Legacy Education Inc. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before investing in our common stock. Our business and results of operations could be seriously harmed by any of the following risks. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the value and trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Risks Related to the Highly Regulated Field in Which We Operate If our institutions fail to comply with the extensive educational regulatory requirements applicable to our business, we could incur financial penalties, restrictions on our operations, loss of federal and state financial aid funding for our students, loss of accreditation, or loss of our authorization to operate our institutions or our educational programs. As a provider of postsecondary education, we are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state, and accrediting agencies. The applicable educational regulatory requirements cover virtually all phases of the operations of our institutions, including, but not limited to, educational program offerings, facilities, instructional and administrative staff, administrative procedures, marketing and recruiting, financial operations, data security and privacy, adequacy and substantiation of graduation and job placement rates and other student outcomes, distribution of information to current and prospective students, professional licensure requirements, payment of refunds to students who withdraw, the receipt of federal and state financial aid by our students (including institutional, programmatic, and student eligibility requirements), private and institutional loan programs, distance education, third party servicers, written arrangements with other institutions or organizations to provide some or all of an educational program, student complaints, student services, student admissions, transfer of academic credits, acquisitions or openings of new institutions, additions of new campuses and educational programs, closure or relocation of existing locations, and changes in corporate structure and ownership. Each of our institutions (HDMC, CCC, and Integrity) participates in the federal student aid programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (“HEA”), as amended (“Title IV Programs”), as well as other federal and state financial aid programs and are subject to extensive regulation by the U.S. Department of Education (“ED”), other federal and state educational agencies and accreditors. CCC and HDMC are approved to offer, and must comply with applicable requirements related to, veterans education assistance administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”), Cal Grants administered by the California Student Aid Commission, and funds administered under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. We derive a substantial portion of our revenue and cash flows from the Title IV Programs and a significant portion of our students rely on financial aid received under the Title IV Programs in order to attend our institutions. To qualify as an eligible institution to participate in the Title IV Programs, an institution must among other things receive and maintain authorization by the appropriate state education agencies, be accredited by an accreditor recognized by ED, and be certified by ED as an eligible institution. The laws, regulations, standards and policies of our regulators change periodically and are subject to new and changing interpretation by our regulators. Changes in, or new interpretations of, applicable laws, regulations, standards, or policies, or our failure to comply with those laws, regulations, standards, or policies could have a material adverse effect on our receipt of funds under the Title IV Programs and other federal and state financial aid programs, the accreditation of our institutions and programs, the authorization of our institutions to operate in various states, our permissible activities or our costs of doing business. We cannot predict with certainty how all of the requirements applied by our regulators will be interpreted or whether our institutions will be able to comply with these requirements in the future. Given the complex nature of these requirements and the fact that they are subject to interpretation, it is possible that we may inadvertently violate these laws, regulations, standards, or policies. If we are found to have violated any applicable laws, regulations, standards or policies, we may be subject to the following sanctions, among others, imposed by any one or more regulatory agencies or other government bodies who regulate us and our schools: ● imposition of monetary fines or penalties, including imposition of a requirement to submit a substantial letter of credit or other form of financial protection; 39 ● repayment of funds received under the Title IV Programs or other federal or state financial aid programs the amounts of which could be material; ● restrictions on, or termination, revocation, or nonrenewal of, the eligibility of one or more of our institutions or one or more of their locations or programs to participate in the Title IV Programs or other federal or state financial aid programs; ● limits on, or termination, revocation, or nonrenewal of, our authorizations to operate our institutions in one or more states or ability to grant degrees, diplomas and certificates; ● restrictions on, or termination, revocation or nonrenewal of, our institutions’ approvals and/or accreditations or the approval and/or accreditation of one or more of our locations or programs; ● limitations on our operations including, but not limited to, our ability to open new institutions or locations (i.e., campuses), offer new programs, change the length of our existing programs, or increase enrollment levels or amounts of funding received from Title IV or other financial assistance programs; ● costly investigations, litigation or other adversarial proceedings; and ● civil or criminal penalties being levied against us or our institutions. In addition, findings or allegations of noncompliance may subject us to qui tam lawsuits under the Federal False Claims Act, under which private plaintiffs seek to enforce remedies on behalf of the U.S. and, if successful, are entitled to recover their costs and to receive a portion of any amounts recovered by the U.S. in the lawsuit. The U.S. can also bring a Federal False Claims Act claim on its own behalf, and in either instance, a party found to have violated the Federal False Claims Act can be subject to treble damages. We may be subject to similar lawsuits brought under state false claims acts. We may also be subject to other types of lawsuits or claims by third parties. The costs of these proceedings may be significant, and we may not have sufficient resources to fund any material adverse outcomes. Any penalties, repayment obligations, injunctions, restrictions, terminations, revocations, nonrenewal, lawsuits or other sanctions or conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. If any of our institutions lose or experience limitations on their Title IV Program eligibility, we would experience a dramatic decline in revenue, and we would be unable to continue our business as it currently is conducted. Any failure to comply with state laws and regulatory requirements, including educational regulations, or new state legislative or regulatory initiatives affecting our institutions, could have a material adverse effect on our total student enrollment, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our institutions are subject to the educational laws and regulations of the State of California where our physical campuses are located. We also may be subject to the educational laws of other states if we acquire a new institution in the state or if one of our institutions adds a new campus in the state or otherwise conducts other operations in the state covered by applicable state educational law including, but not limited to, student recruitment, advertising or certain types of distance education. State educational laws establish standards and requirements for, among other things, student instruction, faculty qualifications, campuses and facilities, educational programs, financial stability, administrative staff, marketing and recruiting, distribution of information to current and prospective students, payment of refunds to students who withdraw, private and institutional loans, distance education, student services, student complaints, student admissions, transfer of academic credits, substantive changes, acquisitions, and policies and minimum graduation and job placement outcomes for institutions and/or their individual educational programs. Our institutions are authorized to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (“BPPE”). We also may be required to obtain approvals and comply with requirements of state agencies that regulate certain occupational educational programs such as, for example, VN and phlebotomy. The California Board of Registered Nurses approves the Associate degree of Nursing program at HDMC. The VN programs at HDMC and Integrity are approved by BVNPT. The phlebotomy programs at HDMC and CCC are approved by California Department of Public Health. In addition, we are subject to state consumer protection laws. 40 Attorneys general in many states have become more active in enforcing consumer protection laws, including, for example, laws related to marketing, advertising and recruiting practices and the financing of education at for-profit educational institutions. Further, some state attorneys general have partnered with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and other federal and state agencies to review industry practices and collaborate on enforcement actions against educational institutions. These actions increase the likelihood of scrutiny of marketing, advertising, recruiting, financing, and other practices of educational institutions and may result in unforeseen consequences, increasing risk and making our operating environment more challenging. Adverse media coverage regarding the allegations of state consumer protection law violations by us or other for-profit education companies could damage our reputation, result in decreased enrollments, revenues and profitability, and have a negative impact on our stock price. Such coverage could also result in continued scrutiny and regulation by ED, Congress, accreditors, state legislatures, state attorneys general or other governmental authorities of us and other for-profit educational institutions. State education laws and regulations may limit our campuses’ ability to operate or to award degrees, diplomas, or certificates or offer new programs. Moreover, under the HEA, authorization by state education agencies is necessary to maintain eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs. ED regulations also require institutions offering postsecondary education through distance education to students located in a state in which the institution is not physically located (as determined by the institution at the time of a student’s initial enrollment and, if applicable, upon formal receipt of information from the student that their location has changed to another state) to meet state educational requirements in that state or participate in a state authorization reciprocity agreement in order to disburse Title IV funds to such students. We have obtained approval to offer portions of our programs via distance education from ACCET for HDMC and CCC, ABHES for Integrity, and from the BPPE for HDMC, CCC, and Integrity. The State of California does not, however, presently participate in any state authorization reciprocity agreement whereby our institutions may offer programs via distance education to students located in other states without our obtaining applicable authorizations from those other states. Our institutions presently do not have any state postsecondary authorizations outside of California. In addition, an institution must make disclosures readily available to enrolled and prospective students regarding whether programs leading to professional licensure or certification meet state educational requirements, and provide a direct disclosure to students in writing if the program leading to professional licensure or certification does not meet state educational requirements in the state in which the student is located (which is only California for our current students). Under ED’s rules effective July 1, 2024, an institution must certify that its programs satisfy the applicable educational requirements for professional licensure or certification needed to practice or find employment in an occupation for which the program prepares a student in the state in which the school or where a student is located or intends to seek employment (which, although our current students are located in California, could be a state other than California and could require us to refrain from enrolling students in a state if our program does not satisfy the applicable educational requirements in the state). We believe the Title IV-eligible educational programs offered by our institutions satisfy all such currently applicable state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification. ED also commenced a negotiated rulemaking process to develop new regulations on topics that include state authorization and convened a negotiated rulemaking committee to consider proposals from January through March 2024. On July 17, 2024, ED announced that proposed rules related to cash management, state authorization and accreditation will be published by next year. We cannot predict the ultimate timing or content of any new regulations that might emerge from this process. See Risk Factors at “ Additional ED or other rulemaking could materially and adversely affect our operations, business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.” State legislatures often consider legislation affecting regulation of postsecondary educational institutions. Our institutions are located in California which has expansive laws and regulations impacting for-profit schools like our institutions. Enactment of this legislation and ensuing regulations, or changes in interpretation of existing regulations, may impose substantial costs on our institutions and require them to modify their operations in order to comply with the new regulations. If we are unable to comply with applicable past, current or future state education, consumer protection, licensing, authorization or other requirements, or determine that we are unable to cost effectively comply with new or revised requirements, we could be subject to loss of state authorization and to monetary fines or penalties or limitations on the manner in which we conduct our business, or we could lose enrollments, eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs and revenues, in any affected states, which could materially affect our results of operations and our growth opportunities. 