Career Point College Closes Its Doors Indefinitely

Students and staff are left outraged after the CEO and President announced that Career Point College would be closed indefinitely yesterday.

Approximately 1400 students received the notice via email Sunday evening explaining that the school would not be reopening. Larry Earle’s, CEO and President of Career Point College, notice said that two months ago, management discovered three of the college’s employees had been collaborating “to violate the rules related to student aid funds.”  

After a full investigation, the president reported the violation to the Department of Education himself. The President’s notice stated that the institution told the Department that any “inappropriately received funds” would be repaid.

However, Career Point’s plan was not accepted. The DOE has placed a restriction on government funding to the school, and the for-profit institution does not have the resources to continue operating.

The two-year school has been open since 1984 and helped over 10,000 graduates obtain jobs in business, medical, nursing, cosmetology and information technology. The college currently has three campuses in Texas: one in Austin and two in San Antonio.

Students say that the college administration has not responded to phone calls and inquiries about the announcement.

Career Point College isn’t the only institution that has faced sudden closures. ITT Tech Institutes announced in September that they would cease all online and in-class instruction of its 136 campuses around the country. According to Federal Student Aid website, the institute filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Indiana on Sept. 16.

Both institutions received their accreditation from Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board was worried last week that ITT Tech’s closure would affect other for-profit colleges in the state. Now, the state has a watch list of 33 schools with ACICS accreditations could find themselves in similar situations. 

Career Point College is one of five ACICS schools located in the Austin Area, one of which, Le Cordon Bleu, is already expected to close in 2017.