Everest University accused by student of false promises

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — The lights are on at Everest University in Orange Park, but on Monday, the company that first built the campus, Corinthian Colleges, closed the doors on two dozen others amid allegations of fraud.

Former student Brittany Jackl wasn't surprised. Jackl graduated from Everest University in Orange Park in 2011 with two degrees, confident she would soon find a job based on the numbers she was sold.
 
"They pulled out a lot of statistics, and told me the health care industry here in Jacksonville needed people with my degree. I believed I could make thousands more with their degree," Jackl said.
 
But four years later, Jackl says she has never held a job in her industry.

"I could not even find an office that would allow me to do the externship. People turned me away the minute I walked in the door. I got more job offers when I took the degree from Everest off my resume, than when it was on there," she said.

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Corinthian Colleges was one of the largest for-profit educational institutions in the country until February when 56 campuses, including one in Orange Park and one in Jacksonville, were sold to a new company under pressure from the U.S. Department of Education. Officials say the Corinthian College leaders falsified job placement data and altered grades and attendance. The company has now been fined $30 million as a result of the USDOE investigation.

When Corinthian closed the doors on the remaining 28 campuses Monday that it could not sell, it was short cash according to the DOE, but Jackl said she's paid a lot for that degree.
 
"I am close to $100,000 dollars on debt, and not using the degree at all. My loan payments, based on my income, are about $700 a month, which is more than I can afford," she said.
 
Jackl is hoping the closure of Corinthian is the first step to more accountability with for-profit schools everywhere.
 
"They need to be more regulated. They're not helping anyone. They're only hurting them."

A spokesperson for Zenith Education Group, which took over the Everest University campuses in February, said the Corinthian College closure is not affecting current local students.

Ted Mitchell, under secretary of education, said Monday, "Students seeking better life options should be assured that their investments will pay off in increased knowledge, skills, and opportunity. What these students have experienced is unacceptable."

The CEO of Corinthian also released this statement Monday, "We believe that we have attempted to do everything within our power to provide a quality education and an opportunity for a better future for our students … Overall, our schools did a good job for the students they served."

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