Once havens for jobless, for-profit colleges now face own downsizing - By Ben Wolfgang-The Washington Times

Already under constant fire from Capitol Hill Democrats screaming for tighter regulations, the for-profit college sector now has bigger problems on its hands. Plummeting enrollment and steep declines in stock values have begun to reverse years of growth for schools that fashion themselves as no-nonsense, career-education alternatives to traditional higher education. The latest example emerged this week when the University of Phoenix, the largest player in the for-profit world and the one with the greatest name recognition, announced that it would shutter 115 locations across the country, with at least one site in 30 states scheduled to close. For the second quarter of this year, the university reported a 13.7 percent decline in new degree-program students. Its overall student population now stands at about 328,000, down from its high of more than 400,000. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/18/once-havens-for-jobless-for-profit-colleges-now-fa/