DeVry University agrees to $455,000 settlement with AG’s office

DeVry University has agreed to a $455,000 settlement to resolve allegations that it misled prospective students about career outcomes, according to Attorney General Maura Healey.

More than 100 Massachusetts students are eligible for refunds, and the attorney general’s office will be reaching out to them, Healey said in a statement Wednesday.

Healey accused the for-profit university of using deceptive advertising claims to enroll students online. Many took on federal student loan debt, convinced by DeVry’s claim that 90 percent of its graduates landed jobs in their field within six months of graduating, the statement said.

But an investigation by Healey’s office found that certain DeVry programs had job placement rates as low as 52 percent, the statement said.

“For years, for-profit schools have tricked students into unaffordable loans with false promises of high earnings and job opportunities. Now, online programs like DeVry are following the same playbook,” Healey said. “We will continue to hold these institutions accountable for lying to students.”

As part of the settlement, DeVry is prohibited from misrepresenting employment outcomes or salaries of its graduates, Healey said.

DeVry, based in Illinois, has physical campuses in several states, but none in Massachusetts, according to its website.