01.13.17

Durbin Praises Education Department Progress On Debt Relief For Students Defrauded By For-Profit Colleges

Argues automatic, group relief should be extended to students of other schools, including Westwood College

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the U.S. Department of Education’s continued progress in providing federal student loan debt relief through the defense to repayment process for defrauded students of for-profit colleges. Today, the Department announced that former students of Massachusetts-based American Career Institute will receive automatic discharges of their federal loans and that it has approved additional claims filed by former students of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech.
 
“Today’s move by the Department of Education makes clear once and for all that the Secretary has the authority to grant automatic, group discharges to defrauded students without requiring students to apply. I encourage the Department of Education, whether during this Administration or the next, to use that authority to provide relief to students defrauded by other schools including Westwood College, which the Illinois Attorney General has shown misled students,” said Sen. Durbin. “The work of providing federal student loan relief to which defrauded students are entitled under the law must continue under the next Secretary of Education. Justice demands it.”
 
Last month, Senator Durbin met with Education Secretary John King to discuss high-priority issues that needed to be addressed by the Department before the end of this Administration, including student loan debt relief for Corinthian, Westwood, and other defrauded students.