Fortis College (also Fortis Institute and Fortis College of Nursing in some locations) is a

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for-profit college Proprietary colleges are for-profit colleges and universities. They are operated by their owners or investors, rather than a not-for-profit institution, religious organization, or government. Because they are not funded by tax money, their long ...

with multiple campuses throughout the United States. It was established in 2008 and is operated by

Education Affiliates Education Affiliates (EA) is an American parent company of for-profit colleges, with its headquarters in Nottingham, Maryland. It has been an investment of JLL Partners since 2004. According to D&B Hoovers, EA has annual sales of $202 million. Ed ...

and owned by

JLL Partners JLL Partners is an American private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions and leveraged recapitalizations of middle-market companies. The firm is headquartered in New York City, and was founded in 1987. Since its founding JLL Part ...

Education Affiliates and JLL Partners

(EA) operates Fortis College and Fortis Institute, and is headquartered in Nottingham, Maryland. EA is an investment of

and was incorporated in 2004. Its other schools include ASPE Training, All-State Career School, DriveCo CDL Learning Center, Saint Paul’s School of Nursing, Georgia Driving Academy, and the Denver School of Nursing.

History

Growth (2008 to 2013)

From 2008 to 2013, Fortis College and Fortis Institutes grew from one school in Phoenix, Arizona to more than 40 schools in 17 states. Fortis purchased other for-profit schools including: Virginia Career Institute, Capps College, North Florida Institute, Medix School, AMTI, National Institute of Technology, RETS College, Gulf Coast College, Florida Career Institute, Technical Career Institute, Berdan Institute, Tri-State Business Institute, and MedVance Institute.

Downsizing (2013 to present)

Revenues: *2012-13: $253,193,698 *2013-14: $235,792,358 *2014-15: $210,264,921 *2015-16: $196,007,578 *2016-17: $193,271,039 Enrollment losses and unprofitability have resulted in campus closures in Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania. and Texas. These loses have been ameliorated by the transfer of students from other

for-profit colleges Proprietary colleges are for-profit colleges and universities. They are operated by their owners or investors, rather than a not-for-profit institution, religious organization, or government. Because they are not funded by tax money, their long ...

that have closed their doors. In 2015, Education Affiliates, the parent company of Fortis, "agreed to pay $13 million to the United States to resolve allegations that it violated the

False Claims Act The False Claims Act (FCA), also called the "Lincoln Law", is an American federal law that imposes liability on persons and companies (typically federal contractors) who defraud governmental programs. It is the federal government's primary litigat ...

by submitting false claims to the Department of Education for federal student aid for students enrolled in its programs." Part of the $13 million settlement provided for repayment of $1.9 million that resulted from Education Affiliates "awarding federal financial aid to students at its Fortis-Miami campus based on invalid high school credentials issued by a diploma mill." In 2016-17, 21 Fortis locations were unprofitable: Centerville, Cincinnati, Columbia, Cutler Bay, Cuyahoga Falls, Grand Prairie, Houston, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Phoenix, Richmond, Baltimore, Birmingham, Cookeville, Erie, Forty Fort, Lawrenceville, and Nashville. In 2020 and 2021 Fortis received more than $50 million in stimulus funds. *$32.6 million under the CARES Act *$14.9 million under the second round of Coronavirus funds. *$8.4 million (projected) under the American Rescue Plan. At least a dozen locations are under US Department of Education heightened cash monitoring for financial irresponsibility.

Academics

Fortis offers Associate of Art degrees and certificates.

Accreditation

Fortis Colleges and Fortis Institutes are institutionally accredited by the following institutional accreditors: *

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is a recognized higher education accreditation organization in the United States specializing in the institutional accreditation of private, postsecondary institutions that offer allied hea ...

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States that provides national accreditation to private post-secondary educational institutions. It is recognized by the U ...

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

Council on Occupational Education The Council on Occupational Education (COE) is a national accrediting agency of higher education institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. COE was created in 1971 as part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The C ...

The

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

does not have accreditation data for the Fortis College in Cutler Bay, Florida or the Fortis Institute in Houston, Texas. In September 2018, the Orange Park, Florida campus voluntarily withdrew from

ACICS The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

. In April 2019, ACICS renewed Fortis' accreditation for its Norfolk, Virginia campus until September 30, 2019, but continued its compliance warning. According to ACICS, Fortis did not adequately maintain student records related to admissions and student progress.

Faculty

Faculty at Fortis are primarily adjunct professors. The percentage of instructors that are full time range from 10 percent to 40 percent, depending on the campus. Fortis College in Mobile, Alabama has 3 full-time instructors and 34 part-time instructors. Fortis Institute in Wayne, New Jersey has 12 full-time instructors and 25 part-time instructors.

