Florida Career College to close all campuses by mid-February

Higher Ed Dive

Lilah Burke

January 26, 2024

Dive Brief:

• Florida Career College, a for-profit chain focusing on fields like healthcare and information technology, will close its remaining campuses by Feb. 15, a representative for the institution told state regulators Thursday.

• The U.S. Department of Education said it would end FCC’s access to federal financial aid this month. The move came after the agency accused the college of tampering with materials that determine if certain students are eligible for federal financial aid.

• Pulling federal funding proved to be a fatal blow. Florida Career College took in more than 87% of its revenue from Title IV funds for the 2021 fiscal year, totaling more than $86 million.

Dive Insight:

The events that led to FCC’s closure concern the Education Department’s ability-to-benefit regulations, which allow students without a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for federal aid if they pass a test.

In 2020, the Republic Report, a nonprofit news site, published accounts of former Florida Career College employees who alleged they had seen doctored and falsified ability-to-benefit tests at the institution.

A 2023 Education Department investigation found that the college’s proctors took tests for students, changed their answers and allowed them to use calculators in violation of test rules.

Officials at the college and its parent company, International Education Corp., knew about the violations and encouraged them, the department alleged, with the goal of maximizing the number of students enrolled.

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