Seeking Evidence of Grade Inflation at For-profit Colleges and Universities

This research develops a quantitative test for anecdotal, qualitative claims that, relative to more traditional institutes of higher education, for-profit colleges and universities engage in systemic grade-inflation to retain students who may not be academically viable. This research used the National Center for Education Statistic’s Beginning Postsecondary Survey 2003/2009 Longitudinal Study (BPS) to test this claim by examining the correlation between indicators of academic preparedness and college academic performance for students at for-profit versus nonprofit/public universities for students pursuing an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree, respectively. Findings demonstrate many pre-college indicators of academic preparedness, such as high school GPA, SAT score, and demographic risk factors, were strong predictors of success in higher education for students that attended a nonprofit/public institution, while the same indicators had little or no predictive power among students at for-profit colleges or universities. These findings provide evidence that for-profit institutions actively engage in grade inflation relative to more traditional institutions.