the dregs of higher education damage our immigration … our immigration system ... was a half-hour...

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Center for Immigration Studies

1629 K Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006 • Phone 202.466.8185 • Fax 202.466.8076 • www.cis.org

C I S

CIS Letterhead_Layout 1 7/26/12 4:34 PM

August 2017

This is an account of how, because of a loophole in the immigration law, dozens of U.S.-based, fourth-rate purveyors of higher education have had multiple negative impacts on the United States while raking in multi-millions of dollars. In the course of this they have:

• ProvidedF-1visasandworkpermitstotensofthousandsofforeign“students”,manyofwhomarereally

illegal aliens in disguise;

• Suppliednominaleducationalservices,ifany,tothosealiens;

• Chargedthosestudentssubstantialtooutrageousfees;

• Misledtheirstudentsonthestateoftheentities’academicaccreditations;

• Engagedinavarietyofshadyfinancialpractices;and,insomecases • Usedtheirstatusas“universities”tohireasuspiciouslylargenumbersofaliensthroughtheH-1Bpro-

gram,including,forexample,EnglishprofessorsfromTurkey; • Providedsuspiciouslylargenumbersofmultiple-yearOPTworkpermissionstotheir lightlyeducated

alien alumni; and, in two or three cases,

• UsedtheirstatusasIRS-recognizedcharitiestoavoidsubstantialstateandfederaltaxes.

Onthenexttothelastpoint,aninstitutionthereaderhasprobablyneverheardof(StratfordUniversityinNorth-ernVirginia)issuedahugenumber(1,697)of29-monthOPT(OptionalPracticalTraining)workpermitsundertheprovision forSTEM(science, technology, engineering, andmath)graduates in2009-2013,more than theentireIvyLeagueputtogether(1,668).1

Despiteitsname,thereisnotraininginvolvedintheOPTprogram;onceatinyandsensibleoperation,itwasexpandedbeyondreasonbyboththeBushIIandObamaadministrations.OPTcurrentlynotonlyprovidesworkpermitsforuptothreeyears(formerly29months),italsogivesemployersa7.65percenttaxbreakforhiringalienworkers rather than American ones at the same salary because there are no payroll taxes levied on the former as there are on the latter.

Creatingthebroadersetofproblemsdescribedaboveisagroupofmarginalinstitutionsthatusedtobeblessedbyalaxaccreditationagency,theAccreditingCouncilforIndependentCollegesandSchools(ACICS),butlostthatfigleafwhenACICS,afteralong,formalinquiry,wasde-recognizedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducation(DoEd)inDecember2016.Thisleftsome55institutionswithwellover100campusesinlimbo,stilllargelyableto

The Dregs of Higher Education Damage Our Immigration System

By David North and Rodney S. North

David North is a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies; Rodney S. North is a Washington-based public pol-icy analyst. The authors are grateful to the many people who helped with this project, including our CIS colleagues Jamie Greedan, Bryan Griffith, and John Miano; to Donna Desrochers and Joseph Grandinetti, and to a Northern Virginia activist who chooses to remain nameless.

1629KStreet,NW,Suite600•Washington,DC20006•(202)466-8185•[email protected]•www.cis.org

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issuetheFormI-20thatalienscanusetoapplyforanF-1(foreignstudent)visa,butwithnoU.S.-recognizedaccreditationandvirtuallyallwithoneor(usually)moreofthecollectionofeightblackmarksnotedabove.

ThisBackgrounderreportsonthese55institutions,theverydregsofhighereducationinthiscountry,theCompromisedCol-leges.Theyrarelyofferfirst-oreventhird-rateeducations,butallstillhavethepowertoadmitforeignstudents.Thereport’sfourpartscover:theadmissionsprocessforforeignstudents;thecharacteristicsofthe55institutions;theimpacttheyhaveon various aspects of American life; and conclusions and recommendations.

I. The Foreign Student Admissions Process

Beforeweexaminethebehavioroftheseinstitutionsandtheresultsoftheirbehavior,itmaybeusefultoreviewhowtheUnitedStatesscreensforeignstudents,which,inturn,createsthesettinginwhichtheCompromisedCollegesoperateand,alltoooften,flourish.

Unlike some other receiving nations, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, our admissions system is thoroughly decen-tralized. It seems to run on the principles that:

1. EncouragingalienstohaveaU.S.educationisalwaysanunqualifiedgood;

2. Everyentitythatcallsitselfaneducationalinstitutionisone,andisequaltoallothers;and

3. Thattherewillbeno governmental, stateside review of potential foreign students.

Two agencies are charged with managing this activity,onethatvirtuallyneverseesastudentandonethat(atleastfleetingly)sees all the students.

TheseentitiesaretheStudentandExchangeVisitorProgram(SEVP),whichisasubsetofImmigrationandCustomsEn-forcement(ICE),apartoftheU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity(DHS),andtheU.S.DepartmentofState,whosecon-sular officials interview the students overseas and determine whether or not to issue the student visas. Some foreign tourists adjusttheirstatustothatofstudentswhileintheUnitedStatesfollowinganinteractionwithDHS.

TheSEVPheadquartersareseparatedfromtherestofDHSbythePotomacRiverandevenbygovernmentstandardsitisaremarkably sleepy agency, as we will demonstrate.2Thatagency,ineffect,licensessome8,000institutions(includingvarioushigh schools and prep schools, as well as places that teach horse-shoeing and hairstyling), giving each and every one of them therighttoissuetheI-20,theDHS-sanctioneddocumentthatcanleadtoanF-1visa.Thusthereisabsolutelynocentralized,state-side review of which aliens are coming to the United States, and which are not.

Theonlyrealrigorintheforeign-studentscreeningsystem,andthisishighlyunevenasitisspreadacrosstheworld,comesfrom the visa officers who are forced into the role of de facto collegiateadmissionofficials.WhileIhavenotseenanythingin writing on the subject, these officers must sense a growing amount of fraud in the foreign student process,astheirrejectionrateofF-1applicantshasdoubled in the last four years, while the rejection rate forthemuchsmallerM-1category(vocationalstu-dents)has increasedbyonlyabout50percent (seeTable 1). It shouldbenoted that these trendshavenothing to do with any Trump administration policy of restraint on migration decisions; during all four of theseyearstheObamaadministrationwasincharge.

If one of the concerns is terrorists coming to the United States on student visas — and they have — the interview with the visa officer and the operation ofthe“don’tfly”listsareouronlyprotections.

VisaCategory

F-1M-1

FY 2013

14.8%13.0%

FY 2014

14.7%13.8%

FY 2015

18.9%16.3%

FY 2016

27.8%20.3%

Table 1. Net Would-Be F-1 Rejection Rates Double in Four Years; M-1 Increase Is 50%

Approvals, 2016

471,42810,305

Rejection Rates

Source:VisaOffice data as calculated by theCenter for ImmigrationStudies.Thepercentagesarethenetrejectionscomparedtothetotal(ap-provals plus rejections) for each year, with the net rejections being the refusedvisasminusthoserefusalsthatwerewaivedorovercome.Thisistaken from the table entitled “WorldwideNIVWorkloadbyVisaCat-egoryFY2016”,aVisaBulletindatabase,andpredecessortables.

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/NIVWorkload/FY2016NIVWorkloadbyVisaCategory.pdf

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/NIVWorkload/FY2016NIVWorkloadbyVisaCategory.pdf

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All of the rejectees, it should be noted, had been accepted bysomeAmericaninstitution.Thatthevisarejectionratesaresohigh is not a compliment to the way we as a country handle the foreign student program.

TheStateDepartmentandSEVPbothdealwithtwodifferentvisasystems,onemuchlargerthantheother.ThebigoneistheF-1visaforacademicstudents(aswellassmallnumbersofF-2sfortheirspousesandchildren).Thesmallerone,byanaverageratioofabout50:1eachyear,isfortheM-1sandM-2s.3 Virtually all of the foreign students attending the colleges of concernareF-1s.

IncontrasttothecasualAmericansystemofassessingapplicationsforforeignstudents,therearetheBritishandAustralianexamples.

TheBritscentralizethedecision-makingforwhoistobeacceptedatitsschools.InvitationstoattendareextendedbytheHomeOffice,afterscrutinizingnominationsmadebythecolleges.Further,thereisacentralized,closedcircuitTVprocessbywhichtheforeignstudentsarescreenedtomakesurethattheyhaveadequateEnglishforthecoursestheyareabouttotake.(SomeU.S.universitiesconductinterviewsinperson,orviaSkype,butthereisnogovernmentalactionalongtheselines.)

Decision-makingonforeignstudentadmissionsisgivenmoreattentionbytheBritishmediathanbyourown.Infact,therewasahalf-hourBBCdocumentaryonhowsomecriminalshaveorganizedtechniquestocircumventthelanguagetestingpart of the process.4

Australia constructed a risk-assessment tool some years ago that involved six kinds of educational institutions and three groupsofsendingnations,eachwithadifferentrisklevel,andusesthissophisticatedsystemwhenitsofficersinterviewapotential foreign student.5

Krishna’s Path. Let’sstepbackfromthisinstitutionalanalysis,toseehowthewholesystemworksfromthepointofviewofoneimaginaryalienapplicant.WewillcallhimKrishna.Weareusingthatnamebecauseahighpercentageofthealienstudentsinthese55entitiesseemtobemalesfromIndia. ThelargestgroupofforeignstudentsinAmerica,generally,arefromChina,butstudentsfromthatcountryseemtobelesslikelytoattendthemarginalschoolsthanarepeoplefromIndia.

NeitherKrishna,northeinstitutionhewilljoin(wewillcallitUncleSamUniversity)aretypicalofforeignstudentsoroftheU.S.colleges.Bothbelongtoshadyelementsthatonehopesarethoroughlyatypicaloftheeducationalscene,butsignificantenough to merit much more attention than they are now getting.

Krishnaisfromalower-middle-classfamily,andhassecuredabachelor’sdegreefromasecond-orthird-tierIndiancol-lege.NeitherhenorhisfamilyinIndiahavemuchmoney,buttheyhadenoughtosendhimthroughcollegewhilehelivedathome.HewantstocometotheUnitedStatesandsincehehasnorelativeshereandhisfamilycannotaffordtobuyhimavisathroughtheimmigrantinvestor(EB-5)program,wherethecostis$500,000andfees, andsincehecannotqualifyforthehigh-skilledH-1Bprogramfortemporaryworkers,hedecidestotrytogetajobintheUnitedStates,legallyorillegally,whileon a student visa and he has drummed up enough money to allow him to do so. In many cases, the family goes into debt to financethisprocess.(ThoughKrishnaisamarginalstudent,thepathhefollowsisthesameoneusedbyother,moretalentedpeople;italsoisfollowedbyaliensseekingabachelor’sdegree.)

Asarecentgraduateofoneofhiscountry’scolleges,KrishnaalreadyknowsalotaboutAmericanhighereducation;hesensesthathecouldnotgetintoafirst-rateU.S.school,butalsogathersfromhisfriendsandrelativesthattherearenumerousinsti-tutions,atallconceivablelevelsofquality.Aspartofhispursuitofastudentvisahetapsintoboththewebpagesofpotentialschools in America and social media sites maintained by and for Indians thinking about attending an American colleges.6 Heseeksinformationontheacceptancelevelsinthepotentialschools,whichhewantstobehigh,andcosts,whichhewantsto be low.

Krishna,however,hasaspecificproblemoverandaboveschoolselection.He,likemanyinhiscountry,hassecuredathree-yearbachelor’sdegree.Hewantstojoinamaster’s-levelprogrambecausethatwouldallowhim,inmanyplaces,tohavealegaljobimmediatelythroughtheOPT/CPTprogram.ButtogetintoanAmericanmaster’s-levelprogram,onemust,typi-cally,haveafour-yearbachelor’sdegree;further,onecannotuseafirstsemesterofanundergraduateprogramtoobtainlegalpart-timeworkthroughCPT(CurricularPracticalTraining),aDHS-sanctionedworkpermitprogramforforeignstudents.And Krishna does not have enough money to spend a full semester in the United States without a job.

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Hehastwooptions:Thelegitimateoneistoengageinayear’sworthofeducationinIndiabeforecomingtotheUnitedStates;manypeopledothat,butheisinahurry.SoheturnstothesecondoptionofgettingsomeoneinIndia(orintheStates)tocreateforgeddocumentsindicatinghehascompletedfouryearsofpost-secondaryeducationinhishomecountry.Heknowsthat there are places in the United States that will accept his paperwork without examining it, on the grounds that they want histuitionpayments.HefindssomeoneinIndiatodothecounterfeitingforapricehecanaffordandobtainstheneededdocumentation.

Thusarmed,hecontinueshissearch.HeisparticularlyinterestedintwoaspectsofanypotentialU.S.school:Whataretheup-frontfeesandfirst-yearcostsoftheplace,andhowquicklycanhegetaccesstoemploymentwhilestudyingattheschoolinquestion?Thejobopportunitiesforlow-ratedAmericanschools(unlikethoserelatedtobetterinstitutions)aremostlyoff-campusandrequireaneasy-to-obtaincollegeapprovalthroughtheaforementionedCPTprogram.Krishnaisagainaidedinhissearchbytheinternet;thereareIndia-basedwebsitesthatdealspecificallywithinstitutionsthatofferfirst-dayCPTandothers that focus on the all-important visa interview.7 Krishna also secures a phony bank statement that exaggerates his net worth, so that he can assure the visa officer that he has enough money to get through his period of U.S. education.

KrishnafindsanAmericaninstitutionthatwillaccepthimandhisforgedpapers;let’scallitUncleSamUniversity(USU).ItpromisesthatitwillgivehiminstantaccesstoCPT.HesendsthemamoneyorderandUSUsendshimaDHSformI-20.

Hethenpreparesforthefirst,andmoreformidable,partofhisscreeningbytheU.S.government:thevisainterview.Hehap-penstoliveinacountrywheretherearefiveU.S.consulates;oneissupposedtogototheconsulatethatcoversone’shomestate, but some candidates for visas manage to visit a consulate said to be less strict than others, a sometimes successful pro-cessdescribedinasemi-literatereportbyalacklusterstudentthattheCenterforImmigrationStudiesreportedonyearsago.Thatwritergotavisaonhisfourthattempt.8

Krishna has an appointment early in the day, a lucky break for him, and encounters a not-too-demanding consular officer whofailstonoticetheforgedpaperabouttheextrayearofschooling,andsoKrishnasecurestheall-importantF-1visastamp in his passport.9

AfewweekslaterKrishnaboardstheplanetoSanFrancisco.There,attheairport,hegoesthroughamuchlessworrisomeinspectionbyanoverworkedDHSofficer.Krishnaseemstobeplausibleinthebriefinterview(heknowswhathewillbestudying and where the institution is) and he looks like the person described in his documents; theinspectorseesnoredflagsandsoKrishnaisformallyadmittedtothecountrywithanotherstampinhispassportandtheverbalgreeting“WelcometotheUnitedStates.”10

KrishnathenreportstoUSU,fillsouttheuniversity’sforms,findsaplacetolive,perhapsinaUSUdormitory,getshisclassschedule,and,sinceheisamaster’sstudent,theuniversitygiveshimCPTstatusimmediately.Hesoonstartsclasses,alwaysonweekendsorevenings,andstartstoworkfull-timeatapizzachainwithatietoUSU.Thatthisjobhasnothingtodowitheithercurriculumortrainingisofnosignificance.Hesoonlearnsthathedoesnotreallyhavetoattendtheclasses,butdoeshave to keep up with his tuition payments, or else USU would, he gathers, report him to immigration authorities.

