Fort Worth college to close after abrupt announcement from parent company
Brightwood College in Fort Worth will be among more than 70 schools to close after its parent company abruptly announced it will stop operations on Friday.
Birmingham-based Education Corp. of America announced it was closing schools operating as Virginia College, Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Insitute and Golf Academy of America, NBC News reported.
The for-profit company operates more than 70 locations in 21 states and says it has 20,000 students enrolled across the country.
The Associated Press reported an ECA spokeswoman said Friday will be the last day of classes for most locations, but students will receive academic credit for the term.
Brightwood College in Fort Worth was not immediately available for comment Friday night.
The Fort Worth location offers dental assistant, pharmacy technician and medical assistant diploma programs, according to its website.
A Brightwood College location in Dallas will also be closing. That school offers programs in the health care and paralegal fields.
The college chain has had financial and legal troubles for several months.
In September, the company announced it planned to close about two dozen campuses by early 2020, the Chronicle for Higher Education reported. The company’s accreditor, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, suspended its Virginia Chain partially because ECA could no longer pay its fees to the council.
A paragraph on Brightwood College of Fort Worth’s website makes this clear:
“Brightwood College, Fort Worth has been placed on institutional show cause by its accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (“ACICS”), because of financial concerns,” it reads.
