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The following is an excerpt from a 10-K SEC Filing, filed by CORINTHIAN COLLEGES INC on 9/13/2005.
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CORINTHIAN COLLEGES INC - 10-K - 20050913 - BUSINESS

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

Our company is one of the largest for-profit, post-secondary education companies in the United States and Canada, with more than 66,100 students enrolled as of June 30, 2005. As of June 30, 2005, we operated 94 colleges in 24 states and 34 colleges and 14 corporate training centers in 7 Canadian provinces, and served the large and growing segment of the population seeking to acquire career-oriented education. Our schools generally enjoy long operating histories and strong franchise value in their local markets.

 

We offer a variety of diploma programs and associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through five operating divisions in the U.S. and Canada. Each division is led by a division president with oversight responsibility. Below the post-secondary education division level are regions, each lead by a regional vice president of operations and a regional vice president of admissions, which report to their respective division presidents or division vice presidents of admissions.

 

As of June 30, 2005, the Corinthian Schools division (“CSI”) operated 46 primarily diploma-granting schools with curricula primarily in the healthcare, business, electronics and information technology fields. It seeks to provide its students the training required for a variety of entry-level positions. The Titan Schools division (“TSI”) operated 15 campuses which offer diploma and degree programs in the fields of aircraft, automotive, diesel, marine and motorcycle technologies; information and electronic technologies; and, healthcare. The Rhodes Colleges division (“RCI”) operated 33 primarily degree-granting colleges and offers curricula principally in healthcare, business, criminal justice, and information technology and electronics. The CDI Education Corporation Post-Secondary Education division (“CDI-PS”) operated 34 colleges in Canada which offer diploma programs in allied health, business and information technology. The Pegasus division operated 14 corporate training centers in Canada providing onsite, outsourcing and e-learning services for the corporate market in the areas of skills development and management for business and technology professionals. The Pegasus division also operates the Company’s two online operations: FMU Online and Everest Online. Our colleges receive strategic direction and operational support from division and regional management and corporate staff.

 

Historically, we have grown our business through acquisitions as well as through organic growth. Organic growth consists of opening new branch campuses, remodeling, expanding or relocating existing campuses and adopting curricula into existing colleges. Since the Company’s formation in 1995, we have acquired 95 colleges and 14 training centers (net of closures and consolidations) and we have opened 33 branch campuses.

 

Operating Strategy

 

We have increased our student enrollment and improved profitability through the successful implementation of our operating strategy. Key elements of our operating strategy include the following components:

 

Emphasize Student Outcomes . We believe that positive student outcomes are a critical component of our long-term success. Accordingly, we devote substantial resources to maintaining and improving our retention and placement rates. Modest increases in student retention can have a significant impact on our profitability, and high graduation and placement rates enhance a school’s reputation and the marketability of its programs, and increase referrals. We have implemented a variety of programs, including orientation and tutoring, academic and personal advising, ride-sharing and referral programs, all of which are designed to improve student retention to assist our students in achieving their career goals. We utilize a curriculum development team comprised of campus representatives, corporate program directors and textbook publishers, which is assisted by advisory boards comprised of local business professionals to help ensure that our curricula provide our students with the skills required by employers. We also maintain dedicated, full-time placement personnel at our schools that undertake

 

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extensive placement efforts, including identifying prospective employers, helping students prepare resumes, conducting practice interviews, establishing internship programs and tracking students’ placement success on a monthly basis.

 

Create a Supportive and Friendly Learning Environment. We view our students as customers and seek to provide a supportive and convenient learning environment where student satisfaction is achieved. We offer a flexible schedule of classes, providing our students with the opportunity to attend classes throughout the day, as well as nights and weekends. Schools operate year-round, permitting students to complete their course of study quickly. We maintain small average class sizes and focus the efforts of our faculty on teaching students rather than research. Personal interaction between students and faculty is encouraged and we offer several support programs, such as on-campus advising and tutoring, which are designed to help students successfully complete their course of study. We also maintain a toll-free student hotline to address and help resolve student concerns.

 

Focus on Attractive Markets. We design our educational programs to benefit from favorable demographic trends. Our diploma-granting colleges provide programs in healthcare, business, and technology related fields, allowing us to capitalize on the growth in job opportunities in these industries. Our degree-granting colleges, with their business focus, modern facilities and equipment, and excellent faculty, seek to provide students with specific knowledge and skills necessary to advance in business and industry. Our geographic strategy is to build a strong competitive position in attractive and growing local markets where we can take advantage of operating efficiencies and benefit from favorable demographic trends.

 

Centralize Key Functions. In order to capitalize on the experience of our senior management team and to encourage best practices, we have established a regional management organization consisting of local school administrators, regional vice presidents of operations and admissions, and division presidents, which are supported by centralized functions supervised by senior management at our corporate headquarters.

 

Local school administrators retain control of the day-to-day operations of their individual schools. Local school administrators are assisted by and receive oversight from regional vice presidents and division presidents and their respective support teams. The corporate management team controls key operational functions such as accounting, information technology, financial aid management, marketing, curriculum development, staff training, the call center, legal, treasury, internal audit, human resources, payroll, and purchasing, which we believe enables us to achieve significant operating efficiencies. For example, our corporate management team controls the marketing and advertising function and utilizes our information technology systems to analyze the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and to make timely and efficient decisions regarding the allocation of marketing resources to individual colleges.

 

Growth Strategy

 

We intend to achieve continued growth in revenues through a strategy of:

 

Enhance Growth at Existing Campuses.

 

Curriculum Expansion and Development . We have acquired, developed, and refined curricula based on market research and recommendations from our faculty, advisory board members and our curriculum development team. We believe considerable opportunities exist for curriculum adoption and we expect to continue to acquire and develop new curricula and selectively adopt existing curricula into both existing and new locations. In fiscal 2005, we successfully adopted 71 programs into existing U.S. schools and 32 programs into existing Canadian schools.

 

Integrated and Centralized Marketing Program. We have increased student enrollment by employing an integrated marketing program that utilizes an extensive direct response advertising campaign delivered through television, newspaper, direct mail and the Internet. A professional marketing staff at our headquarters coordinates marketing efforts with advertising agencies and utilizes our in-bound call center and our leads tracking capability.

 

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Facilities Enhancement and Expansion. We remodel, expand and relocate our existing colleges to ensure we have sufficient capacity to meet our expected enrollment demand, as well as to improve the location and appearance of our facilities. We expect to continue to systematically remodel and relocate selected colleges within their respective markets. Since 2001, 27 colleges have been relocated and an additional 98 campuses have been either remodeled or enlarged. We believe modern attractive education environments enhance our students’ learning experience. During fiscal 2005, we remodeled, relocated, or expanded 42 colleges. As of June 30, 2005, the total square footage of all our properties was approximately 4.6 million square feet.

 

Establish Additional Locations.

 

Since our initial public offering in February 1999, we have opened and integrated 33 branch campuses into our operations. Of the 33 branch campuses, 2 were opened in each of fiscal 1999 and fiscal 2000, 4 were opened in each of fiscal 2001 and fiscal 2002, 6 were opened in fiscal 2003, 10 were opened in fiscal 2004 and 5 were opened in fiscal 2005. A key advantage of this strategy is that students attending new campuses branched from existing campuses have immediate access to federally funded student financial aid. We believe that opening new branch campuses will allow us to enter new geographic markets, create additional capacity in existing markets and effectively leverage our infrastructure and our extensive investment in curricula.

 

Make Strategic Acquisitions.

 

Since our founding in 1995, acquisitions have been an important part of our growth strategy. Of the 128 campuses and 14 training centers operated as of June 30, 2005, 95 colleges and 14 training centers have been acquired (net of closures and consolidations). The majority of our acquisitions occurred prior to fiscal 2005. During fiscal 2005, we acquired 1 college, American Motorcycle Institute (“AMI”). To evaluate acquisition opportunities, we have established several criteria, such as demographics, curricula, geographic proximity to our existing campuses and selected rigorous financial measurements. Since our founding in 1995, we have closed or consolidated 20 campuses and training centers.

 

Expand On-line Education

 

Online education, or education delivered via the Internet, has become an increasingly important component of the higher education market. We offer online learning to two categories of students: exclusively online students and students attending traditional classroom while supplementing their education with one or more online courses. During fiscal 2005, we experienced a significant increase in the number of students taking our online courses through the Internet. Our online learning participation increased by 49% to 64,134 course registrations in fiscal 2005. As of June 30, 2005, we offered 243 online courses through 30 campuses. Additionally, we offer all the courses necessary to complete master’s degrees in business administration and criminal justice entirely online. We offer 17 accredited degrees to students enrolled in exclusively online studies.

 

In fiscal 2006, we expect to continue to grow our online education by increasing the number of courses offered and expanding the type of degrees and programs offered online. Although the majority of our students participating in online learning also attend traditional classes at one of our degree-granting colleges, in fiscal 2002, we began enrolling exclusively online students through our Florida Metropolitan University (“FMU”) colleges and, as of June 30, 2005, we had approximately 3,395 exclusively online students. Additionally, in the fourth quarter of 2005 we started Everest Online through our Everest College in Phoenix, Arizona, which is regionally-accredited and offers associate degrees in business, accounting and criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

 

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Programs of Study

 

Our diploma programs are intended to provide students with the requisite knowledge and job skills for entry-level positions in their chosen career. Our degree programs are primarily designed for career-oriented adults and to assist them in enhancing their functional and professional skills. Our curriculum development team is responsible for maintaining high quality, market driven curricula. Our colleges also utilize advisory boards to help evaluate and improve the curriculum for each program offered. These advisory boards are required to meet at least twice a year and are comprised of local industry and business professionals. Advisory board members provide valuable insight regarding changes in programs and suggest new technologies and other factors that may enhance curriculum.

 

Among the diploma-granting colleges, the curricula principally includes medical assisting, dental assisting, information technology, medical administrative assisting, surgical technology, massage therapy, pharmacy technician, medical insurance billing and coding, nursing, aircraft frame and power plant maintenance technology, automotive and diesel technology, HVAC, and electronics and computer technology. The curriculum at our degree-granting colleges includes accounting, business administration, computer information technology, hospitality management, marketing, criminal justice, medical assisting, paralegal, court reporting, legal assisting, and film and video. Most programs lead to an associate’s degree. At our FMU campuses, most associate’s degree programs also articulate with a bachelor’s degree in the same course of study. Master’s degrees are also offered at FMU in business administration and criminal justice.

 

Diploma programs generally have a duration of 6-19 months, depending on the course of study. Associate’s degree programs have a duration of 18-24 months, bachelor’s degree programs have a duration of 36-48 months and master’s degree programs have a duration of 21 months. As of June 30, 2005, we had 38,611 students (60%) enrolled in diploma programs, 23,294 (35%) students enrolled in associate’s programs 3,156 students (4%) enrolled in bachelor’s programs and 1,053 students (1%) enrolled in master’s programs.