Krishnanowhasmethisimmediategoal:HeislegallyintheUnitedStateswithamulti-yearvisaandhasamore-or-lesslegaljobintheU.S.economy.Thechancesthattheauthoritieswillnoticehim—shortofhisbeingarrestedforsomecrime—areveryremote.ThushehassecuredafirmbasefromwhichhecanexplorefourprincipalalternatewaysofstayingintheUnitedStates:

• FindingajobthatwillgivehimH-1Bstatus;• Findingagreencardholderorcitizenwhowillmarryhim;• Continuinginlong-termstudentstatus;or• Becominganillegalalien.

Nowlet’sturntohowUncleSamUniversityobtainedtheI-20powerthatitusedtocauseKrishna’sadmissiontotheUnitedStates.

Uncle Sam University’s Path. USUhadtoovercometwohurdlesinordertosecuretheright(alongwiththousandsofotherinstitutions)toissuetheI-20.

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Thefirstwastosecurealicensetorunaneducationalsystemfromthestateinwhichitwantedtooperate.Insomestates,thisrequireslittlemorethanthecompletionofanapplicationandthepaymentofafee.Inothers,licensesaremoredifficulttoobtain.Thisisavariablethatshouldbestudiedinaseparateeffortandmustplayacrucialroleinthestate-by-statedistribu-tion of these colleges, a subject to which we will return.

Thesecondstep,onceastatelicensewasobtained,wastosecurecertificationfromSEVPtoissuetheI-20.Anapplication(theI-17),aridiculouslylowfee$230,andsupportingdocumentationarerequired;theapplicantmustassert,amongotherthings,thattheschoolhasastatelicenseandis,infact,inoperation.Butthestrangethingisthat,withcertainexceptions,anissueroftheI-20neednotbeaccreditedbyanyorganizationrecognizedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.

Mosteducationalorganizations areaccredited.Thisloophole—notrequiringschoolsseekingalienstudentstobeaccred-ited—seemstobemoreofanoversightthansomethingthatCongressdiddeliberately.Theloophole,forreasonsspelledoutin this report, should be closed immediately.

SEVPrequiresthataschooleithersecureanaccreditationfromanorganizationapprovedbyDoEdorsubmit,toquoteaDHSdocument,“evidenceinlieuofaccreditation”.11

Thisevidenceconsistsofthreeormoreletterssenttotheapplyinginstitutionfromaccreditedschoolssayingthattheyhaveaccepted transfer students from the applying institution and have accepted its credits.

Intermsofpublicpolicy,thisisdecentralizationgonecrazy.Withevidenceinlieuofaccreditation,neitheragovernmentagency nor a non-government accreditation agency licensed by the government makes the judgment; instead, educational entities selected by the organization seeking the licensedothatwork.Dostateshandoutdriver’slicensesbasedonjudgmentsofapplicants’drivingskillsrenderedbytheapplicants’bestchums?

Although a substantial number of schools are allowed to recruit foreign students with evidence in lieu of accreditation, Uncle Sam University, like all of the colleges we are examining, decided it would look better if it had the seal of approval from some entity,andsoitappliedtowhatappearedtobetheleastdemandingofthe14entitiesontheDepartmentofEducation’sap-provedlistofgeneral-purposeaccreditationagencies.(ThereisalsoalongerlistofDoEdapprovedspecializedaccreditationagencies,suchastheAccreditationCommissionforAcupunctureandOrientalMedicine.)

UncleSamUniversitychosetheAccreditingCouncilforIndependentCollegesandSchools(ACICS).USUfiledanumberofpapers,paidfeesofatleast$6,000,experiencedaonce-over-lightlysitevisit,andsecuredtheapprovaloftheACICSboard,whichconsistslargelyofleadersofotherfor-profitschools.

So, as our story begins, Krishna has arrived at Uncle Sam University and has begun his life in the United States while USU continuestoprosperinitschosenfield.

Thismutuallysupportingarrangement,however,isindangerbecauseayears-longefforttode-recognizeACICScametoaheadonDecember12,2016,whenU.S.SecretaryofEducationJohnBKing,Jr.,ruledthatACICShadbeentoocasualinitsjudgmentsandremovedACICSfromthelistofDoEd-recognizedaccreditationagencies.12

SowhatisACICSandwhatroledoesitplayontheforeignstudentscene?

ACICS’ Former Role and Its De-Recognition. ACICSisanold(foundedin1912),Washington-based,non-profitentitycre-atedlargelybythefor-profitportionoftheeducationalsystemtoaccreditpost-secondaryschoolsandcolleges,mostdealingwith career training.

UntilfairlyrecentlyACICShadlittletodowithforeignstudents,asfordecadesmostofthestudentsunderitswingswerecitizensseekingtoimprovetheireconomicfutures,oftenwithfinancialaidfromtheU.S.government.Infact,approvalbyaDoEd-recognizedaccreditationagencywasvitalfortheACICScollegeslargelysupportedbyPellGrantsandstudentloanstocitizensandgreencardholders.WithouttheaccreditationofaDoEd-recognizedentity,neitherPellgrantsnorfederalstudent loans can be used by a post-secondary educational establishment.13

ACICShascomeunderfireinrecentyearsbecauseofwidespreadreportsoflow-qualityeducationatitsapprovedschoolsandtheirlowgraduationrates,highincidenceofitsstudentdebts,andhighnon-repaymentrates,asFigure1shows.

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Figure1isfromaspirited,much-footnoteddocumentfromtheofficeofSen.ElizabethWarren(D-Mass.)issuedaboutsixmonthsbeforetheObamaadministration’sdecisiontoterminatetherecognitionofACICS.14ThereportiscriticalofDoEd’slaxoversightoftheoversightagencies,theequallylaxoversightbyACICSofitsschools(providing,forexample,“honorroll”statusforplacesabouttobepenalizedforlowstandards),andthepoorqualityofeducationprovidedathighcostbytheapprovedinstitutions.Interestingly,Warren’spresumablypro-open-bordersstaffdidnotmentionforeignstudentsinthereport.

Graduation Rate Borrowing Rate Default Rate Non-Payment Rate

Figure 1. ACICS Schools Differ from National Averages on Key Student Outcomes

Source: “RubberStamps:ACICSandtheTroubledOversightofCollegeAccreditors”,OfficeofSen.ElizabethWarren,June10,2016.

35%

60%

47%

22%

14%

60%

37%

73% ACICSNational

Althoughitwasoverlookedbythesenator’sstaff,accreditationis significantintheforeignstudentbusiness.Whilenoac-creditation of any kind is needed to provide educational services, generally, to foreign students,15ACICSapprovalwasusefulto these institutions for four reasons:

1. ItallowedthemtoboastontheirwebsitesandelsewherethattheyhadbeenaccreditedbyanentityrecognizedbyDoEd;

2. ItgavethemthepermissiontheyneededunderthelawtoacceptforeignstudentssothattheycouldlearnEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL);

3. ItgavetheirgraduatesintheSTEMfields(science,technology,engineering,andmath)two-yearextensionsoftheirOPTworkpermitsaftergraduation towork legally in theUnitedStates (thefirstyearof lawfulOPTworkaftergraduation relates to all receiving degrees from U.S. institutions and does not hinge on either an accreditation deci-sionorafieldofstudy);and,

4. Itgavestudentsatthenonprofitsamongthemmorefavorableaccesstoslotsinthemaster’sdegreepartoftheH-1B(nonimmigrantworker)program.Therearetwoceilingswithintheprogram:65,000forthosewithbachelor’sde-greesand20,000forthosewithmaster’s,bothofwhichareroutinelyover-subscribed.Ifonehasamaster’sdegree

https://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2016-6-10_ACICS_Report.pdf

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fromanaccreditedinstitution,onemay(asapotentialworker-beneficiary)participateinbothofthelotteries,firstforthe20,000,andifunsuccessfulthere,forthe65,000.

GiventhewithdrawalofACICSrecognition,theentitiesinquestionlostallfouroftheseadvantages.Ofthefoursetbacks,perhapsthemostinteresting,andmostconvoluted,isthethird.ThelossofcurrentaccreditationbytheschoolsdoesnotdirectlyrestricttheissuancesofF-1visastopotentialSTEMstudents,nordoesitcutoffongoingclassesforsuchstudents.Butitdeniesthetwo-yearSTEMworkpermitextension(underOPT)tothosestudentswhosecuretheirdegreeswhiletheirschoollacksacurrentaccreditoracceptedbyDoEd.Further,incaseswhereanonprofithasprovidedaSTEMmaster’sdegreetoanalien,onlyadegreefromanaccreditedinstitutionwillgivethealumnusaccesstotheportionoftheH-1Blotterypro-viding special opportunities to people with advanced degrees earned in the United States.

Itwouldbemuchsimplerifthelackofaccreditationcutoffallforeignstudentsinablack-or-whitemanner.

Giventhisbackgroundingovernmentalpoliciesandprocedures,wenowturntoamoredetailed lookat thecollegesof interest.

II. CharacteristicsOverview.ItiswellknowninU.S.highereducationthatmostinstitutionsareeithergovernmentalorgenuinenonprofitenti-ties.Schoolsarespreadaroundthecountrymuchasthepopulationis(i.e.,theyarescarceinWyomingandnumerousinNewYork),thepresidentsoftheseplacesdonotowntheinstitutionstheypresideover,andmostofthestudentsareresidentsoftheUnitedStates.Further,thesepost-secondaryentitiescanbefoundinbothwarmandcoldclimes.

Noneofthesestatementsholdtrueforthe55collegesofinterest.

Morethanthree-quartersofthemarefor-profitentities,andnonearegovernment-controlled;36ofthemareconcentratedinthreestates(California,Florida,andVirginia);twoorthreeofthenonprofitsamongthemhaveonlyquestionableclaimsfortheircharitystatus;thepresidentsareoftentheownersorpart-ownersoftheschools;veryhighpercentages,someatmorethan95percent,ofthestudentsarefromoverseas;andthegeographicdistributionisheavilytiltedtowardtheSouth,with39of55locatedinArizona,California,Florida,Texas,andVirginia.16 In addition, of course, most institutions of higher learning do not have accreditation problems, which is something that characterizesall55inthisgroup.

Defining the Compromised Colleges.Thereisnoagreed-uponlistofinstitutionsthatmaybepreyingontheimmigrationsystem,justasthereisnolistofpotentialNobelPrizewinnersorpotentialbankrobbers.Butwecanassemblealistofschoolsthathavethecharacteristicsthatsuggestsomeofthemmayengageinimmigrationabuse.Withthatinmind,wehavetermedtheworrisomegroupthe“CompromisedColleges”,anddefinedthemasthosethat,asofJune15,2017,hadthepowertoissuetheI-20andwereknowntobeaccreditedsolelybyACICS,theagencyde-recognizedbytheDoEd.ThisdefinitionisusedinTable2andthroughoutthistext.

Wheneveronethrowsawidenet,onemissessomepotentialsubjectsandcapturessomethatarenotofinterest.Ournetwouldnotcontain,forexample,anobviousvisamillsuchasthenow-closedUniversityofNorthernVirginia,simplyonthegroundsthatitneverwasabletosecureACICSaccreditation—atrulyremarkablenegativedistinction.17

Attheotherendofthespectrum,ourlistincludessuchentitiesastheBeverlyHillsDesignInstitute,whichappearstohave17studentsandcannothavemuchofanimpactontheimmigrationscene.Similarly,itincludestheDAVE(DigitalAnimationandVisualEffects)School,whosespiritedwebsitesuggeststhatithighlycapableinitschosenfield.18Theremustbeothersof this kind.

Wefeltituseful,however,tohaveagroupingthatwasdefinedinanobjectivemanner,andthusthislistof55.

Interestingly,asthisworkbegantherewere66namesonthetentativelist,butseveralwentoutofbusinessandseveralotherssecuredlegitimate(i.e.,DoEd-approved)accreditation.Notallinthelattergrouparesuretosurvive,however.Oneofthem,ColemanUniversityinSanDiego,forexample,recordedthree-andfour-million-dollarlossesinbothofitslasttwofinancialreports.

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Thereareothercomplications:InatleastonecasethecollegeisontheSEVPlist,buttheschool’swebsiteindicatesthatitac-ceptsforeignstudentsonacampusnotlistedbySEVP;inseveralothers,SEVPregardsschoolsasactive,butthey,infact,areeither closed or in the process of closing.

Ourlist,thus,isasnapshottakenintime,ofthoseinstitutionsthatwerelistedbySEVPasofJune15,2017,andhad,fortheinstitutionsgenerally,onlyanACICSaccreditation.(Alloftheseactionscomplicatedourstudy,but,moreimportantly,theshrinkageofthislistisabenefittothenation.)

TheannotatedlistoftheCompromisedColleges(Table2)shows,inalphabeticalorder,thenamesandtheprincipallocationsofeachofthe55schools;notesthenumberofcampusesandthenumberofstudentsateach;whetherthecollegeisfor-profitornonprofit;andprovidesbriefsummariesonfinancialreportingcharacteristics,accreditationstatus,H-1Buse,andothermatters.

Governmentofficialscanusethelistthatfollowsaspartofthedecision-makingprocessasthey,onehopes,thinktwicebeforegrantingbenefitstothistinyminorityof55institutions(among8,000DHS-recognizedones),issuingvisastotheirprospec-tivestudents,orgrantingH-1Bstatustotheirpotentialemployees.

Summarizingthedatainthetable,andfromothersources,wenowturntoagroupportraitoftheCompromisedColleges.

The Physical Settings. Don’texpectoldoaktrees,verdantlawns,andplayingfieldswhenyouvisitthesecolleges.Therearenostadiums,frathouses,orgyms.ThecampusphotographsontheCompromisedCollegewebsitesareoftenmisleading.19

ThetypicalCompromisedCollegeislocatedinanofficebuilding,oftensharedwithotherbusinesses;mostofthesecollegesarerenters,notownersofthestructurestheyuse.Theyarefarmorelikelytobeinanurbanorsuburbansettingthaninarural one.

ThefirstoneweevervisitedwasintheD.C.suburbs.Thenow-defunctUniversityofNorthernVirginiahadamodestsuiteofofficesintheEnglishbasementofatatteredofficebuildinginAnnandale,Va.;ithadonevisibleclassroomwithinthesuite,and three other classrooms upstairs. If there was a library, we never found it.

ThisschoolwasattheouteredgeofCompromisedCollegeminimalismdespitethehundredsuponhundredsofOPTworkpermitsitgeneratedbeforetheStateofVirginia—notthefeds—putitoutofbusiness.Butthepatternoftheseinstitutions,beyond an attractive reception area in many cases, is to use a bare bones infrastructure.

Geography.Theschoolscanbefoundin17statesandinoneterritory:

• California:17 • Florida:11

• Virginia:8 • Twoeach:Illinois,NewJersey,Texas,andUtah

• Oneeach:Arizona,Colorado,Kentucky,Minnesota,Missouri,Nevada,NorthCarolina,Ohio,Oregon,WashingtonState,andPuertoRico.

Ifacollegehasmorethanonelocation,welistitinthestatewhereithasitsmaincampusoritscorporateheadquarters.Itshouldbenotedthatnoneofthe55arelocatedineitherWashington,D.C.,the33remainingstates,orinanyoftheotherislandterritories.Mostoftheinstitutionsaresingle-campusentities,but18ofthemhavemorethanonelocation.Althoughthetotalnumberofcampusesisafluctuatingnumber,wecounted119ofthemasofJune1,2017.

As noted earlier, we suspect that part of the explanation for the geographic distribution is that some states have stronger con-trolsystemsoverprivateuniversitiesthanothers,andthattheCompromisedCollegestendtooperateinthosestateswherethe rules are the most relaxed.

