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ITT Technical Institute shuttered its national chain of for-profit colleges on Tuesday, blaming the schools' demise on restrictions levied by the U.S. Department of Education.
But another school chain, itself in the midst of a tussle with the DOE, is welcoming displaced ITT Tech students with open arms.
The Center for Excellence in Higher Education, or CEHE, announced Friday a $1 million grant program to relocate students at its chain of technical colleges, including Utah's Stevens-Henager and the online Independence University.
The maximum grant for a single student is $4,000, according to CEHE chief executive officer Eric Juhlin, and is intended to ease the transition to a new college and cover gaps in financial aid.
"Our job is to help students, and actions speak louder than words," Juhlin said in a prepared statement. "That's why we're offering 1 million dollars in grants to help ITT students."
Juhlin also challenged other schools and community colleges to offer similar aid to displaced students.
CEHE, a nonprofit organization, took ownership of Stevens-Henager and its sister colleges in 2012.
But ongoing debt and lease payments to the schools' former owner led to the school chain being denied nonprofit status by the Department of Education last month.
CEHE disputes the department's ruling, and has sued both the department and Education Secretary Jon King in an effort to receive nonprofit status.
ITT Technical Institute, a for-profit chain, had previously been barred from receiving federal financial aid, leading to an announcement last week that the schools would cease enrolling new students.In its lawsuit, CEHE accuses the Department of Education and Secretary King of intentionally targeting for-profit colleges for burdensome requirements as part of an agenda against for-profit schools.