 

The following table reflects our schools, locations, date acquired or opened, principal curricula, institutional accrediting agency, expiration of the current grant of accreditation, and square footage as of June 30, 2005. In the table below, programs offered are designated as follows: healthcare (HC), business (B), information technology and electronics (IT), criminal justice (CJ), automotive and diesel technology (AT) and other miscellaneous programs (OTH) (1) .

 

U.S. Schools and Colleges


 

Date

Acquired/Opened


 

Primarily
Degree/Diploma
Granting


 

Principal
Curricula


 

Accrediting
Agency


  Expiration of
the current
grant of
Accreditation


  Square
Footage


AMI Institute, Daytona Beach, FL

  08/04/2004   Diploma   OTH   ACCET (6)   04/01/2007   43,879

Ashmead College, Everett, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCET    04/15/2007   11,606

Ashmead College, Fife, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCET   04/15/2007   16,008

Ashmead College, Tigard, OR

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCET   04/15/2007   20,646

Ashmead College, Seattle, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCET   04/15/2007   24,623

Ashmead College, Vancouver, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCET   04/15/2007   17,961

Blair College, Colorado Springs, CO

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS (7)   12/31/2006   30,500

Bryman College, Alhambra, CA

  01/01/1996   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT (8)   08/01/2007   42,222

Bryman College, Anaheim, CA

  07/01/1995   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   04/01/2007   31,940

Bryman College, City of Industry, CA

  10/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   08/01/2005   39,373

Bryman College, Everett, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACICS   12/31/2006   24,244

Bryman College, Gardena, CA

  01/01/1996   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   05/01/2007   26,463

Bryman College, Hayward, CA

  09/01/2001   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   10/01/2006   20,000

Bryman College, Los Angeles, CA

  01/01/1996   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   11/01/2005   22,591

Bryman College, Lynnwood, WA

  06/02/2002   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   06/01/2009   24,843

Bryman College, New Orleans, LA

  10/01/1995   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   11/01/2006   19,939

Bryman College, Ontario, CA

  10/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   10/01/2008   34,032

 

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U.S. Schools and Colleges


 

Date

Acquired/Opened


 

Primarily
Degree/Diploma
Granting


 

Principal Curricula


 

Accrediting
Agency


  Expiration of
the current
grant of
Accreditation


  Square
Footage


Bryman College, Port Orchard, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACICS   12/31/2006   27,684

Bryman College, Renton, WA

  07/01/1996   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   05/01/2007   41,760

Bryman College, Reseda, CA

  07/01/1995   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   11/01/2006   33,686

Bryman College, San Bernardino, CA

  07/01/1995   Diploma   HC, B   ACICS   12/31/2005   35,950

Bryman College, San Francisco, CA

  10/01/1995   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   05/01/2007   30,691

Bryman College, San Jose, CA

  10/01/1995   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   01/01/2008   27,906

Bryman College, St. Louis, MO

  03/31/2005   Diploma   HC   ACICS   10/31/2006   30,000

Bryman College, Tacoma, WA

  08/04/2003   Diploma   HC   ACICS   12/31/2006   30,704

Bryman College, Torrance, CA

  01/01/2000   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   05/04/2009   7,399

Bryman College, West Los Angeles, CA

  10/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B, OTH   ACCSCT   05/01/2009   31,340

Bryman Institute, Brighton, MA

  01/01/1996   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   11/01/2006   26,022

Bryman Institute, Chelsea, MA

  03/30/2004   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   04/05/2006   30,527

Bryman Institute, Columbus, OH

  09/07/2004   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   10/13/2006   28,341

Bryman Institute, Eagan, MN

  06/17/2004   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   06/16/2006   23,740

Duff’s Business Institute, Pittsburgh, PA

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2009   39,090

Everest College, Fort Worth, TX

  08/24/2004   Degree   HC, B   ACICS   02/28/2006   32,837

Everest College, Phoenix, AZ

  06/01/2000   Degree   B, IT, CJ   NCA (9)   2007-2008   35,743

Everest College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

  01/01/2001   Degree   B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2008   28,556

Everest College, Mid Cities, TX

  06/09/2003   Degree   B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2006   21,500

Everest College, Dallas, TX

  02/03/2003   Degree   B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   22,934

Everest Institute, Silver Spring, MD

  02/08/2005   Diploma   HC   ACICS   06/30/2006   30,752

FMU, Brandon, FL

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2006   49,368

FMU, Pompano Beach, FL

      Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2009   53,140

FMU, Jacksonville, FL

  07/01/2000   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   27,775

FMU, Lakeland, FL

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   30,428

FMU, Melbourne, FL (4)

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2007   25,819

FMU, Orange Park-Jacksonville, FL

  03/03/2004   Degree   HC, B, CJ   ACICS   06/30/2005(2)   28,000

FMU, Orlando (North), FL

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2007   46,009

FMU, Orlando (South), FL

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   59,927

FMU, Pinellas, FL

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   33,848

FMU, Tampa, FL (4)

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2006   39,432

Georgia Medical Institute, Atlanta, GA

  04/01/2000   Diploma   HC   ABHES (10)   12/31/2004(2)   29,373

Georgia Medical Institute, Dekalb, GA

  05/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   08/01/2005(2)   18,000

 

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U.S. Schools and Colleges


 

Date

Acquired/Opened


 

Primarily
Degree/Diploma
Granting


 

Principal Curricula


 

Accrediting
Agency


  Expiration of
the current
grant of
Accreditation


  Square
Footage


Georgia Medical Institute, Jonesboro, GA

  04/01/2000   Diploma   HC   ABHES   12/31/2004(2)   35,695

Georgia Medical Institute, Marietta, GA

  04/01/2000   Diploma   HC   ABHES   12/31/2004(2)   24,959

Georgia Medical Institute, Norcross, GA

  03/31/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   03/01/2005(2)   19,397

Kee Business College, Chesapeake, VA

  03/01/1999   Diploma   HC, B   ACICS   12/31/2004(2)   26,920

Kee Business College, Newport News, VA

  10/01/1995   Diploma   HC, B   ACICS   12/31/2004(2)   16,215

Las Vegas College, Henderson, NV

  12/18/2003   Degree   B, CJ   ACICS   06/30/2005   31,578

Las Vegas College, Las Vegas, NV

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2009   36,070

Mountain West College, Salt Lake City, UT

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2004(2)   39,426

National Institute of Technology, Austin, TX

  10/02/2002   Diploma   HC, B, IT   ACCSCT   11/07/2009   51,933

National Institute of Technology, Cross Lanes, WV

  07/01/1995   Diploma   HC, B, IT   ACCSCT   11/01/2006   26,750

National Institute of Technology, Dearborn, MI

  03/01/2001   Diploma   HC, IT   ACCSCT   03/01/2008   32,456

National Institute of Technology, Detroit, MI

  12/23/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   01/01/2006   23,676

National Institute of Technology, Houston (Greenspoint), TX

  01/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   02/07/2007   23,648

National Institute of Technology, Houston (Bissonet), TX

  06/30/2004   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   07/16/2006   28,494

National Institute of Technology, Houston (Hobby), TX

  12/01/2001   Diploma   HC, B   ACCSCT   08/01/2008   26,382

National Institute of Technology, Houston (Galleria), TX

  04/01/1999   Diploma   HC, B, IT   ACCSCT   11/01/2005   20,585

National Institute of Technology, Long Beach, CA

  10/01/2000   Diploma   HC, B, IT, OTH   ACCSCT   07/01/2008   92,435

National Institute of Technology, San Antonio, TX

  07/01/1995   Diploma   HC, B, IT   ACCSCT   08/01/2006   60,245

National Institute of Technology, Southfield, MI

  01/01/1996   Diploma   HC, B, IT   ACCSCT   02/01/2008   34,806

National School of Technology, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

  09/30/2003   Degree   HC   ABHES   12/31/2007   34,500

National School of Technology, N. Miami Beach, FL

  04/01/2002   Degree   HC   ABHES   12/31/2007   37,468

National School of Technology, Hialeah, FL

  04/01/2002   Degree   HC   ABHES   12/31/2007   24,576

National School of Technology, Kendall, FL

  04/01/2002   Degree   HC   ABHES   12/31/2007   29,354

Olympia Career Training Institute, Grand Rapids, MI

  02/02/2001   Diploma   HC, IT   ABHES   12/31/2005(2)   29,270

Olympia Career Training Institute, Kalamazoo, MI

  02/01/2001   Diploma   HC   ABHES   2/31/2005(2)   17,616

Olympia College, Burr Ridge, IL

  07/02/2002   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   10/15/2009   30,100

Olympia College, Chicago, IL

  06/26/2003   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   07/10/2005(2)   47,356

Olympia College, Merrillville, IN

  02/01/2001   Diploma   HC   ABHES   12/31/2005(2)   31,395

Olympia College, N. Aurora, IL

  02/01/2005   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   04/07/2007   38,538

Olympia College, Skokie, IL

  05/01/2001   Diploma   HC   ACCSCT   01/01/2005(2)   36,066

Parks College, Aurora, CO

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2008   33,000

 

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U.S. Schools and Colleges


 

Date

Acquired/Opened


 

Primarily
Degree/Diploma
Granting


 

Principal
Curricula


 

Accrediting
Agency


  Expiration of
the current
grant of
Accreditation


  Square
Footage


Parks College, Arlington, VA

  01/02/2002   Degree   B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2008   16,619

Parks College, McLean, VA

  06/02/2004   Degree   HC, B, CJ, OTH   ACICS   10/31/2005   28,677

Parks College, Thornton, CO (4)

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2008   25,908

Rochester Business Institute, Rochester, NY

  10/01/1996   Degree   B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2006   43,674

Springfield College, Springfield, MO

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2008   28,734

Western Business College, Vancouver, WA

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ   ACICS   12/31/2007   23,036

Western Business College, Portland, OR

  10/01/1996   Degree   HC, B, IT, CJ, OTH   ACICS   12/31/2007   35,479

Wyo-Tech, Boston, MA

  08/06/2003   Diploma   OTH   ACCSCT   07/01/2007   45,281

Wyo-Tech, Blairsville, PA (5)

  07/01/2002   Degree   AT   ACCSCT   10/15/2008   171,842

Wyo-Tech, Fremont, CA

  08/07/2003   Degree   AT, OTH   ACCSCT   02/01/2006   96,463

Wyo-Tech, Laramie, WY

  07/01/2002   Degree   AT   ACCSCT   11/31/2009   413,277

Wyo-Tech, Oakland, CA

  03/18/2004   Diploma   OTH   ACCSCT   02/12/2006   32,471

Wyo-Tech, Sacramento, CA

  01/27/2004   Degree   AT   ACCSCT   01/01/2006   162,780

Corporate Offices

                       

Santa Ana, CA

                      127,289

Gulfport, MS

                      3,021

Tampa, FL

                      61,301

Washington, DC

                      2,362

Total Square Footage for U.S. Properties

                      3,868,274

 

Canadian Schools and Colleges


   Opened/Acquired

  