9


Name and LocationAccreditation (see key) and Other Matters

Financial Reporting Patterns as of 6/15/17

Profit/Nonprofit, No. of Students, No. of Campuses

Table 2. Compromised Colleges: Those Allowed to Admit Nonimmigrant Students with Only ACICS Accreditation

Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.1SeeDavidNorth,“ShouldaSchoolwithaFinancialStatementLikeThisBeAuthorizedtoTeachAccountingtoForeignStudents?”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,August5,2014.2Themainlandtaxsystemmaynotapply.Generallyinthistableall990filingsarereportedasseenontheinternet;thefilingdateistakenfromthetext of the document.3 See “AdverseActions”,ACICSwebsite,undated.

AmericanCollegeofCommerceandTechnology FallsChurch,Va.

AtlanticUniversityCollegeGuaynabo,P.R.

BerginUniversityofCanineStudiesRohnertPark,Calif.

BeverlyHillsDesignInstituteBeverlyHills,Calif.

BristolUniversityAnaheim,Calif.

BrooklineCollegePhoenix,Ariz.

BryanUniversitySpringfield,Mo.

CaliforniaInternationalBusinessUniversitySanDiego,Calif. CaliforniaMiramarUniversitySanDiego,Calif.

CaliforniaUniversityofManagementandSciencesAnaheim,Calif.andArlington,Va.

CambridgeJuniorCollegeYubaCity,Calif.

D:OnACICSshowcauselist;SCHEVorderednonewstudentsafter5/1/17.

F:HassecuredEmmyawards

F: Trains dog trainers.

F

D:LostACICSaccreditationon6/14/17.3

D,P:FiledforoneH1-Bsince2011.

F:Nottobeconfusedwithschoolof the same name in Los Angeles, Calif.

D:SixH1-Bfilings,twodenied,one withdrawn.

D:TwoH-1Bfilings.

F:15H-1Bfilings;Thisisastrik-ingnumbergivenitsfinances;itsArlington, Va., campus is not on theSEVPlist.

F

SeeCISblogonitsfinancialreporting.1

No990recordspostedonline.2

2014990appearstobe16months late.

2015990filedtwomonthslate

990for6/30/16iseightmonths late; an earlier one showssmallprofitwhenitshould show small loss.

Profit1,300students1campus

Nonprofit1,548students1campus Nonprofit61students1campus

Profit17students1campus


Profit1,651students2campuses

Profit469students4campuses

Nonprofit<100students1campus


Nonprofit1,123students2campuses


https://cis.org/North/Should-School-Financial-Statement-Be-Authorized-Teach-Accounting-Foreign-Students

http://www.acics.org/commission%20actions/content.aspx?id=6709

10





Table 2. Compromised Colleges: Those Allowed to Admit Nonimmigrant Students with Only ACICS Accreditation (cont.)

Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.4ProspectEducationistheparentcompany,accordingtothewebsite.5Profituntil2015,aspartofclosedCorinthianColleges,nowanonprofit,ZenithEducation.6 TheparentcompanyisLTTEnterprises.

CharterCollegeReno,Nev.(HQ)

CollegeofBusiness&TechnologyMiami,Fla.

ColoradoHeightsUniversityDenver,Colo.

Design Institute of San DiegoSanDiego,Calif.

EagleGateCollegeMurray,Utah

EastwickCollegeRamsey,N.J.

EverestUniversityMinneapolis,Minn.(ZenithHQ)

FloridaTechnicalCollege(EduKGroup)Orlando,Fla.

GlobalHealthCollegeAlexandria, Va.

GwinnettCollege-LilburnCampusMarietta,Ga.6

Profit41,008students3campuses Profit726students5campuses

Nonprofit130students1campus





Profit4,575students1campus



DoEdhasplaceditonitsheightened cash monitor-ing list

Last990atleastsevenmonths late

990for2014forZe-nithfiled7monthslate;CorinthianforcedoutofbusinessbyDoEd

D,P:HasanadditionaldozencampusesnotshownontheSEVPlist.

D:OneH-1Bfilingin2012.

NG:Planstoclosein2017;3H-1Bfilings,includingonein2016.

D

F

D,P:HackensackcampusD:NutleycampusD,P:RamseycampusThreeH-1filings2014&2016

D,P:OrangeParkD,P:Tampa,Fla.ManylocationswereclosedbyEverest;websiteshowsonlytwolocations.

F

D,P:Ownerssqueezeditsothatithadonly$8,000cashatendof2014.

F

11






Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.7Google“ACICSLivingArtsCollege”toseetheletterstoLivingArtsCollegeof8/26/16,and12/27/16,signedbytheInterimACICSPresident,RogerWilliams.

IGlobalUniversityAnnandale, Va.

InternationalBusinessCollegeElPaso,Texas

JonesCollegeJacksonville,Fla.

JoseMariaVargasUniversityPembrokePines,Fla.

KeyCollegeDaniaBeach,Fla.

Kingston UniversityNorwalk,Calif.

LincolnCollegeofTechnology(WestPalmBeachcampus;partofpubliclytradedLincolnEducationalServices)WestOrange,N.J.

Lincoln UniversityOakland,Calif.

LivingArtsCollegeRaleigh,N.C.

MarconiInternationalUniversityMiami,Fla.











Last990filedtwomonthslate.

OnDoEdheightenedcashmonitoring list

DoEdhasitonitsheight-ened cash monitoring list as“severe”;theonlysuchnotation on this list; last 990wasfiledonemonthlate.

D:FiledforfiveH-1Bsinlasttwoyears.

D,P:Nottobeconfusedwithschool of the same name in Indi-ana.

D:Willcloseby12/31/17.

D:FiledforoneH-1Bin2012.ItisonACICSshowcauselist.

D

F

F

D:Filedfor44H-1Bslotsinlast5years;thisisanunusualnumberforsuchaninstitution.Nottobe confused with school of same nameinMo.

D:HasbeenplacedonACICSshow cause list for low post gradu-ation placement rates.7

F:ProvidesinstructioninbothEnglishandItalian.

12






Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.8AlsooperatestheATSInstituteinChicago.9Toseethisletter,of1/6/17,Google“MDTACICS”.10Ofthe30relatedentitieslistedonSEVP,18arelistedas“AmericanNationalUniversity”,twoas“NationalCollege”,fouras“NationalCollegeofBusinessandTechnology”,andsixas“NationalCollegeofKentucky”.11“AttorneyGeneralConwayFilesSuitagainstThirdFor-profitSchool”,Officeofthe(Kentucky)AttorneyGeneral,revisedAugust20,2013.12Aconservative,non-violentIslamiccultdedicatedtorestoringlifetothatoftheOttomanEmpire,longknownforquestionablefinancialdeal-ingsandunderinvestigationbytheFBIforyears.Itisledbyaself-exiledTurkishcleric,FethullahGulen,andisbestknownforitsnumerous,tax-supported charter high schools.13Nonprofit,despitegeneratinga70%-plusprofitratioin2014,makingmorethan$30million.SeeDavidNorth,“Chinese-RunU.S.SchoolforIndianForeignStudentsProfits$30Millionayear”,CISblog,December28,2015.14MollyHensley-Clancy“MakingtheGrades:HowoneCaliforniauniversityfakedstudents’scores,skatedbyimmigrationauthorities–andmadeafortuneintheprocess”,BuzzFeed,May16,2016.

MDTCollegeofHealthSciencesChicago,Ill.8

MillenniaAtlanticUniversityDoralFla.

NationalCollege(akaAmericanNationalUniversity,NationalCollegeofBusinessandTechnology,akaNationalCollegeofKentucky)Salem, Va.

NeumontUniversitySaltLakeCity,Utah

NobelUniversityLosAngeles,Calif.

NorthAmericanUniversityStafford,Texas

NorthwesternPolytechnicUniversityFremont,Calif.

PacificStatesUniversity(ownedbyKonkuk University, South Korea)LosAngeles,Calif.

PioneerPacificCollegeWilsonville,Ore.


Profit<300students1campus

Profit6,083students(est.)30campuses10




Nonprofit13650(approx.)1campus Nonprofit170students1campus



ANU-IndianapolisonDoEdheightenedcashmonitoring list

2014990filedatleastsixmonths late

Its2015990is,asof6/15/17,morethanayearlate

2015990filedlate

D:ACICSissuedaShowCauseorder.9

D

M,P: Sued by Kentucky for mis-representation.11ThemainwebsitenotestheACICSde-recognition.Theindividualcampuswebsitesdo not.

D

D:Nowteachesbusinessadminis-tration,onceOrientalmedicine.

D: AffiliatedwiththeGulenMove-ment;12filedfor12H-1Bsin2014&2015,fourwerebudgetaccountants

F:ThereisastrongarticleonhowNPUmanagedtosecureACICSapproval.14

D:Filed11H-1Bpetitionsinfiveyears, two for president.

D,P:Chargesupto$54,000ayearfor tuition.

http://migration.kentucky.gov/Newsroom/ag/nationalcollegesuit.htm

http://cis.org/north/chinese-run-us-school-indian-foreign-students-reaps-profits-30-million-year




13






Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.15ElizabethRedden,“‘NotBlacklisted’but‘NotReputed’”,InsideHigherEd,January4,2016.ThetwoentitiesinthearticleareSiliconValleyUni-versityandNorthwesternPolytechnicUniversity.16SeeBethMusgrave,“KentuckyattorneygeneralsuesSpencerianCollege,allegingdeceptivepractices”,Lexington Herald Leader,January16,2013.17Thereisnoindicationofthede-recognitionofACICSonitswebsitethatwecouldfind,butthereisamentioninaFacebookitem.Seethisstate-mentbyStratford’spresident,RichardRSchurtz,ataboutthe2.5minutemark.

Sanford-BrownCollegeSchaumburg, Ill.

SantaBarbaraBusinessCollegeSantaBarbara,Calif.

Schiller International UniversityLargo,Fla.

SeattleFilmInstituteSeattle,Wash.

Shepherd UniversityLosAngeles,Calif.

Silicon Valley UniversitySanJose,Calif.

Southern States UniversitySanDiego,Calif.

SouthernTechnicalCollegeFt.Myers,Fla.

SpencerianCollegeLouisville, Ky.

Stratford University FallsChurch,Va.






Nonprofit3,129students1campus





OnDoEdheightenedcashmonitoring list. Its website says that it is not accepting new students.


Itslatest990isfor2014andwasfiledlate.

Asof6/15/17its2015990was a year over-due.


In2009-2013hadmoreOPTSTEMextensionsthan entire Ivy League.

D:YettheSEVPliston6/15/17showed four locations as active.

F

D:Hasoverseaslocations.

D

NG, P:Maybereligiousentity;notto be confused with college with samenameinW.Va.

D: Its students were turned back at US airports;15filedfor11H-1Bssince2013.

F:HasfiledforthreeH-1Bslots,none for teachers.

D,P

F,P:SuedbyKentuckyAGformis-representation of job placement results.Otherlawsuitsrevealeddisbursementsof$77,000,000toits two sole stockholders.16

M,P:ItfiledforsixH-1Bsrecently.17

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/04/reports-indian-students-being-turned-away-border-cast-spotlight-two-little-known

https//youtube/jRXG77bu55w

https//youtube/jRXG77bu55w

14






Key: F=SchoolwebsitecitesACICSaccreditation,butdoesnotpostDoEdde-recognitionofACICS;D =websitecitesbothACICSaccreditationandDoEdde-recognitionormakesnoclaimofACICSaccreditation;M = some campuses F, some D; NG = no grade; P = partial; some, but not all, programsareaccreditedbyaDoEdrecognizedentity.18AdivisionoftheFloridaTechnicalCollege,whichisownedbyEduKGroup,headquarteredinGuaynabo,PuertoRico.19SeeFootnote12.

TheDigitalAnimation&VisualEffectsSchool(akaTheDAVESchool)Orlando,Fla.

TysonsCollege(akaTysonsInstituteatsame address) Vienna, Va.

UnilatinaInternationalCollegeMiramar,Fla.

UniversityofNorthAmericaVienna, Va.

Virginia International UniversityFairfax,Va.




Profit<500students1campus

Nonprofit1,876students1campus

Confusing;theInstitutewebsite says it enrolls in-ternational students, but it isnotontheSEVPlist


Asof6/15/17its990for2015isayearlate;rentsitsbuildingfroma70%VIU-ownedfor-profitsubsid-iary, an odd arrangement

D: As one might imagine, a charming website.

F:recentlytheyfiledfor7H-Bs.26oftheInstitute’s29FAQsregardvisas.

F:HasatietoColumbia.

F

F:AffiliatedwiththeGulenmove-ment;19hasfiledfor38H-1Bslots,mostly in non-teaching tasks, such aspublicrelations.Mostsuchfil-ings on this list.

Profit/Nonprofit.Wefoundthatthe55brokeoutthisway:

• Profit:42• Nonprofit:13

JustbecauseanorganizationhasconvincedtheIRSthatitisanonprofitdoesnotmeanthattheleaderscannotbepaidex-travagantly,orthatthepresidentcan’tgivejobstolotsofhisorherrelatives.Nordoes501(c)(3)statusmeanthathugeprofitscannotbemade.Wesensednoqualitativedifferencesbetweentheprofitsandthenonprofitsassub-groups,althoughoneofthe latter did appear to be a genuinely charitable institution.

ThisisShepherdUniversityinLosAngeles.ItisonourlistbecauseithasI-20authorityandbecauseithadonlyACICSasitsaccreditorfortheschoolasawhole.Ontheotherhand,ithaslegitimatepartialaccreditationforoneofitsnursingprograms,ithad$3,424,050ingrantsandcontributionsaccordingtoitsForm990for2014,ithasnonegativemarksfromeithertheCaliforniaBureauofPrivatePostsecondaryEducation(asdothreeothersonourlist),orfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEdu-cation(asdonineothers),itdoesnotmentionACICSonitswebpage,anditpaysitspresident,alawyer,amodest$12,500ayear.TheorganizationseemsaimedattheKoreancommunity,asitusedtobeintheKoreatownneighborhoodofLosAn-geles,andwasfoundedbyamannamedRhee.Thisoutfitcarriesthesamenameasanunrelatedandstate-supportedentityinShepherdstown,W.Va.

FurtheruptheWestCoast,andattheotherextremeofthenonprofitspectrumonTable3,thereisNorthwesternPolytechnicUniversity,inFremont,Calif.,whichrecordedzerocontributionsorgrantsinits2014Form990andshowedathunderous

15


profitmarginof72.7percent,allfromprogramservices,afinancialperformancerarelyseenoutsidetheillicitdrugindustry.Someoftheexcessprofitswereused,accordingtoanexcellentBuzzFeedarticle,tobuildmillion-dollarhousesformembersofextendedfamilyoftheNPUpresident.20

NPU has another negative distinction — it is very hard to employ an indicted college president, as there are very few of them. ButNPUmanagedtodothiswithJerryWang,thentheformerpresidentofHerguanUniversity(whoseactivitiesarede-scribedbelow),employinghimduringtheperiodafterhisindictmentbutbeforehewassentencedtojail,astheinstitution’sForm990recorded.Dr.Wang,afterNPUhiredhim,pledguiltytoimmigrationfraud.

NPUandtwootherorganizations,allnominal501(c)(3)entities,mightwarrantauditsbytheInternalRevenueServicere-gardingtheirnonprofitstatus,whichexcusesthemfrom35percentfederalcorporateprofitstaxesinallthreecases,andfromCaliforniacorporatetaxesofanother8.84percentintwoofthem.Eachoftheothertwohasaspecificfinancialreportingcloud over it.

