WyoTech

WyoTech, formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute,[1] is a system of colleges in the United States. Founded in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1966, WyoTech was until 2015 a system of for-profit colleges owned and operated by Corinthian Colleges, Inc. In 2015, Corinthian ceased operating and filed for bankruptcy. While a number of Corinthian-owned colleges were closed in early 2015, Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC), a non-profit, took ownership of more than half of Corinthian Colleges' campuses, including several WyoTech campuses. As of June 2015, 3 WyoTech campuses remain open, now operated by ECMC.[2]

History

Initially an automotive-themed school, under the new ownership of Zenith Education Group[3] with the California campuses of Fremont and Long Beach owned by Corinthian Colleges, Inc.[4] WyoTech had four campuses offering degree and diploma programs in the fields of automotive, diesel, collision refinishing, motorcycle, marine technology, as well as construction trades. WyoTech also offered advanced training programs in applied service management; light duty diesel; advanced automotive diagnostics; street rod and custom fabrication; motorsports chassis fabrication; high performance power trains; and trim and upholstery technology.

WyoTech schools had some of the highest graduation rates of any two-year schools in the United States. For 2011, WyoTech Blairsville had a graduation rate of 85.1 percent, and WyoTech Laramie a graduation rate of 80.1 percent.[5]

In 2013, WyoTech schools faced layoffs and site closings as Corinthian Colleges, its parent company, received greater government scrutiny for its business and trading practices.[6][7]

Tuition was typically 300% to 400% more expensive than programs at community colleges.[8] WyoTech's student loan default rate was approximately 19%.[9] WyoTech's job placement rate is unknown.

WyoTech campuses not included in the sale to ECMC closed their doors for good when their parent company Corinthian Colleges shuttered all of their remaining campuses on April 27, 2015.[10]

Accreditation

WyoTech was nationally accredited but not regionally accredited. Most public and private universities are regionally accredited and do not accept credits or degrees from WyoTech for transfer.[11][12][13][14]

Campus locations

WyoTech campuses are located in Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Florida.[15] The Corinthian-owned California campuses have all closed. Sacramento was closed in 2013[16] and Fremont and Long Beach campuses were closed in 2015.[17]

Fields of study

WyoTech degrees are completed in nine months, six months of a Core classes and then three months of a Elective program.. Not all programs of study were available at every campus.

Core Classes - Diplomas and Certificates were available in the following subjects:


Electives - Specialty courses offered to students who complete Core Classes:

Motorcycle & Marine Electives

Legal proceedings

Nine former WyoTech students who took heating and air-conditioning classes in Fremont claimed in 2008 that they had taken out student loans for as much as $40,000 each, but their training did not make them employable. Instructors sometimes appeared to be drunk, fell asleep in class and could not answer basic questions, and equipment was outdated, according to their suit.[18]

WyoTech's parent company for the California campuses, Corinthian Colleges, was sued by the state of California for "false and predatory advertising, intentional misrepresentations to students, securities fraud and unlawful use of military seals in advertisements."[19][20] and there are numerous other actions filed against Corinthian in various U.S. states as well as United States agencies.

In July 2014, Corinthian Colleges agreed they would close or sell all their schools in the next few months.[21] The U.S. Department of Education announced former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a well known corruption buster, would monitor the sale and closure of for-profit career colleges owned by the failing Corinthian Colleges.[22]

On February 3, 2015, Corinthian sold 53 of its Everest and WyoTech campuses and online programs to the Zenith Education Group, a new subsidiary of the ECMC Group.[23]

Notable alumni

Debt cancellation and student debt relief

On June 8, 2015, the Department of Education announced that it was developing a process that would allow former students Corinthian schools to apply for debt relief, if they believed they were victims of fraud. While the Department has still not created a formal process, they have provided the outlines of what borrowers should submit if they wish to pursue debt cancellation on the Federal Student Aid website. In addition, the advocacy group the Debt Collective has created its own, unofficial "Defense to Repayment App" that allows former students of Corinthian and other schools accused of fraud to pursue debt cancellation. The applications generated through the Debt Collective's online form was cited by the Department of Education in a Federal Register notice, which said that "a need for a clearer process for potential claimants" arose due to the submission of over 1000 defense to repayment claims by "a building debt activism movement."[25][26]

References

  1. ↑ "What You Might Not Know About WyoTech". Wyotech.edu. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  2. ↑ http://www.wyotech.edu/locations
  3. ↑ "More than 50 Corinthian Campuses Transition to Nonprofit Status under Zenith Education Group". Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Corinthian Colleges - Career Training Provider in Health Care, Business, Legal, Information Technology & Trades". Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Large Colleges With the Best 6-Year and 3-Year 2011 Graduation Rates". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Chad Terhune (2013-06-16). "Corinthian Colleges' stock tumbles 23% since disclosing SEC probe". Los Angeles Times. Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  7. ↑ "Corinthian Colleges to sell 2 WyoTech campuses". Reuters. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  8. ↑ "Wyotech Long Beach - Tuition, Cost, and Price to Attend". Collegecalc.org. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  9. ↑ WyoTech (2013-11-24). "WyoTech - Student Loan Default Rates by School". Student-loan-default.findthedata.org. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  10. ↑ Sevilla, Mario (April 29, 2015). "About Heald Everest and Wyotech campuses". kron4.com. Media General. Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-06-09. Corinthian Colleges shut down all of its remaining 28 ground campuses on Monday, April 27,, displacing 16,000 students. The shutdown comes less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of Education announcing it was fining the for-profit institution $30 million for misrepresentation.
  11. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (2013-12-06). "''Demanding Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, dated Oct. 19, 2005 by Scott Jaschik". Insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  12. ↑ Lederman, Doug (2013-12-06). "''Tussling Over Transfer of Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, February 26, 2007 by Doug Lederman". Insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  13. ↑ Archived January 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ Archived April 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ http://www.wyotech.edu/locations/
  16. ↑ "Wyotech closing down, not taking new automotive students - Sacramento Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  17. ↑ http://www.cci.edu/update.php
  18. ↑ "For-profit colleges soaking up tax dollars despite student loan defaults, low graduation rates - and could be in trouble - San Jose Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  19. ↑ Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ↑ "The People of California v. Heald College et al" (PDF). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2013. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  21. ↑ "Your Corinthian-Operated School Is Closing, But You Might Not Be Completely Screwed". Consumerist. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Corruption-buster to monitor sale, closure of Corinthian Colleges". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  23. ↑ "Guaranty agency buys half of Corinthian Colleges and forgives $480 million in student debt - InsideHigherEd". Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  24. ↑ "WyoTech Success Stories". Wyotech.edu. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  25. ↑ https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/borrower-defense
  26. ↑ https://debtcollective.org/defense-to-repayment

External links

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