Degree/Diploma
Granting


   Principal
Curricula


   Square
Footage


CDI, Abbotsford, British Columbia

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B    13,600

CDI, Barrie, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    14,280

CDI, Brampton, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    15,581

CDI, Burnaby, British Columbia

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    25,852

CDI, Calgary (City Center), Alberta

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B, CJ, OTH    29,448

CDI, Calgary (North), Alberta

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    12,025

CDI, Edmonton (City Center), Alberta

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B, CJ, HC    17,044

CDI, Edmonton (North), Alberta

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, IT    10,918

CDI, Edmonton (South), Alberta

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B    10,155

CDI, Halifax, Nova Scotia (3)

   08/19/2003    Diploma    IT, HC    8,000

CDI, Hamilton (Mountain), Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    18,500

CDI, Hamilton (City Center), Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B    7,805

CDI, Kitchener, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B, HC    12,600

CDI, Laval, Quebec

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, IT    15,143

CDI, London, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    12,244

CDI, Mississauga, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    30,426

CDI, Montreal, Quebec

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    23,162

CDI, Newmarket, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    14,115

CDI, North Fork Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B, CJ    17,983

CDI, Ottawa (West-Nepean), Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B, IT    17,410

CDI, Ottawa (East), Ontario (3)

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    36,000

CDI, Quebec City, Quebec

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    10,000

CDI, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

   08/19/2003    Diploma    IT    15,795

CDI, Sudbury, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B, HC    32,602

CDI, Surrey, British Columbia

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, IT, B    20,951

CDI, Toronto (East), Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    17,555

CDI, Toronto (South) Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    29,019

CDI, Toronto (Central), Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B    25,165

CDI, Thunder Bay, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    10,834

CDI, Vancouver, British Columbia

   08/19/2003    Diploma    IT, B    10,602

CDI, Victoria (Bay Centre), British Columbia(11)

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC    17,901

 

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Canadian Schools and Colleges


   Opened/Acquired

  

Degree/Diploma
Granting


   Principal
Curricula


   Square
Footage


CDI, Victoria (Fort St.), British Columbia (11)

   08/19/2003    Diploma    IT    10,586

CDI, Windsor, Ontario

   08/19/2003    Diploma    HC, B    9,757

CDI, Winnipeg, Manitoba

   08/19/2003    Diploma    B    24,300

Corporate Education Training Centers:

                   

CDI, Calgary, Alberta

   08/19/2003              10,790

CDI, Edmonton, Alberta

   08/19/2003              9,561

CDI, Ottawa, Ontario

   08/19/2003              8,891

CDI, Mississauga, Ontario

   08/19/2003              6,237

CDI, Montreal, Quebec

   08/19/2003              8,904

CDI, North York, Ontario

   08/19/2003              20,126

CDI, Ottawa, Ontario

   08/19/2003              3,044

CDI, Kitchener, Ontario

   08/19/2003              4,707

CDI, Regina, Saskatchewan

   08/19/2003              7,842

CDI, Quebec City, Quebec

   08/19/2003              2,775

CDI, Toronto, Ontario

   08/19/2003              13,376

CDI, Vancouver, British Columbia

   08/19/2003              10,675

CDI, Victoria, British Columbia

   08/19/2003              2,481

CDI, Winnipeg, Manitoba

   08/19/2003              5,007

CDI Corporate Headquarters

   8/19/2003              32,903

Total Square Footage for Canadian Properties

                  744,677

Total Square Footage for All Properties

   08/19/2003              4,612,951

(1) OTH means “Other” and includes programs such as hotel and restaurant management, travel and hospitality, and video/film production as well as other miscellaneous programs.
(2) Pending re-accreditation approval.
(3) This location shared space with a corporate education training center.
(4) Indicates owned properties.
(5) Leased portion is approximately 79,900 and owned portion is approximately 140,762.
(6) Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
(7) Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
(8) Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology
(9) North Central Association
(10) Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Sciences
(11) Two locations, but operated by one management team as a single institution.

 

We also operate 14 corporate education training centers in Canada (listed above) which provide a wide range of IT education and customized training services to experienced IT professionals employed by some of Canada’s largest companies and government departments.

 

Marketing and Recruitment

 

We employ a variety of methods to attract qualified applicants who will benefit from our programs and achieve success in their chosen careers. We believe prospective students are attracted to our schools due to their excellent reputations and the long operating histories of many of our schools within their respective communities. This value, along with the quality of the programs offered, has enabled us to generate significant new student enrollments from referrals. For the year ended June 30, 2005, approximately 29% of our new student enrollments in the U.S. and Canada came from referrals.

 

We also employ a variety of direct response marketing techniques to generate leads of potential applicants for our schools. Our marketing department generated more than 1.5 million leads in the United States and Canada in fiscal 2005, primarily through television, direct mail, newspaper, internet and yellow pages. The effectiveness

 

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of these marketing campaigns is dependent upon timely and accurate lead tracking. To that end, we operate a call center for our U.S. campuses at our main office in California, as well as an outsourced overflow call center, and we have an outsourced call center in Canada for our Canadian operations.

 

The call centers are staffed by a team of operators who receive incoming calls from prospective students attracted to our programs. These trained operators enter relevant data on each prospect into our management information system during the call and then transfer the prospective student to the appropriate school. Additionally, one of our outsourced call centers places out-bound calls to prospective students who did not call our call center and immediately transfers those prospective students to a school admission representative at the appropriate school. In both cases, the school admissions representative is able to immediately begin the admissions process with the prospective student.

 

We also changed our processing of internet leads during fiscal 2005 and are now applying more effective technology filters to eliminate non-useable leads. The technology we are using for processing internet leads allows us to make sure that we are only working and paying for real internet leads.

 

Our marketing agencies in the U.S. and Canada have access to our management information database and are provided with real time information on the effectiveness of individual campaigns. This allows them to identify leads generated by specific commercials and spot times. The agencies consult with our marketing department to adjust schedules for advertisements depending on our needs and the effectiveness of the particular advertisements. Since more than 62% of our marketing budget is spent on television and newspaper advertisements, the availability of timely and accurate lead information is critical to the leads generation process. For the year ended June 30, 2005, approximately 32% of our new student enrollments were generated through television, newspaper and yellow pages marketing, 29% were generated through referrals, 21% were generated from the Internet, 5% were generated through direct mail, and 13% were generated through a variety of other methods.

 

Admissions

 

As of June 30, 2005, we employed approximately 1,100 admissions representatives in the U.S. and Canada who work directly with prospective students to facilitate the admissions process. These representatives interview and advise students interested in specific careers and are a key component of our effort to generate interest in our educational services. We conduct quarterly student satisfaction surveys at our campuses in the United States in which students have consistently given high marks to our admissions personnel for helpfulness, courtesy and accuracy of information. Because our success is highly dependent on the efficiency and effectiveness of our admissions process, we invest considerable resources to train our admissions representatives in product knowledge, regulatory compliance, and customer service. We also employ various admissions supervisory and monitoring programs, and conduct student surveys which help us ensure compliance with both government regulations and our corporate policies.

 

One of our objectives in the admissions process is to identify students who have appropriate qualifications to succeed in our schools. Candidates for admission into most of our degree-granting colleges must have either a high school diploma or a GED and the majority of prospective students must pass a standardized admissions test. In addition, most of our colleges in the United States accept non-high school graduates who can demonstrate an ability to benefit (“ATB students”) from the program by passing certain tests which are required by the U.S. Department of Education (“DOE”). We believe that ATB students can successfully complete many of our diploma programs and our colleges have demonstrated success in graduating and placing these students over the years. As of June 30, 2005, ATB students accounted for approximately 9.5% of total enrollments in our U.S. schools.

 

Placement

 

Graduate placement outcomes are critical to our colleges’ reputations and their ability to continue to successfully recruit new students. We maintain a placement department at each college and, as of June 30, 2005,

 

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employed approximately 332 individuals in this capacity. We require our career services personnel to work with students from the time they begin their courses of study until they are successfully placed in jobs for which they are trained. Our placement departments assist students with resumes, help them develop a professional demeanor, conduct practice interview sessions, and identify prospective employers for the colleges’ graduates. Overall, we believe the efforts we devote to place our graduates have achieved excellent results.

 

Our colleges endeavor to obtain information regarding their students’ employment following graduation. The reliability of that information depends, to a large extent, on the completeness and accuracy of the data provided to our colleges by graduates and their employers. Based on information received from these people, we believe that approximately 79.4% of our graduates in calendar year 2004 who were available for placement have been placed in a job for which they were trained. The various accrediting agencies and, as applicable, state and provincial regulatory authorities, evaluate placement rates by individual institution and program, and have different requirements regarding which students are considered “available for placement.” In defining the graduate cohort group for the purpose of calculating placement rates, certain accrediting agencies and state and provincial regulatory authorities may exclude, for example, graduates who are continuing their education, are in active military service or are deceased or disabled, and foreign students who are ineligible to work in the U.S. after graduation. Where applicable, we have also excluded those graduates in our calculation of students available for placement and the graduate placement rate.

 

Tuition

 

Typical tuition rates for our diploma programs in the U.S. and Canada range from $5,000 to $27,000, depending upon the nature and length of the program. Tuition for degree programs is charged on a credit hour basis and varies by college, typically ranging from $235 to $330 per undergraduate credit hour, depending upon the program of study. Tuition for graduate programs ranges from $390 to $435 per credit hour. On average, an undergraduate degree candidate can expect tuition of approximately $9,200 per academic year, while a master’s degree candidate can expect tuition of approximately $9,700 per academic year. In addition to tuition, students may be required to purchase textbooks and other supplies as part of their educational programs. We anticipate increasing tuition based on the market conditions prevailing at our individual colleges.

 

If a student fails to complete the period of enrollment (such as a quarter, trimester, semester, academic year, or program), the institution may be required to refund tuition previously collected to the originating or disbursing agency. Refunds are calculated in accordance with the applicable federal, state, provincial or institutional refund policies.

 

Campus Administration

 

We establish policy at our corporate office, implement these policies, and monitor the performance of our schools through the coordination of the executive vice president of operations, the division presidents, our regional vice presidents of operations, the regional vice presidents of admissions and their respective support staffs and through our internal audit department. The college presidents have the responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the schools. Each U.S. college generally employs the following management personnel which report to the college president:

 

    an academic dean or education director;

 

    an admissions director;

 

    a career services director;

 

    a finance director, and

 

    a business manager (where total students enrolled justify this level of support).

 

Our schools in Canada typically employ a smaller management team structure that will grow as each school expands capacity.

 

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Corporate personnel manage several key functions, including accounting, information technology, financial aid management, marketing, curriculum development, staff training, the call center, legal, treasury, internal audit, human resources, payroll, purchasing, and provide academic and instructional support for online learning. Among the principal oversight functions performed by corporate personnel (in cooperation with our division, region and college management) are the annual operating budget, strategic planning and forecasting processes. These processes establish goals for each college, assist in implementing strategies and establish performance expectations and corresponding incentives. Our senior management team monitors operating performance and profitability of each college using our information systems and has established periodic communication with the college presidents to review key performance indicators such as lead flow, starts, student population, and other operating results to determine the proper course of action.