VirginiaInternationalUniversity(VIU)isoneofthemanyU.S.educationalentitiesrunbyfollowersofFethullahGulen,aconservative(non-terrorist)IslamicandTurkey-borncleric.TheGulenentitiesarerepeatedlyreportedasunderinvestiga-tionbytheFBIforskimmingschoolmoneystosupporttheGulencult’sworld-wideactivities. (Thenear-dictatorofTurkeywantstheUnitedStatestorepatriateGulenbecauseofhisallegedactivitiesinconnectionwiththatcountry’sfailedcoup,butthat is an unrelated matter.21)

Giventhatbackground,wenotedthatFairfaxCounty,Va.,landrecordsshowthatVIUboughtitsone-buildingcampusintheD.C.suburbsandthenturneditovertoapartiallyowned,for-profitsubsidiaryoftheuniversity,MaviConsulting,inano-cashdeal.ThenitstartedpayingasubstantialamountofrenttoMavi.VIUalsobuysalotofitssuppliesthroughMavi,anditsfinancialreportsshowabewilderingsetofotherfinancialtransactionsbetweentheuniversityandthefor-profitMaviWhatisthisallabout?OneanswertothatquestioncouldbethattheGulenoperativesinVirginiaaredoingwhattheirop-positenumbersinOklahomaapparentlydid,whichwastosiphonoffrentmoneyobtainedthroughtaxfundstootherGulenactivities, as the state auditor discovered.22

LincolnUniversityinOakland,Calif.,hasadifferentblackmark.AnarmoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducationregularlypublisheslistsofeducationalinstitutionsreceivingfederalfundsthatwarrantheightenedcashmonitoring(HCM),becauseof“financialorfederalcompliance”issues.Themorecommon,andlessseriousoffenses(recordedasanHCM1foreightofthe55)arenotedinTable2;amuchsmallernumberwithmoreseriousproblemssecureanHCM2.Lincolnistheonlyoneofthe55tobesodesignated,intheDoEd’smostrecent(March1,2017)list,andtheword“severe”isusedinthatconnection.23

BeinganIRS-recognizednonprofitandbeingintheforeignstudentbusiness,doesnotguaranteefinancialsuccess.ThefirstthreeschoolslistedinTable3alloperatedatalossforthemostrecentyearreported,andintwoofthesecases,thiswasthesecondconsecutiveannualloss.(Alltherestshowedfrommodesttoobsceneprofitlevels.)Oneofthelosingentities,Colo-radoHeightsUniversity,inDenver,thoughstillontheSEVPlist,hasannouncedthatitwillgooutofbusinessin2017.

Thenonprofitshavetwoadvantagesovertheirmorenumerousfor-profitcolleaguesandcompetitors,incidentally.Notonlydotheyavoidcorporatetaxes,theiralumniwithmaster’sdegreeshaveagreateropportunitytosecureH-1Bvisas,asmen-tioned earlier.

The Presidents.ContrarytoourimageofU.S.universitieslargelybeingledbyPhDs,theCompromisedColleges’websitesshowonly19(aboutone-third)haveeitheraPhDoranMDaspresident.

In25othercases,theleader’slevelofeducationalachievementwasbelowthatlevel,andin11cases,despiteourefforts,wecouldnotgetanyinformationontheincumbent’seducation(seeFigure2).

Amongthenonprofits,thepercentageofthosewhosepresidentshelddoctorateswas46percent,whileamongthefor-profitsitwas31percent.ThelowincidenceofPhDleadershipthroughoutthegroupmaybeindicativeofanon-scholarlyapproachto education.

TheoneMDrunningoneoftheseschoolsisSerifAliTekalan,aTurkishear,nose,andthroatspecialist.BeforehebecamethethirdpresidentoftheNorthAmericanUniversityinTexas(aGulenoperation),hewaspresidentofoneoftheGulenuni-

16


Name and LocationNotes and Net Profit Margin (NPM) for Most Recent Year

Profit/Loss Prior Year (rounded)*

Most Recent Profit/Loss (rounded)*

Table 3. Profit Levels for 13 Nonprofit Compromised Colleges(from least to most profitable based on the most recent year’s reporting)

Source:ProfitfiguresaredrawnfromIRSForm990sfiledbythecolleges,astabulatedbytheCenterforImmigrationStudies.*Revenuelessexpensesfromline19oftheForm990s;thenetprofitmarginisthatsurplusascomparedtototalrevenue.

ColoradoHeightsUniversityDenver,Colo.

JonesCollegeJacksonville,Fla.

CaliforniaInternationalBusinessUniv.SanDiego,Calif.

AtlanticUniversityCollegeGuaynubo,P.R.

CaliforniaU.ofManagementand Sciences,Anaheim,Calif.

PacificStatesUniversityLosAngeles,Calif.

BerginUniversityofCanineStudiesRohnertPark,Calif.

NorthAmericanUniversityStafford,Texas

Silicon Valley UniversitySanJose,Calif.

Lincoln UniversityOakland,Calif.

Virginia International UniversityFairfax,Va.

Shepherd UniversityLosAngeles,Calif.

NorthwesternPolytechnicUniversityFremont,Calif.

It has announced it is closing in 2017.

ItisanonprofitoutsideoftheIRSsystem,asPuertoRicohasitsowntax structure.

NPM2.6%

NPM1.7%

NPM7.5%

AGulen-relatedschool(likeVIUbelow),NPM1.2% NPM1.1%

TheU.S.DoEdgivesita“severe”ratingonitsfinancialreporting;NPM13.3%.

Thisexcludesthehiddenprofitsofits70%-ownedsubsidiary,fromwhich it rents its campus and buys supplies:NPM19.7%.

Odd990;apparenthighprofitmarginmayrelatetogifts;seetext;NPM30.5%.

NPUbuiltfancyhomesformem-bers of the family controlling it, seetext:NPM72.7%.

($1,606,000)

$2,954,000

($440,000)

no data

($88,000)

($53,000)

($29,000)

$1,163,000

($1,122,000)

$750,000

($242,000)

$2,177,000

$5,346,000

($839,000)

($505,000)

($63,000)

no data

$39,000

$44,000

$86,000

$120,000

$415,000

$951,000

$2,007,000

$4,265,000

$29,148,000

17


No Info. < Bach. Bach. Only Master’s or JD PhD or MD

Figure 2. What Degrees Do the Presidents of Compromised Colleges Have?

Source:CISsurveyofwebsitesofCompromisedCollegesandotheronlinedata.

2

9

1 1

54

1413

6

0

Nonprofit SchoolsFor-Profit Schools

versitiesinTurkey,thenow-closedFatihUniversityofIstanbul.Similarly,IsaSarac,thepresidentoftheothermajorGulencollegeintheUnitedStates,VirginiaInternationalUniversity,waspreviouslyprincipalofLondonMeridianCollegeintheUK,anotherGulenaffiliate. WewerecuriousabouttheapparentnationaloriginsofthepresidentsbecausethreeofthefivevisamillsclosedbyauthoritiesinrecentyearswereledbypeoplewithChinesenamesatinstitutionspreyingon(orconspiringwith)groupsof“students”whowereprimarilyfromIndia.Aninterestingcombination.Thefourthsuchentity,asmallerone,waslargelystaffedbypeoplewithIndiannames.WhilethefifthwaslocatedinKoreatown,aneighborhoodinLosAngeles.

ThefirstthreewereTri-ValleyUniversityinPleasanton,Calif.,whosepresident,SusanSu,hasaPhDinmechanicalengineer-ing;HerguanUniversityinSunnyvale,Calif.,whosepresident,JerryWang,hasaPhD;andtheUniversityofNorthernVir-giniainAnnandale,Va.,whoseowner,DanielHo,hasnoinitialsafterhisname,butwhoownedthreeChinesegrocerystores.

Thetwowithdoctoratesweresenttojail,for16yearsandoneyear,respectively;Howasnotcharged.Thedisparatetreatmentof the three, all of whom did essentially the same thing, is worrisome.24

Thefourthclosedentityhadseveralnames,includingPCTechLearning,inNewark,N.J.ItsownerwasDhirenkumarParikh,andmostofhisassociateshadIndiannames.Parikh’sacademiccredentials,ifany,arenotknown;hewasindictedin2012andsenttojailseveralyearslater.PCTechLearningwasnotonlyhauledintofederalcourtonimmigrationfraudcharges,italsoearneda“willfulviolator”citationfromtheU.S.DepartmentofLaborregardingitsabuseoftheH-1Bprogram.25

Thefifthoutfittobeclosed,asetoffourcolleges,notablyProdeeUniversity,washeadedbyHeeSunShim,whoseacademicbackgroundisunknowntous.HisinstitutionswereinKoreatown,LosAngeles,andhisisapparentlyaKoreanname.His“paytostay”scheme,accordingtotheindictment,generated“atleast$5millioninvisafraudproceeds”betweenJanuary1,2012,andNovember30,2014androutinelyinvolvedpaymentsbyforeignstudentsforclassesnotattended.Hepledguiltytovisafraud,andhissentencingbyafederaldistrictcourtjudgeisscheduledforSeptember25,2017.26

Sowhenweconductedasurveyoftheapparentethnicityoftheleadershipofthe55schools,whatdidwefind?LotsofChi-nese?LotsofIndians?

18


Notatall.TherewereonlyfourChinese,and,asfaraswecantell,noonewithanIndianname.NineoftheleadershadHispanicnamesandanother30hadwhatappearedtobenon-HispanicEuropeannames(whichmayincludesomeAfrican-Americans);thentherewerefiveKoreans,thetwoTurks,asingleAfrican(fromSierraLeone),andoneAfrican-American.Inthreecasestherewasnoinformation.Themixwasprobablynottoodifferentfromwhatonewouldfindinabigcityphonebook — if they were still being printed.

Finances.The point of running a school that exploits the immigration law is tomakemoney for thosemanaging theoperation.

Whileitisimpossibletotellexactlyhowsuccessfulmostofthe55schoolsare,becauseamajorityofthemareprivatelyheldandhavenoobligationtoeitherstockholdersortogovernmentstorevealtheirprofit-and-lossstatements,oursenseisthatonewouldnotrunsuchaschoolforanyreasonotherthangreed,andifitwerenotprofitableitwouldbeclosed.

Further,thereissomesolid,ifscattered,informationavailableonthefivethatwereclosedbygovernmentactioninrecentyears.Inadditiontothe“$5millioninvisafraudproceeds”tiedtoProdeeUniversityandnotedabove,wehavethisreporton the president of Tri-Valley University:

District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar ordered Su to forfeit $5.6 million and pay more than $900,000 in restitution. Su had used the profits from the diploma mill [I would call it a visa mill] to buy commercial real estate, a Mercedes Benz, and multiple residences including a golf club mansion.27

ToparaphrasethelateSen.EverettDirksen(R-Ill.),$5.6millionhere,$5.6millionthere,prettysoonyouaretalkingaboutseriousmoney.Theotherthreeclosedentitieswereapparentlymakingsubstantialsums,butnotatthe$5millionlevel.

Noneoftheterminatedoperations,however,hasdonenearlyaswellasNorthwesternPolytechnicUniversitydidin2014.Inthatyear,asnotedearlier,itsprofitratiowas72.7percent.Thatwasaprofitof$29,148,422ontotalrevenueof$40,109,184,with96percentofthelatterbeingprogramrevenue(i.e.,paymentsfromstudents).Theyearbeforeitmadeaveryhealthyprofitatthefamiliar$5millionlevelontotalrevenueofnearly$13million.

Unfortunately,asnotedinmoredetailbelow,wehavefinancialreportsforonly17ofthe55,aminorityofthegroup.Thisin-cludesthe12ofthe13nonprofitsshowninTable3,andsixschoolsreportingtheirfinancestotheStateofVirginia,asshowninTable4.VirginiaInternationalUniversityisonbothlists.

Wenotedearlierthatthreeofthenonprofitslostmoney,whilenineofthemwereintheblack.WiththesixVirginiaschools,wefindallwithpositivereturns,butwiththeonlynonprofit,VIU,havingthreetimestheprofitsoftheotherfivecombined.

AlthoughalloftheVirginiaoperationswereprofitable,withnetmarginsrangingfrom8.0percentto40.7percentayear,otherelementsoftheirfinancesfollowedvaryingpatterns.One,TysonsInstitute,spentaremarkablepercentageofitsmoneyonitsattractivesuiteofoffices(oneoftheauthorshasbeenthere);theownersofaplacethatteachespracticalnursing,GlobalHealthCollege,squeezedsomuchcashoutofitsbankaccount,$660,000,thatithadonly$8,000inthebankattheendoftheyear;andtheUniversityofNorthAmericahadmorethan$2millioninthebankatyear’send,butreportednoinvestmentincome.

WefoundnostateotherthanVirginiamakingpublicthefinancialreportsfromitsprivateschools.

Further, itmightwellbenoted,while thereason for theseschools’existence isfinancial,andwhile someof theirfinan-cialarrangementsare intriguing, their impactson thenation’s immigrationpolicyandon itsdemographyareofgreater importance.

What the Financial Reports Reveal About the Compromised Colleges. Thefirstthingtonoteisthatfinancialinformationofanykindisnotavailableon28ofthe55entities,oratleastwecouldnotfindit.Theyaremostlyfor-profitentitiesinstatesotherthanVirginia;similarlythereisonefor-profitinthatstatethathasmanagedtosecureapieceofstatelegislationexcus-ingitfrommakingfinancialreports,StratfordUniversity.

19


Wedohaveatotalof41bitsoffinancialreportinginformationontheother27institutions,withmorethanoneoftheseitemsapplyingtoseveralofthem.Doesthedataonthe27suggestsimilarreportsregardingtheother28?Therearetwoanswerstothatquestion:1)wedon’tknow,and2)wehopenot.

Let’sstartwithtwohighlynoticeableitemsfromthefinancialstatementsoftwoofthe27.

OneexampleisthemissionstatementfromtheverytopoftheForm990filedbyNorthwesternPolytechnicUniversityfor2014.AfewlinesbelowwehavethesignatureofPeterHsieh,thethenexecutivevicepresidentandcurrentpresidentofNPU.Thattextreads,withtheoriginalcapitalization:

TO PROVIDE AN ADVANCE EDUCATION AND A HIGH TECHNOLOGY LEARNING ENVILROMENT THAT MOTIVATS STUDENTS.

Similarly,afinancialreportfiledwiththeStateofVirginiabythepresidentoftheAmericanCollegeofCommerceandTech-nology28managed,infivelinesoftypetospelltheword“interest”infourdifferentways.29

School

AmericanCollegeofCommerce&Technology

GlobalHealthCollege

Iglobal University

Stratford University

Tysons Institute

UniversityofNorthAmerica

Virginia International University

Other

Financialreportsinthepast have been both murky and illiterate.

Ownerssqueezedtheschool.

Had69klossprioryear.

State law grandfathers a no-need-to-report provision that covers Stratford.

Thumpingrent,44%ofexpenses; admin. sala-ries more than faculty salaries.

Highlyprofitable,clearfinancialreport;norecord of investment in-come despite substantial cash on hand.

Nonprofitinstitution.Surplus data excludes theprofitofitslandlord,a largely VIU-owned subsidiary; VIU is a Gulenschool.

Revenue

$1,981

$4,327

$2,298

-

$578

$3,355

$19,713

Expenses

$1,743

$3,938

$1,846

-

$535

$2,119

$11,961

Pre-Tax Surplus

$238

$374

$451

-

$44

$1,235

$8,027

Net Profit

Margin

12%

8.6%

19.6%

-

8%

40.20%

40.70%

Cash, End of Year

$97

$8

$464

-

$34

$2,386

$9,024

Distribution of Profits

unknown

$660

$226

-

unknown

$72

n/a

Table 4. Financial Reports for SEVP-Licensed, Virginia Schools with ACICS Accreditation Only, 2015 (thousands, rounded)

Source:StateCouncilofHigherEducationinVirginia.

