“Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his annual State of the State remarks today in which he celebrated New York’s commitment to choice and opportunity for students to pursue higher education. The Association of Proprietary Colleges (APC) shares that commitment to providing access for all students, especially those who are under-represented, minority students, or the first in their family to attend college.
In his remarks today, Governor Cuomo once again advanced a proposal that would impose certain accountability measures on proprietary colleges to ensure institutions are adequately preparing students for life after graduation. Like the Governor, APC and its members are committed to transparency and accountability in education and, most of all, to ensuring the success of students. We continue to urge the Governor to hold all institutions accountable – not just proprietary ones – because all students pursuing post-secondary education in New York State deserve to attend high quality institutions. APC’s member colleges already meet the same rigorous standards imposed on all of New York State’s institutions of higher education. As to the Governor’s call for greater transparency from proprietary institutions, last year APC voluntarily published on its website financial data and other key information pertaining to its member colleges, including:
- Institutional expenditures per student for FY 2017
- Institutional advertising expenses for FY 2018 and the percentage of overall expenses spent on advertising
- Institutional federal “90/10” ratio for FY 2018
- Institutional federal financial responsibility composite score for AY 2016-17
- Institutional federal 3-year cohort default rate for AY 2016
The 12 privately held, primarily family-owned, degree-granting colleges that make up APC’s membership have a long history of educating students and preparing them for successful careers. Thanks to the vision of the New York Legislature, New York State Department of Education, and other groups, New York is a prime example of how all sectors of higher education can work together to develop common sense regulations that ensure students have access to the affordable, high quality academic institutions to meet their needs.”
#