 

Competition

 

The post-secondary education market in the United States, consisting of approximately 6,600 accredited institutions, is highly fragmented and competitive, with no institution having a significant market share. Many of the programs offered by our colleges are also offered by public and private non-profit institutions, as well as by many of the approximately 2,500 private, for-profit colleges and schools. The post-secondary education market in Canada is, we believe, also highly fragmented. Typically, the tuition charged by public institutions is less than tuition we charge for comparable programs because public institutions receive state subsidies, donations and government research and other grants that are not available to our colleges. However, tuition at other private non-profit institutions is often higher than the tuition charged at our colleges.

 

We compete in most markets with other private, for-profit institutions offering similar programs. We believe the long operating history of many of our colleges, the qualifications of our faculty, our facilities, and our emphasis on student services and placement allows us to compete effectively. In addition, many of our colleges have been operating in their markets for many years, which has led to a substantial number of graduates who are working in the community and validate the quality of the colleges’ programs. For example, the Bryman Colleges have been well known in the healthcare education field in California for over 40 years, our Duff’s College in Pittsburgh opened over 150 years ago, and our FMU Tampa campus has operated in Florida for over 100 years.

 

Facilities

 

Our corporate office is located in Santa Ana, California and our 128 campuses and 14 training centers, as of June 30, 2005, are located in 24 states and 7 Canadian provinces. Each campus provides our students with lecture halls, instructional labs, libraries, Internet access and other facilities.

 

We actively monitor the capacity at our facilities and the expected future facilities capacity required to accommodate campus growth initiatives. We provide for expansion and future growth at each campus through relocations to larger facilities and by expanding or remodeling existing facilities. From the beginning of fiscal 2001 through fiscal 2005, approximately 19% of the campuses have been relocated and an additional 69% of total campuses have been either expanded or remodeled. The following table reflects the number of campuses added, closed or combined, and the number of campuses that have been relocated, enlarged or remodeled during each of the last five fiscal years ended:

 

     2001

   2002

   2003

   2004

   2005

Opened

                        

Acquired

   9    3    4    72    1

Branched

   4    4    6    10    5

Closed or combined

   1    2    0    5    12

Total campuses/training centers at year end

   56    61    71    148    142

Relocated

   3    6    3    5    10

Enlarged or remodeled

   9    10    17    30    32

 

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All but three of our facilities are leased. In addition, we lease our headquarters offices. Most of our leases have primary terms between 5 and 10 years with options to extend the lease, at our election.

 

Management and Employees

 

Our company is led by David G. Moore, Chairman of the Board, and Jack D. Massimino, President and Chief Executive Officer. They are assisted by the other executive officers of the Company: Beth A. Wilson, Kenneth S. Ord , William B. Buchanan, Mary H. Barry, Mark L. Pelesh, Robert C. Owen, and, Stan A. Mortensen. In addition to the executive officers, our management team includes other vice presidents and senior vice presidents who provide supervision of various functional areas and the presidents of our operating divisions. As of June 30, 2005, we had approximately 8,185 employees in the U.S. and Canada, of whom approximately 3,200 were part-time and approximately 470 were employed at or assigned to our corporate headquarters and regional offices.

 

Faculty

 

The faculty members at our colleges are industry professionals and hold appropriate credentials in their respective disciplines. We choose faculty who possess the requisite academic and experiential qualifications and who we believe will be successful in working with our students and encourage them to pursue professional development activities to enhance their functional and classroom skills. We believe the skill and dedication of our faculty is critical to the academic and professional success of our students. As of June 30, 2005, we employed 4,353 faculty in the United States and Canada, 1,462 of whom were full-time employees. Faculty represents approximately 47% of our employees.

 

Available Information

 

Free copies of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) may be obtained through our website at www.cci.edu, or by contacting our investor relations department. Our website address is provided solely for informational purposes. We do not intend, by this reference, that our website or any of the information contained therein should be deemed to be part of, or incorporated into, this Annual Report.

 

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

 

Set forth below are the name, ages, titles and present and past positions of the persons serving as executive officers of the Company as of September 2, 2005:

 

Name


   Age

  

Position


David G. Moore

   66    Chairman of the Board

Jack D. Massimino

   56    President and Chief Executive Officer

Beth A. Wilson

   53    Executive Vice President, Operations

Kenneth S. Ord

   59    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

William B. Buchanan

   39    Executive Vice President, Marketing

Mary H. Barry

   56    Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

Mark L. Pelesh

   51    Executive Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs

Stan A. Mortensen

   38    Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Robert C. Owen

   44    Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer

 

David G. Moore is one of the founders of our company and has served a member of our board of directors, since our inception in July 1995. He was elected the Chairman of the Board in August of 2001. Immediately prior to forming our company, he was President of National Education Centers, Inc. (“NECI”), a subsidiary of National Education Corporation. From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Moore served as President of DeVry Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, where he developed DeVry’s West Coast growth strategy. From 1980 to 1992, he was employed by Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan, where he was President from 1984 to 1992. From 1960 to 1980, Mr. Moore served a distinguished career in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Colonel. Mr. Moore received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Seattle University and Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Puget Sound. He has also completed the Management of Higher Education Program at Harvard University, post graduate studies in Higher Education Management at the University of Michigan and graduate study and research in Computer Science at Kansas State University.

 

Jack D. Massimino , became our President and Chief Executive Officer in November 2004. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees of the Board. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Massimino was retired and managed his personal investment portfolio. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Talbert Medical Management Corporation, a publicly traded physician practice management company from 1995 through late 1997. Prior to his association with Talbert, Mr. Massimino was Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of FHP International Corporation, a multi-state, publicly-traded HMO, with revenues of approximately $4 billion at the time of his service. He also served in other executive positions after joining FHP in 1988, including Senior Vice President and Vice President, Corporate Development. Prior to such time, Mr. Massimino held other executive positions in the healthcare field starting in the mid-1970’s. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California Western University and earned a Master’s Degree in Management from the American Graduate School for International Management.

 

Beth A. Wilson has been employed by us since our inception in July 1995. She was promoted to Executive Vice President in July 2001. Previously, Ms. Wilson was Vice President of Operations from June 1998 to June 2001. Ms. Wilson was Regional Operations Director for Rhodes Colleges, Inc. from May 1997 to June 1998. From July 1995 to May 1997 she was Operations Director and Regional Operations Director for Corinthian Schools, Inc. Ms. Wilson was employed by NECI from 1991 to 1995, initially as Executive Director of its Capital Hill campus, then as Area Operations Manager. From 1990 to 1991, she was Vice President, Branch Operations for National College. She was employed by United Education and Software from 1984 to 1990, initially as Executive Director of a business school, then as Group Manager for four to fifteen locations and finally as Vice President, Administration. She was Scholarship Administrator for National University from 1982 to 1984 and Assistant Director of American Business College from 1976 to 1981. Ms. Wilson earned a Master’s of Business Administration from National University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State College, Sonoma.

 

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Kenneth S. Ord became our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in February 2005. Mr. Ord brings more than 30 years of financial experience to his position from publicly traded companies in the healthcare, staffing services and automotive industries. Mr. Ord was the Chief Financial Officer at Alliance Imaging, Inc. from 1998 to 2004. Previously he was the Chief Financial Officer of Talbert Medical Management Corporation during 1997 and he was the Chief Financial Officer of FHP International Corporation from 1994 to 1997. Prior to his experience at FHP, Mr. Ord held several successively responsible positions at Kelly Services Inc, including Treasurer, Controller and Vice President Finance. He began his career at Ford Motor Company, working in various financial roles, ranging from financial controls to profit analysis. Mr. Ord holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Brigham Young University.

 

William B. Buchanan became our Executive Vice President of Marketing in July 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Mr. Buchanan was employed by Greenpoint Mortgage, where he directed all retail marketing, with responsibility for direct marketing, internet marketing, advertising and branch marketing. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Buchanan was employed by Providian Financial Corporation where he progressed through several senior marketing roles, including Vice President of Platinum Marketing, Senior Vice President of New Account Business, and Executive Vice President of New Channel and Product Development. Mr. Buchanan received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Berkley.

 

Mary H. Barry was named Chief Compliance Officer in August 2005. She served as our Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs from September 2003 to August 2005, and served as our Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs from July 2002 until August 2003. Prior to that time she served as our Vice President of Education from April 1998 through July 2002. She was previously employed by University of Phoenix, Southern California Campus, from 1992 through April 1996, where her assignments included Director of Academic Affairs and Director of Administration. She was the Regional Director of the Center for Professional Education, Western Region, from 1996 to 1998. Previously, Ms. Barry was employed in the banking industry as Senior Vice President of Marquette Banks, Director for Citibank, and Vice President of First National Bank of Chicago. Ms. Barry served as a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1971 to 1980, achieving the rank of Major. Ms. Barry earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech/Drama Education from Bowling Green State University, a Masters of Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from Western State University.

 

Mark L. Pelesh became our Executive Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs in September 2003. Prior to joining our company, he was a partner in the firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in Washington, DC, where he was the head of the Education Law Group. His practice focused on federal and state laws and regulations and private accreditation requirements affecting postsecondary educational institutions. Prior to joining Drinker Biddle & Reath, Mr. Pelesh was a partner and associate in the firm of Cohn and Marks and an associate in the firm of Arnold & Porter, both of which are in Washington, DC. Mr. Pelesh received a Juris Doctorate degree from the Yale Law School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction and honors in History from Stanford University in 1975.

 

Stan A. Mortensen has served as our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since August 2002. Prior to his appointment as Senior Vice President, Mr. Mortensen served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since January 2000. Prior to that time, Mr. Mortensen was an attorney at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP from March 1997 through December 1999, where his practice focused on securities law, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. From August 1994 through February 1997, Mr. Mortensen was an attorney at the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation. Mr. Mortensen received a Juris Doctorate and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University.

 

Robert C. Owen has served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since February 2005. He joined Corinthian in 2004 as Vice President and Controller, and has more than 20 years experience in industry and public accounting. Previously, he served as Vice President, Controller for Princess Cruise Lines and as

 

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Assistant Controller for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Mr. Owen began his career at Deloitte & Touche, where he spent 11 years in successively responsible positions, both in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Owen earned a B.B.A. degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University. He obtained his license as a Certified Public Accountant in Florida in 1985 and as a Chartered Accountant in Ontario, Canada in 1994.

 

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GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS AND FINANCIAL AID

 

U.S. Regulations

 

Students attending our schools in the U.S. finance their education through a combination of family contributions, individual resources (including earnings from full or part-time employment) and federal financial aid programs.

 

We estimate that during fiscal 2005 approximately 77.7% of our students in the U.S. received some federal Title IV financial aid. For fiscal 2005, approximately 79.3% of our revenues (on a cash basis) were derived from federal Title IV programs (as defined herein).