20


Mostofthefinancialstatementsoftheothersonthelistof27handlethelanguageadequately,butmanyofthemlacktrans-parency or present other problems.

Oftheremaining39bitsoffinancialinformation,35canbesummarizedasfollows:

• All12ofthemainlandnonprofitswerefrommonthstomorethanayearlateinfilingtheirmostrecentincometaxreturns(Form990)withtheIRS.

• NineentitieshadquestionableenoughfinancialreportingsystemstocausetheU.S.DepartmentofEducationtoplace themon its“heightenedcashmonitoring” list,which itapplies toa smallminorityof the institutions thathandlefederaleducationfunds(theyareidentifiedinTable2).

• Oneofthesenineheightenedcashmonitoringentrieswasmarkedas“severe”inthecaseofLincolnUniversityofOakland,Calif.

• ThreeoftheCaliforniaschoolsbehavedinsuchawayastobringdownfinesonthemselves(of$250,$2,100,and$7,000)formisdeedsofanunknownnature;thefineswereassessedbytheCaliforniaBureauforPrivatePostsecond-aryEducationandwereimposedontheBerginUniversityofCanineStudies,PacificStatesUniversity,andCaliforniaInternationalBusinessUniversityrespectively.30

• ThreeoftheschoolsearnednegativemarksforviolatingtherulesregardingTitleIVmoneysfortheeducationofresidentstudents(thisdoesnotdealdirectlywithforeignstudents,butreflectsonthecolleges’treatmentoftheirstudents,ingeneral).Therulecallsforthepresenceonthecollegewebsiteofanetpricecalculator;inviolationareEastwickCollege,JoseMariaVargasUniversity,andSchillerInternationalUniversity.31

• TherecentfinancialreportsofsixCompromisedCollegesinVirginiahavebeensummarizedinTable4,andwerediscussed in the text.

• Twoofthe55schoolsarereportedassubsidiariesofpubliclytradedorganizations;oneoftheseisLincolnCollegeofTechnology(notLincolnUniversity),whichisarelativelysmalloperationwithinLincolnEducationalServicesofWestOrange,N.J.;thecorporatereportissimilartothoseofotherlargecorporations,longanddetailed;thecorpo-rationhaslostabout75percentofitsvalueinthelastfiveyears.TheotherisSanford-BrownCollege,theownerofwhichisCareerEducationCorporation,whichannouncedmorethantwoyearsagothatitisgoingoutofbusiness,yetonJune1,2017,threeofitscampuseswerestillontheSEVPlist.

Thisleavesfourmoreelements,eachrelatingtoasingleinstitution.

• ACCTinFallsChurch,Va.,recordedatransferof$350,000oftheowners’capitalasthesourceof“scholarshipfunds”inanearlierfinancialreport(aimedapparentlyatshowingreadersthatitwasathrivinginstitutionwhenitwasnot),and then reported the receipt of the funds as income, thus hiding a large annual loss.32

• ShepherdUniversityinLosAngeles,Calif.,thoughpreviouslynotedashavingsomeofthecharacteristicsofachari-tableorganization,reportedonp.10ofits2014Form990an“allotherexpenses”itemof$3,849,085,togetherwitha“totalfunctionalexpenses”of$8,813,766.Whenthe“allother”itemsexceeds10percentofthe“totalfunctionalexpenses”,theentityissupposedtolistthecomponentsofthe“allotherexpenses”inScheduleOoftheForm990;theuniversitydidnotdoso;neitherdiditexplainan“otherincome”itemof$3,816,673,anitemthatwasinadditionto substantial contributions and tuition payments. All this may be readily explainable, but it was one of several such mysterieswefoundinthe990s.

• WehavealreadymentionedtheremarkablelevelsofprofitsatNorthwesternPolytechnicUniversityandthestrangepresenceofapartially-owned,for-profitsubsidiaryofVirginiaInternationalUniversity,asitsownlandlord.

Thereare,inshort,manyfinancialproblems,andfinancialreportingproblemsamongthe27.Arethefinancialpatternsseeninthese27CompromisedCollegestypicalofthewholesetof55?Onecanonlywonder.

21


How Did the Compromised Colleges Handle the Loss of Accreditation? Beforeweanswerthatquestion,itshouldbenot-edthatalloftheACICS-accreditedschoolswerenotequallyaccredited.Fourofthe55schoolswereunderneworcontinuedshow-causeordersfromACICSregardingpotentiallyfatalweaknessesintheirperformance.TheseweretheAmericanCol-legeofCommerceandTechnology,BristolUniversity, LivingArtsCollege,andMDTCollegeofHealthSciences.Nodeci-sionshadbeenmadeontheseordersbyACICSbyJune15,2017.(ACICScontinuestomakerulingsonspecificcases,despitethelackofrecognitionbyDoEd,presumablyhopingthatitscourtcaseagainstthedepartmentwillbedecidedinitsfavor.)

Astohowthe55schoolshandledtheACICSsituationontheirwebsites,theyhadtwochoices:1)notetheACICSapprovalandthefactthatACICSwasnolongerrecognizedbyDoEd,orsimplynotmentionACICSatall;or2)recordtheACICSaccreditationandmakenoreferencetothede-recognitiononthewebsite.Thesecondchoiceis,essentially,crooked.ThesedecisionsaremarkedasDorF,respectively,intheTable2listings;incasesofmultiplecampuses,withsomeDandsomeFanswers,wenotedMformixed;inafewinstanceswefoundnograde,orNG.

Itisworthmentioning,incidentally,thatwhilewehavefinancialinformationononly27ofthe55schools,wehaveaccredita-tiondescriptiondataonall55,asallhavewebsites.

Whenwefirstlookedatthisevidence,inlateApril2017,amajorityoftheentitiestookthelowroadandreportedtheACICShistoricalapproval,butnotthenon-approval ofACICS. Bymid-June, the list hadsorted itself down to 55 schools and some adjust-mentsweremadeby someof the colleges.Table 5shows the distribution.

TheCompromisedCollegeshavebeenissuingsooth-ing statements saying that they are in the process of securing accreditation elsewhere. For a typical up-beat statement on this situation see this one from VirginiaInternationalUniversity’swebsite:

Is VIU still accredited? Yes! VIU remains a recog-nized, accredited institution as of today. The US-DOE has granted an 18-month grace period to all ACICS-accredited institutions, meaning that for the next 18 months, we will remain a recognized, accredited institution. It is our plan to remain in good standing past the 18-month grace period by seeking and achieving accreditation with a differ-ent agency.33

Similarly, on the Schiller International University website:

Schiller International University will be under the direct supervision of the U.S. Department of Education, which deems the institution to hold recognized accreditation and students will remain under the Federal Student Aid Program during the 18 months.

In anticipating this decision, Schiller International University has been actively working with other federally recognized Accrediting Agencies and expects to complete the process within the 18-month time frame.34

Schillerdoesnotelaborateonthenatureofthe“directsupervisionoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation”,whichis,attheveryleast,anoverstatementofthedepartment’sroleinlife.

Perhapswemissedit,butsawononly one college website any indication that the current lack of accreditation eliminated the chances of an alumnus who earned a degree while the university was not accredited from securing access to the two-year STEMextensionforOPTworkpermits.35Theimpactonthestudents’chancesofgettingtheSTEM/OPTextensionsshould

Grade on ACICS Variable

D:AccreditedonlybyACICS,website does post DoEd de-recognition or no ACICS ac-creditation is claimed

F:AccreditedonlybyACICS,website does not post DoEdde-recognition

M: Some campuses F, some D

NG:Nograde

Totals

For-Profits

25

16

1

0

42

Nonprofits

6

5

0

2

13

Table 5. How Did the Compromised Colleges Handle the De-recognition of ACICS?

All

31

21

1

2

55

22


havebeennotedprominentlyonallofthesites,butperhapsthatmuchbrutalhonestyabouttheinstitution’sownfailingsistoo much to ask.

III. ImpactsTurningfromthecharacteristicsoftheCompromisedColleges,wewillexaminethecollectiveimpactthattheyaremakingon America.

Wewilldiscusswhattheydotoimmigrationflows,theimpactoftheirstudents(andtheiralumni)onthenation’slabormarkets(usuallyviatheCPT/OPTprogram),theeducationtheyprovide,andthefinancialcoststothestudents,aswellasabriefnoteonhowsomeofthem,asemployers,usetheH-1Bprocess.Wewillconcludethissectionwithadescriptionofthe(limited)impactofgovernmentontheseinstitutions. The Size and Characteristics of This Student Population. ThemostobviousimpactontheUnitedStatesoftheseschoolsisthecontinuingadmissionofasubstantialnumberofnonimmigrants(mostlystudentswithFvisas,thoughsomewithMvisas)tothiscountry.Howmanyarethere?Whatdoweknowabouttheircharacteristics?

Thetotalstudentpopulationoftheschools,accordingtothem,is48,559,withahardcountavailablefor54ofthe55;weestimate100studentsatTysonInstitute,the55th.Ofthese,10,650areinnonprofits,andthebalanceof37,909,areatthefor-profits.ThatwasasnapshottakeninJune2017andthetallythreemonthsearlierorthreemonthslatermighthavebeenquitedifferent,asbothstudentsandinstitutionscomeandgo.

Buthowmanyofthemwerenonimmigrantstudents?Wecanonlyworkwithaguesstimateofabout40,000,asmostofthe55schoolsseemheavilydependentonforeignstudents.36

Howdoes this total enrollmentof approximately 40,000 foreign students asofmid-2017 compare toothermeasuresofthe broader international student popula-tion?

Foursetsofnumbers,eachdefineddiffer-ently, and fordifferent timeperiods, areshowninTable6.

There is theannual tallyby the Institutefor International Education of interna-tionalstudentsinthe2015-2016academ-ic year, published in Open Doors 2016. This covers the enrollment in themoretraditional universities and colleges and has only a small overlap with our popula-tion(thoughLincolnUniversity inCali-fornia, and perhaps others, are covered inbothsurveys).TheIIEsurveyprovidestotals both for all foreign students and for all foreign graduate students; again, this is for the places covered by their annual study, which is pretty comprehensive for the mainstream part of higher education.

ThenthereisoursurveyofCompromisedColleges,withmostoftheforeignstudentsprobablybeingatthemaster’slevel.

Finally,therearethenewandinteresting,butnotreallycomparable,estimatesoftheDepartmentofHomelandSecurityfor2016overstaysintheF,J,andMcategoriescombined. Onthislastpoint,theDHSoverstayreport,onlythesecondofitskind,isbasedonthegovernment’sownrecords,andissupposedtomeasurethedifferencebetweenthenumberofexpecteddeparturesinagivenyear(i.e.,thosewhoseauthorized

Data Source

IIE,AllForeignStudents IIE,GradStudentsOnly

DHS,OverstayReport

CompromisedColleges

Definition

Students enrolled

Students enrolled

FormerholdersofF,J,andMvisas,nowoutofstatus Foreignstudentenrollment

Period

2015-2016 2015-2016

FY2016

Mid-2017

Table 6. Four Measures of Different International Student Populations in the U.S.

Number

1,043,839

383,935

40,949

40,000

Source:Rows1and2:Open Doors 2016: Report on International Educational Ex-change,NewYork:InstituteforInternationalEducation,2017,Table1.3;Row3:“Fis-calYear2016Entry/ExitOverstayReport”,U.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity,2017,Table4 forsuspected in-countryoverstays;Row4: surveyby theCenter forImmigration Studies.

23


stay ended) and the actual total of recorded departures and recorded adjustments to another immigration status. It does not coverstudentsfromeitherMexicoorCanada,whichisoflittlesignificanceinthissettingsincerelativelyfewstudentsfromthesecountriesappeartobeenrolledintheCompromisedColleges.

Theoverstayreport,aswenotedearlier,indicatesthatforeignstudentsasagroup,aretwiceaslikelytoremainaftertheirvisasexpire as nonimmigrants generally.37Thisisaworrisomestatistic.

Thesuspectedin-countryoverstaysinTable6arethosewho entered thisstatusduringFY2016.Thetotalforallforeignstu-dentoverstaysstillinthecountryafterenteringthatstatusinpreviousyearswould,logically,bemuchlargerthanthe40,949recorded.TheDHSstudyisconductedinsuchawaythatthislargergroupingcannotbecalculated.

Thelargestnationaldelegationswithintheoverstayreport’stotalarethosefromChina(7,545),India(3,014),SouthKorea(2,068),Nigeria(1,827),andSaudiArabia(asurprisetome,at1,658);asubstantialmajoritybeingfromAsia,whichisnosurprise.38

ReturningtotherestofthenumbersinTable6,itisobviousthattheCompromisedCollegesenrollonlyasmallportionofthenation’sforeignstudents,somethinglike3to4percentofthem;thattheyprobablyhaveahigherportionofthegraduatestudents than of all students; and that many, probably most, of the overstays must have attended the more traditional schools. Ontheotherhand,itislikelythattheCompromisedCollegesmakealargercontribution,proportionally,totheoverstaypopulation than they do to the current enrollment numbers.

Wedonotknowalotaboutthecharacteristicsofthispopulation,butwedoknowthatallareatleasthighschoolgradu-ates and that most have some post-secondary education overseas, including a number of college graduates; we know that fromtherulesofthegame.WealsogettheimpressionthatmostarefromAsia,animpressionthatissupportedbythejust-mentionedDHSoverstayreport.

Wesense,further,fromthelet-em-all-inadmissionspoliciesofmostoftheCompromisedCollegesthatthisisanotparticu-larlygiftedsubsetoftheforeignstudentpopulationandthat,totheextentthatthesestudentsarenotdupesoftheCompro-misedColleges,theyareco-conspiratorswiththem,knowingthattheyarebreaking(orbendingsharply)ourimmigrationlaws.Further,unlikemanyrefugeesandmanyofthoseenteringwithoutinspection(EWIs),thereisatleastsomemoneyintheirfamilies:enoughtopaythe$200visafee,buyanairlineticket,andmeettheinitialfinancialdemandsoftheCompro-misedColleges.Inshort,theyareneitherthemostpoverty-strickennorthebestandthebrightestofourmanymigrationstreams.

WhatwillhappenovertimetothosecurrentlyenrolledintheCompromisedColleges?Willtheygohomeaftertheyhavesecuredthedegreetheyarecurrentlyseeking?Perhapsamoresophisticated,futureentry/exitstudywilltelluswhatpeoplelikeKrishnainfactdo:leavethenation,stayillegally,getmarried,getanH-1Bvisa,orlingerincontinuedF-1status.(Thereare some other, not very common options, available to him; he might join the U.S. military, go to work for an international institution(andthusgetaG-1visa),orsuccessfullyapplyforasylum.)

Wesuspectthatanon-trivialpercentageofpeoplelikeKrishnawillremainintheUnitedStatesinillegalstatus,whichisonereasontoworryabouttheroleoftheCompromisedColleges.

