Apollo Group Fined

The for-profit education company Apollo Group Inc. will be required to pay a $9.8 million fine to the U.S. Department of Education, after the agency recently concluded that the University of Phoenix, a subsidiary of the company, violated federal regulations that prohibit tying employee pay to student enrollment.

Even though it agreed to pay the fine, the Phoenix-based Apollo Group denied any wrongdoing.

A 45-page Education Department report, obtained by Education Week under the Freedom of Information Act, says that University of Phoenix recruiters worked in a high-pressure sales environment and were paid solely according to how many students they enrolled. It also details what the department contends were management’s aggressive tactics to meet enrollment quotas as well as practices...