41 If one or more of our institutions fails to maintain institutional accreditation, or if certain of our programs cannot obtain or maintain programmatic accreditation, our student enrollments would diminish and our business would suffer. Institutional Accreditation. In the U.S., accrediting agencies are non-governmental entities that periodically review the academic quality of an institution’s instructional programs and its administrative and financial operations to ensure the institution has the resources to perform its educational mission. Accrediting agencies impose standards that extend to most aspects of an institution’s operations and educational programs including, but not limited to, requirements to maintain threshold graduation and job placement rates for its educational programs. ED requires an institution to be accredited by an ED-recognized accrediting agency in order for the institution to participate in the Title IV Programs. HDMC and CCC are currently accredited by ACCET through April 2029 and April 2025, respectively. Integrity is accredited by ABHES through February 2026. ACCET and ABHES are ED-recognized accrediting agencies. The failure to comply with accreditation standards could subject an institution to additional oversight and reporting requirements, accreditation proceedings such as a show-cause directive, an action to defer or deny action related to an institution’s application for a new grant of accreditation, or an action to suspend or revoke an institution’s accreditation or a program’s approval. If our institutions or programs are subject to negative accreditation actions or are placed on probationary accreditation status, we may experience adverse publicity, impaired ability to attract and retain students, and substantial expense to obtain unqualified accreditation status. The inability to obtain reaccreditation following periodic reviews or any final loss of institutional accreditation after exhaustion of the administrative agency processes would result in a loss of Title IV Program funds and state authorization for the affected institution. Such events and any related claims brought against us could have a material adverse impact on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Programmatic Accreditation. Many states and professional associations require professional programs to be accredited. While programmatic accreditation is not a sufficient basis to qualify for institutional Title IV Program certification, programmatic accreditation may improve employment opportunities for program graduates in their chosen field. Moreover, ED requires an institution to hold programmatic accreditation for an educational program if required by a state or federal agency (including as a condition of employment in the occupation for which the institutional program prepares the students). The veterinary technology program at CCC is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Integrity’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing holds pre-accreditation candidacy status from the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation. All of the Title IV-eligible educational programs offered by our institutions are within the scope of institutional accreditation from either ACCET or ABHES, and we do not believe any of our Title IV-eligible educational programs that do not hold programmatic accreditation are required to hold programmatic accreditation by any currently applicable state or federal agency. Those of our programs that do not have programmatic accreditation, where available, or fail to maintain such accreditation, may experience adverse publicity, loss of access to Title IV funds, declining enrollments, litigation or other claims from students or suffer other adverse impacts, which could result in it being impractical for us to continue offering such programs. ED Recognition of Accrediting Agencies. Our participation in Title IV Programs is dependent on ED continuing to recognize the accrediting agencies that accredit our colleges and universities. Each of our institutions currently are accredited by an ED-recognized accrediting agency. The standards and practices of these agencies have become a focus of attention by state attorneys general, members of Congress, ED’s Office of Inspector General and ED over recent years, and are the subject of upcoming rulemaking. ED held negotiated rulemaking sessions between January and March 2024, and the negotiators did not reach consensus on proposed language. On July 17, 2024, ED announced that proposed rules related to cash management, state authorization and accreditation will be published by next year. ED has indicated during negotiated rulemaking its intent to require accreditors to take action against institutions more promptly when accreditors identify noncompliance and to modify accreditor review of substantive changes and limit the time an institution can remain in noncompliance with accrediting agency standards, which could increase the amount of enforcement activities by accrediting agencies against institutions like ours. ED also proposed expanding requirements related to accrediting agencies’ conflict of interest policies and student achievement standards, for example. 42 This focus may make the accreditation review process longer and potentially more challenging for our institutions when they undergo their normal accreditation review processes. It may also make the process by which ED evaluates and recognizes accreditors as appropriate Title IV Program gatekeepers longer and more challenging for our accreditors. ED recognized accreditors are facing increased political pressure as part of this recognition process to apply heightened levels of scrutiny or review and/or apply new requirements or standards to for-profit institutions. These pressures may result in future modifications to accreditation criteria, practices or other policies and procedures, with which our institutions may not be able to comply. If ED withdraws recognition from ACCET and/or ABHES, ED may continue our schools’ eligibility for a period of up to 18 months from the date of the withdrawal of recognition, and our schools could apply for accreditation from other ED-recognized accrediting agencies. ED could impose provisional certification and other conditions and restrictions on our schools during this period. If ACCET and/or ABHES lose recognition from ED and our schools are unable to obtain accreditation from a different ED-recognized accrediting agency in the required time period, our schools could lose eligibility to participate in Title IV Programs. Congress may revise the laws governing the Title IV Programs or reduce funding for those programs which could reduce our enrollment and revenue and increase costs of operations. The U.S. Congress must periodically reauthorize the HEA and other laws governing the Title IV Programs and annually determine the funding level for each Title IV Program, and may pass new laws or revise existing laws at any time. Political and budgetary concerns significantly affect the Title IV Programs. We cannot predict when or whether Congress will consider or vote on legislation to reauthorize the HEA or to create new laws or revise existing laws. Furthermore, we cannot predict with any certainty the outcome of the HEA reauthorization process nor the extent to which any legislation that Congress could adopt at any time could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. However, recent elections have increased the number and influence of legislators and regulators who have been critical of the for-profit postsecondary education sector that includes our institutions, which has led and could continue to lead to significant legislative changes in connection with amendments to the HEA, annual appropriations, or other changes to laws, that have been and may continue to be adverse to our institutions and other for-profit institutions. Moreover, current requirements for student or school participation in Title IV Programs may change or one or more of the present Title IV Programs could be replaced by other programs with materially different student or school eligibility requirements. For example, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) was signed into law in March 2021 and included, among other things, a provision that amended the 90/10 Rule (as defined herein) in the HEA. See “Risk Factors - Our institutions could lose their eligibility to participate in federal student financial aid programs if the percentage of their revenues derived from applicable federal student aid programs is too high.” If we cannot comply with the provisions of the HEA, as they may be enforced or amended, or if the cost of such compliance is excessive, or if funding is materially reduced, our revenues or profit margin could be materially adversely affected. Additional ED or other rulemaking could materially and adversely affect our operations, business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. ED has promulgated a substantial number of new regulations in recent years that impact our business, including, but not limited to, the “borrower defense to repayment” regulations discussed in the risk factors below, as well as rules regarding compensation for persons engaged in certain aspects of admissions and financial aid, state authorization, clock and credit hours, prohibitions on “substantial misrepresentations,” gainful employment, certification procedures, financial responsibility, administrative capability, ability to benefit, closed school loan discharges, the 90/10 Rule, changes in ownership, Title IX, and other topics. These and other regulations have had significant impacts on our business, requiring a large number of reporting and operational changes and resulting in changes to and elimination of certain educational programs. 43 Future regulatory actions by ED or other agencies that regulate our institutions are likely to occur and to have significant impacts on our business, require us to change our business practices and incur costs of compliance and of developing and implementing changes in operations, as has been the case with past regulatory changes. Recent and upcoming elections may result in changes at ED and other federal agencies that are likely to lead to future regulatory actions that could be aimed at for-profit postsecondary institutions like our institutions. See “Risk Factors - Our institutions could lose their eligibility to participate in federal student financial aid programs if the percentage of their revenues derived from applicable federal student aid programs is too high.” In October through December 2023, ED conducted negotiated rulemaking to develop new regulations related to student debt relief. In addition, in January through March 2024, ED conducted negotiated rulemaking to prepare proposed regulations on a variety of topics including, but not limited to cash management, state authorization, distance education, return of Title IV, and accreditation. On July 24, 2024, ED published proposed regulations in the Federal Register, related to return of Title IV calculations and distance education. Our institutions are required to perform return of Title IV calculations and the upcoming final version of the regulations may impact our performance of these mandatory calculations. If our institutions begin offering distance education programs, the proposed rules on distance education could impact our reporting requirements and our performance of the return of Title IV calculations. If ED publishes final regulations by November 1, 2024, the regulations typically would have a general effective date of July 1, 2025. On July 17, 2024, ED announced that proposed rules related to cash management, state authorization and accreditation will be published by next year. We cannot predict the ultimate timing, content and effective date of the regulations that will emerge from these processes. ED could consider additional topics for proposed regulations during the rulemaking process or by initiating additional rulemaking processes. On July 17, 2024, ED announced that it will conduct negotiated rulemaking on third-party servicer requirements for institutions and servicers but did not provide a timeline. The negotiated rulemaking process is likely to lead to future ED regulations that could negatively impact schools like ours. ED also has announced its intention to propose regulations that would increase the information security requirements applicable to institutions participating in the Title IV Programs, including with respect to sensitive personal data residing in school information systems, but we cannot predict the ultimate timing, content, and impact of any regulations ED might propose and ultimately adopt. We cannot predict with certainty the ultimate combined impact of the regulatory changes which have occurred in recent years, nor can we predict the effect of future legislative or regulatory action by federal, state or other agencies regulating our education programs or other aspects of our operations, how any resulting regulations will be interpreted or whether we and our institutions will be able to comply with these requirements in the future. Any such actions by legislative or regulatory bodies that affect our programs and operations could have a material adverse effect on our student population and our institutions, including the need to cease offering a number of programs. ED’s financial value transparency and gainful employment regulations may limit the programs we can offer students and increase our cost of operations. In May 2021, ED announced its intention to initiate a rulemaking process on several topics, including gainful employment. On May 19, 2023, ED published a notice of proposed rulemaking on financial value transparency and gainful employment, and on October 10, 2023, ED published final regulations which became effective on July 1, 2024. Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging these regulations, however, we cannot predict the outcome of these cases. The financial value transparency and gainful employment regulations include standards for annually evaluating postsecondary educational programs based on the calculation of debt-to-earnings rates and an “earnings premium” measure. The rule establishes formulae for calculating these rates using data such as student debt, student earnings data, and median earnings data for working adults with only a high school diploma or GED, which the rule uses to compare to median earnings data of the institution’s graduates. Under the regulations, ED will annually calculate and publish the debt-to-earnings rates and median earnings data for our educational programs. If these calculations show that any of our educational programs do not comply with debt-to-earnings or median earnings regulatory thresholds for two of three consecutive years, those educational programs would lose Title IV Program eligibility. ED also requires institutions to provide warnings to current and prospective students about programs in danger of losing of Title IV Program eligibility which could negatively impact our retention of current students and enrollment of new students in these programs. The regulations also require certifications and data reporting to ED and providing required student disclosures related to gainful employment. Some of the data ED will use to calculate the debt-to-earnings rates and earnings premium measures is not yet readily accessible to institutions. Therefore, it is difficult for us to predict how our institutions will perform under the new standards and the extent to which our programs could lose Title IV Program eligibility under the new standards. We also do not have control over some of the factors that could impact the rates and measures for our programs which could make it difficult to mitigate the impact of the regulations on our programs. However, the new regulations could require us to modify or eliminate programs to comply with the new regulations and could result in the loss of Title IV Program eligibility for our programs that fail to comply with the regulations which could have a material adverse effect on our student population and our revenues. 