The Students’ Interactions with the U.S. Labor Market. TheimmediateroleoftheCompromisedCollegestudentsinthelabormarketisgovernedby:1)acoupleofpagesoffederalregulations,thosespellingouttheCPTandOPTprograms;andby2)thewidespreadabuseofthoserules.39

CurricularPracticalTraining/OptionalPracticalTraining(CPT/OPT)andtheCompromisedCollegesareinexorablyinter-twined.TheprincipalmotivationforattendingoneoftheseplacesistogetalegaljobintheUnitedStates,theonlywayintheshorttermthatsuchastudentcanworkisthroughtheCPT/OPTprogram,whichinvolvesnoactualtraining.TheCompro-misedCollegesaredependentonalargelynonimmigrantstudentpopulation.WithoutCPT/OPToperatingasitdoesnow,theCompromisedCollegeswouldvanish.ThecitedsectionoftheCFRsaysnothingabouttheno-payrolltaxbonusgrantedtotheemployersoftheseforeignworkers;thathappensbecausetheregulationscausebothCPTandOPTworkerstobere-garded as students, and other laws make student wages immune to payroll taxes.40

24


TheCPTpartoftheprogramsispresumablybasedontheveryAmericanconceptofworkingyourwaythroughcollege.Afterthefirstyearofundergraduatestudy,andfromthestartofgraduatestudy,aforeignstudent,withtheassentofthecol-lege’sowndesignatedserviceofficer(DSO),mayworkfull-orpart-timeonoroffcampus.Then,ifthestudentdoesnotuseup12monthsoffull-timeCPT,heorshecangetatleastoneyear’spost-graduateworkintheOPTprogram,andtwomoreyears,foratotalofthree,ifthedegreeisintheSTEMfieldsofscience,technology,engineering,andmath,asmanyoftheCompromisedCollegedegreesare.

IfthestudenthashadoneroundofCPT/OPTandmovesuptheacademicladder,sayfromabachelor’sdegreetoamaster’sdegree,thenthewholeCPT/OPTeligibilitystartsalloveragain.

Thosearetherules.

Inreality,theworkauthorizationsarenotoptionalatall,theyareaguaranteedpartoftheCompromisedCollegepackage;theworkcontenthasnothingtodowiththeacademicworkdoneby(orsupposedtobedoneby)thestudent;andmostoftheCompromisedCollegestudentsareatthemaster’slevelsothattheycangetCPTthefirstday.GettinganimmediateCPTjobissosignificanttomanyofthesestudentsthatthereisawebsitededicatedtothatspecificsubject.41

Asaresult,thenormisthattheCompromisedCollegestudenthaseitherafull-timeorapart-timejob,nominallylegally.Further,wegatherthatSEVPhasinterpretedtheregulationsonavailabilityofCPT/OPTtothosewhomoveuptoanotherlevelofstudytosaythatanyfurtherdegree,evenatthesamelevel,opensupanotherperiodofCPT/OPT.Weheardofnu-merousdiscussionsofforeignstudentsseekingtheirsecondmaster’sdegreewiththatinmind.

Severalaspectsofthislabormarketactivitymightbenoted.Inthefirstplace,theimpactisnotconcentratedincertainfirms,asintheH-1Bprogram,soitisnotasnoticeableandnotsocontroversial.Second,aCPT/OPTworkerisnotindenturedthewayanH-1workeris;heorsheisfreetousetheworkpermit,theEmploymentAuthorizationDocument,anywhereheorshechooses.Third,giventhealmosttotallackofworkplacecomplianceactivity,theworkercancheatthesystemeasily,workingtwopart-timejobsandreportingonetotheCompromisedCollege,forexample.

Further,anF-1studenttendstobehiredratherthananunknownAmerican,insteadof,asintheH1-B/Disney,casereplacingaspecificAmericanwhoknowsheorsheisbeingreplaced.42

So the adverse impact on the labor market is not dramatic enough to be noticed, and the issue of the payroll tax subsidy to the lucky employers has proved too complex for most reporters to either understand or write about. As a result little attention is paid to this matter.

Remarkable Use of OPT/Stem Extensions. A few years ago four entities, three of which remain in business(Stratford,NPU,andSVU),togetherwiththe since-closed Herguan University, made a re-markableuseofthen-29-monthOPT/STEMexten-sions.

Fortheyears2009-2013,thesefourrelativelysmalloperations issued twice as many OPT/STEM ex-tensions for their graduates as the eight Ivy League universities combined, according to data pried out ofDHSinanFOIArequest.Thetotalnumberofis-suances for this disparate set of a dozen institutions isshowninTable7.

These numbers, particularly those for Stratfordalone, defy credibility and presumably were noticed

School

Stratford University NorthwesternPolytechnicUniversitySilicon Valley UniversityColumbiaHerguanUniversityCornellUniversityofPennsylvaniaHarvardBrownDartmouthPrincetonYaleTotals

The Eight Ivies

563

330262159115928067

1,668

Table 7. Four Obscure Schools Got More OPT/STEM Extensions than Eight Ivies, 2009-2013

The Four Obscure Universities

1,697722623

383

3,425

Source:Center for ImmigrationStudies tabulationofdataprovidedbyDHSfollowingaFOIArequest.

25


byDHSbecausethefiguresfor2013wereconsiderablyunderthoseof2011;forStratford,thefallwasfrom458to207.WeareseekingdataformorerecentyearstoseewhathashappenedinthispartoftheOPTbusiness.

WehaveheardofthesaleofOPTworkpermits,buthavenothingsubstantialonthatpoint.

The Education Offered by the Compromised Colleges.Thereareanumberofindicatorsofthequalityoftheeducationofferedbythe55schools.AllhadonlyACICSaccreditationfortheschoolasawhole,andfourofthemwereonthevergeoflosingeventhat.ACICShas,inturn,lostitspowertoaccredit.

Forafewofthe55,thewritingontheirwebsitesandelsewhereisnotthebest.Someoftheotherindicatorsareindirectones;forexample,mostarefor-profitentities,andmostdonothavepeoplewithPhDsaspresidents.

Further,some(suchasNPU)havebeenexaminedbyjournalistswithdevastatingresults.Alotofschool-specificunhappysocialmediacommentshavebeenmadebystudents,formerstudents,andsomeformerstaffmembers.Andseveralofthe66schoolswestartedtoexaminesomemonthsagohavegoneoutofbusiness.Manyoftheremaining55areinvariouskindsoftroublebecauseofnon-educationalissues,usuallyrelatingtofinances.Thegeneralimpressionisthusprettygrim.

Ontheotherhand,12ofthe55schoolshavepickeduppartialaccreditationforoneormoreoftheirprograms—suchasacupunctureornursingeducation—andsixof55seemtobebothsmallandspecialized,asomewhatdifferentmodel,andalessworrisomeonethantherest.Thesesix—andourselectionisanadmittedlyarbitraryone—areBerginUniversityofCanineStudies,BeverlyHillsDesignInstitute,DesignInstituteofSanDiego,SeattleFilmInstitute,ShepherdUniversity,andtheDigitalAnimation&VisualEffectsSchool.

Thesesix,bytheway,haveatotalenrollmentof761,about1.6percentofthetotalof48,579.

Additionally,wehaveasensethatmanyifnotmostofthestudentsareatthemaster’slevel,where,conveniently,onecanbeginCPTonthefirstdayofschool.Finally,therearemanythatseemtohaveallormostoftheirclassesarrangedinsuchawaythattheywillnotinterferewithanine-to-fivejobduringtheweek.Theclassschedule,forexample,fortheMastersinBusinessAdministrationinFinance(asomewhatawkwardtitle)asannouncedbyJoseMariaVargasUniversity’swebsiteis:

Available Schedules: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7:00PM- 10:00PM or Saturday from 7:00AM-7:30PM.43

Wevisitedasimilarinstitutionacoupleofyearsagoonaweekday.Itwasveryquiet.Thereceptionistexplainedthatalltheclasses were on Saturdays and Sundays.

Theseschedules,bytheway,relatewelltotheconvenienceofthemembersofthefacultyatmostoftheseschools.Theyarepart-time,forthemostpart,withfull-timejobssomewhereelse,butareavailablefornightorweekendteaching.(SomeofthemhavedegreesfromoneoftheCompromisedColleges,whichisnotagoodsign.)

Use of H-1B Program by the Compromised Colleges.TheCompromisedCollegesarenotatallcompromisedwhen itcomestotheiruseoftheH-1Bprogramforskilledworkers.Asuniversities,theyarenotcoveredbythenumericalceilingsimposed on private industry in this program.

TheH-1Bnonimmigrantworkerprogramallowsforextendedworkperiodsbyskilledalienworkers,usuallycollegegradu-ates.Theprogramhasbeenwidelycriticizedasloweringwagesinthefieldswhereitisconcentrated,suchasintheITindus-tries, and for shouldering aside available American workers in favor of less expensive foreign ones. It also can be used as an interimsteponthewaytopermanentresidentalienstatusbytheworkerinquestion,andmostofitsparticipantsarefromIndia,asmostoftheCompromisedCollegestudentsappeartobeaswell.

Apparentlythepredominantmajorityofthe55schoolsfeelthattheydonotneedthisprogram;infact,inthelastfiveyearsonly11ofthemhavefiledforsuchworkers,and,ofthese,eighthavesoughtatotalof40,oraboutfiveeach.ButthreeotherCompromisedCollegeshavefiledforatotalof74suchworkers,andonewondersaboutthistrio—allnotedfrequentlyear-lierinthisreport.Theschoolsandtheirtotalfilingsfortheyears2012-2017are:

26


• VirginiaInternationalUniversity:38• LincolnUniversity(Oakland,Calif.):24• NorthAmericanUniversity:12

SowhydothreeoftheCompromisedCollegesfeeltheyneedthisprogramthat44oftheirpeersneveruse?

Theanswerisclearforthefirstandthethirdnamed,astheyareGulenschools,andthisiswhatGulenschoolsdo;theysaytheycannotfindAmericanstoworkforthem,sotheybringinforeignworkers.TheH-1Bworkersarethen,inmanycases,forcedtokickbacksomeoftheirsalariestofundtheGulencult.44

Incidentally,whiletheGulencharterhighschoolsroutinelyrecruitteachersfromabroad—usuallybutnotalwaysfromTurkey — including some hired to teach English,theGulencollegestendtousetheH-1Bprogramtobringinadministrators,includinglargenumbersofmanagers,ITstaff,andpublicrelationsworkers.Therewouldseemtobethreemotiveshere:hir-ing people that can be expected to contribute to the cause, hiring people actually needed at the schools, and creating work visassothatfriendsandfamilycancometotheUnitedStateslegally.Theexactmotivation,orcombinationofmotivations,probablyisdifferentindifferentcases.

ThatlastmentionedmotivationmayhavesomethingtodowithtwooftheH-1BfilingsbyLincolnUniversitybackin2015.Lincoln’spresidentthen,andtothisday,isthewell-paidMikhailBrodsky,whogets,accordingtotheschool’s2016Form990,asalaryof$194,442ayearplusanestimated$115,200in“compensationfromtheorganizationandrelatedorganizations”.45

Hispay,ifnotthefuzzinessoftheother$115,200,isrelevantbecausetheentityfiledtwoapplicationsin2015—bothwereapproved—withtheU.S.DepartmentofLaborseekinganH-1Bworkertobepresidentoftheuniversity.TheLaborDepart-mentsignedoffonbothapplicationsforthisjob,bothtobepart-timepositions,payinginonecase$31.04anhour,andintheother$35.35anhour.(Oneoftheapplicationsperhapswasmeanttoreplacetheother.)

Whatbecameoftheuniversity’sefforttoaddonemorepresident,orperhapstwoofthem,cannotbelearnedfromtheDoLdatabase.

NooneatDoLapparentlyaskediftheuniversityreallyneedsapart-timepresident,ortwo,tosupplementtherealone(whosignedtheapplication).Andcanonereallyhiresuchapersonat$35.35anhour,part-time?Fulltime,at2,000hoursayear,thepaywouldbe$70,700ayear.

Thisalllookssuspicioustome,particularlyinthelightofDoEd’sgrimfindingsontheuniversity’sfinancialaccounts.46

TheseproblemswoulddisappearifeitherDoLorUSCISsimplydefinedauniversityforH-1BhiringpurposesasonethathascurrentaccreditationfromanentityrecognizedbytheU.S.DoEd.

Costs to Students.WhenreviewingthecombinedtuitionandfeeschargedbytheCompromisedColleges,themostinterest-ingfindingisthatthelargemajorityofthenonprofitschoolscharged60to75percentlessthantheU.S.nationalaverageforprivate,nonprofit,four-yearschools($33,480)ascalculatedintheannualreportsoftheCollegeBoard.Eventhecostofthemostexpensivenonprofitschoolonourlist,ShepherdUniversity,is40percentlowerthanthenationalaverage.Overallthetuitionrangesfrom$7,425atAtlanticUniversity(PuertoRico)to$19,600atShepherd.Wemayguessthatonereasonfortheselowpricesisanattempttooffsettheschools’lackofstrong,positivereputations.Ifindeedthetuitionsaresetlowinpartformarketingpurposes,thiswouldbeconsistentwithourotherfindingsaroundfees(seebelow)—afeaturemuchlessapparent to prospective students.

Thetuitionchargedbythe42for-profitschoolsismuchmoreconsistentwithconventionalfor-profitcolleges.Combinedtu-itionandfeesrangefrom$8,250(NobelUniversity)to$35,000(TheDigitalAnimationandVisualEffectsSchoolakaDAVESchool).Thenationalaveragefortuitionandfeesatprivate,for-profit,four-yearprogramsis$16,000,accordingtotheCol-legeBoard.EighteenoftheCompromisedCollegesarepricedwellbelowthenationalaverage.Tenareapproximatelyattheaveragetuition.Tenareabove-averageincost,butasidefromthetechnology-intensiveDAVESchoolnonearemorethan60percent above the average tuition.

Forbothfor-profitandnonprofitinstitutions,wefoundcomparisonshoppingisdifficultowingtotuitionbeingpresentedinawidearrayofformats(bythecredithour,academicunit,course,semester,orevenbythefulldegree)andbeingpublishedindifferingplacesschoolbyschool.Evenwithinonesmallschool,ShepherdUniversity(enrollment295),thereare11pos-

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siblepricestoacquireanacademicunit,rangingfrom$200to$1,598.AtthistimetheBeverlyHillsDesignInstitutedoesnotpublish its tuition at all.

OneconcernwiththeCompromisedCollegesisthatnotonlyaretheyexploitingalaximmigrationsystem,buttheyarealsoexploitingthestudentsandtheirfamilieswhoareoftenfootingthebillsbyhittingthemwithsubstantialandhiddenfeesaboveandbeyondthatoftuition.Thisismorethanamatteroffairnessandtruthinadvertisingbecausewhenschoolssqueezestudentseconomicallytheyfurtherincentivizestudentstoseekemployment,evenwhilecuttingintotheirstudies(ostensiblythejustificationfortheirvisas).

Costsbeyondtuitiontakemultipleforms:highfees,hiddenfees,extrafeesimposedonlyuponinternationalstudents,exor-bitant withdrawal fees that possibly trap students in a program they would like to exit, exposure to unpredictable fee hikes, and deceptively low and unrealistic estimates for non-tuition costs that may lure students into arrangements that cannot later afford.Fortheforeign“consumer”shoppingforaU.S.schooltheproblemiscompoundedfurtherbecausetheyareprobablyunfamiliar with the existence of these extra levels of costs.

Justascollegesanduniversitiesofalltypes(fromHarvardtoTexasTech)havebeenboostingtheirrevenueinrecentyearsbydramaticallyincreasingthenumber,variety,andsizeofthefeestheychargestudents,sohavemostoftheseCompromisedColleges.BryanUniversitycharges$1,400/academicyearforbooksforaBSdegree—fourtimesasmuchasotherschoolsonourlistforcomparabledegrees.Bryanalsochargesstudentsa$645annual“technologyfee”plusa$600annual“technologydevicefee”.BrooklineCollegechargesa4percentstudent“loanfee”ontopoftheloan’s6.9percentinterestrate.CaliforniaMiramarUniversitychargesallstudentsa$1,200“athleticdevelopmentfee”peracademicyear,whethertheyareinvolvedinathleticsornot.AtVirginiaInternationalUniversitythereisanextra3percentfeetopaywithacreditcard.

