Legislation

"Legislation Against the Sector!"

Do you want a list of the proposals currently offered in the 116th Congress to harm our sector and our ability to provide students with postsecondary career education? Here it is!
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CECU is working hard to build bipartisan support for our important work. And we are challenging all legislation aimed exclusively at our sector. We continue to advocate for one set of rules (and legislation) that serve all sectors of higher education. We continue to call for common outcome metrics that define academic excellence for all programs at all schools. Such outcomes should be shared with the public, current, and prospective students through maximum transparency. Such common outcome metrics should serve as the basis for guardrails against poor performing programs by any school in any sector of higher education. We can protect both students and taxpayers at the same time! This is our goal.

Protect Veterans' Access

The Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit became effective on August 1, 2009. Since that time, the nation’s postsecondary career colleges have proudly served veterans by providing them with high quality career skills education, usually leading to a career credential. A growing number of veterans have chosen our schools because we provide them with accelerated programs, academic focus, mentorship to help along the way, and career services resulting in real jobs.

Just as the total number of beneficiaries in the Post 9/11 GI Bill program has decreased in recent years, the total number of veterans using our schools has also decreased. In the 2012/13 academic year, our sector’s schools earned $1,703,722,468 through educational services for veterans and we served approximately 31 percent of all veterans using the GI Bill benefit. Most recently (2019), our sector’s schools earned $1,342,586,392 through educational services for veterans and we served approximately 29 percent of all veterans using the GI Bill benefit. The decrease in the number of proprietary schools, combined with the growth of online academic education by public and private non-profit schools explains these reductions.
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There is an incorrect impression that proprietary schools dominate the use of GI Bill benefits. A Military Times analysis of FY17 data shows that only seven of the top 25 schools enrolling veterans under the GI Bill benefit were for-profit schools. And one of those seven proprietary schools no longer exists today.

Short-Term Pell Grants to Upgrade Worker Skills!

Since 2017, CECU has called upon Congress to enact short-term Pell Grants. The pace of change in America’s workplace demands that current and future workers constantly upgrade their skills. For those with limited economic resources (who would qualify for such short-term Pell Grants), this is an essential bridge to their professional future.

The Higher Education Act


​Our mission is to modernize and connect the Higher Education Act to jobs in ways that speak to both today's college students and their specific career needs. ​In a first-of-its-kind effort, Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is pursuing thoughtful policy solutions that connect the Higher Education Act to jobs. We need to modernize our laws for the 21st century to help meet the ​Nation's growing workforce demands.