44 ED’s “borrower defense to repayment” regulations may subject us to significant repayment liability to ED for discharged federal student loans, posting of substantial letters of credit and other requirements that could have a material adverse effect on us. In 1994, pursuant to certain provisions of the Higher Education Act, ED published its first version of the “borrower defense to repayment” (“BDR”) regulations which generally allow federal student loan borrowers to assert a defense to repaying their federal loans based on the conduct of the institution they attended. The amount of loans discharged by ED pursuant to an adjudicated BDR claim may be assessed by ED as a Title IV Program liability against the institution. On November 1, 2016, the Department adopted revised BDR regulations that became effective on July 1, 2017. Under the 2017 version of the BDR regulations, borrowers with federal student loans disbursed after July 1, 2017 can assert a defense to repayment and be eligible for relief based on a nondefault, favorable, contested judgement against the institution from a state or federal court; a claim that the institution failed to perform its obligations under a contract with the student or a claim the institution committed a “substantial misrepresentation” on which the borrower reasonably relied to his or her detriment. On September 23, 2019, the Department again revised its BDR regulations effective July 1, 2020, and created a distinct standard and process for BDR applications applicable to federal student loans first disbursed after July 1, 2020. Under the 2019 version of the BDR regulations, a borrower can assert a defense to repayment and be eligible for relief if the borrower establishes that the institution made a misrepresentation of material fact upon which the borrower reasonably relied in deciding to obtain their loan; the misrepresentation related to the borrower’s enrollment or continuing enrollment at the institution or the provision of education services for which the loan was made; and the borrower was financially harmed by the misrepresentation. On November 1, 2022, ED again revised the BDR regulations with an effective date of July 1, 2023. The 2022 version of the BDR regulations included amendments regarding, among other things, (i) acts or omissions by or on behalf of an institution of higher education a borrower may assert as a defense to repayment of certain Title IV Program loans; (ii) procedures for adjudicating borrower defense claims, and (iii) prohibiting the use of mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses and class action waivers in enrollment agreements and requiring disclosures of judicial and arbitration filings and awards pertaining to a borrower defense claim. Among other things, the 2022 version of the BDR regulations also amended the processes for BDR applications received on or after, or that were pending with ED as of, July 1, 2023. The 2022 version of the BDR regulations applies the revised federal BDR standard to all BDR claims received on or after, or pending with the Secretary as of, July 1, 2023, but would not allow for recovery against institutions for discharged amounts first disbursed prior to July 1, 2023 unless the BDR claim would have been approved under the substantive BDR standard applicable to the time period in which the loan was disbursed as set forth in the prior versions of the BDR regulations. The defenses to repayment are based on certain acts or omissions, including misrepresentations, by an institution or a covered party. The regulations establish detailed procedures and standards for the loan discharge processes, including the information required for borrowers to receive a loan discharge, and the authority of ED to seek recovery from the institution of the amount of discharged loans. The 2022 version of the BDR regulations were to take effect on July 1, 2023, in addition to certain closed school loan discharge provisions part of the same rule, but are currently enjoined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit pursuant to litigation captioned Career Colleges and Schools of Texas v. U.S. Department of Education , No. 23-50491. The Career Colleges and Schools of Texas (“CCST”) filed a complaint challenging the regulations in February 2023. In April 2024, the Fifth Circuit granted a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the 2022 version of the BDR regulations while the case is pending. Therefore, the 2022 version of the BDR regulations are not in effect, but the previous BDR regulations in effect prior to July 1, 2023, generally remain in effect in the meantime and apply different substantive standards and procedures based on when a BDR claimant’s loans were disbursed. We cannot predict the outcome of this case or if and when the revised BDR regulations could take effect. On June 22, 2022, ED reached a settlement with plaintiffs in the case titled Sweet v. Cardona , which was filed by student loan borrowers to challenge ED’s adjudication of BDR claims. The settlement resulted in automatic relief of claims pending as of June 22, 2022 that were filed against institutions on a list of about 150 institutions named in the settlement agreement, which did not include any of our institutions. In addition, under the settlement, any borrower who filed a defense to repayment claim between June 22, 2022 and November 15, 2022 are “Post-Class Applicants” whose applications will be adjudicated under the 2016 version of the BDR regulations and will be decided by January 2026. HDMC received and timely responded to seven BDR applications from Post-Class Applicants. CCC and Integrity have not received any BDR applications from Post-Class Applicants. It is possible that we could receive BDR claims in the future. If we or our representatives are found to have engaged in certain acts or omissions under the broad definitions contained in the 2016 version of the BDR regulations, or other BDR regulations that could be in place in the future, we could be subject to substantial repayment obligations and subject to other sanctions. The enjoined 2022 version of the BDR regulations, and the versions of the BDR regulations that are currently in effect and that could be in effect in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows and result in the imposition of significant restrictions on us and our ability to operate, including a requirement that our institutions to submit a letter of credit based on expanded standards of financial responsibility. See “Risk Factors - A failure to maintain compliance with ED’s “financial responsibility” requirements would have negative impacts on our operations .” 45 The current ED administration has been more active in processing BDR applications and has recently distributed claims to institutions for an opportunity to respond to borrower allegations. ED may, on its own or in response to other constituencies, allocate additional resources to reviewing and adjudicating BDR applications from federal student loan borrowers. We cannot predict how many BDR applications have been filed by our former students, but if we receive such claims from ED, we may incur significant costs in responding to the borrower allegations and, if adjudicated as valid by ED, repaying the federal government for the amount of loans discharged pursuant to such claims. A failure to maintain compliance with ED’s “financial responsibility” requirements would have negative impacts on our operations. All institutions participating in the Title IV Programs must satisfy specific standards of financial responsibility. ED evaluates institutions for compliance with these standards each year, based on the institution’s annual audited financial statements, as well as following a change in ownership resulting in a change of control of the institution. The most significant financial responsibility measurement is the institution’s composite score, which is calculated by ED based on three ratios: ● the equity ratio, which measures the institution’s capital resources, ability to borrow and financial viability; ● the primary reserve ratio, which measures the institution’s ability to support current operations from expendable resources; and ● the net income ratio, which measures the institution’s ability to operate at a profit. ED assigns a strength factor to the results of each of these ratios on a scale from negative 1.0 to positive 3.0, with negative 1.0 reflecting financial weakness and positive 3.0 reflecting financial strength. ED then assigns a weighting percentage to each ratio and adds the weighted scores for the three ratios together to produce a composite score for the institution. The composite score must be at least 1.5 for the institution to be deemed financially responsible without the need for further oversight. If an institution’s composite score is below 1.5, but is at least 1.0, it is in a category denominated by ED as “the zone.” Under ED regulations, institutions that are in the zone typically may be permitted by ED to continue to participate in the Title IV Programs by choosing one of two alternatives: 1) the “Zone Alternative” under which an institution is required to make disbursements to students under the Heightened Cash Monitoring 1 (“HCM1”) payment method (or another payment method that differs from the standard advance payment method) and to notify ED within 10 days after the occurrence of certain oversight and financial events or 2) submit a letter of credit to ED equal to at least 50 percent of the Title IV Program funds received by the institution during its most recent fiscal year. ED permits an institution to participate under the “Zone Alternative” for a period of up to three consecutive fiscal years. Under the HCM1 payment method, the institution is required to make Title IV Program disbursements to eligible students and parents before it requests or receives funds for the amount of those disbursements from ED. Unlike the Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 (“HCM2”) and the reimbursement payment methods, the HCM1 payment method typically does not require schools to submit documentation to ED and wait for ED approval before drawing down Title IV Program funds. Schools under HCM1, HCM2 or reimbursement payment methods must also pay any credit balances due to a student before drawing down funds for the amount of those disbursements from ED, even if the student or parent provides written authorization for the schools to hold the credit balance. If an institution’s composite score is below 1.0, the institution is considered by ED to lack financial responsibility. If ED determines that an institution does not satisfy ED’s financial responsibility standards, depending on its composite score and other factors, that institution may establish its eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs on an alternative basis by, among other things: ● posting a letter of credit in an amount equal to at least 50% of the total Title IV Program funds received by the institution during the institution’s most recently completed fiscal year; or ● posting a letter of credit in an amount equal to at least 10% of the Title IV Program funds received by the institution during its most recently completed fiscal year accepting provisional certification; complying with additional ED monitoring requirements and agreeing to receive Title IV Program funds under an arrangement other than ED’s standard advance funding arrangement. If, in the future, we are required to satisfy ED’s standards of financial responsibility on an alternative basis, including potentially by posting irrevocable letters of credit, we may not have the capacity to post these letters of credit which could result in sanctions including loss of Title IV Program eligibility. ED annually evaluates the financial responsibility of HDMC, CCC, and Integrity on a consolidated basis. We have calculated our composite score for the 2023 fiscal year to be 3.0, however this score is subject to determination by ED based on its review of our consolidated audited financial statements for the 2023 fiscal year. However, if our composite scores in the future were to decrease, we may become subject to the additional requirements noted above or our Title IV Program eligibility could be affected. We cannot predict how long it will take the ED to make its determination or the outcome of its determination. On October 31, 2023, ED published final regulations with a general effective date of July 1, 2024 that, among other things, amended the “general” standards of financial responsibility to revise the timeframe for institutions to submit annual audits, require reporting on the status of foreign entity owners, and add events that constitute a failure to demonstrate an institution is able to meet financial obligations. These regulations also modified the list of triggering events that could result in ED determining that the institution lacks financial responsibility and must submit to ED a letter of credit or other form of acceptable financial protection and accept other conditions on the institution’s Title IV Program eligibility. The regulations create lists of mandatory triggering events and discretionary triggering events. An institution is not able to meet its financial or administrative obligations if a mandatory triggering event occurs. The mandatory triggering events include: ● an institution with a composite score of less than 1.5 has a recalculated composite score of less than 1.0 as determined by ED as a result of an institutional liability from a monetary award or judgment or settlement resulting from a legal proceeding; ● an institution (or an entity that has submitted financial statements to ED in connection with a change in ownership) is subject to a government enforcement action (sued by a federal or state authority or via a qui tam action) and the action has been pending for 120 days and no motion to dismiss is pending or has been granted; ● the institution’s recalculated composite score is less than 1.0 after ED initiates action to recoup funds from institution after BDR claim decided in borrower’s favor; ● an institution or entity that submitted an application with ED for a change of ownership has a recalculated composite score is less than 1.0 after a final monetary judgment, award or settlement that was entered against it at any point through the end of the second full fiscal year after the change of ownership; ● a proprietary institution with a composite score of less than 1.5 or that underwent a change of ownership in the current or previous fiscal year has a recalculated composite score of. less than 1.0 as determined by ED as a result of a withdrawal of owner’s equity from the institution unless certain exceptions apply; ● at least half of Title IV funds in the institution’s most recently completed fiscal year are for “failing” gainful employment programs; ● the institution is required to submit a teach-out plan due to financial concerns; ● the SEC takes certain actions against a publicly listed entity that directly or indirectly owns at least 50% of an institution or such entity fails to comply with certain filing requirements; ● the institution did not receive at least 10 percent of its revenue from sources other than Federal educational assistance as calculated under 90/10 rule during its most recently completed fiscal year; ● the institution’s two most recent cohort default rates are 30 percent or greater, unless a pending appeal could reduce one of the rates ● the institution’s composite score is less than 1.0 when recalculated to reflect the offset