Location: Chicago, Illinois
Le Cordon Bleu was once seen as the ultimate school for up-and-coming five-star chefs. Now, it’s shut down all of its campuses in the United States and dropped nearly $495 million in loans – a good thing for its former students, who were on the hook for all of that money after its closure.
The chain, which was run by a group known as Career Education, was once the nation’s largest for-profit education system.
Northcentral University
Location: San Diego, California
This school, located in San Diego, has seen its fair share of controversy since opening its doors in 1996.
On the Better Business Bureau website, they have a pathetic one-star rating, which probably has something to do with the fact they’ve been sued by former students in a class-action lawsuit for bait-and-switch techniques and false recruiting practices.
Indiana University Northwest
Location: Gary, Indiana
Anyone that’s from the Midwestern united states is familiar with Gary – and not for anything good. The city, which is located on the border of Illinois and Indiana, is known for being an industrial town that can choke you with the thick smog from the factories – or, the noxious petroleum odors that they emit, to be exact.
But if you can fight the smell and want to stick around in Gary to go to school, it’s super affordable, with an average rate of less than $9,000/year.
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Location: Portland, Oregon
Portland is a super liberal hipster area that attracts artsy types from all over the place. Some of them come to attend the art schools in the area, including Pacific Northwest College of Art. Unfortunately, students who apply and make it in, which 94% do, wind up with a hefty load of student loan debt over $22,000.
When you couple that with the median earnings more than five years later, around a measly $27,000, it hardly seems worth the time, trouble, and, most of all, money. There are much better art schools in the area if you’re going to spend $35,000 or more on tuition, anyway.
Pitzer College
Location: Claremont, California
Pitzer College actually has a lot of good things going for it, including a beautiful campus and a strong sense of community, according to many of its former students and professors. But it’s made this list because it’s also known for its pretty pathetic return on investment (ROI.)
Students spend over $52,000 per year on average, and yet 10 years after entry, the median salary of a graduate is less than $49,000.