In light of being on the academic job market this year, I was amused to get the following mailing from the local branch of Globe University. (Even though the mailing was addressed to me, it was also addressed to “Or Current Resident.”)
The message is quite simple: graduates of this university get jobs. The mailing advertises that 100% of graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration get employment, although the fine print does mention that “employment is not guaranteed.” However, not much can be said about the graduation rates of students attending any of the Globe campuses, both because very few students attending Globe are first-time, full-time students (which are the only students counted in federal graduation rate calculations) and because many campuses (including Madison) have not been open long enough to have a graduation rate cohort.
To get an idea of graduation rates, I looked at the oldest Globe campus, in Brooklyn Center, MN. The reported graduation rate is 23%, with an overall career placement rate of 72%. Meanwhile, tuition is over $5,000 per quarter before mandatory course fees. I’m not saying that Globe University is a bad bet for students, but some students are likely to benefit more by attending the local technical college.
Moral of the story: Don’t believe colleges which imply that everyone gets a job. This isn’t even true at the most prestigious colleges, let alone for relatively unknown for-profit institutions. (Now, I do hope that my UW-Madison PhD helps me get a great job!)
Robert Kelchen 