking at for-profit colleges. In fact, according to the Department of Education, the average yearly cost of a for-profit college is $30,900. This far exceeds $26,000 average tuition for private colleges and is more than double the average tuition at a public college. And if someone wants to pursue an Associate’s degree or enroll in a certificate program at a for-profit college, it will cost in excess of 400% more than comparable programs at local community colleges.
This video lays it all out. After watching, ask Candidate Romney why he's being so sketchy on the issue of for-profit education?
