CARMEL, Ind.— The company that runs ITT Technical Institute has announced it has stopped enrolling all new students a week after the federal government banned the for-profit school from students who use federal loans to pay for classes.
ITT Educational Services Inc. officials have not publicly responded to the U.S. Department of Education’s moves, except for making a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in which the company said it was evaluating the new rules and exploring its options.
Company officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Although the majority of the institute’s students receive federal aid, the college chain could have accepted new students outside of the government’s Title IV program.
Trace Urdan, a Credit Suisse analyst who follows ITT, said the company’s decision does not necessarily offer any clues about its next steps.
“The market for students that enroll without Title IV is essentially non-existent,” Urdan said in an email. “The expense of processing applications only to have them cancel once they learn (they are) Title IV ineligible is not worthwhile.”
The institute’s future has been in question since the Education Department announced its sanctions amid the Obama administration’s crackdown on for-profit colleges. The SEC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and over a dozen states are investigating ITT’s financial performance, marketing, recruiting and job placement numbers.
In addition to the Education Department’s sanctions, California banned new enrollment at the company’s 15 campuses there, and Wisconsin blocked enrollment at the institute’s two campuses in that state. At the end of June, there were 137 campuses across 39 states, according to the company’s most recent quarterly earnings filing.
