Illinois Plans Lawsuit Against Westwood College

The Illinois attorney general’s office plans to sue Westwood College on Wednesday, alleging that the for-profit institution’s criminal-justice program leaves students in debt for degrees that are unlikely to help them get jobs because its national accreditation is not recognized in the region. According to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained a draft copy of the suit, it charges that Westwood “made a variety of misrepresentations and false promises” to students in the program, in which a degree costs $71,610. A criminal-justice degree from the nearby College of DuPage, which is accredited regionally, costs $12,672, the draft notes. Westwood, which has four campuses in the Chicago area, said in a statement that it was cooperating with the attorney general’s office to resolve outstanding issues.