of distribution after a contribution; ● the institution or entity included in financial statements is subject to adverse or impermissible conditions under a financing arrangement as a result of ED action; 46 ● the institution declares financial exigency to government agency or accrediting agency; ● the institution or an owner files for a receivership or is ordered to appoint a receiver. ED also may determine that an institution lacks financial responsibility if one or more of the following discretionary triggering events occurs and the event is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the financial condition of the institution: ● a show cause or similar order from the institution’s accrediting agency or a government authority; ● a notice from the institution’s state authorizing or licensing agency of an intent to withdraw or terminate the institution’s state authorization or licensure if the institution does not take steps to comply with state requirements; ● the institution (or an owner entity covered by the regulation) is subject to a default, delinquency, or other adverse creditor event, or to a condition not permitted under the regulation, under or related to a loan agreement or other financing arrangement or has a judgement awarding monetary relief entered against it that is subject to appeal or under appeal; ● there is a significant fluctuation in Pell Grant and/or Direct Loans received by an institution during a period of award years; ● high annual drop-out rates from the institution as determined by ED; ● ED requires the institutions to provide additional financial reporting due to a failure to meet financial responsibility standards or indicators of significant change in the financial condition of the institution; ● ED forms a group process to consider pending borrower defense to repayment claims that could be subject to recoupment; ● a program is discontinued that enrolls more than 25% of the institution’s total enrolled students who receive Title IV Program funds; ● the institution closes a location that enrolls more than 25% of its total enrolled students who receive Title IV Program funds; ● the institution, or one of its programs, is cited by a State agency for failing to meet requirements; ● the institution, or one of its programs, loses eligibility to participate in another Federal educational assistance program; ● a publicly traded company that directly or indirectly owns at least 50% of the institution discloses in public securities exchange filing that it is under investigation for possible violation of law; ● the institution is cited by another federal agency and risks losing education assistance funds by that agency; ● the institution is required to submit a teach-out plan due to concerns other than those constituting a mandatory triggering event; or ● any other event or condition that ED finds is likely to have significant adverse effect on the financial condition of the institution. The regulations require an institution to notify ED of the occurrence of a mandatory or discretionary triggering event and, in some cases, provide an opportunity to provide certain information to ED to demonstrate why the event does not establish the institution’s lack of financial responsibility or require the submission of a letter of credit and impose other conditions or requirements. If more than one of these financial responsibility triggers occur, ED could impose separate letters of credit to address each triggering event. 47 The financial responsibility regulations could result in ED recalculating and reducing our composite score, on a retroactive basis, to account for ED estimates of potential losses under one or more of the extensive list of triggering circumstances and also could result in the imposition of conditions and requirements including a requirement to provide one or more letters of credit or other form of financial protection. It is difficult to predict the amount or duration of any letter of credit requirements that ED might impose under the regulation. The requirement to submit letters of credit or to accept other conditions or restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our schools’ business and results of operations. Accreditor and state regulatory requirements also address financial responsibility, and these requirements vary among agencies and also are different from ED requirements. Any developments relating to our satisfaction of ED’s financial responsibility requirements may lead to additional focus or review by our accreditors or applicable state agencies regarding their respective financial responsibility requirements. If our institutions fail to maintain financial responsibility, they could lose their eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs, have that eligibility adversely conditioned or be subject to similar negative consequences under accreditor and state regulatory requirements, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. In particular, limitations on, or termination of, participation in the Title IV Programs as a result of the failure to demonstrate financial responsibility or administrative capability would limit students’ access to Title IV Program funds, which would materially and adversely reduce the enrollments and revenues of our institutions. A failure to maintain compliance with ED’s “administrative capability” requirements would negatively impact our operations. ED assesses the administrative capability of each institution that participates in the Title IV Programs under a series of separate standards. Failure to satisfy any of the standards may lead ED to find the institution ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs or to place the institution on provisional certification as a condition of its participation and potentially impose fines or other sanctions. On October 31, 2023, ED published regulations revising and expanding its administrative capability standards. Those revisions took effect on July 1, 2024. The criteria for administrative capability include, among other things, that the institution: ● comply with all applicable federal student financial aid requirements; ● have capable and sufficient personnel to administer the Title IV Programs; ● administer the Title IV Programs with adequate checks and balances in its system of internal controls over financial reporting; ● divide the function of authorizing and disbursing or delivering Title IV Program funds so that no office has the responsibility for both functions; ● establish and maintain records required under the Title IV Programs regulations; ● develop and apply an adequate system to identify and resolve discrepancies in information from sources regarding a student’s application for financial aid under the Title IV Programs; ● have acceptable methods of defining and measuring the satisfactory academic progress of its students; ● refer to the Office of the Inspector General any credible information indicating that any applicant, student, employee, third party servicer or other agent of the school has been engaged in any fraud or other illegal conduct involving the Title IV Programs; ● not be, and not have any principal or affiliate who is, debarred or suspended from federal contracting or engaging in activity that is cause for debarment or suspension; ● provide adequate financial aid counseling to its students; ● submit, in a timely manner, all reports and financial statements required by the Title IV Program regulations; ● provide adequate career services and geographically accessible clinical or externship opportunities to it students; 48 ● disburses funds to students in a timely manner that best meets their needs; ● does not have programs that “fail” gainful employment rates and measures and that represent 50 percent or more of its total receipts under the Title IV Programs in the most recent award year; ● does not engage in substantial misrepresentations or aggressive and deceptive recruitment tactics; and ● not otherwise appear to lack administrative capability. Failure by us to satisfy any of these or other administrative capability criteria could cause our institutions to be subject to sanctions or other actions by ED or to lose eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs, which would have a significant impact on our business and results of operations. Our institutions could be subject to liabilities and sanctions if they violate ED regulations and guidance limiting compensation to individuals and entities involved in certain recruiting, admissions or financial aid activities. An institution participating in the Title IV Programs may not provide any commission, bonus or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any person or entity engaged in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the awarding of Title IV Program funds. This statutory prohibition under the HEA, and as implemented by ED, applies to all institutional employees and service providers who are engaged in or responsible for any student recruitment or admission activity or making decisions regarding the award of financial aid. We cannot predict how ED will interpret and enforce the incentive compensation prohibition. The prohibition on incentive compensation has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the productivity of our employees, on the retention of our employees and on our business and results of operations. Failure to comply with the incentive compensation prohibition could result in loss of an institution’s certification to participate in the Title IV Programs, limitations on Title IV Program participation or financial penalties. On July 17, 2024, ED announced it will issue guidance related to the incentive compensation rule no sooner than later this year, which could, among other things, modify existing published ED guidance related to the incentive compensation rule. Our institutions could lose their eligibility to participate in the Title IV programs if the percentage of their revenues derived from applicable federal educational assistance programs is too high. Under the HEA, a proprietary institution that derives more than 90% of its total revenue from the Title IV Programs or, for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, from all federal educational assistance funds) for two consecutive fiscal years becomes immediately ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs and may not reapply for eligibility until the end of at least two fiscal years (“90/10 Rule”). An institution whose receipts of applicable funds exceeds 90% of revenue for a single fiscal year will be placed on provisional certification, be required to notify ED and its students of the possibility of a loss of Title IV Program eligibility, and may be subject to other enforcement measures, including a requirement to submit a letter of credit. See “Business - Education Regulations - Financial Responsibility Standards.” We have calculated the 90/10 Rule percentages for the 2023, 2022 and 2021 fiscal years as follows for HDMC, CCC and Integrity: HDMC 84.53%, 82.17% and 84.24%; CCC 74.48%, 72.34% and 71.18%; and Integrity 88.14%, 85.43%, and 89.47%, respectively. Our 90/10 calculations are subject to review and potential recalculation by ED. In addition, the 90/10 Rule is complex and there is some ambiguity in certain technical aspects of the calculation methodology under the 90/10 Rule. If ED comes out with additional guidance or interpretations that are different than our interpretations, ED could recalculate the 90/10 Rule percentages of our institutions, which could result in one or more of the percentages exceeding 90 percent. All of these calculations are subject to review, differing interpretations, and potential recalculation by ED which makes it more difficult for our institutions to comply with the 90/10 Rule. A loss of eligibility to participate in Title IV Programs for any of our institutions would have a significant impact on the rate at which our students enroll in our programs and on our business and results of operations. Moreover, if an institution violated the 90/10 Rule and became ineligible to participate in Title IV Programs but continued to disburse Title IV Program funds, ED would require the institution to repay all Title IV Program funds received by the institution after the effective date of the loss of eligibility. 49 The American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) amended the 90/10 Rule by treating other federal student financial assistance funds in the same manner as Title IV Program funds in the 90/10 Rule percentage. This amendment requires our institutions to limit the combined amount of Title IV Program funds and other federal student financial assistance funds in a fiscal year to no more than 90% in a fiscal year as calculated under the 90/10 Rule. ED published final regulations on the 90/10 Rule on October 28, 2022. The final regulations became effective July 1, 2023 and applied to fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2023 (which will be the fiscal years ending June 30, 2024 for our schools). The new rule modified how institutions counted revenue when calculating compliance with the 90/10 Rule, and added a requirement to notify students of the potential loss of eligibility resulting from not meeting the 90/10 standard, among other changes. ED has published a Notice in the Federal Register listing the types of funds that are considered federal education assistance funds under the new 90/10 Rule. The funds include GI Bill funding and Military Tuition Assistance, among other sources of funds. We expect the change in the 90/10 Rule will increase our 90/10 Rule percentages and make it more difficult to comply with the 90/10 Rule and could require changes to maintain compliance. Additional ED regulations restrict the ability of institutions to limit the amount of Title IV Program loans that students and parents may borrow which can impact our ability to control compliance with the 90/10 Rule at our institutions. In addition, there is a lack of clarity regarding some of the technical aspects of the calculation methodology under the 90/10 Rule, which may lead to regulatory action or investigations by ED. Changes in, or new interpretations of, the calculation methodology or other industry practices under the 90/10 Rule could further significantly impact our compliance with the 90/10 Rule, and responding to any review or investigation by ED involving us could require a significant amount of resources. Efforts to reduce the 90/10 Rule percentage for our institutions have and may in the future involve taking measures that involve interpretations of the 90/10 Rule that are without clear precedent, reduce our revenue or increase our operating expenses (or all of the foregoing, in each case perhaps significantly). Because of the changes to the 90/10 Rule made by ARPA and ED, we may be required to make structural changes to our business to remain in compliance, which changes may materially alter the manner in which we conduct our business and materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Furthermore, these required changes could be unsuccessful and could make more difficult our ability to comply with other important regulatory requirements, such as the cohort default rate regulations. However, we cannot predict the need or timing of any such changes, whether these changes would be successful in maintaining compliance with the 90/10 Rule or whether such changes will have other adverse effects on our business. Our institutions could lose their eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs