WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that the United States Department of Education is providing forgiveness of federal student loans to eligible former students of Corinthian Colleges (Everest, WyoTech, or Heald) who live in the District.
According to the Department of Education, former students at 91 Corinthian campuses nationwide who were defrauded are eligible to have their student loans discharged. The decision follows an investigation, conducted in partnership with state attorneys general, which revealed widespread misrepresentations to prospective students. Students can find out more information regarding whether they are eligible for relief on the Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/corinthian.
“Hard-working students have a right to expect that the education they pay for will provide them with tools to succeed in the real world,” said Attorney General Racine. “Instead, Corinthian Colleges lured students by falsely promising a good education and well-paying jobs while saddling them with mountains of unaffordable and exorbitant debt. The Department of Education’s actions are an important first step in helping consumers, and we at the Office of the Attorney General will continue to fight for students who have been taken advantage of by Corinthian and other predatory for-profit colleges.”
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will be contacting former Corinthian students in the District who may be eligible for debt forgiveness to advise them of their rights. The former students will be encouraged to contact the Department of Education to determine if they are eligible.
OAG Provides Online Student Loan Resources for Consumers
In connection with its ongoing efforts to help District residents handle their student-loan debt, OAG also announced the creation of its Student Loan Resource Page. OAG’s Student Loan Resource Page provides District residents with free resources about repayment options and up-to-date information about how to manage student loan debt -- including a targeted one-page education piece on student loan scams, which is attached. OAG’s Student Loan Resource page is available here.