Minnesota Increases Scrutiny of For-Profit Colleges
In the past year, for-profit schools in Minnesota have been coming under increased scrutiny. The state’s Office of Higher Education has created a new watchdog which sends out “secret shoppers” to monitor whether schools are misleading or dealing honestly with prospective students. Schools giving misleading information about job-placement rates or how much money graduates could earn in their field are just a couple of examples that would raise concerns with these shoppers.
The new state watchdog has started to compare notes with Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office. This this office can suspend or shut down a school that gives students misleading information, including institutions that a court or government proceeding concludes they have engaged in fraud or misrepresentation.
Monitoring your staff can shield your institution from potential fines and penalties. Some areas to proactively monitor for compliance may include:
- Scripts: Providing scripts for your representatives to follow enables them to touch on key benefits of your institution and direct the conversation toward enrollment.
- Citing Statistics and Job Placement: When a prospect inquires about job placement or expected salaries, statistics provided must be accompanied by an official source such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment can never be promised.
- Financial Aid: Not every student will qualify for financial aid. It is important to provide this clarification and transfer prospective students to a financial aid representative to receive further information.
Get more tips for analyzing and improving the performance of your admission staff, email Shawn Graybill or call 888-547-7110 today.
Compliant Website Checklist
Institutions are under strict scrutiny surrounding their online advertising efforts. But, it’s also imperative for the institution’s website to be in compliance with the standards and regulations set forth by the Department of Education (DOE), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), your accrediting body and industry standards. Below is a checklist of points to consider when reviewing the information provided on your website.
Compliant Website Checklist:
Accreditation
- Visibility of accreditation statement
- Representation of accreditation – full and complete accreditation information – acronyms and banned terms omitted
- Easily navigable – at least within one click of the homepage
Admissions
- Provide all required criteria expected to be completed prior to enrollment
- Include all educational requirements
- Contact information provided for prospective students
Career Services
- Detailed and clear explanation of offerings that the Career Services department provides
- No job placement guarantees
- Omission of banned terms, such as “career placement”
Gainful Employment Disclosures
- Clear presence of disclosure information
- Disclosure information is in the required Gainful Employment Disclosure Template developed by the DOE
Financial Aid
- Qualification rules
- How applicants can learn about qualifying
- Financial aid eligibility disclaimer present
Program Descriptions
- Timeframe for completion listed correctly
- Program length disclaimer
Program Listings
- Listings are accurate and approved by the DOE
- Acceptable states for admissions
- Citations provided for statistics listed on the page
TCPA Requirements
- Consent language present on lead form
- Language must include all components within the FCC definition
Testimonials
- Must be actual statements
- Some accreditors do not allow institutions to use testimonials from current students on their website
Stay tuned for our next webinar where we’ll cover this topic in more depth! Get early access to webinar information. (opens in a new window)
Addressing the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials for Your Institution
One of the prominent marketing uses in the education industry today is the use of testimonials to endorse a school. The power of a testimonial shows that success at a particular school not only can happen, but that it has happened. Using case studies to show the effectiveness of an institution’s training program certainly speaks volumes to individuals considering the lengthy commitment of returning to school.
Testimonials can go so far as to endorse a school that they can easily be used to mislead and entice individuals with exaggerated or false claims. Due to excessive use of testimonials the FTC has written guidelines on the dos and don’ts to shape education marketing compliance. Here is a list of guidelines to comply with when using testimonials in marketing materials:
- If a testimonial endorses a service and the result for that endorser was not a typical result, the advertiser must disclose the expected results of that service
- Any transaction that is made between an advertiser and the endorser must be disclosed in the advertisement
- Endorsers not representing “actual customers” must be adjoined with a disclaimer stating the testimonial is not from an actual customer
- Testimonials have timetables. If an endorser provided a testimonial at a time when they were an actual user, the testimonial must still reflect a “current” opinion of that endorser
- Wording cannot be distorted to endorse an advertiser
Testimonials are important as they serve as a connecting point between a successful user and a potential user. Staying in compliance for use of testimonials is just as important and can be followed given thoughtful consideration.
Understanding Bait and Switch Advertising in the EDU Sector
Knowing where and how your school appears is virtually a full-time job in and of itself in the vast community of online marketing. Whether or not your school contracts with a third-party vendor for the purpose of lead generation and online presence, the unauthorized use of your brand is a consistent problem.
Many schools are typically unaware of the extent of their brands’ presence on third-party websites and lead forms. Even institutions that do not buy leads still exist on the web and lead forms are readily available when paired with certain key terms. Unauthorized use of your school name allows room for the possibility of bait and switch techniques.
You might ask yourself:
- We don’t work with this website, so how heavily is it actually trafficked?
- How many potential students per month or per year are utilizing the lead form found on this page?
- Since we don’t purchase online leads, who receives this information?
- What is done with lead information after it is submitted by the prospective student?
Deceptive advertising is a growing problem in the EDU space, and it is important to stay ahead of the game. A prospective student’s information in the hands of someone else or a competitor is of no use to you and can serve as a direct cut to your company’s revenue.
In order to prevent the possibility of baiting and switching of your brand, it is important to employ routine monitoring to identify how and where your school is being advertised. If you buy leads from online vendors, confirm that sites you find are part of their affiliate networks and that they’re meeting compliance regulations.
To learn more about compliance monitoring and brand management, call 888-547-7110 or email IntegriShield today.