Concorde Career Colleges, Inc. was formed in 1988 as a corporation in Delaware. They maintain over 900 employees. In 2006, Liberty Partners, a New York private equity firm that invests in education-related companies as well as manufacturing and business services, bought Concorde Career Colleges. In 2007, Timothy E. Foster became CEO of Concorde Career Colleges. He is also the CEO of Liberty Higher Education LLC, and Chairman and CEO at York Technical Institute Career Institute. Timothy P. Cole is the President and COO.
Schools in Memphis, Kansas City, San Diego, Denver, North Hollywood, San Bernardino and Garden Grove also offer AA degree programs. Most programs last nine months to two years, and the schools provide externships laboratory and clinical experience. Career programs in different states may differ in curriculum depending upon state requirements.
Though each institute is separate, before attending, one should verify access to financial aid and proper accreditation. For example, the Ft. Lauderdale campus is registered with the U.S. Department of Education for students to receive federal aid and Pell Grants. In 2004 to 2005, 100 percent of the students at Ft. Lauderdale received loans, 90 percent got federal grants, 6 percent got state or local scholarships and 1 percent received institutional grants. Expenses including tuition, books, living expenses and other costs averaged over $26K per year in 2006 to 2007. The Jackson County, Missouri, campus reports that 100 percent of their 525 students received some form of financial aid. Eighty-six percent used federal grants, 8 percent received state/local grants and 9 percent received institutional grants.
While students have mixed experiences at schools, and Concorde Career Institutes can only be judged on a case by case basis, there are sites such as studentsreview.com where the Kansas City school was ranked a "D." In 13 students that gave a review, 79 percent said they wouldn't come back. Other reviews from San Diego and Arlington expressed unhappiness with the program and lack of aid in career placement. Another report from the Miramar Campus in Dental Assisting reported that he got a job before graduation and all eight members of his graduating class are satisfied. Many school sites that have detailed rankings for four year universities don't include Concord, perhaps due to the fact that students may be there only nine months to two years maximum. Sites such as ratemyprofessors.com, which contains a wealth of information on professors from over 6,000 universities, list only one teacher from Concord, and the rating is quite poor.
It is recommended to check these and other sites, speak to former students, speak to teachers and administrators of the school you are considering attending and be sure to read all literature about the school before you apply.