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 associates, bachelors
and masters 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 Companys 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 Companys 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 schools 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
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.
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
masters 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 bachelors degree in criminal justice.
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 associates degree. At our FMU campuses, most associates degree programs also articulate with a bachelors degree in the same course of study. Masters 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. Associates degree programs have a duration of 18-24 months, bachelors degree programs have a duration of 36-48 months and masters
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 associates programs 3,156 students (4%) enrolled in
bachelors programs and 1,053 students (1%) enrolled in masters 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)
.
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 Canadas 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
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,
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 masters 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.
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 Duffs 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:
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.
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 DeVrys 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 Masters 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-1970s. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California
Western University and earned a Masters 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 Masters of Business Administration from
National University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State College, Sonoma.
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 Masters 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 OMelveny & 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
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.
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 Companys 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.
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:
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 institutions 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
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 institutions 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 agencys 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 agencys 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 schools 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 institutions 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
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
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
students 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 institutions 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 institutions 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 institutions 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
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 institutions 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
%
Duffs 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)
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 institutions 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 students 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.
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 institutions 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 institutions
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 DOEs 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 institutions 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 institutions 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
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 DOEs recertification process
and also annually as each institution submits its audited financial statements to the DOE. As part of the evaluation of an institutions 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 institutions financial responsibility. If an institutions 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 institutions 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 years 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 institutions access to Title IV Program funds. All of our schools have been provisionally
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 associates, bachelors or masters 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 DOEs 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
students 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.
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 DOEs 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 DOEs 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 applicants 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 Governments 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 governments 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
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 students 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.