or have other limitations placed upon them if their federal student loan cohort default rates are greater than the standards set by ED. The HEA limits participation in the Title IV Programs by institutions whose percentage of former students who defaulted on the repayment of certain federally guaranteed or funded student loans (the “cohort default rate”) exceeds prescribed thresholds. ED calculates these rates based on the number of students who have defaulted, not the dollar amount of such defaults. The cohort default rate is calculated on a federal fiscal year basis and measures the percentage of students who enter repayment of a loan during the federal fiscal year and default on the loan on or before the end of the federal fiscal year or the subsequent two federal fiscal years. Under the HEA, an institution whose cohort default rate is 30% or greater for three consecutive federal fiscal years loses eligibility to participate in certain Title IV Programs for the remainder of the federal fiscal year in which ED determines that such institution has lost its eligibility and for the two subsequent federal fiscal years. An institution whose cohort default rate for any single federal fiscal year exceeds 40% loses its eligibility to participate in certain Title IV Programs for the remainder of the federal fiscal year in which ED determines that such institution has lost its eligibility and for the two subsequent federal fiscal years. If an institution’s three-year cohort default rate equals or exceeds 30% in two of the three most recent federal fiscal years for which ED has issued cohort default rates, the institution may be placed on provisional certification status and could be required to submit a letter of credit to ED. See “Risk Factors - A failure to maintain compliance with ED’s “financial responsibility” requirements would have negative impacts on our operations. ” In October 2023, ED released the final cohort default rates for the 2020 federal fiscal year. These are the most recent final rates published by ED. The rates for our existing institutions for the 2020, 2019, and 2018 federal fiscal years respectively are as follows: HDMC 0.0%, 1.1%, and 3.4%; CCC 0.0%, 1.4%, and 2.5%; and Integrity 0.0%, 2.5%, and 4.0%. Consequently, none of our institutions had a cohort default rate equal to or greater than 30% for the 2020, 2019, or 2018 federal fiscal years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ED temporarily suspended federal student loan repayment obligations. This suspension, which lasted over three years, contributed to a reduction in our cohort default rates. Our cohort default rates could be substantially higher for the periods after the suspension expired if borrowers do not timely repay their federal student loans. 50 If any of our institutions were to lose eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs due to student loan default rates being higher than ED’s thresholds and we could not arrange for adequate alternative student financing sources, we might have to close those institutions, which could have a material adverse effect on our total student enrollment, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. If ED denies, or significantly conditions, recertification of any of our institutions to participate in the Title IV Programs, that institution could not conduct its business as it is currently conducted. Under the provisions of the HEA, an institution must apply to ED for continued certification to participate in the Title IV Programs at least every six years or when it undergoes a change in ownership resulting in a change of control. ED defines an institution to consist of both a main campus and its additional locations, if any. Under this definition, for ED purposes, we operate the following three institutions, collectively consisting of three main campuses and two additional locations: HDMC with locations in Lancaster, Bakersfield, and Temecula; CCC located in Salinas; and Integrity located in Pasadena. Generally, the recertification process includes a review by ED of an institution’s educational programs and locations, administrative capability, financial responsibility and other oversight categories. The current expiration date of the program participation agreements for HDMC and CCC is September 30, 2026. Integrity is currently participating in the Title IV Programs under a temporary provisional program participation agreement in connection with its change in ownership and control resulting from our acquisition of the institution. The temporary provisional program participation agreement had an expiration date of November 30, 2020 but continues on a month-to-month basis thereafter based on the institution’s submission to ED of certain required documentation and remains in effect until the conclusion of ED’s review of Integrity’s pending application for approval of its change in ownership and control. ED typically provides provisional certification to an institution following a change in ownership resulting in a change of control and also may provisionally certify an institution for other reasons, including, but not limited to, noncompliance with certain standards of administrative capability and financial responsibility. Our Integrity institution is currently approved under a temporary provisional program participation agreement which (as described in the subsequent section) permits an institution to continue participating in the Title IV Programs on a month-to-month basis while ED reviews the change in ownership and as long as the institution timely submits certain documentation to ED during the process. An institution that is provisionally certified receives fewer due process rights than those received by other institutions in the event ED takes certain adverse actions against the institution, is required to obtain prior ED approvals of new campuses and educational programs and may be subject to heightened scrutiny by ED. However, provisional certification does not otherwise limit an institution’s access to Title IV Program funds. On October 31, 2023, ED published a final rule revising its Title IV Program certification regulations, with an effective date of July 1, 2024. The rule codifies additional grounds for placing an institution on provisional certification, including a determination by ED that an institution is at risk of closure and ED’s consideration of supplementary performance measures that include an institution’s withdrawal rate, recruiting expenses, and licensure pass rate. The revised certification regulations also increase the number of requirements contained in an institution’s Program Participation Agreement (including, for example, a requirement to comply with all state laws related to closure), require certain ownership entities to sign the Program Participation Agreement, establish new standards for maximum program length (including a prohibition on the length of certain educational programs from exceeding the required minimum number of hours established by applicable state(s) for entry-level training requirements for the occupation for which the programs train students), require certification that an institution’s programs meet applicable educational requirements for graduates to obtain required occupational licensure or certification in a state, and restricts the ability of institutions to withhold transcripts. The revised regulations also impose new potential conditions on provisionally certified institutions, including but not limited to the submission of teach-out and/or document retention plans, growth restrictions, acquisition restrictions, additional reporting requirements, limitations on written arrangements, and additional conditions applicable to institutions found to have engaged in substantial misrepresentations or institutions seeking to convert to nonprofit status following a change in ownership. The revised certification regulations are expansive, complex and could be difficult for our institutions to comply with as its applicable requirements are interpreted by ED. If ED finds that any of our institutions do not fully satisfy all required eligibility and certification standards, ED could limit, condition, suspend, terminate, revoke, or decline to renew our institutions’ participation in the Title IV Programs or impose liabilities or other sanctions. Continued Title IV Program eligibility is critical to the operation of our business. If our institutions become ineligible to participate in the Title IV Programs, or have that participation significantly conditioned, we may be unable to conduct our business as it is currently conducted which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 51 If we acquire an institution, the acquisition generally constitutes a change in ownership and control that requires the institution to obtain approvals from ED and applicable state and accrediting agencies in order to remain eligible to participate in the Title IV Programs and continue to operate as an accredited institution in the states where the institution operates. When a company acquires an institution that is eligible to participate in the Title IV Programs, the acquisition generally will result in the institution undergoing a change of ownership resulting in a change of control as defined by ED and under the rules of other agencies and accreditors. Upon such a change, an institution’s eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs is generally suspended until it has applied for recertification by ED as an eligible school under its new ownership, which requires that the school also re-establish its state authorization and accreditation. ED may temporarily and provisionally certify an institution seeking approval of a change of control under certain circumstances while ED reviews the institution’s application. The temporary provisional certification typically remains in effect on a month-to-month basis during ED’s review of the application as long as the school timely submits certain documentation during the course of ED’s review. The time required for ED to act on such an application may vary substantially. ED recertification of an institution following a change of control will be on a provisional basis if ED approves the institution’s application and could contain restrictions or conditions depending on the outcome of its review of the institution including its administrative capability and financial stability. Under ED regulations that took effect July 1, 2023, the institutions must submit certain information and documentation at least 90 days in advance of the change in ownership including, for example, notice to current and prospective students of the planned change in ownership. The approval processes for state and accrediting agencies vary in scope and timing with some agencies requiring approval prior to the acquisition and others not conducting their review until after the acquisition has taken place. Thus, any plans to expand our business through acquisition of additional schools and have them certified by ED to participate in the Title IV Programs will be subject to the timing and outcome of the application, review and approval processes and requirements of ED and the relevant state education agencies and accreditors and could be impacted by any conditions or restrictions imposed by ED or other agencies on the institution under our ownership. On December 31, 2019, we entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with the sole member of Integrity. We purchased from the sole member of Integrity on that date 24.5% of her interest and obtained an exclusive option to acquire her remaining membership interest upon payment of $100, which was exercised on September 15, 2020. For purposes of our financial statements, our acquisition of Integrity is deemed to have been effective as of December 31, 2019. We believe that a change in ownership and control of Integrity did not occur until September 15, 2020 under the change in ownership and control standards of ED and the other educational agencies that regulate Integrity, but these standards are subject to interpretation by the respective agencies. The review by ED of the change in ownership and control of Integrity in connection with our acquisition of Integrity remains ongoing. Integrity currently holds a temporary provisional program participation agreement with ED in connection with our acquisition of the institution, which has continued its Title IV Program participation on a month-to-month basis pending ED’s approval of the change in ownership and control. If ED concludes that a change in ownership or control of Integrity occurred prior to September 15, 2020, we could be subject to liabilities or other sanctions by ED, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Our failure to comply with laws and regulations regarding prohibited misrepresentation could result in sanctions, liabilities or litigation that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. ED’s regulations prohibit an institution that participates in the Title IV Programs from engaging in misrepresentations regarding the nature of its educational programs, financial charges, graduate employability or its relationship with ED. A “misrepresentation” includes any false, erroneous, or misleading statement (whether made in writing, visually, orally, or through other means) that is made by an eligible institution, by one of its representatives, or by a third party that provides to the institution educational programs, marketing, advertising, recruiting, or admissions services and that is made to a student, prospective student, any member of the public, an accrediting or state agency, or to ED. If ED determines that one of our institutions has engaged in “substantial misrepresentation,” ED may impose sanctions or other conditions upon the institution including, but not limited to, initiating an action to fine the institution or limit, suspend, or terminate its eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs and may seek to discharge students’ loans and impose liabilities upon the institution. ED defines a “substantial misrepresentation” to include any misrepresentation on which the person to whom it was made could reasonably be expected to rely, or has reasonably relied, to that person’s detriment. The definition of “substantial misrepresentation” is broad and, therefore, it is possible that a statement made by the institution or one of its service providers or representatives could be construed by ED to constitute a substantial misrepresentation. Other federal agencies, state agencies, and accrediting agencies have similar rules that prohibit certain types of misrepresentations or unfair marketing and advertising practices by us or others on our behalf on a variety of subjects including, without limitation, the accuracy and substantiation of rates of graduation, job placement, and passage of occupational licensure examinations. Noncompliance with these requirements could result in sanctions, liabilities, or third-party litigation that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. ED published a final rule on November 1, 2022, which expanded the scope of prohibited misrepresentations, and which also prohibits certain types of conduct with respect to the recruitment of students. The adoption and implementation of new regulations could lead to findings of noncompliance and result in liabilities and other sanctions that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. 