Six Stories That Show Why Student Loan Borrowers Need Protection

Photo by Fabrizio Verrecchia on Unsplash

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently decided to roll back rules designed to help students who have been defrauded by their colleges. While scammed students have continued to request relief processing, no new loan discharges have been approved since January 20. Some borrowers have been waiting well over a year for loan relief. While Sec. DeVos blocks the rule, defrauded students and their loan balances hang in limbo. The clock is ticking on student loan borrowers’ interest, affecting their credit scores, and more. Here are just six of the stories borrowers shared with us about their experiences with their colleges since being notified of the delay:

1. “I was a victim of a for-profit college, Everest University. They robbed me of over $200,000 of federal student loans as well as over $45,000 in private loans through Navient. All I tried to do was make a better life for myself and my children, but failed.” —Dawn, Illinois
2. “I was just trying to better myself so I enrolled at ITT Tech. It wasn’t until had started that I realized they only cared about money and not helping you learn. A month later I withdrew myself and was told I owed $496 for attending for one month.” —Tevin, Texas
3. “I had originally signed up with Heald College to study in the agriculture business, and not even a few months into my program they brought me in to tell me I needed to pick another subject, the program I was in was canceled and no longer available… I was lied to in order for them to get me trapped into another program which I never received any benefit from… To this day I am still paying my student loans for this school.” —Pauline, California
4. “I attended Everest University and did receive my paralegal degree. However, $35,000 later, I am no better off that I was before. I tried on many occasions to leave this college but the “recruiters/advisors” kept me on the phones for hours until I changed my mind…I am from a middle-class family and struggling to pay the bills. I don’t mind paying for an education but believe I was defrauded. ” —Risha, Alabama
5. “…When I started high school I enrolled in JROTC for four years and dreamed of serving in the armed forces and serving our great country. When I was 18 and a high school graduate I was speaking with an Army recruiter ready to go into the armed forces. My parents were proud and so was I, I was eager and passionate about serving both this country and its citizens. One afternoon in mid-summer I received a call from an ITT Technical Institute recruiter. I also remember his words, he actually discouraged me from serving in the military, and said I quote, ‘I served in the Marines, and it didn’t help me, I’m telling you, coming to ITT Tech will help you more than the Army.’ He used his deceiving tactics to lure me into attending ITT. I fell for it! I was completely ignorant to the higher education system, being the first one to attend college in my family, I had no idea there were for-profit colleges that preyed on low-income immigrants like me.” —Bianca, California
6. “…My student loans all started in 2007 when I signed up for ITT Tech because I wanted to pursue a career in IT and it was convenient for me to take night classes while going to work. Little was I aware that I was going to be scammed into the biggest con-artist scam of the century and it was going to cost my family and me for decades. I graduated with a two-year associate’s degree and now my debt bill is $60,000, the school I chose is closed, and the degree is no longer valid.” —Cody, Texas