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Undercover Student Tests A For-Profit College

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Lately, for-profit colleges like DeVry, Kaplan and the University of Phoenix have been subject to scrutiny and new regulations for allegedly deceptive recruiting tactics and the high number of federal loan defaults among their students. Host Audie Cornish talks to Christopher Beha, who discreetly enrolled as a student at the University of Phoenix, and wrote about it in a piece in this month's issue of Harper's Magazine.

In response to our story, the University of Phoenix said:

"For more than three decades, we have served working Americans who want to earn a college degree, and are willing to work hard to earn one. The reality Americans face today is simple: jobs today require higher education, yet more than 80 million working Americans don't have a bachelor's degree, and 50 million adults have never even tried to earn one. Clearly, there is no single solution to meeting this need. For some students, traditional colleges and universities are the best path; for others – working adults who support a family, for example – another path must be sought. University of Phoenix serves a segment of the American population for whom an Ivy-league education – such as the one Mr. Beha is fortunate to have received – is not an option. We're proud of our mission, and the more than 650,000 individuals who have earned a University of Phoenix degree."

Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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