AbroadproblemamongtheCompromisedCollegesisthedifficultyofsimplyfindingthescheduleoffees,especiallyforthosespeakingEnglishasasecondorthirdlanguage.AtlanticUniversityCollegeandCambridgeJuniorCollegedonotposttheirfeesanywhereontheirwebsites.CharterCollegedoesnotevenpostits tuitiononitswebsite.Others,likeBrooklineCollegeandCaliforniaMiramarUniversity,burytheirfeesin100-pluspagecatalogs,orseparateaddendatothecatalogs,thatmustbedownloadedandsearchedseparately.Eveniftheprospectiveforeignstudentdoesknowtolookthereisabsolutelynouniformityinthetypeorsizeoffees,norwheretheinformationisposted,ifitispublishedatall.Henceanymeaningfulcomparisonshoppingisnearlyimpossible.Economistswoulddescribethisscenarioasan“asymmetryininformation”.Theconsumersimplydoesnothavethemeanstomakeaninformeddecisionandconsequentlyisvulnerabletobeingluredintoa disadvantageous situation in a foreign country involving many tens of thousands of dollars.

Tominimizetheconsequencesofsomeofthesetacticsforallstudents,foreignanddomestic,theDepartmentofEduca-tionrequiresallschoolsreceivingTitleIVfundstoinclude“netpricecalculators”ontheirwebsites.Wefoundatleastthreeschools(EastwickCollege,JoseMariaVargasUniversity,andSchillerInternationalUniversity)thatfailtodothis.Atanotherschool,CaliforniaMiramarUniversity, thecalculatorwebpageexists,butdoesnotwork.AveryshortrandomsurveyofcalculatorsamongourCompromisedCollegesquicklyrevealedthatatsomeschoolsthesecalculatorsprovideunrealisticallylownon-tuitioncosts.VirginiaInternationalUniversityislocatedinoneofthenation’smostexpensivemetroareas,butitscalculatorassumesthatroom,board,transportation,andallothernon-tuitioncostsamounttoonly$1,300/month—notmuchmorethanthe federalpoverty level foran individual.AtlanticUniversity’scalculatorassumesnon-tuitioncostsof$1,500foranentire academic year.(Theircalculatorisalsomorethanayearout-of-date.)

Evenwhenfeesareclearlypostedtheyaresubjecttochange.Someschoolsincludethisfact.Someincludeitonlyinfineprint.Some do not declare this at all.

A savvy foreign student might know to look for fees, but may not understand that as an international student he or she can faceadditionalfeesandorrestrictivepenalties.AtNorthAmericanUniversity,internationalstudentsfaceupto$660inextrafees.AtCaliforniaMiramarUniversity,aninternationalstudentcanfaceupto$1,880inextrafeesperyearabovewhatwouldbechargedtoadomesticstudent.Forexample,anF-1studentwhowithdrawsbeforecompletingoneacademicyearishitwitha$975fee.AtStratfordUniversity,internationalstudentsfacea$1,000feetowithdrawortransfer.Weknowthisisnotaninevitableexpense.AttheCollegeofBusinessandTechnologyinFlorida,thecomparablefeeisonly$50.Weknowthatmostinternationalstudentshaveverylittlemoney.Consequentlytheseunexpected,andexorbitant,“exit”feesprobablytrapsome in schools and programs they would rather leave.

Effectiveness of Current Regulatory Schemes. Howwellaretheseregulatorysystemsworking?

Notwell.

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Afterall,asofmid-June2017,thefullsetof55CompromisedCollegesarestillontheSEVPlistthatallowsthemtorecruitforeignstudents.TheonlyonethatispreventedfromdoingsoisbarredbecauseofVirginia’sdecision,perhapsatemporaryone,toforcetheAmericanCollegeofCommerceandTechnologytoceasetakingonnewstudents.47

Incontrasttothe54thathaveauthoritytoacceptnewforeignstudents,withsomeofthemleavingthefield,thereisalittlelistoffiveobviousvisamillsthathavebeenclosedbythegovernmentinthelastfiveyears;invirtuallyallofthoseinstances,thesecase-specificgovernmentoperationstookyearstocomplete.Andinmanycasesthevisamillskeptgrindingoutmorevisas while the government pondered its next move.

Ourpositionisthatclosingavisamillisnotlikesendingsomeonetojailforacrime.NoonehastheGod-givenrighttoeducateforeignstudents;thatisaprivilegegrantedbythegovernment.Thegovernmentshouldbemorecareful,muchmorecareful, regarding what entities have this power.

Meanwhile,therehavebeentwopositive,ifpartial,stepstaken,oneeachbytheTrumpandObamaadministrations,thathavecurtailedsomeoftheactivitiesoftheCompromisedColleges.Wewilldealwiththemostrecentmovefirst.

OnMay23,2017, theDepartmentofHomelandSecurity issuedapolicymemorandumidentifyingapreviously ignoredrulingofaDHSadministrativejudgeasaprecedentdecision.ThedecisionsaidthatforanH-1BcandidatetomakeuseofthepreferenceforholdersofU.S.master’sdegreesintheH-1Blottery,theuniversityconferringthedegreehadtohaveac-creditationfromaDoEd-recognizedentity.48Thatdecisionwasmadebackin2013andsomeonehadtoreachouttofinditand cause it to be a precedent — an unusual, but creative, way to make policy.

ThiswasanindirectblowagainsttheCompromisedColleges,aswasasteptakenonDecember16,2016,(inthelastmonthoftheObamaadministration.)Onthatday,SecretaryofEducationJohnB.KingruledthatACICSwasnolongerarecognizedaccreditingagency.Thataction,hadanumberofveryusefulconsequences:

• ItstoppedtheACICS-accredited-onlyschoolsfromissuingI-20sforESLclasses;

• Itdeprivedtheiralumniofanyaccesstothetwo-yearOPT/STEMextension;

• Itpreventedthosebearingmaster’sdegreesfromthoseschoolsfrommakingfulluseofthosedegreesintheH-1Blotteries;

• Itpresumablycausedsomeoftheweakerinstitutionstogooutofbusiness;and

• Itcausedtheremainingonestoscrambleforotheraccreditation,whichsomeofthemsurelywillnotobtain.

Onthelastpoint,StratfordUniversitywas,byJune20,2017,tellingprospectiveinternationalstudentsthatitwasnotaccept-ing any applications until it could work out the accreditation matter.

SecretaryKing’sdecisionmakesitclearthatasweepingaction,asopposedtoone-case-at-a-timeenforcement,isthebetterwaytoapproachtheproblemsbroughttousbytheCompromisedColleges.

Tobalancethatthought,hereisanother,moreworrisomeone:ItisperfectlypossiblethattheDoEd’sACICSdecisionmightbeoverturnedinthecourts,whichwouldrestorethesepowerstotheCompromisedColleges.Thatmakesitdoublyimpor-tant that the government take other steps to control the these marginal schools, as we propose in the next section.

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IV. Conclusions and RecommendationsConclusionsWeestimatethat,collectively,theCompromisedCollegeshavesome40,000orsoalienstudentsattendingthemrightnow.Theremaybesomethinglikeaturnoverof20,000ayear,asnewstudentsarriveandoldonesdepart;manyofthosedepartingareeithergoingintoillegalstatusorwilldosoafteraperiodintheOPTprogram.Itwouldhelpifthegovernmentpublisheddata on the comings and goings of alien students by educational institution, but it does not.

WhiledetailedstatisticsonthealiensflowingthroughtheCompromisedCollegesarenotavailable,wedohaveagoodsenseofthecharacteristicsofthesestudentsandthealumni.Theyareyoungandhavesomecollegeexperience,includingmanywithdegrees,buttheireducationhasbeenofalowquality,particularlyhereintheUnitedStates.

Wealsoknowthatmanyofthemsoughtoutlow-qualityschoolsintheUnitedStatesquitedeliberately,astheywereseekingpaychecks,notvaluablediplomas.Theyarenottobeconfusedwithanyone’sideaofthe“bestandthebrightest”.

Meanwhile,thegroupportraitoftheCompromisedCollegesisevenmoredreary.They,bydefinition,hadonlyschool-wideaccreditationfromACICS,whosestandardsweresolowthatitlostitsDoEdrecognition.(Atthesametime,severaloftheleastworthyoftheCompromisedCollegeswereintheprocessoflosingeventhataccreditation.)Manyhadfinancialreport-ing challenges and low marks from other regulatory agencies.

SothereisastrongargumenttobemadeforseekingtoreducetherolesoftheCompromisedCollegesoreliminatingthemfrom the foreign student business altogether.

Steppingbackabit,andputtingtheCompromisedCollegesintothelargerframeworkfortheneedtoreduceillegalimmi-gration to the United States, generally, we would like to point out that moving against these institutions should be one of the easierdecisionsinthisfield.Itisavaccination,notopen-heartsurgery.

Nohugesumsofmoney(aswiththewall)areneeded,nomassivepoliticalforces(suchasSiliconValley’sloveoftheH-1Bprogram) need be challenged, and no mixed families of legal and illegal residents need to be separated, yet tens of thousands of new illegal aliens can be prevented from entering the county.

Incontrast,let’slookatasingledeportationcasenowbeforetheSeventhCircuitCourtofAppeals;theillegalalienfather,whohasworked inapizzaplace for18yearsandhashadnumerousDUIconvictions, is facingdeportation.Hiswife isequallyillegalandtherearethreecitizenkids,includingababyneedingspecialmedicalattention.

Should his illegal presence and DUI convictions lead to deportation, thus perhaps preventing a highway tragedy in the fu-ture?IfhehadtoreturntoMexicoandthemotherandkidsstayedintheUnitedStates,itwoulddrivethefamilyintopoverty.IftheyallwenttoMexico,thelawyerargues,thebabywouldnotgetthemedicalcareheneeds.49

Thosearetoughquestions.ThepolicychoicesregardingtheCompromisedCollegesareabreezeincontrast.Shuttingthemdownisnotadeportationmaneuver,itisamatterofpreventingfutureillegalmigration.Nofamilieswouldbedivided.NoonewithcloseAmericanconnectionswouldbedisturbed.NomajorU.S.economicforcewouldbethreatened.Itwouldbesimply a matter of closing a gateway, a disreputable one, to the United States.

Let’slookatthespecificwaysthatthiscouldbeaccomplished.

RecommendationsWesuggestamenuofpolicychoices:onesweepingproposalthatwouldsolvetheCompromisedCollegesproblemforever;two other proposals that jointly would solve the problem; and a handful of other recommendations that would reduce some oftheadverseimpactsnowexperienced,tobeconsideredonlyifnoneofthefirstthreeareimplemented.(Thebroaderpro-posals will encounter, of course, more opposition than some of the narrower ones.)

Proposal One: Eliminate the OPT Program and Narrow the CPT Program.TherearemanysoundreasonsfortakingthesestepsthatdonotrelatetotheCompromisedColleges.

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OPToffersemployersasubsidyforhiringrecentaliencollegegrads,ratherthanAmericanones,andservesasahandylittletransitionprogrambetweenbeinganaliencollegestudentandsecuringH-1Bstatus.

TheimpactofOPTontheAmericanlabormarketisabothhugeandavirtualsecret.Therewere330,000ofthesejobsin2016,asreporterNeilMunrorevealedinalongarticleforBreitbart.50

In addition to the argument that the government has no business subsidizing the preferential hiring of foreign college grads ratherthanAmericanones,thereisthefactthatthegenerousrulesforOPTandCPTarethemainattractionsofthemarginalcolleges.Iftherewerenotalegalopportunitytostartworkimmediately(ifoneisseekingamaster’sdegree),noalienwouldenrollataCompromisedCollege,anditsoonwouldgooutofbusiness.TheproposalthenistoeliminateOPT,andtomakeCPTavailableforonly20hoursaweekwhileclassesareinsession;itwouldalsobeavailableonlyafterafullyearofacademicworkhadbeencompleted.ThiswouldopenupperhapshundredsofthousandsofjobsforAmericancollegegraduates,aswellaseliminatingtheCompromisedColleges.

Theonlydisadvantageofthisproposalisapoliticalone;itwouldstirupenormousoppositionfromemployersandperhapstheuniversitiesaswell.Forbetterorforworse,thereareotherwaysofcontrollingtheCompromisedColleges,asshownbelow.

Proposal Two: Bar Admission to All Alien Students Seeking to Attend Educational Institutions Without Current Ac-creditation from an Entity Recognized by DoEd.Thiswouldeliminatealloftheforeignstudentsontherollsofthe55entitieswehavebeenexamining,aprofoundmoveintherightdirection.Itwouldforcethe55schoolstorecruitAmericanstudents or go out of business.

ThiswouldbeaformaldecisionbyICEthatonlyproperlyaccreditedcolleges,perhapswiththeexceptionoftheologicalseminaries,wouldhavethepowertoissuetheI-20,ortocausetheadmissionofJandMstudents.

Thisisamuchmoremodestproposalthanthefirstoneanditwouldbeeasiertoachievepolitically,butitisheavilyrelianton the accrediting agencies, which might be tempted to award accreditation to other marginal colleges, as well as some in the currentlistof55.Withthatinmind,ProposalTwoshouldbejoinedbyProposalThree.

Proposal Three: Create an International-Student-Dependent (ISD) Class of Educational Institutions. These schoolswouldbenon-governmentalschools,andnon-theologicalones,withmorethan50percentofthestudentsinnonimmigrantcategories(F,J,andM).Theseschoolswouldfacemorestringentrulesthanothers.OneoftherationalesisthatthestudentsthemselveswillgetamuchbetterexperienceiftheyarenotconsignedtoacademicghettosliketheCompromisedColleges.

InorderforsuchschoolstocontinuetohavethepowertoissuetheI-20,theywouldneedtomeetanewsetofstandardsandreportingrequirements.TheywouldhavetoissuespecialI-20sthatwouldcarryserialnumbers.EachI-20blankwouldbesoldtotheuniversitybyDHSfor$100andthemoneyssoraisedwouldbeusedtoregulatetheschools.(ThesenewI-20swould have high tech features to discourage counterfeiting.)

Theschoolswouldberequiredtopayindependentauditors,selectedbyDHS,tomonitorclassattendance(presumablyonarandombasis)andtomakecertainthat90percentoftheclassattendancetookplaceduringnormal,Monday-to-Fridaybusinesshours.Thefacultyandthelibrarieswouldhavetomeetcertainstandards.

Theschoolswouldberequired,whetherprofitornonprofit,tofilefinancialreports(liketheForm990)withDHS,withcer-tain items — such as percentage of gross income used to pay the faculty and the salaries of the president and other ranking officials—tobepostedontheschool’swebsite.Thesefinancialreportswouldbeaudited,notjustfiled.

TheschoolswouldalsohavetobeaccreditedbyacurrentlyDoEd-recognizedaccreditationagency.

AsintheH-1B-dependentprogram,theobjectiveistodiscouragetheestablishmentofsuchentities.

Inaddition to these threebasicproposals, thereare some lesserbut significant suggestions that couldbeusedeither assupplementsoras(lessattractive)alternativestothem.Theagencyhandlingthespecificissueisidentifiedineachcase.

ICE.InsteadofabolishingOPT,restoretherulesof2001,forexample,whenaworkperiodofoneyearwasallowedeachalienalumnus.TherewouldbenoSTEMextensions.

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ICE.InsteadofabolishingOPT,makeitapplyonlytothealienalumniofthemostdistinguished100educationalinstitutionsin the nation, using some non-governmental peer ranking system.

ICE.IfOPTistocontinueinsomethinglikethepresentform,whichisnot a good idea, see to it that it is a one-time only opportunityandcannotbeextended,asitcanbenow,forsuccessivedegrees.Currently,onecanuseitforsuccessivemaster’sdegrees, for example.

