A chain of for-profit colleges, including the 150-year-old Heald College, abruptly shut down Sunday, leaving 16,000 mostly low-income students to seek an education somewhere else.

Corinthian Colleges announced in a statement the closure of its remaining 28 campuses, including those in San Francisco, Concord, Hayward and San Jose, saying it has ceased all operations and discontinued instruction.

Students and teachers apparently had no idea the closure was imminent. Staff members were reportedly notified by e-mail Sunday.

At the San Francisco Heald College campus Sunday afternoon, the offices were closed, but there was no indication that school would not resume Monday. A sign in the entry still directed students and staff to sign in at the desk.

And a message posted Friday on the campus’ Facebook page urged students to remember that Sunday was the last day to make changes to their schedules.

Corinthian, which also operated Everest and WyoTech colleges, had come under fire after a U.S. Department of Education investigation found the company overstated employment prospects for Heald graduates by exaggerating job placement numbers.

$30 million fine

The investigation resulted in a $30 million fine this month and a ban on new-student enrollment. The company disputed the government’s findings.

Heald College, for example, claimed 100 percent employment rates for some of its business programs, although many students were not working.

In addition, the company faced lawsuits, including one filed by Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2013 for securities fraud and predatory advertising, among other claims. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also sued for what it called a predatory lending scheme related to student financial loans.

Selling off other schools

The company has been selling off many of its other schools, including 56 Everest and WyoTech campuses. Efforts to sell the other campuses were blocked by federal and state regulators, according to a company statement Sunday.

In its 2014 Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the company reported $1.6 billion in revenue.

Despite the legal troubles, the closures were unexpected.

Federal officials said they would be contacting students to help ease the transition.

“Department staff will immediately begin outreach to Corinthian students to review all their options, which may include loan discharges for students whose school closed,” said U.S. Department of Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell. “What these students have experienced is unacceptable, and we look forward to working with Congress in an effort to improve accountability and transparency in the career college industry.”

The closures include the company’s 10 Heald Colleges in California, as well as one in Hawaii and another in Oregon. Also shuttered: 13 remaining Everest and WyoTech campuses in California, Everest College Phoenix and Everest Online Tempe in Arizona, and the Everest Institute in New York.

“We believe that we have attempted to do everything within our power to provide a quality education and an opportunity for a better future for our students,” said Jack Massimino, chief executive officer of Corinthian. “Unfortunately, the current regulatory environment would not allow us to complete a transaction with several interested parties that would have allowed for a seamless transition for our students.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker