"These schools have a very different approach than a traditional liberal arts college or community colleges," said Kathy Mizereck, executive director of Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools & Colleges. "Classes are held in the evenings and weekends, so people working and raising families can take them."

"We hear stories of students who feel like they're holding a piece of paper and a large amount of debt and don't have the job prospects they expected," he said. "I don't know that the for-profits have the same kind of credibility that the traditional not-for-profits have in the job market."

"It is a free market place," said [David Armstrong], the former chancellor of the state community college system. "Students just have to be good consumers and decide if it's the right fit for them."