Some private for-profit schools come to the aid of former Wright Career College students

Several career training schools said Tuesday they will work to help former Wright Career College students who were left in limbo after the college abruptly closed and filed for bankruptcy liquidation last week.

In addition, the Kansas Board of Regents, which regulates private, for-profit and not-for-profit colleges in the state, said it will help students connect with schools and assist in transcript access and financial aid.

One of the schools reaching out to Wright students is St. Louis-based Vatterott Educational Centers. It said it will consider credit transfers for former Wright students in five markets — the Kansas City area, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Omaha.

“We are saddened to see the impact of Wright Career College’s closure on its students,” Rene Crosswhite, Vatterott’s chief executive, said in a statement. “We are eager to assist (them) in meeting their goals and completing their education.”

Wright, headquartered in Overland Park, had more than 1,000 students at campuses here and in those four other cities.

The company filed for bankruptcy Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., seeking to liquidate its assets. The initial filing estimated liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million and estimated the number of creditors at between 1,000 and 5,000.

Students were notified of the closing Thursday night by email.

Wright had provided classes primarily to help train students for jobs as medical assistants, accountants and other business occupations.

Before closing, the school was unable to negotiate a formal transfer arrangement for students, a bankruptcy attorney representing Wright said Friday.

The Kansas Board of Regents got word Thursday that the school would close its doors. In that notification, Wright administrators said that, as required by law, they would transfer all student records to the regents offices, but they did not give a timeline for when that would happen.

The law requires the regents to store those records at least 50 years, said spokeswoman Breeze Richardson.

Meanwhile, regents staff members are taking calls to help Wright students and are talking with other colleges, including National American University and Brown Mackie College, about Wright course credit transfers.

Wright students can reach the Kansas Board of Regents at 785-296-3421.

Students interested in transferring to Vatterott should contact their closest campus. The school also said students can make an appointment or chat with a counselor by going to www.vatterott.edu.

Vatterott’s toll-free number for all its campuses is 844-244-3304. For the Kansas City campus, call 816-861-1000.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Some private for-profit schools come to the aid of former Wright Career College students."