HARRISBURG, PA — Attorney General Michelle Henry recently made a landmark announcement. She unveiled a plan that will provide nearly 18,000 Pennsylvania students who attended The Art Institute between 2004 and 2017 with significant relief from their loan burdens. This comes as part of a broader federal initiative to discharge more than $6 billion in student loan debt nationwide.
The announcement means more than $345 million in financial relief for Pennsylvania students alone. It is part of a $6.1 billion nationwide federal action that will bring respite to about 317,000 borrowers, who were registered at any Art Institute campus from January 1, 2004, through October 16, 2017.
Such an immense debt wipe-off was set in motion after the U.S. Department of Education discovered a concerted pattern of deceit by The Art Institutes and its parent company, Education Management Corporation. These institutions were found guilty of making sweeping and significant false claims to prospective students about their prospects of landing jobs and earning substantial salaries post-graduation, along with access to career services.
“For-profit colleges have a long history of misleading students for a dollar,” said Attorney General Michelle Henry, echoing the sentiments of many who have been critical of the system. Her office helped expose the fraudulent practices of these institutions, leading to this massive debt relief movement.
The Art Institutes, before shutting down its last campus in September 2023, had painted a rosy picture of an 80% employment rate amongst their graduates. However, evidence revealed an inflated image and an institution that heavily exaggerated its association with employers. In reality, the school’s reputation was far from positive, leading many companies to refrain from hiring its graduates. Additionally, post-graduation career services, a key selling point during the recruitment process, were practically nonexistent.
The Art Institutes’ actions left students burdened with high debt and lacking the promised job opportunities or salaries to repay it. As a result, the Department of Education is stepping in to provide much-needed relief, including those who haven’t sought borrower defense.
The department started notifying eligible borrowers this week about the loan discharge. Furthermore, immediate steps are being taken to pause loans identified for discharge, ensuring no further payments are needed from these borrowers. Once the discharges are processed, borrowers will see their remaining loan balances adjusted and the associated credit lines deleted. The Department of Education will also refund payments eligible borrowers made on their related federal student loans.
Borrowers who want to learn more about borrower defense can do so at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.
This unprecedented case of debt relief serves as a stark reminder of the importance of transparency and honesty in the education sector. It also highlights the role that government agencies can play in protecting students from predatory institutions, ensuring that education remains a stepping stone to success, rather than a trap of endless debt.
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