FRONTLINE follows the money to uncover how Wall Street and a breed of for-profit universities transformed the way we think about college in America. (Aired 2010)
In “College, Inc.,” correspondent Martin Smith investigates the promise and explosive growth of the for-profit higher education industry. Through interviews with school executives, government officials, admissions counselors, former students, and industry observers, the documentary explores the tension between the industry — which says it's helping an underserved student population obtain a quality education and marketable job skills — and critics who charge the for-profits with churning out worthless degrees that leave students with a mountain of debt. At the center of it all stands a vulnerable population of potential students, often working adults eager for a university degree to move up the career ladder.