52 In addition, the FTC has indicated an increased focus on direct or implied misrepresentations. For example, on October 6, 2021, the FTC issued letters including a “Notice of Penalty Offenses Concerning Deceptive or Unfair Conduct in the Education Marketplace” to 70 institutions of higher education, but not any of our institutions. These letters were meant to place the recipients on actual notice of conduct the FTC previously found to violate the Federal Trade Commission Act. This conduct included several categories of direct or implied misrepresentations made by proprietary schools. These letters may reflect an increased interest by the FTC in monitoring schools in the for-profit proprietary school sector, including our schools. If our institutions fail to comply with an FTC statute or rule or are found to have committed misconduct determined to be unfair, deceptive, or otherwise improper, we and our institutions could face civil penalties, injunctions, or other remedies available to the FTC. If our institutions fail to comply with regulations regarding accurate and timely refunds and returns of Title IV Program funds in connection with students who withdraw from their programs, we could be subject to liabilities and sanctions. An institution participating in the Title IV Programs must calculate the amount of unearned Title IV Program funds that have been disbursed to students who withdraw from their educational programs before completing them, and must return those unearned funds to ED in a timely manner, which is generally within 45 days from the date the institution determines that the student has withdrawn. The failure to timely return funds can result in liabilities or sanctions. If an institution is cited in an audit or program review for late returns of Title IV Program funds for 5% or more of the pertinent students within the audit or program review sample, or if an audit identifies a material weakness in the institution’s report on internal controls relating to the return of unearned Title IV Program funds, the institution may be required to post a letter of credit in favor of ED in an amount equal to 25% of the total amount of Title IV Program funds that should have been returned for students who withdrew in the institution’s prior fiscal year. Neither HDMC nor CCC has received such a finding in either of the two most recently completed annual Title IV Program compliance audits submitted to ED. On January 30, 2024, due to a failure to timely return unearned Title IV Program funds to ED, Integrity was required to submit an acceptable form of financial protection for 25% of the refunds that were made for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 in the amount of $18,828. In January through March 2024, ED conducted negotiated rulemaking to prepare proposed regulations on several topics including the rules pertaining to returns of Title IV Program funds. On July 24, 2024, ED promulgated proposed amended regulations related to return of Title IV calculations. Our institutions are required to perform return of Title IV calculations and the final version of the amended regulations may impact our performance of these mandatory calculations. We cannot predict the ultimate timing, content and effective date of final amended regulations, or any future rulemaking process by ED that would result, though it is possible such future regulations are more onerous or could negatively impact our institutions. If our institutions open new campuses or add or change new educational programs, we may be required to obtain approvals from ED and our state and accrediting agencies. For-profit educational institutions must be authorized by their state education agencies and be fully operational for two years before applying to ED to participate in the Title IV Programs. However, an institution that is certified to participate in the Title IV Programs may establish an additional location and apply to participate in the Title IV Programs at that location without reference to the two-year requirement, if such additional location satisfies all other applicable ED eligibility requirements. Our expansion plans are based, in part, on our ability to open new schools as additional locations of our existing institutions and are dependent upon ED’s timely review and approval of new campuses. Effective July 1, 2024, ED has discretion to condition the participation of provisionally certified schools by restricting or limiting the addition of new programs or locations. If ED chose to impose such a condition on one or more of our institutions, that could negatively impact our expansion plans. 53 A student may use Title IV Program funds only to pay the costs associated with enrollment in an eligible educational program offered by an institution participating in the Title IV Programs. Generally, unless otherwise required by ED or regulation, an institution that is eligible to participate in the Title IV Programs may add a new educational program without ED approval. Institutions that are provisionally certified may be required to obtain approval of certain educational programs. Our Integrity institution is provisionally certified and required to obtain prior ED approval of new locations and educational programs. If an institution erroneously determines that an educational program is eligible for purposes of the Title IV Programs, the institution would likely be liable for repayment of Title IV Program funds provided to students in that educational program. Our expansion plans are based, in part, on our ability to add new educational programs at our existing schools and make periodic updates to our programs. In addition to ED, some of the state education agencies and our accreditors also have requirements that may affect our schools’ ability to open a new campus, establish an additional location of an existing institution or add or change educational programs. Approval by these agencies may be conditioned, delayed or denied and could be negatively impacted due to regulatory inquiries or reviews and any adverse publicity relating to such matters or the industry generally. On April 5, 2024, the Company executed a Letter of Intent with Contra Costa Medical Career College (“CCMCC”), CCMCC Online, Inc., and Contra Costa Community Outreach Clinic and Laboratory (collectively, “Contra Costa”) which describes a potential transaction whereby the Company would acquire substantially all of the assets of Contra Costa for a mix of cash and Company common stock. The Company contemplates it would teach-out the Contra Costa students and subsequently establish CCMCC as an additional location of CCC, in each case subject to all required regulatory approvals and the execution of a definitive agreement with Contra Costa. If CCMCC incurs any liabilities associated with prior noncompliance with applicable laws or ED discharge of Title IV loans for students who do not complete the teach-out, ED could interpret its rules to require us to assume these liabilities. If ED or other regulators impose conditions or decline to provide requisite approvals associated with the acquisition, the teach-out, or the addition of the CCMCC campus as an additional location of CCC, it could impair our ability to expand our CCC institution through the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Contra Costa If our students’ access to financial aid from state sources, from federal sources other than the Title IV Programs, or from alternative loan programs is lost or reduced, it could impact our results of operations. Some of our students receive financial aid from federal sources other than the Title IV Programs, such as programs administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. In addition, some of our students receive state financial aid in the form of grants, loans or scholarships. The eligibility and compliance requirements for these federal and state financial aid programs are extensive and vary among the funding agencies and by program. Our failure to comply with legal requirements applicable to federal and state financial assistance programs could result in repayment liabilities, sanctions, or loss of eligibility to participate in those programs which could impact our results of operations and also impact our compliance with ED’s 90/10 Rule which requires our institutions to generate revenues from sources other than the Title IV Programs and other federal financial assistance. States that provide financial aid to our students face budgetary constraints, which in certain instances has reduced the level of state financial aid available to our students. Due to state budgetary shortfalls and constraints in certain states in which we operate, the overall level of state financial aid for our students could decrease in the near term, but we cannot predict how significant any such reductions will be or how long they will last. Federal budgetary shortfalls and constraints, or decisions by federal lawmakers to limit or prohibit access by our institutions or their students to federal financial aid, could result in a decrease in the level of federal financial aid for our students. Under the WIOA, institutions currently must report data regarding credential attainment rates, job placement rates and other information and may be required to meet negotiated performance goals set by the state agency administering WIOA funds. On June 21, 2024, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a discussion draft of a bill to reauthorize the WIOA. Among other changes, the draft proposes to impose a repayment penalty on certain providers with eligible programs for which program competitors have not met the newly established credential attainment rates or job placement rates. 54 As currently proposed in the discussion draft bill, the repayment penalty would only apply to for-profit entities. If any of our institutions’ programs that receive WIOA funds do not meet the established performance levels and if the draft becomes law, our institutions could be required to repay between 5 and 20 percent of the WIOA funds received for training services for that program. If our participating institutions and their programs were to not meet other WIOA requirements, they would risk losing eligibility to participate in the program. Further, reauthorization of the WIOA could result in changes to the process for determining funding for its programs, which could affect our institutions’ revenues. In addition to the Title IV Programs and other government-administered programs, all our schools participate in alternative loan programs for their students. Alternative loans fill the gap between what the student receives from all financial aid sources and what the student may need to cover the full cost of his or her education. We also extend credit for tuition and fees to students that attend our campuses. We are required to comply with applicable federal and state laws related to certain consumer and educational loans and credit extensions and are subject to review by federal and state agencies responsible for overseeing compliance with these requirements. Our failure to comply with these requirements could result in repayment liabilities, sanctions, investigations or litigation which could impact our results of operations. On January 20, 2022, the CFPB announced its intent to examine the operations of postsecondary schools that extend private loans directly to students. Accompanying this announcement was an update to the CFPB’s Examination Procedures to now require CFPB examiners to review several aspects of educational loans including enrollment restrictions, withholding transcripts, improper accelerated payments, failure to issue refunds, and improper lending relationships. Our institutions may be subject to greater scrutiny by the CFPB than in the past, and failure to comply with applicable laws and requirements could result in repayment liabilities, sanctions, investigations or litigation which could impact our results of operations. Government and regulatory agencies and third parties may conduct compliance reviews and audits or bring actions against us that could result in monetary liabilities, injunctions, loss of eligibility for the Title IV Programs or other adverse outcomes. Because we operate in a highly regulated industry, we are subject to compliance reviews and audits as well as claims of noncompliance and lawsuits by government agencies, regulatory agencies and third parties. Our institutions are subject to audits, program reviews, site visits and other reviews by various federal and state regulatory agencies, including, but not limited to, ED, ED’s Office of Inspector General, state education agencies and other state regulators, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies and by our accrediting agencies. In addition, each of our institutions must retain an independent certified public accountant to conduct an annual audit of the institution’s administration of Title IV Program funds. The institution must submit the resulting audit report to ED for review. If one of our institutions fails to comply with accrediting or state licensing requirements, such school and its main and/or branch campuses and educational programs could be subject to the loss of state licensure or accreditation, which in turn could result in a loss of eligibility to participate in the Title IV Programs. If ED or another agency determined that one of our institutions improperly disbursed Title IV Program funds or other financial assistance funds or violated a provision of the HEA or ED regulations, the institution could be required to repay such funds and related costs to ED or other agencies, and could be assessed an administrative fine or subject to other sanctions including loss of eligibility to participate in the impacted financial assistance program. ED could also place the institution on provisional certification status and/or transfer the institution to the reimbursement or cash monitoring system of receiving Title IV Program funds, under which an institution must disburse its own funds to students and document the students’ eligibility for Title IV Program funds before receiving such funds from ED. Significant violations of Title IV Program requirements by us or any of our institutions could be the basis for ED to limit, suspend, terminate, revoke, or decline to renew the participation of the affected institution in the Title IV Programs or to seek civil or criminal penalties. We and our institutions are also subject to claims and lawsuits relating to regulatory compliance brought not only by federal and state regulatory agencies and our accrediting bodies, but also by third parties, such as present or former students or employees and other members of the public. 