2U sues Education Department over thirdparty guidance

Hundreds of U.S. colleges use OPM services to start and run online programs, often trading upfront capital from the companies for a portion of their programs’ revenue. But controversy surrounds the fast-growing sector, and the Education Department’s increased oversight into OPMs has been in the works for some time. Last year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, an auditing agency for Congress, called on the department to more thoroughly assess colleges’ OPM contracts to ensure they follow federal law and don’t rely on abusive recruiting practices. With the release of the new guidance in February, the Education Department initially told colleges…