 

If any of our institutions were to lose its eligibility to participate in federal student financial aid programs, the students at that institution would lose access to funds derived from those programs and would have to seek alternative sources of funds to pay their tuition and fees. Students in the U.S. obtain access to federal student financial aid through a DOE prescribed application and eligibility certification process. Student financial aid funds are generally made available to students at prescribed intervals throughout their predetermined expected length of study. Students typically use the funds received from the federal financial aid programs to pay their tuition and fees. The transfer of funds from the financial aid programs is to the students, who then apply those funds to the cost of their education. The receipt of funds from federal financial aid programs reduces the students’ amount due to the institution, but does not impact the Company’s revenue recognition.

 

In connection with the receipt of federal financial aid by our students, we are subject to extensive regulation by governmental agencies and licensing and accrediting agencies. In particular, the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (the “HEA”), and the regulations issued there under by the DOE, subject us to significant regulatory scrutiny in the form of numerous standards that schools must satisfy in order to participate in the various federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the HEA (the “Title IV Programs”). Under the HEA, regulatory authority is divided among each of the following components: (i) the federal government, which acts through the DOE; (ii) the accrediting agencies recognized by the DOE; and (iii) state higher education regulatory bodies. Among other things, the HEA and DOE regulations require each of our U.S. institutions to: (i) maintain a rate of default by its students on federally guaranteed loans that are below a specified rate; (ii) limit the proportion of its revenue (on a cash basis) derived from the Title IV Programs; (iii) comply with certain financial responsibility and administrative capability standards; (iv) prohibit the payment of certain incentives to personnel engaged in student recruiting, admissions activities or the award of financial aid; and (v) achieve prescribed completion and placement outcomes for short-term programs. The regulations, standards and policies of the regulatory agencies frequently change, and changes in, or new interpretations of, applicable laws, regulations or standards could have material consequences for our accreditation, authorization to operate in various states, permissible activities, receipt of funds under Title IV Programs and costs of doing business.

 

The federally guaranteed loans referred to by us are authorized by the HEA and are guaranteed by an agency of the federal government. The guaranteed loans are neither guaranteed by us, nor can such guaranteed loans become our obligation. Accordingly, we do not record an obligation to repay any of the guaranteed loans that are not repaid by our former students, and we do not record either a contingent obligation or an allowance for future obligations as a result of student defaults of federally guaranteed loans.

 

Rather, the DOE regulations require that we maintain a rate of default by our former students on federally guaranteed, or funded student loans, that is below a specified rate, and pertain solely to our eligibility to participate in federal student financial aid programs. If an institution fails to maintain a Cohort Default Rate of 25% or less for three consecutive years, the institution could lose eligibility to participate in federal financial aid programs, and its students would lose access to the federally guaranteed student loan programs.

 

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The DOE regulations define an institution as a main campus and its additional locations, if any. As defined by the DOE, our main campuses and additional locations in the U.S. are as follows:

 

Main Campus


  

Additional Locations


Ashmead College, Seattle, WA

  

Ashmead College, Fife, WA

Ashmead College, Vancouver, WA

Ashmead College, Everett, WA

Ashmead College, Tigard, OR

Blair College, Colorado Springs, CO

  

Parks College, McLean, VA

Bryman College, Alhambra, CA

   Bryman Institute, Chelsea, MA

Bryman College, Brighton, MA

  

Olympia College, North Aurora, IL

Bryman College, Gardena, CA

  

GMI, Norcross, GA

Bryman College, Hayward, CA

   Bryman College, New Orleans, LA

Bryman College, Ontario, CA

  

Bryman Institute, Columbus, Ohio

Bryman College, Port Orchard, WA

  

Bryman College, Everett, WA

Bryman College, Tacoma, WA

Bryman College, St. Louis, MO

Bryman College, Renton, WA

  

Bryman College, Lynnwood, WA

NIT, Houston (Bissonnet), TX

Bryman College, San Francisco, CA

   Olympia College, Chicago, IL

FMU, Orlando (North), FL

  

FMU, Melbourne, FL

FMU, Orlando (South), FL

FMU, Pinellas, FL

  

FMU, Lakeland, FL

FMU, Jacksonville, FL

FMU, Tampa, FL

  

FMU, Brandon, FL

FMU, Orange Park, FL

GMI, Atlanta, GA

  

GMI, Jonesboro, GA

GMI, Marietta, GA

Kee Business College, Newport News, VA

  

Kee Business College, Chesapeake, VA

Las Vegas College, Las Vegas, NV

   Las Vegas College, Henderson, NV

Mountain West College, Salt Lake City, UT

  

Everest College, Fort Worth, TX

NIT, Cross Lanes, WV

  

GMI, Dekalb, GA

Bryman Institute, Eagan, MN

NIT, Long Beach, CA

  

Bryman College, City of Industry, CA

Bryman College, West Los Angeles, CA

NIT, San Antonio, TX

  

NIT, Houston, TX

NIT, Houston (Greenspoint), TX

NIT, Houston (Hobby), TX

NIT, Southfield, MI

  

NIT, Dearborn, MI

NIT, Detroit, MI

NIT, Austin, TX

NST, Kendall, FL

  

NST, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

NST, North Miami Beach, FL

   NST, Hialeah, FL

 

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Main Campus


  

Additional Locations


Olympia Career Training Institute,
Grand Rapids, MI

  

Olympia Career Training Institute, Kalamazoo, MI

Olympia College, Merrillville, IN

Olympia College, Skokie, IL

   Olympia College, Burr Ridge, IL

Parks College, Thornton, CO

  

Parks College, Aurora, CO

Parks College, Arlington, VA

Rochester Business Institute, Rochester, NY

   Everest College, Mid-Cities, TX

Springfield College, Springfield, MO

  

Everest College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Western Business College, Portland, OR

  

Western Business College, Vancouver, WA

Everest College, Dallas, TX

Everest Institute, Silver Springs, MD

Wyo-Tech, Fremont, CA

  

Wyo-Tech, Oakland, CA

Wyo-Tech, Laramie, WY

   Wyo-Tech, Blairsville, PA Wyo-Tech, Sacramento, CA

 

Accreditation for U.S. Schools

 

Accreditation is a voluntary non-governmental process by which institutions submit themselves to qualitative review by an organization of peer institutions. There are three types of accrediting agencies: (i) national accrediting agencies, which accredit institutions without regard to geographical location; (ii) regional accrediting agencies, which accredit institutions within their geographic areas; and (iii) programmatic accrediting agencies, which accredit specific educational programs offered by institutions. Accrediting agencies primarily examine the academic quality of the instructional programs offered at the institution, including retention and placement rates. Accrediting agencies also review the administrative and financial operations of the institution to ensure that it has the academic and financial resources to achieve its educational mission. A grant of accreditation is generally viewed as certification that an institution and its programs meet generally accepted academic standards.

 

Pursuant to provisions of the HEA, the DOE relies on accrediting agencies to determine whether an institution and its educational programs are of sufficient quality to permit it to participate in Title IV Programs. The HEA specifies certain standards that all recognized accrediting agencies must adopt in connection with their review of post-secondary institutions and requires accrediting agencies to submit to a periodic review by the DOE as a condition of their continued recognition. All of our colleges located within the U.S. are accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the DOE as depicted in the table below:

 

Accrediting Agency


   Number of
Schools
Accredited


   % of
Total
Schools


 

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology

   42    45 %

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

   35    37 %

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Sciences

   10    11 %

Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training

   6    6 %

North Central Association

   1    1 %
    
  

Total U.S. Schools

   94    100 %
    
  

 

The HEA requires accrediting agencies recognized by the DOE to review many aspects of an institution’s operations in order to ensure that the education or training offered is of sufficient quality to achieve, for the duration of the accreditation period, the stated objectives of the education or training offered. Under the HEA, recognized accrediting agencies must conduct regular reviews of the institutions they accredit. In addition to

 

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periodic accreditation reviews, institutions undergoing a change of ownership must be reviewed by the appropriate accrediting agency. All of our colleges in the U.S. have been visited and reviewed by their respective accrediting agencies subsequent to the date of acquisition by us. Accrediting agencies also monitor institutions’ compliance during the term of their accreditation. If an accrediting agency believes that an institution may be out of compliance with accrediting standards, it may place the institution on probation or a similar warning status or direct the institution to show cause why its accreditation should not be revoked. An accrediting agency may also require the institution to supply it with supplemental reports in order for the agency to monitor one or more specific areas of the institution’s performance, typically completion or graduate placement outcomes. This is commonly referred to as being on “reporting” status. Failure to demonstrate compliance with accrediting standards in any of these instances could result in loss of accreditation. Being on probation, show cause, or reporting status may cause an accreditor to deny an institution permission, or otherwise delay approval, to open and commence instruction at new locations.

 

Show Cause Orders. A show cause order is issued based upon an accrediting agency’s concerns that an accredited institution may be out of compliance with one or more accrediting standards. It affords the institution the opportunity to respond before any adverse action is taken. The institution may demonstrate that the concern is unfounded, that it has taken corrective action to resolve the concern, or that it has implemented an ongoing plan of action which is deemed appropriate to resolve the concern. The accrediting agency may then vacate the show cause order, continue the show cause order or seek additional information through reports required of the institution. If the agency’s concerns are not resolved, it may act to withdraw accreditation from the institution.

 

We responded to the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (“ACCSCT”) with respect to the previously reported show cause order for our Georgia Medical Institute campus in Dekalb, Georgia, in a timely manner and will continue to work with ACCSCT to address and resolve any concerns regarding that school.

 

The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Sciences (“ABHES”) recently issued show cause orders to our Olympia College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and its two branch campuses in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Merrillville, Indiana, and to our Georgia Medical Institute campus in Atlanta and its two branch campuses in Marietta and Jonesboro, Georgia. These show cause orders relate to completion and placement rates. We have responded to each of these show cause orders and will continue to work with ABHES to address and resolve any concerns on which the show cause orders are based. ACCSCT also recently issued a show cause order to our National Institute of Technology campus in Houston (Greenspoint), Texas, relating to the school’s placement outcomes. We expect to respond to ACCSCT in advance of its next commission meeting, currently scheduled for November 2005.

 

Since accreditation is required for an institution to be eligible to participate in the federal student financial aid programs, the failure by one or more of these schools to satisfactorily resolve the show cause orders could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

 

Supplemental Reports. As of June 30, 2004, forty of our colleges were required to provide periodic supplemental reports to their respective accrediting agencies, primarily with respect to the completion and/or placement rates of their students. In certain of these cases, the periodic supplemental reports are required only with respect to particular programs at an institution, and not to the institution’s overall completion or placement rates. We are working to improve these retention and placement rates in the identified programs at these schools.

 

Federal Support for Post-Secondary Education in the U.S.

