PROVO — Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions has become the first for-profit post-secondary school in Utah to receive regional accreditation.
The school learned Monday after a rigorous five-year application process that it had earned the designation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, making RMUHP attendees eligible for federal student loans.
RMUHP offers doctorate programs in such fields as physical therapy, athletic training and pediatric, as well as a master's in nursing. Tuition ranges from $15,000 to $25,000 for clinical doctorates and up to $35,000 for research doctorates.
Until now, RMUHP have had to take out private loans or participate in a deferred-tuition program that hamstrung the school's finances, according to president Richard Nielsen.
"They've had to dig deep into their pockets," he said.
Regional accreditation — the same kind the University of Utah or BYU has — is more difficult to obtain than the national accreditation that most for-profit colleges hold. The process was also complicated by the negative attention for-profit schools have garnered recently regarding their students' high loan default rates and poor graduation and job placement records, Nielsen said.
"We've really had to demonstrate to the commission that we're not a typical for-profit institution," he said.
Founded in 1998, RMUHP is different than the vast majority of for-profit colleges that offer mostly bachelor and associate degrees, he said. Almost all of the school's students are already working in their fields and are seeking a more advanced degree for professional development. Therefore, Nielsen said, very few of them have any trouble paying tuition, repaying loans and finding employment.
The school opened its third building in Provo last year. In most of its programs, students and faculty from around the country gather on campus for weeklong sessions several times a year. The rest of the coursework and instruction takes place online.
The doctorate in physical therapy is being offered for the first time this year as a full-time residency in Provo with 40 students. Additional cohorts will be added the next two years to bring the program to 120 students, Nielsen said.
He said he expects regional accreditation to bring a "huge potential for growth" to the school, with plans already in the works for another resident program in occupational therapy.
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