Is the US government doing enough for ITT Tech students?

In light of the closing of all 137 ITT Technical Institute campuses, which was announced on September 6, Berkshire Community College is offering assistance and support to all affected students. At the time of its closure, ITT Tech had an estimated 35,000 students enrolled at campuses in 38 states, including roughly 555 students in Oregon. The U.S. Department of Education then barred ITT from enrolling new students in federal financial aid – its main source of revenue.

Mitchell urged college leaders to find “sophisticated” solutions to help ITT students who want to continue their college experience do so.

“Sudden campus closures are detrimental to the lives and educational pursuits of students”, said NASFAA President Justin Draeger.

A number of colleges, such as those in Dearborn, Michigan, have proactively created webpages and reached out to students, providing enrollment opportunities and information on credit transfers.

Sabreena Lockhart, a student who was enrolled in the ITT Technical Institute’s medical assisting and administration program, talks with Matt Orth, a representative from EdFinancial Services, about loan-forgiveness options during a workshop last week at Big Sandy Superstore Arena, in Huntington, to provide students from the Huntington ITT Tech campus with information about future education options. “They’re demoralized and dispirited by these closures”, said Alexandra Bernadotte, chief executive at Beyond 12, which also helped students displaced by the closure of for-profit giant Corinthian Colleges. “If they had let this go for much longer, you would have had more and more students affected”.

The federal government on Monday unveiled more help for students caught in the collapse of ITT Tech two weeks ago. Ashford University, for instance, must refund and discharge millions of dollars in debt tied to an in-house loan program the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers deceptive.

But one former student said one of the emails he received from the agency left him with more questions than answers.

ITT has been the subject of several state and federal investigations in recent years for its recruiting and accounting practices.

Corley Dennison, vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Community and Technical College System and the Higher Education Policy Commission, which oversees the state’s four-year colleges, said the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools that accredits ITT Tech accredits about seven higher education institutions with 13 locations in West Virginia.

As of June, 26,000 students had filed for loan forgiveness from the Department of Education, according to the Washington Post.

On the call, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who leads a multi-state task force investigating for-profit colleges, said there are ongoing “discussions among the states to ascertain” whether evidence in their probes could be used to support an easier path to forgiveness.

Displaced ITT Technical Institute students – including those at five campuses that closed in MI – may be able to receive one-on-one counseling to help them review their options.

OR higher education officials are working to help schools accommodate ITT Tech students, with particular focus on the 275 nursing students in the program.