 

While many states support their public colleges and universities through direct state subsidies, the federal government provides a substantial part of its support for post-secondary education through grants and loans to students who can apply the funds received to pay for their educational costs at any institution certified by the DOE as eligible to participate in the federally funded student financial aid programs. Since 1972, Congress has expanded the scope of the HEA by, among other things, (i) providing that students attending proprietary institutions, such as our institutions, are eligible for assistance under the Title IV Programs, (ii) establishing a program for loans to parents of eligible students, (iii) opening the Title IV Programs to part-time students, and (iv) increasing maximum loan limits and in some cases eliminating the requirement that students demonstrate

 

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financial need to obtain federally guaranteed loans. The Federal Direct Loan Program (“FDL”) was also enacted, enabling students to obtain loans directly from the federal government rather than from commercial lenders.

 

Congress must reauthorize the student financial assistance programs of the HEA approximately every five to six years, and the last reauthorization took place in 1998. Consequently, Congress is currently considering the reauthorization of the HEA, and is currently expected to conclude it in calendar 2005 or 2006. Although it is unclear at this time what changes, if any, Congress may make to the HEA as a result of reauthorization, we believe that upon reauthorization, our institutions and students will continue to have access to Title IV funds. However, if substantial changes were made to HEA that adversely affected the terms and conditions of our schools’ participation in the Title IV programs as a result of reauthorization, it could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and cash flows.

 

Students at our U.S. institutions receive grants, loans and work opportunities to fund their education under several of the Title IV Programs, of which the two largest are the Federal Family Education Loan (“FFEL”) program and the Federal Pell Grant (“Pell”) program. Our institutions also participate in the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (“FSEOG”) program, and some of them participate in the Federal Perkins loan program and the Federal Work-Study (“FWS”) program.

 

Most aid under the Title IV Programs is awarded on the basis of financial need, generally defined under the HEA as the difference between the cost of attending an educational institution and the amount a student can reasonably contribute to that cost. All recipients of Title IV Program funds must maintain both a satisfactory grade point average and progress in a timely manner toward completion of their program of study.

 

Pell. Pell grants are the primary component of the Title IV Programs under which the DOE makes grants to students who demonstrate financial need. Every eligible student is entitled to receive a Pell grant; there is no institutional allocation or limit. For the 2004-2005 award year, Pell grants ranged from $400 to $4,050 per year. Amounts received by students enrolled in our institutions in the 2004-2005 award year under the Pell program equaled approximately 20.7% of our net revenue (on a cash basis).

 

FSEOG. FSEOG awards are designed to supplement Pell grants for the neediest students. FSEOG grants generally range in amount from $100 to $4,000 per year; however, the availability of FSEOG awards is limited by the amount of those funds allocated to an institution under a formula that takes into account the size of the institution, its costs and the income levels of its students. We are required to make a 25% contribution to students for all FSEOG awards disbursed. Resources for this institutional contribution may include institutional grants, scholarships and other eligible funds (i.e., funds from foundations and other charitable organizations) and, in certain states, portions of state scholarships and grants. During the 2004-2005 award year, our contribution was met by approximately $1.6 million in funds from our institutions, funds from state scholarships and grants, and funds from foundations and other charitable organizations. Amounts received by students in our institutions under the federal share (including the FSEOG match) of the FSEOG programs in the 2004-2005 award year equaled approximately 0.7% of our net revenue (on a cash basis).

 

FFEL and FDL. The FFEL program consists of two types of loans, Stafford loans, which are made available to students, and PLUS loans, which are made available to parents of students classified as dependents. Under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (“FDL”) program, students may obtain loans directly from the DOE rather than commercial lenders. The conditions on FDL loans are generally the same as on loans made under the FFEL program. Under the Stafford loan program, a student may borrow up to $2,625 for the first academic year, $3,500 for the second academic year and, in some educational programs, $5,500 for each of the third and fourth academic years. Students with financial need qualify for interest subsidies while in school and during grace periods. Students who are classified as independent can increase their borrowing limits and receive additional unsubsidized Stafford loans. Such students can obtain an additional $4,000 for each of the first and second academic years and, depending upon the educational program, an additional $5,000 for each of the third and fourth academic years. The obligation to begin repaying Stafford loans does not commence until six months after a student ceases enrollment as at least a half-time student. Amounts received by students in our institutions under the Stafford program in the 2004-2005 award year equaled approximately 48.3% of our net revenue (on a cash

 

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basis). PLUS loans may be obtained by the parents of a dependent student in an amount not to exceed the difference between the total cost of that student’s education (including allowable expenses) and other aid to which that student is entitled. Amounts received by students in our institutions under the PLUS program in the 2004-2005 award year equaled approximately 9.3% of our net revenue (on a cash basis).

 

Our schools and their students use a wide variety of lenders and guaranty agencies and have generally not experienced difficulties in identifying lenders and guaranty agencies willing to make federal student loans. Additionally, the HEA requires the establishment of “lenders of last resort” in every state to ensure that students at any institution that cannot identify such lenders will have access to the FFEL program loans. None of our colleges uses a lender of last resort.

 

Perkins. Eligible undergraduate students may borrow up to $4,000 under the Perkins program during each award year, with repayment delayed until nine months after the borrower ceases to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Perkins loans are made available to those students who demonstrate a financial need. Perkins loans are made from a revolving account, 75% of which was initially capitalized by the DOE. Subsequent federal capital contributions, with an institutional contribution of one-third of the federal contribution, may be received if an institution meets certain requirements. Each institution collects payments on Perkins loans from its former students and loans those funds to currently enrolled students. Collection and disbursement of Perkins loans is the responsibility of each participating institution. During the 2004-2005 award year, we collected approximately $4.0 million from our former students in repayment of Perkins loans. In the 2004-2005 award year, we had no required matching contribution. The Perkins loans disbursed to students in our institutions in the 2004-2005 award year equaled approximately 0.5% of our net revenue (on a cash basis).

 

FWS. Under the FWS program, federal funds are made available to pay up to 75% of the cost of compensation for part-time employment of eligible students, based on their financial need, to perform work for the institution or for off-campus public or non-profit organizations. At least 7% of an institution’s FWS allocation must be used to fund student employment in community service positions. FWS earnings are given directly to the student for their own discretionary use.

 

Federal Oversight of the Title IV Programs in the U.S.

 

The substantial amount of federal funds disbursed through the Title IV Programs coupled with the large numbers of students and institutions participating in those programs have led the U.S. Congress to require the DOE to engage in a substantial level of regulatory oversight of institutions to ensure that public funds are properly used. Each institution which participates in the Title IV Programs must annually submit to the DOE both an audit by an independent accounting firm of that institution’s compliance with the Title IV Program requirements, and audited financial statements. The DOE also conducts compliance reviews, which include on-site evaluations, and directs student loan guaranty agencies to conduct additional reviews relating to the FFEL programs. In addition, the Office of the Inspector General of the DOE conducts audits and investigations of institutions in certain circumstances. Under the HEA, accrediting agencies and state licensing agencies also have responsibilities for overseeing institutions’ compliance with Title IV Program requirements. As a result, each participating institution, including each of our U.S. institutions, is subject to frequent and detailed oversight and must comply with a complex framework of laws and regulations or risk being required to repay funds or becoming ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs. In addition, the DOE periodically revises its regulations and changes its interpretation of existing laws and regulations.

 

Cohort Default Rates. A significant requirement imposed by Congress is a limitation on participation in the Title IV Programs by institutions whose former students defaulted on the repayment of federally guaranteed or funded student loans at an “excessive” rate (“Cohort Default Rates”). Many institutions, including all of our institutions within the U.S., have responded by implementing aggressive student loan default management programs aimed at reducing the likelihood of students failing to repay their federally guaranteed loans in a timely manner. An institution’s Cohort Default Rates under the FFEL and FDL programs are calculated on an annual basis as the rate at which student borrowers scheduled to begin repayment on their loans in one federal fiscal year

 

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default on those loans by the end of the next federal fiscal year. An institution that participates in both the FFEL and FDL programs receives a single “weighted average” Cohort Default Rate in place of an FFEL or FDL Cohort Default Rate. Any institution whose Cohort Default Rate equals or exceeds 25% for any one of the three most recent federal fiscal years may be found by the DOE to lack administrative capability and, on that basis, placed on provisional certification status for up to three years. Provisional certification status does not limit an institution’s access to Title IV Program funds but does subject that institution to closer review by the DOE and possible summary adverse action if that institution commits violations of the Title IV Program requirements. Any institution whose Cohort Default Rates equal or exceed 25% for three consecutive years may lose eligibility to participate in the FFEL or FDL programs for the remainder of the federal fiscal year in which the DOE determines that such institution has lost its eligibility and for the two subsequent federal fiscal years. In addition, an institution whose Cohort Default Rate for any federal fiscal year exceeds 40% may have its eligibility to participate in all of the Title IV Programs limited, suspended or terminated. The HEA also provides that institutions which become ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs because of Cohort Default Rates in excess of the applicable levels would also become ineligible to participate in the Pell grant program. Since the calculation of Cohort Default Rates involves the collection of data from many non-governmental agencies (i.e., lenders, private guarantors or servicers), as well as the DOE, the HEA provides a formal process for the review and appeal of the accuracy of Cohort Default Rates before the DOE takes any action against an institution based on such rates.

 

We proactively manage our students’ repayment obligations and have engaged a professional default management firm to assist us in managing the Cohort Default Rates at our U.S. institutions. We believe that professional default management services can continue to assist us in managing these Cohort Default Rates.

