Understanding State Policies Toward For-Profit Higher Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: The Role and Influence of Policy Actors in Higher Education Policy

Abstract

The for-profit higher education industry now represents about 10% of all U.S. undergraduates. Despite these large numbers of students policy work has largely focused on federal policy, state policy has been virtually ignored. This paper describes state policies toward for-profit higher education and attempts to categorize them as one of three particular (and two hybrid) "policy postures." Initial findings indicate that states adopt particular postures toward the for-profit higher education industry and that these postures are influenced by a number of factors, including the rate of enrollment growth and relative importance of the industry in the state. The research finds that state policies do seem to be associated with enrollment growth in the state.

Author

• Elizabeth Apple-Meza, University of Washington