Some are, and some aren't. You haven't heard about all the for profit college scams lately?
All colleges are "for profit," particularly the non-profits.
That said, there is a serious problem with the fly by night schools. I'm going to pick on Marinellos, because they have been in the news.
Marinello Schools of Beauty abruptly shuts down after federal allegations
First question, do we need licensed cosmetologists? Obviously we do, so the idea of cosmetology school is legitimate. The first issue I have is calling it "college." Sorry, it is Voc Ed. They were not accredited nor did they confer a recognized degree, so in what world were they a college?
The answer is in the federal funding world. Because democrats have mandated that we offer "college" to everyone, the Voc Ed's took to calling themselves colleges. The reality is that social promotion student Shanaqua isn't getting past the entrance examination for Cal State Fullerton, or Devry, or Redlands, or any other accredited university. BUT she did see a commercial on TV about the exciting world of beauty school! So a shark at the school fills out ten grants and three loans, fleecing the DoE and loading Shanaqua with debt (which she will never repay.) Nothing wrong with a Cosmo education, and there are jobs to be had. But there is a LOT wrong with changing $100,000 for such an education.
So why does this happen? Because we are absurd, we refuse to acknowledge the legitimate need for vocational training. Instead of nurturing legitimate Voc Ed. programs, we give "free money" to any grifter down the pike calling themselves a "college."
Yes, I blame this all on federal funding, but moreover I blame it on a fucked up culture that holds that every person is entitled to a "college" education.
Early in my career, I worked with a fine Vocational program, through the Hacienda La Puente USD, Yes, people had to pay for their own classes, no federal grants or loans. BUT the costs were kept reasonable. We worked on a shoe-string budget to ensure that the cost to students were kept at a minimum. Then the feds stepped in and started handing out money, people thought that these fly by nights were colleges and we were just "night school." So the district ended vocational training. It was the stupidity of Washington getting involved in things they didn't understand.