Education-related stocks are getting hammered this morning after a prominent company in the field, Strayer Education (Nasdaq: STRA) reported a 20 percent drop in poor enrollment for its latest winter term.

As of 9:50 a.m. (EDT), Strayer shares were down an alarming 24.5 percent.

Also, DeVry (NYSE: DV) is down 12.7 percent; ITT Educational Services, Inc. (NYSE: ESI) has plunged 10.6 percent; Career Education Corp. (Nasdaq: CECO); has fallen 10.3 percent; Education Management Corp. (Nasdaq: EDMC) has tumbled 10.1 percent; and Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL) is down 6.8 percent.

The sector has also been hurt for a while by tighter scrutiny by the government which has forced tougher enrollment standards.

Nyse Management