Skip to Content

Press Releases

Foxx, Keller Request Information from Department of Education on Prolonged Application Delays for Higher Education Institutions

Today, Republican Leader of the Education and Labor Committee Virginia Foxx (R-NC) joined Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona raising concerns about delays, in some cases over a year, in applications submitted by institutions of higher education to convert from proprietary institutions to nonprofit status or undergo a change in ownership. According to a recent report issued by the Department, a workgroup is in place to help process requests from institutions wishing to convert, though significant delays still persist.
 
In the letter, the Members write: “While we appreciate the Department working to improve the thoroughness of its review, there still appears to be a significant delay in that review. For example, several anecdotal reports suggest that the Department is spending over a year to process post-transaction change of control applications. Further, this Spring, an institution saw its post-transaction conversion request denied five years after its initial request was submitted to the Department.”
 
The Members continue: “The Department must process all change of control applications, including conversion applications, within a reasonable time. Forcing institutions to wait for years unnecessarily impedes their ability to serve students and has a chilling effect on mergers and acquisitions in the higher education industry.”
 
Read the full letter to Secretary Cardona here.
###
Stay Connected