 

The following table sets forth the final Cohort Default Rates for our institutions in the U.S. for federal fiscal years 2001 and 2002, and draft rates for 2003:

 

Institution


   2001

    2002

    2003 (2)

 

AMI Institute, Daytona Beach, FL

   12.4 %   11.9 %   8.4 %

Ashmead College, Seattle, WA (Fife, Vancouver, and Everett, WA, and Tigard, OR) (1)

   7.3 %   6.1 %   6.2 %

Blair College, Colorado Springs, CO (Parks College, McLean, VA) (1)

   14.4 %   12.5 %   7.3 %

Bryman College, Alhambra, CA (Bryman Institute, Chelsea, MA (1)

   12.0 %   7.6 %   11.1 %

Bryman College, Gardena, CA (GMI, Norcross, GA) (1)

   11.7 %   9.5 %   6.4 %

Bryman College, Los Angeles, CA

   10.1 %   9.9 %   8.5 %

Bryman College, Anaheim, CA

   6.7 %   8.8 %   7.2 %

Bryman College, San Francisco, CA (Olympia College, Chicago, IL) (1)

   13.2 %   10.3 %   9.5 %

Bryman College, San Jose, CA

   10.0 %   8.8 %   11.8 %

Bryman College, Hayward, CA (New Orleans, LA) (1)

   11.9 %   12.6 %   6.3 %

Bryman College, Renton, WA (Lynnwood, WA; NIT, Bissonet, TX) (1)

   9.7 %   10.3 %   6.6 %

Bryman College, Reseda, CA

   7.7 %   6.6 %   7.1 %

Bryman College, Ontario, CA

   8.8 %   10.2 %   7.8 %

Bryman College, Torrance, CA

   6.6 %   11.5 %   12.4 %

Bryman College, Port Orchard, WA (Everett, and Tacoma, WA) (1)

   9.0 %   11.2 %   11.3 %

Bryman College, San Bernardino, CA

   2.7 %   6.9 %   10.9 %

Bryman Institute, Brighton, MA

   9.7 %   14.7 %   8.1 %

Duff’s Business Institute, Pittsburgh, PA

   21.2 %   21.9 %   13.2 %

Everest College, Phoenix, AZ

   8.5 %   17.7 %   15.9 %

FMU, Orlando (North), FL (Orlando South, and Melbourne, FL) (1)

   12.2 %   9.7 %   9.1 %

FMU, Pinellas, FL (Lakeland and Jacksonville, FL) (1)

   10.8 %   11.4 %   10.5 %

FMU, Pompano Beach, FL

   13.0 %   9.0 %   7.6 %

FMU, Tampa, FL (Brandon and Orange Park, FL) (1)

   12.9 %   9.7 %   9.4 %

GMI, Atlanta, GA (Jonesboro and Marietta, GA) (1)

   18.5 %   15.4 %   10.6 %

Kee Business College, Newport News, VA (Chesapeake, VA) (1)

   10.8 %   11.4 %   8.2 %

Las Vegas College, Las Vegas, NV (Henderson, NV) (1)

   17.6 %   16.2 %   13.7 %

 

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Institution


   2001

    2002

    2003 (2)

 

Mountain West College, Salt Lake City, UT

   15.6 %   13.8 %   13.8 %

National School of Technology, North Miami Beach, FL (Hialeah, FL) (1)

   15.2 %   12.0 %   9.5 %

National School of Technology, Kendall, FL (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) (1)

   14.2 %   7.7 %   12.3 %

NIT, Cross Lanes, WV (GMI, Dekalb, GA; Bryman Institute, Eagan, MN) (1)

   13.2 %   10.6 %   10.6 %

NIT, Long Beach, CA (Bryman College, West Los Angeles and City of Industry, CA) (1)

   15.8 %   12.8 %   13.2 %

NIT, San Antonio, TX (Houston, Greenspoint, and Hobby, TX) (1)

   14.3 %   14.5 %   15.7 %

NIT, Southfield, MI (Dearborn and Detroit, MI, and Austin, TX) (1)

   15.1 %   8.7 %   5.2 %

Olympia College, Skokie, IL (Burr Ridge, IL) (1)

   8.9 %   7.6 %   9.3 %

Olympia Career Training Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, (Kalamazoo, MI, and Olympia College, Merrillville, IN) (1)

   8.5 %   9.1 %   7.0 %

Parks College, Thornton, CO (Aurora, CO, and Arlington, VA) (1)

   15.7 %   13.3 %   10.5 %

Rochester Business Institute, Rochester, NY (Everest College, Mid Cities, TX) (1)

   16.3 %   12.2 %   9.4 %

Springfield College, Springfield, MO (Everest College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) (1)

   17.1 %   15.4 %   12.0 %

Western Business College, Portland, OR (Vancouver, WA, and Everest College, Dallas, TX) (1)

   9.0 %   13.4 %   10.0 %

Wyo-Tech, Boston, MA

   10.2 %   15.6 %   5.5 %

Wyo-Tech, Fremont, CA (Oakland, CA) (1)

   13.3 %   13.1 %   14.7 %

Wyo-Tech, Laramie, WY (Sacramento, CA and Blairsville, PA) (1)

   5.5 %   4.4 %   4.2 %

Consolidated Average Cohort Default Rate

   12.4 %   11.1 %   9.6 %

(1) Indicates additional locations wherein the Cohort Default Rates are blended with the main campus.
(2) Rates are based on the draft Cohort Default Rates issued on February 12, 2005, and are subject to change when final rates are published.

 

In addition, if an institution’s Cohort Default Rate for loans under the Perkins program exceeds 15% for any federal award year (i.e., July 1 through June 30), that institution may be placed on provisional certification status for up to three years. Fourteen of our institutions have Perkins program Cohort Default Rates in excess of 15% for students who were scheduled to begin repayment in the 2003 federal award year, the most recent year for which such rates have been calculated. During fiscal 2003, Perkins loans amounted to approximately 0.4% of our total revenues (on a cash basis). The Perkins program Cohort Default Rates for these institutions ranged from 6.1% to 24.13%. Default rates in excess of 15% could result in provisional certification status. Historically, provisional certification due to excessive Perkins program Cohort Default Rates has not had a material adverse effect on our business.

 

In addition to the efforts of our outside professional default management firm, each of our colleges has adopted an internal student loan default management plan. Those plans emphasize to students the importance of meeting loan repayment requirements and provide for extensive loan counseling, along with methods to increase student persistence and completion rates and graduate employment (placement) rates. Immediately upon a student’s cessation of enrollment, the professional default management firm initiates regular contact with the student, maintains regular contact throughout the grace period, and continues this activity through the entire cohort period. The colleges continue to work with the default management firm to maintain accurate and up-to-date information on address changes, marital status changes, or changes in circumstance that may allow the student to apply for deferments. These activities are all in addition to the loan servicing and collection activities of FFEL lenders and guarantee agencies.

 

Regulatory Scrutiny. The HEA provides for a three-part initiative, generally referred to as the Triad, to provide regulatory scrutiny of post-secondary education institutions. The first part of the Triad consists of accrediting agencies which review and accredit our campuses. Their examinations pertain to such areas as student achievement, curriculum, faculty, facilities, equipment, admissions, financial responsibility and timeliness of student refunds. The Triad provisions also require each accrediting agency recognized by the DOE to undergo comprehensive periodic reviews by the DOE to ascertain whether such accrediting agency is adhering to required standards.

 

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The second part of the Triad involves the standards to be applied by the DOE in evaluating the financial responsibility and administrative capability of institutions participating in the Title IV Programs. In addition, the Triad mandates that the DOE periodically review the eligibility and certification to participate in the Title IV Programs of every such eligible institution. By law, all institutions are required to undergo a recertification review at least every six years, although the DOE may recertify an institution for a shorter time period. Under these standards, each of our institutions is evaluated by the DOE on a routine basis. A denial of recertification would preclude an institution from continuing to participate in the Title IV Programs.

 

The third part of the Triad involves approvals by state education agencies with jurisdiction over educational institutions. State requirements are important to an institution’s eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs since an institution must be licensed or otherwise authorized to operate in the state in which it offers education or training services in order to be certified as eligible. The level of regulatory oversight varies substantially from state to state. State laws establish standards for instruction, qualifications of faculty, location and nature of facilities, financial policies and responsibility and other operational matters. State laws and regulations may limit our ability to obtain authorization to operate in certain states, to award degrees or diplomas, or offer new degree programs. Certain states prescribe standards of financial responsibility that are different from those prescribed by the DOE. We believe that each of our campuses is in substantial compliance with state authorizing and licensure laws.

 

Compliance with Regulatory Standards and Effect of Regulatory Violations. Our schools are subject to audits and program compliance reviews by various external agencies, including the DOE, state authorizing agencies, student loan guaranty agencies and accrediting agencies. The HEA and its implementing regulations also require that an institution’s administration of Title IV Program funds be audited annually by an independent accounting firm. The resulting audit report must be submitted to the DOE for review. If the DOE or another regulatory agency determined that one of our institutions improperly disbursed Title IV Program funds or violated a provision of the HEA or the DOE’s regulations, that institution could be required to repay such funds, and could be assessed an administrative fine. The DOE could also subject the institution to a heightened level of monitoring, under which the institution’s federal funding requests would be more carefully reviewed by the DOE, or the DOE could transfer the institution from the advance system of receiving Title IV Program funds to the reimbursement system, under which an institution must document the students’ eligibility for Title IV Program funds before receiving such funds from the DOE. Violations of Title IV Program requirements could also subject us or our schools to other civil and criminal penalties.

 

As previously disclosed, the U.S. DOE conducted a program review at our Bryman College in San Jose, California in December 2003. Shortly thereafter, that school was placed on reimbursement status by the DOE. On September 22, 2004, the Company announced that the DOE had returned the campus to the advance system of funding. As required by the DOE, we delivered a written response to the program review on December 14, 2004. On May 12, 2005 we announced that we had received a Final Determination Letter from the DOE that resolved the program review. The Final Determination Letter required the return of a net amount of approximately $776,000 to the DOE, the Perkins Fund and Federal Family Education Loan program lenders. No fines or penalties were assessed, and the institution’s continued eligibility to receive Title IV student financial aid funds was not affected. The payment did not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

From time to time, certain of our other institutions have also been the subject of program reviews by the DOE. Program reviews are often unresolved for several months or years with little or no communication from the DOE. We do not believe that any of our currently pending program reviews with the DOE is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. However, if the DOE were to make significant findings of non-compliance by any of our schools in any ongoing or future program review, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Significant violations of Title IV Program requirements by us or any of our institutions could be the basis for a proceeding by the DOE to limit, suspend, or terminate the participation of the affected institution in the

 

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Title IV Programs. Generally, such a termination extends for 18 months before the institution may apply for reinstatement of its participation. There is no proceeding pending to fine any of our institutions or to limit, suspend, or terminate any of our institutions’ participation in the Title IV Programs, and we have no reason to believe that any such proceeding is contemplated. Any such action that substantially limited our schools’ participation in the Title IV Programs could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows, and financial condition.

 

Financial Responsibility Standards. All institutions participating in the Title IV Programs must satisfy a series of specific standards of financial responsibility. Institutions are evaluated for compliance with those requirements in several circumstances, including as part of the DOE’s recertification process and also annually as each institution submits its audited financial statements to the DOE. As part of the evaluation of an institution’s financial responsibility, the DOE calculates three financial ratios for an institution: an equity ratio, a primary reserve ratio, and a net income ratio. Each ratio is scored separately and then combined to determine the institution’s financial responsibility. If an institution’s composite score is below the minimum requirement for unconditional approval (which is a score of 1.5) but above a designated threshold level (the “Zone,” which is 1.0 to 1.4), such institution may take advantage of an alternative that allows it to continue to participate in the Title IV Programs for up to three years under additional monitoring and reporting procedures but without having to post a letter of credit in favor of the DOE. If an institution’s composite score falls below the minimum threshold level of 1.0 or is in the Zone for more than three consecutive years, the institution may be required to post a letter of credit in favor of the DOE.

 

For fiscal 2005, our calculations reflect that all of our schools exceed the requirements for financial responsibility on an individual basis, with composite scores ranging from 1.5 to 3.0. Also, our company, on a consolidated basis, meets the requirements with the composite score of 2.06.

