Fortis Colleges & Institutes Glossary of Terms

Catalogs, Addenda, and Related Information

Contains information about the college, the programs offered, the admissions requirements, and other institutional standards and requirements, along with the accreditation and licensing information.

Consumer Information Guide

Federal regulations require institutions to provide certain consumer information annually to its students, along with a statement of procedures regarding where to obtain that information. This guide accomplishes that objective.

Consumer Information Guide Summary

The Consumer Information Guide Summary is a tool prospective and current students can utilize to find all relevant and required consumer information as defined by federal regulations.

Net Price Calculator

The Net Price Calculator is a tool that you can use to estimate your “net price” to attend our college. Net price is the difference between the “sticker” price (full cost) to attend, minus any grants and scholarships for which you may be eligible. Sticker price includes direct charges (tuition and fees, room and board) and indirect costs (books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses). The information used to calculate these costs is taken directly from the information submitted in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

Accreditation Placement Rates

Accreditation placement rates are calculated in accordance with each institution's accrediting body and in accordance with federal regulations. The rates are updated annually based upon Annual Reports submitted to each accrediting agency. The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 requires that Institutions make available to their students information regarding placement rates, including the methodology and time frame applicable to the rates. Information is maintained, tracked and updated in our student data base system.

The “Institutional Accreditation Placement Rate” Disclosure is still being maintained on the website to meet the requirements of each accrediting agency.

Please note that accreditors listed here are for all Fortis locations. Please refer to the institution’s catalog and Accreditation Rate Disclosure to find the accreditor that is applicable to your campus of interest.

The methodology and time frame applicable to these rates is as follows:

Accrediting Body: Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

The reporting period is July 1 through June 30. Placement statistics are calculated per program. Placement benchmark is a minimum of 70% per program.

The placement rate is determined by using the ABHES required method of calculation, for the reporting period July 1 through June 30, as follows: 

Placement Rate = (P) / (G-U)
P = Placed Graduates
G = Total graduates
U* = Graduates unavailable for placement 

* Unavailable is defined as students are who are unavailable for employment and fall into one of the following categories: health-related issues, military obligations, incarceration, continuing education status, or death.

Accrediting Body: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)

The reporting period is July 1 through June 30. Placement statistics are calculated per program. Placement benchmark is a minimum of 70% per program. Placement rates are calculated by total graduates divided by employed graduates for the reporting period. To determine the cohort date range, the ACCSC calculation counts backwards from the report date as follows: program length times 1.5 plus 3 months for placement activity.

As per ACCSC standards, the rates listed may exclude students who fall into one of the following categories: death, incarceration, active military service deployment, the onset of a medical condition that prevents continued enrollment or employment, or international students who are enrolled on the basis of a student or work visa and are ineligible for sustainable employment in the United States post-graduation. 

Student Right-to-Know Graduation/Completion Rates

The Student Right-to-Know Act, as regulated by the Department of Education, requires all institutions who participate in any Title IV program to calculate graduation/completion rates. This act was passed by Congress November 9, 1990. Title I, Section 103, requires institutions eligible for Title IV funding to calculate completion or graduation rates of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time students entering that institution, and to disclose these rates to all students and prospective students. The rate required for disclosure and/or reporting purposes under Student Right-to-Know Act. This rate is calculated as the total number of completers within 150% of normal time divided by the revised adjusted cohort. Further, the law requires that these rates be disaggregated by gender, race, and ethnicity. The Graduation Rates component of IPEDS was developed specifically to help institutions respond to these requirements. Please see the Student Right to Know Graduation/Completion Rates disclosure for the current description of data collected and the applicable cohort. 

We have elected not to report transfer-out rates because our institution mission does not include providing substantial preparation for students to enroll in another eligible institution without completing or graduation. 

Data used to calculate an institution’s graduation rate is derived from our student data system and is a result of the information submitted through the institution’s annual submission to the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). For more information about IPEDS, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/.

Retention Rates

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 and in addition to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended), each postsecondary educational institution must disclose information about retention rates to current and prospective students. The retention rates are calculated in accordance with federal regulations and are based upon the information submitted annually to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The retention rate is a measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. This is the percentage of first-time full-time degree- or certificate – seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall. Please see the Retention Rate Disclosure for a complete description of the data disclosed and the applicable cohort.

Textbook Listings and Costs

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 and in addition to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended), each postsecondary educational institution must disclose information on the recommended and required textbooks needed to complete each course of study. The prices listed for reflect what a student is estimated to pay for each textbook.