Art Institute students who may be in limbo have been offered a new opportunity

Students who fear being displaced from three for-profit universities are being offered opportunities at Wake Tech.

The community college is reaching out to students of Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham, Art Institute of Charlotte and South University in High Point. The three colleges are among 30 schools nationwide owned by Dream Center Education Holdings that have stopped enrolling new students.

Wake Tech has set up a special website for the students now in limbo, and will offer the college advising services to students who may want to transfer.

Last week, The News & Observer reported that the three campuses in North Carolina would close by the end of the year, according to an internal email among UNC system officials who oversee licensing processes for higher education institutions that operate in North Carolina.

On Monday, an internal memo sent to Dream Center employees said that 30 of its campuses nationally would stop admitting new students.

Potential closures could affect up to 3,000 students. Classes at the campus in downtown Durham are not in session, but are scheduled to resume next week. A Dream Center spokesperson said active students should continue to attend classes as scheduled. Students at the schools could be entitled to certain rights, such as finishing their degrees, obtaining loan forgiveness or recovering tuition, according to the N.C. Department of Justice.

Wake Tech offers some of the same courses and programs as the three colleges in North Carolina, including graphic design, healthcare business informatics, simulation and game development, culinary arts, interior design and nursing. Community college tuition is $76 per credit hour.

The fall semester at Wake Tech begins Aug. 16. Students can call 919-866-5624 to speak to an adviser.

Jane Stancill: 919-829-4559, @janestancill

This story was originally published July 5, 2018 at 4:26 PM.