Press Release

Imagine America Foundation Releases 2007 Fact Book: A Profile of Career Colleges and Universities

Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2007) – The Imagine America Foundation has released its biannual fact book, which compares public institutions with private two- and four-year colleges. Featuring nearly 40 pages of research and analysis, the 2007 Fact Book presents a comprehensive look at the for-profit and career college sector of higher education and provides data on enrollment, student benefits and outcomes, career college student profiles, default rates, return on investment statistics, and job opportunities for graduates. More than 2 million students attended career colleges in the 2005-2006 academic year. While more than a quarter of dependent students come from families with incomes over $60,000, the career college sector is more likely than the non-profit sector to serve students who are independent, have income in the lowest quartile, have parents with an education below the high school level, and are racial or ethnic minorities. This research also shows:

• 37 percent of students at career colleges are minority, comprising a greater share than those enrolled at private not-for-profit and public institutions (19.8 percent and 24.6 percent, respectively).
• Career colleges represent seven of the 10 four-year institutions producing the largest number of minority graduates with Associate degrees in 2004-2005.

“Compared to similar institutions in specific areas of diversity, completion and graduation rate, career colleges do better,” said Bob Martin, president of the Imagine America Foundation. “While this isn’t a revelation for those of us in the sector, it does show – and realistically so – how our colleges stack up in the realm of higher education.”

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Contact: Bob Martin, Imagine America Foundation President
Phone: (202) 336-6758
E-mail: bobm@career.org

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About the Imagine America Scholarship Program: The national leader in scholarship programs available for those pursuing a career education, Imagine America has met with immense praise since it was launched in 1998 by the Imagine America Foundation (formerly the Career College Foundation). In just seven years, Imagine America has become the most recognized high school scholarship of its kind. More than 35,000 scholarships have already been awarded to high school seniors all over the United States. For more information about this scholarship program and other IAF scholarship and award programs, visit www.imagine-america.org.