ITT Tech

[[File:ITT Technical Institute campus Canton Michigan.JPG|thumb|right|250px|One of the former ITT Tech buildings]]{{scam}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with the better known {{wpl|ITT Inc.}}}}
'''ITT Technical Institute''', colloquially known as '''ITT Tech''', was a [[scam]] that pretended to be an institution of higher education. Before going out of business in 2016, it had many campuses peppered across the continental [[United States]]. 

ITT Tech offered degrees in [[engineering]], information technology and business administration; other programs included nursing and criminal justice.<ref name=myhowbook>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200805081232/https://myhowbook.com/article/education/itt-tech-edu itt-tech.edu]. Archived from myhowbook.com, 22 August 2014.</ref>

ITT Tech were known for grade inflation, coercive recruiting methods, class action lawsuits, and poor job prospects.<ref name=nyt>Gretchen Morgenson, [https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025433/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/business/a-whistle-was-blown-on-itt-17-years-later-it-collapsed.html A Whistle Was Blown on ITT; 17 Years Later, It Collapsed]. Archived from ''[[The New York Times]]'', 21 October 2016.</ref> They became the target of federal investigations<ref name=2015report>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/922475/000119312516504396/d129120d10k.htm ITT Educational Services, Inc. 2015 Annual Report]. United States Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K, 2015.</ref> when the school got almost one billion dollars in federal aid, despite a retention rate lower than 60%. 

After twice failing an [[Academic accreditation|accreditation]] review in 2016, the United States Department of Education took away ITT Tech's ability to use federal funding for new students. They immediately filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations, affecting 35,000 students.<ref name=nyt /><ref name=shutdown>[https://archive.is/xWaBZ ITT Technical Institute] main page, archived on 12 September 2016.</ref><ref name=cnn>Katie Lobosco, [https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/26/pf/college/itt-tech-lawsuits/index.html ITT Tech: The for-profit college that went up in smoke]. CNN Money, 26 September 2016.</ref>

==History==

ITT Tech's predecessor was incorporated in 1946, and it first became a publicly held corporation in 1966.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20161203063341/http://www.ittesi.com/index.php?s=52 ITT Technical Institute: FAQ] (archived copy from December 3, 2016)</ref> Major problems with ITT Tech did not start appearing until the [[Great Recession]] of 2007, when the quality of education declined and new enrollments became dependent on dubious sales techniques.<ref name=moore>[http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/07/502601724/what-former-employees-say-itt-tech-did-to-scam-its-students What Former Employees Say ITT Tech Did To Scam Its Students] by Rowan Moore-Gerety (December 7, 20161:25 PM ET) 'NPR''.</ref> Sales representatives started looking for students who were "likely to be kind of desperate to enroll, and likely to be eligible for the highest amount of financial aid."<ref name=moore/> By 2012, ITT Tech charged "among the highest tuition in its industry. It also [had] the industry's highest rate of loans that [went] into default within two-years of attendance."<ref>[http://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424053111904857404577333971078578982 Clever Is as Clever Does: For-profit colleges are contributing mightily to the country's $1 trillion in student-loan debt. When it comes to defaults, ITT Educational Services is doing much more than its share] by Bill Alpert (April 14, 2012) ''Barrons''.</ref>

==Accreditation==

ITT Tech held [[accreditation]] from the [[Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools]] (ACICS), a national accreditation agency. However, the ACICS stripped the scam of accreditation because of low standards. ACICS was itself later stripped of accreditation authority by the United States Department of Education because of their own low standards.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161220140033/https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-establishes-enhanced-federal-aid-participation-requirements-acics-accredited-colleges Education Department Establishes Enhanced Federal Aid Participation Requirements for ACICS-accredited Colleges]. Archived from the United States Department of Education, 12 December 2016.</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Diploma mills]]
[[Category:Education]]
[[Category:Scams]]

Categories: Crime, Diploma mills, Education, Scams