Students

Fortis schools have racially and ethnically diverse student populations. The demographic breakdown of the Phoenix campus is 34 percent White, 34 percent Hispanic, 22 percent Black, 4 percent unknown, 2 percent American Indian/Alaska Native, 2 percent two or more races, 1 percent Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 1% Asian. The breakdown of the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio campus are 56 percent White, 31 percent Black, 5 percent Asian, 4 percent unknown, 2percent two or more races, and 1 percent Hispanic.

College costs and student outcomes

According to the US Department of Education's

College Scorecard The College Scorecard is an online tool, created by the United States government, for consumers to compare the cost and value of higher education institutions in the United States. At launch, it displayed data in five areas: cost, graduation rate ...

, the average annual cost of attending Fortis College ranges from $16,958 to 30,687. *Fortis students have a graduation rate ranging from 29 to 72 percent, depending on the campus. *Median salary after attending ranges from $24,100 to $33,200. *Student loan repayment rates range from 20 to 24 percent.

Gainful employment

According to the

Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...

, the following programs failed gainful employment standards. In failing programs, graduates have loan payments exceeding 12 percent of total earnings or 30 percent of discretionary income. *Centerville, OH: legal assistant/paralegal, AA *Centerville, OH: criminal justice/safety studies, AA *Centerville, OH: medical insurance specialist/medical biller, AA *Centerville, OH: medical/clinical assistant, AA *Norfolk, VA: criminal justice/safety studies, AA *Norfolk, VA: health information/medical records technology/technician, AA *Norfolk, VA: medical/clinical assistant, AA *Erie, PA: computer graphics, AA *Erie, PA: cosmetology/cosmetologist, Undergraduate certificate *Erie, PA: barbering/barber, Undergraduate certificate *Erie, PA: legal assistant/paralegal, AA *Erie, PA: criminal justice/safety studies, AA *Erie, PA: health information/medical records technology/technician, AA *Erie, PA: medical/clinical assistant, AA *Erie, PA: massage therapy/therapeutic message, AA *Erie, PA: business administration and management, general, AA *Erie, PA: accounting technology/technician and bookkeeping, AA *Erie, PA: administrative assistant and secretarial science, general, AA

Locations

Fortis College

*Dothan, AL (165 students) *Foley, AL (87 students) *Mobile, AL (375 students) *Montgomery, AL (284 students) *Phoenix, AZ (156 students) *Cutler Bay, FL (388 students) *Orange Park, FL (489 students) *Smyrna, GA (678 students) *Indianapolis, IN (416 students) *Baton Rouge, LA (408 students) *Landover, MD (712 students) *Centerville, OH (559 students) *Cincinnati, OH (587 students) *Columbus, OH (1.042 students) *Cuyahoga Falls, OH (575 students) *Columbia, SC (569 students) *Houston, TX (394 students) *Millcreek, UT (539 students) *Norfolk, VA (454 students) *Richmond, VA (597 students)

Fortis Institute

*Birmingham, AL (551 students) *Pensacola, FL (705 students) *Port St. Lucie, FL (474 students) *Towson, MD (558 students) *Lawrenceville, NJ (314 students) *Wayne, NJ (521 students) *Forty Fort, PA (182 students) *Scranton, PA (279 students) *Cookeville, TN (302 students) *Nashville, TN (475 students) *Houston, TX (390 students)

Closed locations

*Tampa, Florida (2013) *Jacksonville, Florida (2014) *Miami, Florida (2014) *Mulberry, Florida (2015) *Largo, Florida (2016) *Lauderdale Lakes, Florida (2016) *Palm Springs, Florida (2016) *Winter Park, Florida (2016) *Erie, Pennsylvania (2018) *Ravenna, Ohio (2018) *Woodlawn, Maryland (2018) *Grand Prairie, Texas (2019) *Baltimore, Maryland *Phoenix, Arizona (2019) *Erie, Pennsylvania (2019)

Department of Education heightened cash monitoring

The following Fortis schools are on US Department of Education

heightened cash monitoring Higher education in the United States is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. Higher education is also referred as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 ...

as of December 2018. Financial responsibility numbers are at the lowest level, -1. * Fortis College, Cuyahoga Falls, OH * Fortis Institute, Towson, MD * Fortis Institute, Wayne, NJ * Fortis College, Centerville, OH * Fortis College, Mobile, AL * Fortis Institute, Forty Fort, PA * Fortis Institute, Scranton, PA * Fortis College, Foley, AL * Fortis College, Orange Park, FL * Fortis College, Baton Rouge, LA

References