After Many Years, Coyne College Closed– March 31, 2022

Coyne College (“Coyne”) ceased operations on March 31, 2022.

President Michelle Freeman said the difficult decision to cease Coyne’s operations was made after careful analysis of its current and projected fiscal position. Ms. Freeman’s late husband, Russell (“Wicker”) Freeman, who had spent his career building Coyne, was burdened with making the difficult decision.

Throughout its 120-year history, Coyne has provided in-demand degree and diploma programs to enable students to obtain employment in areas employers have needed.

Coyne’s exceptional curriculum and instructors helped thousands of individuals learn skilled trades and, as a result, earned family supporting wages.
“Coyne has trained and awarded degrees to thousands of students who have gone on to become successful trade and medical professionals. These individuals have been able to obtain careers that provide a living wage to them and their families. Coyne has supplied highly skilled workers to the Chicago area for over 120 years, and while we are saddened by the need to end our educational mission, we will maintain our legacy in the community through our alumni who are serving in the trade and health care industries,” said Ms. Freeman.
Mr. Freeman, who preferred to be called “Wicker,” was actively involved in Coyne and greatly contributed to post-secondary higher education for 34 years. A highly-regarded leader, Mr. Freeman was dedicated to many organizations, including the Imagine American Foundation, Career Education Colleges, and Illinois Career College Association. Mr. Freeman also was a driving force behind the Coyne American Institute Education Foundation (“CAIEF”), which furthered Coyne students’ dreams of a quality education through scholarship opportunities that helped fund their career training at Coyne.

Coyne College has voluntarily withdrawn from all regional, state and programmatic accreditation. Coyne was accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) in March 2022.

We have worked with schools that offer similar programs to work with Coyne students who have not been able to finish their program. Individual schools will have a public statement of their policy on transfer credits earned at other institutions of higher education, including the criteria used for their decisions. As an accredited school, Coyne College’s credit hours are academically robust and should meet any other school’s standards. However, this ultimately depends on several factors, such as the new schools’ particular requirements, the new school’s degree plan, etc. Schools that will work with you to transfer credits are listed below. Students who accepted federal financial aid may be eligible to apply for a closed-school loan discharge with the U.S. Department of Education. Information relating to closed-school loan discharge, including eligibility requirements and application process, is located on the Department of Education’s website at the following address: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/closed-school

Students can request transcripts from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The link to request transcripts for the certificate programs is here: https://www.ibhe.org/pbvsClosed.html.

The link to request transcripts for degree programs is here: https://www.ibhe.org/dgclosed.html

Regarding EPA cards and testing, ESCO Institute will provide either online or in-person testing.

You can register for an online test at https://www.escotesting.com/remote/default.aspx or call ESCO’s office at 800-726-9696 to find a physical testing location if needed. ESCO Institute will provide copies of your EPA Cards