In case you've been living under a rock the past few days, the government told ITT tech that it had to shape up, and would no longer be able to get federal loans for students until they do.  Since that would require ITT to actually turn into a school, they decided to take the money they had and run, closing all campuses and leaving 1000's of students high and dry.

I've been researching things quite a bit, and personally, I plan to file against ITT as this scandal has brought to light options I wasn't previously aware of.

So What Now?!


This really depends on where in the process you are:


I Currently Attend ITT or Graduated 120 Day Ago or Less


If you were attending ITT you have two options.

You can try to transfer all or some of your credits to another school and continue on, which might make sense if you were about to graduate.  The government is also reaching out to schools near ITT campuses and asking them to take credits they normally wouldn't take. This limits your ability to discharge your debt. But keeps the train rolling.

Or

You can file for discharge and totally wipe away any federal loans you may have. Keep in mind that this does not affect private loans (so far as I know), and will essentially start you from 0 in terms of credits. Personally, I would choose this option in almost all cases as the outrageous price ITT charged is simply not worth the cost. You are simply better off wiping the slate clean and getting a better, cheaper education elsewhere. /2 cents

I Graduated / Left Longer than 120 Days Ago


This is the boat I am in, and it's tricky sailing ahead. If you've already graduated, you've got a degree, and the core value of that is not changed by the school closing. If you attended ITT, got a diploma, got hired as a result, and are more or less better off, you don't really have anything to do.

I've heard from this blog that some campuses were better than others, so you may very well be one of these people. If you went to a school more similar to my own, though, I would suggest looking into filing a borrowers defense.  This says that your school fraudulently took your money, and left you with a useless piece of paper and a mountain of debt.

Some of the big things the government has focused on before are things like:

  • Job placement
  • Salaries promised
  • Loan manipulation
So if ITT told you that if you attend they will get you a good job and change your life, then left you high and dry, you can make a case with borrowers defense and potentially wipe out your debt. 

Other Questions


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3 Responses so far.

  1. Grey Fox says:

    Any update on your defense?

  2. Josh says:

    FWIW my defense finally went through and all remaining loans are being removed. Took roughly 5 years (mostly thanks to Trump stalling) to get it through. After so long it's bittersweet, but better than nothing for such a scam.

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