, Henry Beadman Bryant, and Henry Dwight Stratton were early graduates of Folsom Business College in Cleveland, Ohio, which they later purchased from Ezekiel G. Folsom, who founded his school in 1848. Folsom was a former student of Platt Rogers Spencer who developed a standardized style of writing useful in business transactions before the invention of the typewriter. Platt Spencer played a role in the formation of Bryant & Stratton College serving as a partner and teacher at the school which originally focused on bookkeeping and standardized penmanship. Bryant & Stratton College was organized in 1854 to provide practical workplace education, and was formerly known as Bryant and Stratton Business Institute. A year later they developed programs for women. The college became well known in the middle of the 19th century under Platt's influence. In addition to the Cleveland school, Bryant and Stratton established business schools that operated under the name of Bryant & Stratton & Co's chain of International Commercial Colleges in most major US cities. By 1864 as many as 40 to 50 schools existed. Tuition was $40 for an entire program of study. According to AJ Angulo, the chain was not without controversy about its marketing and business practices, and it declined in size after the death of Mr. Stratton. In 2009, Bryant & Stratton was the first college to host an online graduation ceremony on Second Life. In 2018, Bryant and Stratton opened a school in Racine, Wisconsin, closed its downtown Milwaukee campus, and moved its Cleveland campus to Solon in Ohio. Today, there are 19 physical locations and an online education division. The board chair of the school is Bryant Prentice III, great-great grandson of Dr. J.C. Bryant. The current president of Bryant & Stratton is Francis J. Felser, who has a doctorate from University of Phoenix. and has worked in various capacities at the school for more than 25 years.
Academics
Faculty
Bryant & Stratton's online faculty consists of 30 full-time instructors and 407 part-time instructors. The Buffalo campus has 16 full-time instructors and 47 part-time instructors.
Programs
Bryant & Stratton College offers Associate's and bachelor's degrees in healthcare, business, homeland security, legal studies, design, early childhood education and technology.
Graduation rate
According to the College Scorecard, Bryant & Stratton online has a 20 percent graduation rate, a 19 percent student loan repayment rate, and a typical total debt after graduation of $23,055. College Navigator reports a 27 percent graduation rate and a 12 percent transfer-out rate.
Sports
Bryant & Stratton College has Junior CollegeDivision II sports at several campuses and actively recruits high school students. Bryant & Stratton has two campuses with competitive esports, Hampton, Virginia and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Both campuses have invested in esports labs, and students are being recruited for intercollegiate play.
Alumni
Notable students of the school include Henry Ford, R.J. Reynolds and Joseph E. Seagram.
Bryant & Stratton launched its online division in 1997. The college provides selected degrees over the Internet. According to College Navigator, approximately 40 percent of BSC's students are participating as online students. New York State campuses can be found in Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse, and six other locations. Ohio has four campuses, including Akron. Virginia has campuses in Hampton, Richmond, and Virginia Beach. In Wisconsin, there are three campuses.
Finances
In 2008, a private equity firm Parthenon Capital Partners bought a significant stake in the school. The firm was bought out by the Bryant & Stratton Limited Partnership in 2017. On April 3, 2015, Bryant & Stratton College was placed on a Department of Education list to have its finances more closely scrutinized. Colleges placed on this list generally have federal funding restricted due to concerns of their financial responsibility.