ICE.Whateverelseisdone,SEVPshouldbemoreassertiveintakinginstitutionsofftheirmasterlistofI-20grantingentities,onceitisknownthattheplaceisclosedorclosing.Oneofthepurposesofthelististogivevisaofficersinformationastotheexistence,ornon-existence,oftheschoolthathascreatedtheI-20.

ICE.SEVPannouncedsometimeagothatithadstartedtomakesitevisits.Theseschedulesshouldbearrangedsothatmuchmoreattention ispaid tosuspectschools thanto long-established, innocentones.Theseshouldalwaysbeunannouncedvisits.

USCIS.Onlyappropriatelyaccrediteduniversitiescouldhaveaccesstotheuniversityset-asideintheH-1Bprogram.

USCIS. If there is an category for schools dependent on international students, see to it that such schools cannot hire through theH-1Bprogram.

DOL.IfOPTistocontinueinsomeform,usesomeofthefeesnowavailabletotheStudentandExchangeVisitorProgramtofundwage-hourinvestigatorstocheckonthehoursworkedduringtheOPT/CPTprogram,aswellasthewagespaidtosuchpersons.Theconcernwouldbestudentsworkingtoomanyhoursandnotreceivinglegalpayandovertime.

IRS and ICE.Allschoolsdependentoninternationalstudentsschoolsmustfilethe990,orotherfinancialreports,ontimeorsufferadailyfeeof1/100thof1percentoftheentity’snetworth.Thatwouldworkoutto$100adayifthenetworthwere$1million.

In a Better World.Finally,abitofwishfulthinking.

IRS.Bearinginmindtheerror-filledpaperscurrentlysubmittedtogovernmentagenciesbyACCT,NPU,andLincolnUni-versity(Calif.),thefilingsofISDschoolswouldbeexaminedbyretiredschoolteacherschargedwithviewingthesereportsasacademicdocuments.Whenmultipleerrorsoccur,aswehavereportedfromthesethreeschools,thereportswouldbereturnedtothefilinguniversity,whichwouldbegiven30daystofilecorrectedforms.Theerrorswouldnot be pointed out butwouldberecordedbytheteachers.If70percentofthefirst-rounderrorswerenotlocatedandcorrectedbytheschoolsinasecondfiling,thedailyfineswouldbeginatthestandardratesuggestedaboveuntilatleast70percentoftheoriginaler-rors had been found and corrected.

Thesereviewsprobablywouldnotbeneededinthesecondorinsubsequentyears.

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End Notes1SeeDavidNorth,“ObscureUniversities(OneNowClosed)GotFarMoreOPTsthantheIvies”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,January31,2017.ForahistoryofOPT,seeJohnMiano,“DHSIgnoresRulesforOPTVisas”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,March12,2014.

2ThemainofficesofDHSareintheDistrictofColumbia;SEVPisinArlington,Va.Thoughthelocationsarejustafewmilesapart,theinteractionsamongpeopleinthesmalleragencyandthoseinthemotherorganizationarefarmorelimitedthanwhen,some20yearsago,alloftheelementsoftheoldImmigrationandNaturalizationServicewereinthesamerun-downbuildingnearDC’sChinatown.Therewas then much more formal interaction in the offices and, informally, in the cafeteria, for example, among all segments of the agency.

3 See “AnnualReportoftheVisaOffice,2016”,U.S.DepartmentofState,TableXVI(B).

4SeeRichardWatson,“StudentvisasystemfraudexposedinBBCinvestigation”,BBC,February10,2014.

5Forabriefsurveyofthatsystem,seeDavidNorth,“AustraliaRankstheRisksofForeignStudentApplicantsbyNationofOrigin”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,February2,2016.

6 See, for instance, Redbus2Us.com and HappySchools. 7 See, for example, Desiopt.com and Desi Studentz.com.“Desi”isanIndiantermforexpatriates;thenamesofthewebsitesaregoodcluesas to their content.

8SeeDavidNorth,“BelowAverageApplicantTellsHowheGotanF-1VisatoAttendaBelow-AverageU.S.University”,CenterforIm-migrationStudiesblog,January12,2016.

9 Scholars have done studies of the non-rational reasons for some decision patterns, including such seemingly trivial variables as the time ofday.FormoreonthatseeStephenDubner,“HowtoMakeaBadDecision”,aFreakonomicsPodcastscript,November17,2016,p.13.

10 Decadesago,IconductedastudyfortheoldINSofitsair-andland-portinspectionpractices.Timeandagain,theinspectorsImetatvariousplacesspokeofthe“wholeman”theoryoftheprocess.Didthepersonbeforetheinspectorseemtobeconsistentwithwhathispaperssaidabouthim?Didhisclothes,hislanguage,hisdemeanor,andevenhisairlineticketfitwithhisoverallstory?Asanexampleofsomeone who did notmeetthistest,IwastoldofanalienseekingadmissionatJFKwhosaidhewasafirst-timevisitorfromHaitiwhowasdressedinthelatestU.S.streetmanner,andwhohadanairlineticket(unknowntohim)thatindictedthathewasreturningtoNewYorkonaroundtrip. 11 See “RecertificationAdditionalEvidenceGuideforNon-AccreditedSchools”,U.S.ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement,undated.

12SeeFernandaZamudio-Suarez,“EducationDept.UpholdsRevokingofEmbattledAccreditor’sRecognition”, Chronicle of Higher Edu-cation, December12,2016.

13 See “LettertoStudentsatACICSAccreditedSchools”,HomeRoom,theOfficialBlogoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation,December12,2016.

14 See “RubberStamps:ACICSandtheTroubledOversightofCollegeAccreditors”,OfficeofSenatorElizabethWarren,U.S.Senate,June6,2016.

15Thereisanexception:Wellafter9/11DHSdecidedthatflight-trainingschools(butnotschoolsforotheraviationwork)needtohaveaccreditationfromtheFederalAviationAdministrationbeforetheycanacceptforeignstudents.Formoreonthatdecision,see“SEVPPolicyGuidanceforAdjudicators1207-04:FlightTrainingProviders”,U.S.ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement,December11,2012.Therearenoflightschoolsamongthe55CompromisedColleges.

16Mostofthe39schools,exceptthoseinNorthernVirginia,areinthesouthernreachesofthesestates.Ontheotherhand,ofthe10stateswithalandborderwithCanada,onlytwoofthem(MinnesotaandWashingtonState)arethelocationsofaCompromisedCollege.

17SeeDavidNorth,“Virginia,NotICE,ClosesSuspectUniversityofNorthernVirginia”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,July18,2013.

18 See the Dave School website here.

http://cis.org/north/obscure-universities-one-now-closed-got-far-more-opts-ivies

http://cis.org/miano/dhs-ignores-rules-opt-visas

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2016AnnualReport/FY16AnnualReport-TableXVIB.pdf

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26024375

http://cis.org/north/australia-ranks-risks-foreign-student-applicants-nation-origin

https://redbus2us.com/

happyschools.com

desiopt.com

http://www.desistudentz.com/2017/04/21/list-of-universities-offering-day-1-cpt-programs/

http://cis.org/north/below-average-applicant-tells-how-he-got-f-1-visa-attend-below-average-american-university

http://freakonomics.com/podcasst/make-bad-decision/

https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/recertification-attestation-statement.pdf

http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-upholds-revoking-of-embattled-accreditors-recognition/116105

https://blog.ed.gov/2016/12/letter-to-acics-students/

https://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2016-6-10_ACICS_Report.pdf

https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/sevp-policy-guidance-flight-training-providers.pdf

https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/sevp-policy-guidance-flight-training-providers.pdf

http://cis.org/north/virginia-not-ice-closes-suspect-university-northern-virginia

http://www.daveschool.com/

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19 Similarly, the remarkable incidence of attractive blond young woman in these website photos is hard to believe, when most of the stu-dents are males from Asia.

20SeeMollyHensley-Clancy, “MakingtheGrades:HowoneCaliforniauniversityfakedstudents’scores,skatedbyimmigrationauthori-ties–andmadeafortuneintheprocess”,BuzzFeedNews,May16,2016.

21See,mostrecently,MargaretBrennanandJenniferJanisch, “AresomeU.S.charterschoolshelpingfundcontroversialTurkishcleric’smovement?”, CBSNews,March29,2017.

22 SeeRandyEllis,“Stateauditquestionscharterschools’siteleasepayments”, The Oklahoman,March17,2016.

23 See “FederalStudentAid:HeightenedCashMonitoring”,U.S.DepartmentofEducation,anditsMarch1,2017,“ListofInstitutionsonHCMasofMarch1,2017”.

24See,forexample:DavidNorth,“OneVisaMillOwnerSenttoJailfor16years”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,November7,2014;andDavidNorth,“DHSFinallyTakesActionAgainstCalif.VisaMill”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,January12,2017.

25Thecase,inthefederalcourts’electronicfilingsystem,PACER,is2:12-mj-03083-JBC.

26Mr.ShimhasseveralPACERfiles;thequotationinthetextisfrom2:15-cv-07554-GW-GJS.SeealsoElizabethRedden,“CollegeOwnerPleadsGuiltytoImmigrationFraud”, Inside Higher Education,February13,2017.

27SeeJasonMolinet,“Founderofphonyuniversitythatbilkedmillionsfromstudentsandfiledfraudulentvisasgets16years”, New York Daily News,November4,2014.

28SeeDavidNorth,“ShouldaSchoolwithaFinancialStatementLikeThistobeAuthorizedtoTeachAccountingtoForeignStudents?”, CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,August5,2014.

29Further,thenow-closedHerguanUniversityleftanilliterateandinaccuratedescriptionofitsowngraduationceremonyonitswebsiteformonths,aswereportedatthetime.SeeDavidNorth,“ShouldDHSLicenseanInstitutionLikeThistoTeachForeignStudents”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,January13,2014.

30 See “DisciplinaryActions”,CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation,BureauforPrivatePostsecondaryEducation,updatedAugust1,2017.

31 See “FederalStudentAid:GuidanceonImplementingtheNetPriceCalculatorRequirement”,U.S.DepartmentofEducation,February27,2013.

32Formoreonthissleightofhand,seeDavidNorth,“ShouldaSchoolwithaFinancialStatementLikeThistobeAuthorizedtoTeachAccountingtoForeignStudents?”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,August5,2014.

33 See “ACICSFAQ”, VIU website, undated.

34See“Accreditation”, Schiller University website.

35Theexception,whichwasnotonacollegewebsite,per se,wasaYouTubevideo,“Episode#006Accreditation”,showingDr.RichardShurtz,PresidentofStratford,discussinghowhisuniversitywas“ontrack”togetfullaccreditation.InithedoesmentionthefactthattheOPT/STEMextensionwouldnotbeavailabletointernationalstudents.

36 SEVPhasschool-by-schooltotals,butwillnotreleasethemexceptthroughtheFreedomofInformationActroute,whichisheavilybacklogged;theauthorsdidnothavetheforesighttofileaFOIArequestayearorsoago.

37 SeeDavidNorth,“OverstayStudySuggestsNeedtoOverhaultheForeignStudentProgram”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,May25,2017.

38Wedonotknowenoughaboutthisreport,andhowitwasconstructed,tocommentfurther,excepttonotethatsuchadocumenthaslongbeensoughtbyCongress,andithasfinallyarrived.

39 See CFR214.2(f)(10)-(12).

40 Ibid.

41 See “UniversitiesofferingCPTfromday1”,AdmitSchool,April30,2015.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mollyhensleyclancy/inside-the-school-that-abolished-the-f-and-raked-in-the-cash?utm_term=.fqZRxOrAeQ#.qhLoPGJDxq

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mollyhensleyclancy/inside-the-school-that-abolished-the-f-and-raked-in-the-cash?utm_term=.fqZRxOrAeQ#.qhLoPGJDxq

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-turkish-religious-scholar-fethullah-gulen-funding-movement-abroad-through-us-charter-schools


http://newsok.com/state-audit-questions-charter-schools-site-lease-payments/article/5485472

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/school/hcm

http://cis.org/north/one-visa-mill-owner-sent-jail-16-years-another-trial

http://cis.org/north/dhs-finally-takes-action-against-calif-visa-mill

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/02/13/college-owner-pleads-guilty-immigration-fraud

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/02/13/college-owner-pleads-guilty-immigration-fraud

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/phony-university-founder-behind-fraudulent-visas-16-years-article-1.1999679

http://cis.org/north/should-institution-financial-statement-be-authorized-teach-accounting-foreign-students

http://cis.org/north/should-dhs-license-institution-teach-foreign-students

http://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/disciplinary_actions.shtml

https://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1307.html



http://www.viu.edu/our-university/about-viu/accreditation/acics-faq.html

https://www.schiller.edu/accreditation/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRXG77bu51w

http://cis.org/north/overstays-study-suggests-need-overhaul-foreign-student-program

https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-11261/0-0-0-17197/0-0-0-17800.html

http://admitschool.com/universities-offering-cpt-from-day-1/

34


42SeeJuliaPreston,“LawsuitsClaimDisneyColludedtoReplaceU.S.WorkerswithImmigrants”, The New York Times,January25,2016.

43 See the Vargas University website.

44SeeMargaretBrennanandJenniferJanisch, “AresomeU.S.charterschoolshelpingfundcontroversialTurkishcleric’smovement?”, CBSNews,March29,2017.

45Theuniversity’sForm990for2015canbeseenhere.Thetextofthe990,whichwassignedbyDr.Brodsky,issprinkledwithgrammati-calandspellingerrors,suchasthisdiscussionoftheuniversity’sinstructioninEnglish,inthedocument’sScheduleO:“TheUniversityservicesapproximately100studentsandofferDBAdegree.Italsooffersnon-certificate,non-degreeingeneralandintensiveacademicEnglishpreparationtosupportthestudentsenteringacademicstudies.”

46Thefulltextoftheuniversity’sfirstapplicationforanH-1Bworkertobeitspart-timepresidentcanbeseenhere.

47SeeDavidNorth,“ItLooksLikeVisaMillHistoryIsAbouttoRepeatItselfinNorthernVirginia”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,June23,2017.

48 SeeDavidNorth,“AFirstSmallStepTowardFixingH-1B”,CenterforImmigrationStudiesblog,June1,2017.

49Formoreonthiscase,seeGeraldSeipp,“FederalCaseSummaries”,Interpreter Releases,June5,2017,p.23.

50SeeNeilMunro,“Federal ‘OPT’ProgramRewardsCompanies forHiring330,000ForeignCollegeGrads in2016”,BreitbartNews,June21,2017.The330,000figuretendstooverstateaveryrealproblemabit.Thegovernment,outsidetheCensusBureauandonsomehealthcareissues,rarelycalculatesthesizeofanimpactedpopulation;whatitdoesistoreleaseworkloaddata.The330,000isnotthepopulationthat,atanyonetimein2016,wasworkingwithanOPTpermit,itwasthetotalnumberofpeoplewhohadoneormoredaysofthatworkpermissionduringtheyear.Theaveragefigurewouldbetensofthousandsofjobslowerthanthe330,000,butstillataveryworrisome level.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/us/lawsuit-claims-disney-colluded-to-replace-us-workers-with-immigrants.html?

http://jmvu.edu/mba-in-finance


http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2016/941/347/2016-941347042-0d3e2266-9.pdf

http://www.myvisajobs.com/H1B-Visa/LCA.aspx?ID=3279737

http://cis.org/north/it-looks-visa-mill-history-about-repeat-itself-northern-virginia

http://cis.org/north/uscis-does-right-thing-dubious-colleges-and-does-it-finesse

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/21/hidden-federal-opt-program-helps-330000-foreign-graduates-get-us-jobs/