 

An institution that is determined by the DOE not to have met the standards of financial responsibility is nonetheless entitled to participate in the Title IV Programs if it can demonstrate to the DOE that it is financially responsible on an alternative basis. An institution may do so by posting a surety either in an amount equal to 50% (or greater, as the DOE may require) of the total Title IV Program funds received by students enrolled at such institution during the prior year or in an amount equal to 10% (or greater, as the DOE may require) of such prior year’s funds if the institution also agrees to provisional certification and to transfer to the reimbursement or cash monitoring system of payment for its Title IV Program funds. The DOE has interpreted this surety condition to require the posting of an irrevocable letter of credit in favor of the DOE.

 

Under a separate standard of financial responsibility, if an institution has made late Title IV refunds to students in its prior two years, the institution is required to post a letter of credit in favor of the DOE in an amount equal to 25% of the total Title IV Program refunds paid by the institution in its prior fiscal year. As of July 1, 1997, this standard was modified to exempt an institution that has not been found to make late refunds to 5% or more of its students who were due refunds in either of the two most recent fiscal years and has not been cited for a reportable condition or material weakness in its internal controls related to late refunds in either of its two most recent fiscal years. Based on this standard, we currently have outstanding letters of credit relating to these programs in the aggregate amount of approximately $1.9 million. There can be no assurance that, upon review by the DOE, that we will not be required to post additional letters of credit in favor of the DOE on behalf of the affected colleges.

 

Restrictions on Acquiring or Opening Additional Schools and Adding Educational Programs. An institution which undergoes a change of ownership resulting in a change in control, including all of the institutions that we have acquired or will acquire, must be reviewed and recertified for participation in the Title IV Programs under its new ownership. If an institution is recertified following a change of ownership, it will be on a provisional basis. During the time an institution is provisionally certified, it may be subject to closer review by the DOE and to summary adverse action for violations of Title IV Program requirements, but provisional certification does not otherwise limit an institution’s access to Title IV Program funds. All of our schools have been provisionally

 

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certified following their acquisition by us. As of June 30, 2005, nine of our acquired schools are on provisional certification due to their change in ownership.

 

The HEA generally requires that proprietary institutions be fully operational for two years before applying to participate in the Title IV Programs. However, under the HEA and applicable regulations, an institution that is certified to participate in the Title IV Programs may establish an additional location and apply to participate in the Title IV Programs at that location without reference to the two-year requirement, as long as such additional location satisfies all other applicable Title IV Program participation eligibility requirements. Our expansion plans are based, in part, on our ability to acquire schools that can be recertified and to open additional locations as branch campuses of existing institutions.

 

Generally, if an institution is eligible to participate in the Title IV Programs and adds an educational program after it has been designated as an eligible institution, the institution must apply to the DOE to have the additional program designated as eligible. However, an institution is not obligated to obtain DOE approval of an additional program that leads to an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree or which prepares students for gainful employment in the same or related recognized occupation through an educational program that has previously been designated as an eligible program at that institution and meets certain minimum length requirements. Furthermore, short-term educational programs, which generally consist of those programs that provide at least 300 but less than 600 clock hours of instruction, are eligible only for FFEL funding and only if they have been offered for a year and the institution can demonstrate, based on an attestation by its independent auditor, that at least 70% of all students who enroll in such programs complete them within a prescribed time and at least 70% of those students who graduate from such programs obtain employment in the recognized occupation for which they were trained within a prescribed time. Certain of our colleges offer such short-term programs in compliance with DOE regulations. Students enrolled in such programs represent a small percentage of the total enrollment at our colleges. In the event that an institution erroneously determines that an educational program is eligible for purposes of the Title IV Programs without the DOE’s express approval, the institution would likely be required to repay the Title IV Program funds provided to students in that educational program. Certain of the state authorizing agencies and accrediting agencies with jurisdiction over our campuses also have requirements that may, in certain instances, limit our ability to open a new campus, acquire an existing campus or establish an additional location of an existing institution or begin offering a new educational program.

 

Ability to Benefit Regulations. Under certain circumstances, an institution may elect to admit non-high school graduates into certain of its programs of study. In such instances, the institution must demonstrate that the student has the “ability to benefit” from the program of study. Seventy-four of our colleges admit ATB students into their programs. The basic evaluation method to determine that a student has the ability to benefit from the program is the student’s achievement of a minimum score on a test approved by the DOE and independently administered in accordance with DOE regulations. In addition to the testing requirements, the DOE regulations also prohibit enrollment of ATB students from constituting 50% or more of the total enrollment of the institution. None of our colleges that accept ATB students has an ATB enrollment population that exceeds 50% of the total enrolled population. As of June 30, 2005, ATB students represented approximately 9.5% of our total student population.

 

The “90/10 Rule” Under a provision of the HEA commonly referred to as the “90/10 Rule,” a private, for-profit institution, such as each of our institutions, would cease being eligible to participate in the Title IV Programs if, on a cash accounting basis, more than 90% of its revenue for the prior fiscal year was derived from the Title IV Programs. Any institution that violates the 90/10 Rule immediately becomes ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs and is unable to apply to regain its eligibility until the following fiscal year. Since this requirement took effect, each of our U.S. institutions has met this requirement in each fiscal year. We regularly monitor compliance with this requirement in order to minimize the risk that any of our institutions would derive more than the applicable thresholds of its revenue from the Title IV Programs for any fiscal year. If an institution appears likely to approach the threshold, we evaluate the appropriateness of making changes in student funding and financing to ensure compliance with the 90/10 Rule.

 

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Restrictions on Payment of Bonuses, Commissions or Other Incentives. The HEA prohibits an institution from providing any commission, bonus or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any person or entity engaged in any student recruitment, admission or financial aid awarding activity for programs eligible for Title IV Program funds. The DOE published new regulations, which took effect in July 2003, to attempt to clarify this so-called “incentive compensation” prohibition. The new regulations identify 12 compensation arrangements that the DOE has determined are not in violation of the incentive compensation prohibition, including the payment and adjustment of salaries, bonuses and commissions in certain circumstances. The DOE’s new regulations do not establish clear criteria for compliance in all circumstances, and the DOE has announced that it will no longer review and approve individual schools’ compensation plans. Nonetheless, we believe that our current compensation plans are in compliance with HEA standards and the DOE’s new regulations, although we cannot provide assurance that the DOE will not find deficiencies in our compensation plans.

 

Return of Title IV Funds . In 1998, amendments to the HEA changed substantially the refund requirements when a recipient of Title IV funds withdraws from an institution. We believe our Title IV refund calculations are in compliance with current regulations.

 

Canadian Regulations

 

Students attending our schools in Canada finance their education through a combination of family contributions, individual resources (including earnings from full or part-time employment) and federal and provincial financial aid programs.

 

The schools operated by our CDI-PS division are subject to extensive regulations in the provinces in which they operate. We believe these schools currently hold the necessary registrations, approvals and permits and meet the eligibility requirements to participate in governmental financial aid programs in their respective provinces. If these schools cannot continue to meet eligibility standards or fail to comply with applicable requirements, it could have a material adverse effect on our Canadian business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Licensing/Registration. Our ability to provide private-for-profit post-secondary education and grant diplomas to graduates in Canada is regulated by provincial governments. In each of the seven provinces (the “Regulating Provinces”) in which we operate, the provincial ministry of education or ministry of training is responsible for registering or licensing and regulating private-for-profit educational institutions. The applicable private vocational schools (“PVS”)/ private career college (“PCC”) legislation in each of the Regulating Provinces stipulates that an education provider, such as our Canadian division, CDI, must register or license each of its diploma granting programs as well as each of its campuses with the requisite ministry. Typical requirements for obtaining this licensed or registered status include the financial viability of the campus, the “integrity and honesty” of the applicant’s officers and directors, and the reasonable expectation that the course of study offered by the applicant (the PVS or PCC) will provide the skills requisite for employment in the vocation in which it is being trained. Licenses or registrations must be renewed by the PVS/PCC annually, except in Saskatchewan and Quebec which provide for multiple year renewal periods. Each Regulating Province has the statutory power to deny, refuse to renew, suspend or revoke a license or registration where the PVS/PCC is in breach of a term or condition of the registration found in the applicable statute. We believe all of our Canadian campuses and each of the diploma programs offered in Canada are licensed or registered in their respective Regulating Province. In May 2005, as part of the Ontario Government’s budget bill (Bill 197), the Private Career Colleges Act was introduced and read in the Ontario Legislative Assembly. It is assumed that this legislation will pass the Legislature, receive Royal Assent and come into force in late fall of 2005.

 

Government-Sponsored Financial Aid. Financial aid programs are offered to our Canadian students by the Canadian federal government and the governments of the Regulating Provinces. The federal government’s financial aid program operates uniformly across Canada, except in Quebec, as the Canada Student Loan program (“CSL”). Each Regulating Province operates its own provincial financial aid program for students and

 

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administers these loans in conjunction with the administration of the CSL loans granted to students studying within the province. In order for students enrolled in a program of study at a private-for-profit educational institution to be eligible for public financial aid, the private-for-profit educational institution, as well as the specific program of study, must be licensed or registered in good standing under the applicable PVS/PCC legislation in the applicable Regulating Province. In addition, each Regulating Province typically requires that to be “financial aid eligible”, the specific program must be at the post-secondary level, be taught on a full-time basis, have a duration of not less than a specific number of weeks (generally 12 weeks) and lead to a diploma or certificate conferred upon the student at the completion of the program. The Regulating Provinces also typically require that the private-for-profit educational institution maintain specific admissions requirements for entrance into eligible programs and retain specific documentation on each student receiving public financial aid. Each of the diploma-granting programs offered by CDI campuses across Canada are eligible for students to apply for federal and provincial aid.

 

Financial aid programs provide students with access to funds during their study period, based on a needs test. The loans are provided through the National Student Loan Center for the program. The funds are loaned interest-free to the student during the study period and this interest-free period generally continues for a six-month period after graduation. After the interest-free period has concluded, the student must begin repayments of the loan with interest. During the student’s interest-free period, interest is paid by the federal and/or provincial governments to the National Student Loan Center. Recently, government spending on the repayment of defaulted student loans has become a sensitive political issue. Several of the governments in the Regulating Provinces have, or are in the process of, reforming their student financial aid regimes to address this concern. The Ontario government has an initiative to reduce the number of loan defaults in that province. In addition to several other facets of this initiative, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the “Ministry”) has adopted a policy whereby they will only guarantee defaulted student loans to a certain capped amount, beyond which the applicable PCC is responsible for guaranteeing repayment. For the 2005/06 default cohort year, we have ten Ontario locations that were required to issue a promissory note and/or collateral due to the default sharing program. Should the default rate in 2008 be below threshold (25%), no payment will be required.

 

Since 1995, the British Columbia provincial government has taken an approach to student loan defaults that focuses on quality of the education by introducing an accreditation program. A private-for-profit education institution can apply to become accredited if it meets a list of predetermined criteria. Eligibility for accreditation is determined by an external panel and regular inspections. CDI was one of the first institutions in British Columbia to become accredited. Beginning in 2000, access to provincial student aid was restricted to accredited institutions.

 

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