55 If the result of any pending or future proceeding, lawsuit, audit, review, or investigation is unfavorable to us, we may be required to pay money damages or be subject to fines, limitations, conditions, loss of Title IV Program funding and eligibility for other financial assistance programs, loss of accreditation or state authorization, injunctions or other penalties which could impact our results of operations. Even if we adequately address issues raised by an agency review or successfully defend a lawsuit or claim, we may have to divert significant financial and management resources from our ongoing business operations to address issues raised by those actions. Claims and lawsuits brought against us may damage our reputation or adversely affect our stock price, even if such actions are eventually determined to be without merit. Risks Related to Our Business If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to accounting controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to disclosure controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our common stock could drop significantly. Our financial performance depends on the level of student enrollment in our institutions. Stagnant wage growth and heightened financial worries could continue to affect the willingness of students to incur loans to pay for postsecondary education and to pursue postsecondary education in general. An improving economy and improving job prospects may lead prospective students to choose to work rather than to pursue postsecondary education. Our enrollments could suffer from any of these circumstances. Enrollment of students at our institutions is impacted by many of the regulatory risks discussed above and business risks discussed below, many of which are beyond our control. If the costs of Title IV loans increase and if availability of alternate student financial aid decreases, students may decide not to enroll in a postsecondary institution, including our institutions. We could experience decreasing enrollments in our institutions due to changing demographic trends in family size, overall declines in enrollment in postsecondary institutions or in for-profit institutions, job growth in fields unrelated to our core disciplines, immigration and visa laws, or other societal factors. Reduced enrollments at our institutions, for any of the reasons mentioned or otherwise, may reduce our profitability and is likely to have a negative impact on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flows, which, depending on the level of the decline, could be material. We compete with a variety of educational institutions and if we are unable to compete effectively, our total student enrollment and revenue could be adversely impacted. The postsecondary education industry is highly fragmented and increasingly competitive. Our institutions compete with traditional public and private two-year and four-year colleges and universities, other for-profit institutions, and alternatives to higher education, such as immediate employment and military service. Some public and private institutions charge lower tuition for courses of study similar to those offered by our institutions due, in part, to government subsidies, government and foundation grants, tax-deductible contributions and other financial resources not available to for-profit institutions, and this competition may increase if additional subsidies or resources become available to those institutions. For example, a typical community college is subsidized by local or state government and, as a result, tuition rates for associate degree programs are much lower at community colleges than at our institutions. Both the federal government and several states have proposed programs to enable residents to attend public institutions and community colleges for free. Our competitors may have substantially greater brand recognition and financial and other resources than we have or may be subject to fewer regulatory burdens on enrollment and financial aid processes, which may enable them to compete more effectively for potential students. An increase in competition could affect the success of our recruiting efforts or cause us to reduce our tuition rates and increase our marketing and other recruiting expenses, which could adversely impact our profitability and cash flows. 56 Our financial performance depends on our ability to develop awareness among, and enroll and retain, students in our institutions and programs in a cost effective manner. If our institutions are unable to successfully market and advertise their educational programs, our institutions’ ability to attract and enroll prospective students in those programs could be adversely affected. We have been investing in initiatives to improve student experiences, retention and academic outcomes. If these initiatives do not succeed, our ability to attract, enroll and retain students in our programs could be adversely affected. Consequently, our ability to increase revenue or maintain profitability could be impaired. Some of the factors that could prevent us from successfully marketing our institutions and the programs that they offer include, but are not limited to: student or employer dissatisfaction with educational programs and services; diminished access to prospective students; our failure to maintain or expand our brand names or other factors related to our marketing or advertising practices; FTC restrictions on contacting prospective students, Internet, mobile phone and other advertising and marketing media; costs and effectiveness of Internet, mobile phone and other advertising programs; and changing media preferences of our target audiences. Our business is subject to fluctuations caused by seasonality or other factors beyond our control, which may cause our operating results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations, primarily due to seasonal changes in student enrollments. We generally experience a seasonal increase in new enrollments during the first quarter of our fiscal year, as well as during the third quarter each year, when most other colleges and universities begin their fall semesters and subsequent to holiday break. While we enroll students throughout the year, our second quarter revenue generally is lower than other quarters due to the holiday season. Other factors beyond our control, such as special events that take place during a quarter when our student enrollment would normally be high, may have a negative impact on our student enrollments. We expect quarterly fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations to continue. These fluctuations could result in volatility and adversely affect our operations from one quarter to the next. If we are unable to successfully resolve future litigation and regulatory and governmental inquiries involving us, or face regulatory actions or litigation, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. From time to time, we and certain of our current and former directors and executive officers may become named as defendants in various lawsuits, investigations and claims covering a range of matters, including, but not limited to, violations of the federal securities laws, breaches of fiduciary duty and claims made by current and former students and employees of our institutions. Claims may include qui tam actions filed in federal court by individual plaintiffs on behalf of themselves and the federal government alleging violations of the False Claims Act. Qui tam actions are filed under seal and remain under seal until the government decides whether it will intervene in the case. If the government elects to intervene in an action, it assumes primary control of that matter; if the government elects not to intervene, then individual plaintiffs may continue the litigation at their own expense on behalf of the government. We and our institutions may also become subject to audits, compliance reviews, inquiries, investigations, claims of non-compliance and litigation by ED, federal and state regulatory agencies, accrediting agencies, state attorney general offices, present and former students and employees, and others that may allege violations of statutes, regulations, accreditation standards, consumer protection and other legal and regulatory requirements applicable to us or our institutions. If the results of any such audits, reviews, inquiries, investigations, claims, or actions are unfavorable to us, we may be required to pay monetary damages or be subject to fines, operational limitations, loss of federal funding, injunctions, undertakings, additional oversight and reporting, or other civil or criminal penalties. Even if we maintain compliance with applicable governmental and accrediting body regulations, regulatory scrutiny or adverse publicity arising from allegations of non-compliance may increase our costs of regulatory compliance and adversely affect our financial results, growth rates and prospects. For example, Congressional hearings and investigations by state attorneys general, CFPB, FTC, or other federal, state, or accrediting agencies affecting for-profit institutions may spur plaintiffs’ law firms or others to initiate additional litigation against us and other for-profit education providers. 57 We are subject to a variety of other claims and litigation that arise from time to time alleging non-compliance with or violations of state or federal regulatory matters including, but not limited to, claims involving students, graduates and employees. In the event the extensive changes in the overall federal and state regulatory construct results in additional statutory or regulatory bases for these types of matters, or other events result in more of such claims or unfavorable outcomes to such claims, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, reputation, financial position, cash flows and results of operations for the periods in which the effects of any such matter or matters becomes probable and reasonably estimable. In addition, federal and other regulatory limitations on the use of pre-dispute resolution clauses and class action waivers in student enrollments agreements may result in increased litigation costs. We cannot predict the ultimate outcome of these and future matters and may incur significant defense costs and other expenses in connection with them. We may be required to pay substantial damages or settlement costs in excess of our insurance coverage related to these matters. Government investigations and any related legal and administrative proceedings may result in the institution of administrative, civil injunctive or criminal proceedings against us and/or our current or former directors, officers or employees, or the imposition of significant fines, penalties or suspensions, or other remedies and sanctions. Any such costs and expenses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and the market price of our common stock. Our future financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if we are required to write down the carrying value of non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities, including long-lived assets, deferred tax assets and goodwill and intangible assets, such as our trade names. In accordance with GAAP, we review our non-financial assets, including goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, such as our trade names, for impairment on at least an annual basis. We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis on June 30 for each fiscal year or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill may not be recoverable. If it is determined that the fair value is less than its carrying amount, the excess of the goodwill carrying amount over the implied fair value is recognized as an impairment loss. We evaluate long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their net book value may not be recoverable. When such factors and circumstances exist, we compare the projected undiscounted future cash flows associated with the related asset or group of assets over their estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amount. Impairment, if any, is based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value, based on market value when available, or discounted expected cash flows, of those assets and is recorded in the period in which the determination is made. On an interim basis, we review our assets and liabilities to determine if a triggering event had occurred that would result in it being more likely than not that the fair value would be less than the carrying amount for any of our reporting units or indefinite-lived intangible assets. Our estimates of fair value for these are based primarily on projected future results and expected cash flows consistent with our plans to manage the underlying businesses. However, should we encounter unexpected economic conditions or operational results or need to take additional actions not currently foreseen to comply with current and future regulations, the assumptions used to calculate the fair value of our assets, estimate of future cash flows, revenue growth, and discount rates, could be negatively impacted and could result in an impairment of goodwill or other long-lived assets which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. The loss of our key personnel could harm us. Our future success depends largely on the skills, efforts and motivation of our executive officers and other key personnel, including LeeAnn Rohmann, our Chief Executive Officer, as well as on our ability to attract and retain qualified managers and our institutions’ ability to attract and retain qualified faculty members and administrators. These transitions and loss of key personnel in the future could slow implementation of key initiatives, lead to changes in or create uncertainty about our business strategies or otherwise impact management’s attention to operations. We face competition in attracting, hiring and retaining executives and key personnel who possess the skill sets and experiences that we seek. In particular, our performance is dependent upon the availability and retention of qualified personnel for our ongoing investments in our student support operations. Cost reduction measures due to declining enrollments, our recent operating losses and the negative publicity surrounding our industry make it difficult and more expensive to attract, hire and retain qualified and experienced personnel. In addition, key personnel may leave us and subsequently compete against us after any period they are contractually obligated not to pursue such activities. The loss of the services of our key personnel, or our failure to attract, integrate and retain other qualified and experienced personnel on acceptable terms and in a timely manner could adversely affect our results of operations or growth prospects. 