Defunct for-profit career training institute that operated 16 Midwest campuses before closing in 2018.
Vatterott College was established in 1969 as Urban Technical Centers, Inc. by John C. Vatterott Sr. and Phil Sullivan in St. Louis, Missouri. After the partners split in 1984, Vatterott took full control and renamed the institution Vatterott College. The college expanded significantly through the 1990s and 2000s via teach-out agreements and acquisitions, eventually operating 16 campuses across the Midwest and offering online distance-learning programs. In 2003, it was purchased by Wellspring Capital Management for $50 million, and in 2009, TA Associates acquired the company from WellSpring Capital Partners.
Vatterott College offered career training and technical education programs, including diploma and associate degree programs. The institution became the first private career college in St. Louis to offer online classes in 1998 through its Vatterott Global Online division. Programs included court reporting, culinary arts (through L'Ecole Culinaire), music production (ex'Treme Institute by Nelly), and various technical trades. However, in 2017, forty programs failed the Obama Administration's gainful employment rule test.
Vatterott College faced significant regulatory and legal challenges. In 2009, three executives were convicted of conspiring to obtain federal student grants and loans through false information. A 2014 lawsuit resulted in a $2 million punitive damages award to a student misled about credit transferability. In 2017, the college filed for receivership after program failures under gainful employment rules. On December 5, 2018, its accreditation was revoked by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, and all remaining campuses closed on December 17, 2018, citing heightened cash monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education.