Last week the Associated Press reported the U.S. Department of Education banned the for-profit college chain from enrolling new students who use federal financial aid.
Advertisement
In a letter to more than 35,000 students, the Indiana-based parent company ITT Educational Services announced that campuses won’t open for the fall term that was scheduled to begin Monday – leaving students scrambling for last-minute options since many US colleges already have started fall classes. Current students or those who had withdrawn in the past 120 days can apply to have their federal loans wiped away.
Aside from student loans, the other big question is what happens to the credits earned by students attending ITT. Our focus and priority with our remaining staff is on helping the tens of thousands of unexpectedly displaced students with their records and future educational options. Fortunately, all federal student loans will be erased.
This comes after students received an email from ITT stating the school would be closing effective immediately.
“We will do everything we can to accommodate those students”, said Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.
ITT Educational Services Inc. officials said the Department of Education’s sanctions forced them to cease operations and cancel trade school classes for the September quarter.
It spells trouble locally for those who planned on starting the school year at ITT’s Norwood and Wilmington campuses this fall.
Affected students can call the Department of Education hotline at (800) 4FED-AID for further assistance.
King said he knows the news of ITT’s closure will be discouraging to many but he urged students not to give up on their education.
For students who wish to continue their studies, ITT Tech has this list online (PDF) that shows which institutions are similar to theirs and may accept their credits.
“All of us students have to find new places to go”.
“I’m kind of upset I wasted all past year here”, one MA man tells WCVB in Norwood.
“All I can think about is, how am I going to be able to transfer my credits from here to another school, and if it’s even possible?”
Advertisement
“There are institutions out there that are offering free trial periods or orientation periods, colleges that are shortening their programs … bottom line is they need to be focusing on the value that they’re offering students”, he said.
