The Department of Defense this week suspended the for-profit University of Phoenix from recruiting on U.S. military bases and getting new and transfer students DoD tuition assistance.
The DoD’s decision comes from concerns about the university’s un-approved use of military-trademarked coins and its pending investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and California Attorney General, according to a filing by the university’s parent company, Apollo Education Group.
Dawn Bilodea, chief of the Defense Department’s voluntary education programs, said in a statement that the department is following procedure for reports of non-compliance of a memorandum.
"The institution will not be authorized access to DoD installations for the purposes of participating in any recruitment-type activities, including but not limited to job training, and career events and fairs," the statement reads.
In a follow-up statement, DoD officials says there is no timeline for the review, and the department will consider either continuing to allow federal tuition funding with the university or stop altogether.
"University representatives had been working closely with DoD leaders and we all expected a different response from DoD," Tim Slottow, President of the University of Phoenix, said in a statement. "The University intends to continue its cooperation with federal and state agencies to respond to their requests."
GI Bill funding, which is allocated through the Department of Veterans Affairs, will not be affected by the DoD’s decision
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Apollo Group is the largest recipient of GI Bill funding, recieving more than $1.2 billion since 2009.