58 We may be compelled to terminate programs due to regulatory considerations or declining enrollments and may incur additional costs and expenses, or fail to achieve anticipated cost savings and business efficiencies, associated with past or future exit or restructuring activities. We must balance current student populations and projected changes in student population with appropriate levels of costs and investment in real estate and our online platforms. Changes in the economy, regulatory environment or our eligibility for Title IV Program funds or other federal and state student financial assistance may cause us to terminate programs. Closing facilities or other exit activities involve costs and expenses which can be significant. Actual costs and expenses involved in closing facilities or other exit activities may be higher than expected. Under ED regulations, students who attended a closed institution or a closed location of an institution may qualify for discharges of federal student loans and ED may impose the amount of loan discharges as liabilities on the institution or affiliated parties including us. Under ED regulations effective July 1, 2024, a discontinuation of programs or locations that enroll more than 25 percent of an institution’s enrolled students can constitute a discretionary triggering event if ED determines the discontinuation is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the financial condition of the institution. The benefits anticipated from closing facilities, other exit activities or restructuring activities such as those involved in our transformation strategy may be less than anticipated due to a number of factors including unanticipated expenses in teaching out campuses and higher than expected lease costs. Negative trends in the real estate market could impact the costs related to teaching out campuses and the success of our initiatives to reduce our real estate obligations. Finally, our transformation strategy may not achieve the anticipated cost savings and business efficiencies. Our financial performance depends, in part, on our ability to keep pace with changing market needs and technology. Increasingly, prospective employers of students who graduate from our institutions demand that their new employees possess appropriate technological skills and also appropriate “soft” skills, such as communication, critical thinking and teamwork skills. These skills can evolve rapidly in a changing economic and technological environment, so it is important for our institutions’ educational programs to evolve in response to those economic and technological changes. Current or prospective students or the employers of our graduates may not accept expansion of our existing programs, improved program content and the development of new programs. Even if our institutions are able to develop acceptable new and improved programs in a cost-effective manner, our institutions may not be able to begin offering them as quickly as prospective employers would like or as quickly as our competitors offer similar programs. If we are unable to adequately respond to changes in market requirements due to regulatory or financial constraints, rapid technological changes or other factors, our ability to attract and retain students could be impaired, the rates at which our graduates obtain jobs involving their fields of study could decline, and our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected. Government regulations relating to the Internet could increase our cost of doing business or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business. The increasing popularity and use of the Internet and other online services has led and may lead to the adoption of new laws and regulatory practices in the United States or in foreign countries and to new interpretations of existing laws and regulations. These new laws and interpretations may relate to issues such as online privacy, copyrights, trademarks and service marks, sales taxes, fair business practices and the requirement that online education institutions qualify to do business as foreign corporations or be licensed in one or more jurisdictions where they have no physical location or other presence. New laws, regulations or interpretations related to doing business over the Internet could increase our costs and adversely affect enrollments. 59 We are subject to privacy and information security laws and regulations due to our collection and use of personal information, and any violations of those laws or regulations, or any breach, theft or loss of that information, could adversely affect our reputation and operations. Our efforts to attract and enroll students result in us collecting, using and keeping substantial amounts of personal information regarding applicants, our students, their families and alumni, including social security numbers and financial data. We also maintain personal information about our employees in the ordinary course of our activities. Our services and those of our vendors and other information can be accessed globally through the Internet. We rely extensively on our network of interconnected applications and databases for day to day operations as well as financial reporting and the processing of financial transactions. Our computer networks and those of our vendors that manage confidential information for us or provide services to our students may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, inadvertent access or display, theft or misuse, hackers, computer viruses, or third parties in connection with hardware and software upgrades and changes. Such unauthorized access, misuse, theft or hacks could evade our intrusion detection and prevention precautions without alerting us to the breach or loss for some period of time or may never be detected. We have experienced malware and virus attacks on our systems which went undetected by our virus detection and prevention software. Regular patching of our computer systems and frequent updates to our virus detection and prevention software with the latest virus and malware signatures may not catch newly introduced malware and viruses or “zero-day” viruses, prior to their infecting our systems and potentially disrupting our data integrity, taking sensitive information or affecting financial transactions. Because our services can be accessed globally via the Internet, we may be subject to privacy laws in countries outside the U.S. from which students access our services, which laws may constrain the way we market and provide our services. While we utilize security and business controls to limit access to and use of personal information, any breach of student or employee privacy or errors in storing, using or transmitting personal information could violate privacy laws and regulations resulting in fines or other penalties. The adoption of new or modified state or federal data or cybersecurity legislation could increase our costs and/or require changes in our operating procedures or systems. A breach, theft or loss of personal information held by us or our vendors, or a violation of the laws and regulations governing privacy could have a material adverse effect on our reputation or result in lawsuits, additional regulation, remediation and compliance costs or investments in additional security systems to protect our computer networks, the costs of which may be substantial. System disruptions and vulnerability from security risks to our online technology infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on our ability to attract and retain students. For our campuses, the performance and reliability of program infrastructure is critical to their operations, reputation and ability to attract and retain students. Any computer system error or failure, significant increase in traffic on our computer networks, or any significant failure or unavailability of our computer networks, including, but not limited to, those as a result of natural disasters and network and telecommunications failures could materially disrupt our delivery of these programs. Any interruption to our institutions’ computer systems or operations could have a material adverse effect on our total student enrollment, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our computer networks may also be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses and other security threats. A user who circumvents security measures could misappropriate proprietary information or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations. Due to the sensitive nature of the information contained on our networks hackers may target our networks. We may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of these security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches. We cannot ensure that these efforts will protect our computer networks against security breaches despite our regular monitoring of our technology infrastructure security. Any general decline in Internet use for any reason, including security or privacy concerns, cost of Internet service or changes in government regulation, could result in less demand for online educational services and inhibit growth in our online programs. We may incur liability for the unauthorized duplication or distribution of class materials posted online for class discussions. In some instances our faculty members or our students may post various articles or other third-party content on class discussion boards or download third-party content to personal computers. We may incur claims or liability for the unauthorized duplication or distribution of this material. Any such claims could subject us to costly litigation and could impose a strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether the claims have merit. 60 We rely on proprietary rights and intellectual property in conducting our business, which may not be adequately protected under current laws, and we may encounter disputes from time to time relating to our use of intellectual property of third parties. Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our proprietary rights. We rely on a combination of copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, domain names and agreements to protect our proprietary rights. We may also rely upon service mark and trademark protection in the United States to protect our rights to our marks as well as distinctive logos and other marks associated with our services; however, any measures we may take may not be adequate, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to secure, appropriate protections for our proprietary rights. Unauthorized third parties may attempt to duplicate proprietary aspects of our curricula, online resource material and other content despite our efforts to protect these rights. Our management’s attention may be diverted by these attempts, and we may need to use funds for lawsuits to protect our proprietary rights against any infringement or violation. In addition, we may encounter disputes from time to time over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property, and we may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise a claim against us alleging an infringement or violation of the intellectual property of that third party. Some third-party intellectual property rights may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for us to conduct our operations in such a way as to avoid those intellectual property rights. Any such intellectual property claim could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether such claim has merit. General Risk Factors Market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition, and share price. Concerns over medical epidemics, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the U.S. mortgage market and a deteriorating real estate market, unstable global credit markets and financial conditions, and volatile oil prices have led to periods of significant economic instability, diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, diminished expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth, increased unemployment rates, and increased credit defaults in recent years. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturns, volatile business environments and continued unstable or unpredictable economic and market conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate or do not improve, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, more costly, and more dilutive. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy, financial performance, and share price and could require us to delay, curtail or abandon our business plans. Our Bylaws provide that the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada will be the sole and exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between the Company and its stockholders, which could limit stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or employees. Our Bylaws provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada shall be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims with respect to: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the Company or on its behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action arising or asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of Nevada Revised Statutes Chapters 78 or 92A or any provision of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws (“Bylaws”) or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, including, without limitation, any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers, other employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company and its directors, officers, other employees and agents. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition. 61 Certain provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and Nevada law make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us and make a takeover more difficult to complete, even if such a transaction were in stockholders’ interest. Our Articles of Incorporation and the Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) contain certain provisions that may have the effect of making it more difficult or delaying attempts by others to obtain control of our company, even when these attempts may be in the best interests of our stockholders. For example, our Articles of Incorporation authorize us to issue up to 10 million shares of preferred stock. This preferred stock may be issued in one or more series, the terms of which may be determined at the time of issuance by our board of directors without further action by stockholders. The terms of any series of preferred stock may include voting rights (including the right to vote as a series on particular matters), preferences as to dividend, liquidation, conversion and redemption rights and sinking fund provisions. The issuance of any preferred stock could materially adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock, and therefore, reduce the value of our common stock. In particular, specific rights granted to future holders of preferred stock could be used to restrict our ability to merge with, or sell our assets to, a third party and thereby preserve control by the present management. Provisions of our Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Nevada law also could have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or making a tender offer or delaying or preventing a change in control, including changes a stockholder might consider favorable. Such provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. In particular, our Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Nevada law, as applicable, among other things: ● provide the board of directors with the ability to alter the Bylaws without stockholder approval; ● establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings; and ● provide that vacancies on the board of directors may be filled by a majority of directors in office, although less than a quorum. We do not intend to pay cash dividends. While we have declared and paid cash dividends on our capital stock in 2023, we currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of any future debt or credit facility may preclude us from paying any dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of potential gain for the foreseeable future. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research reports about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline. The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. If no or few securities or industry analysts cover our company, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our common stock or publishes incorrect or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors. We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. We may take advantage of these provisions until the earlier of (i) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering (ii) the last day of the fiscal year (a) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (b) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our equity securities that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt in any three-year period. These exemptions include not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and being exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile. 62