News
ITT Student Files New Lawsuit Against Navient for Private Student Debt Cancellation | Press Release
Even after the Department of Education deemed Jorge Villalba’s federal student loans invalid and cancelled them due to ITT’s fraud, Navient not only continues to collect on his private loans, the lender misled him about the existence of a path to private debt cancellation
Former ITT Student Sues Navient For Student Loan Forgiveness | Forbes
Today, a new lawsuit was filed against Navient, the student loan servicer formerly known as Sallie Mae. The suit was filed by the Project on Predatory Student Lending at Harvard Law School on behalf of Jorge and Alicia Villalba.
Trump Administration’s Handling of Stalled Student Debt Relief Claims Threatens Proposed Settlement | Washington Post
A proposed court settlement between the Trump administration and defrauded borrowers is in jeopardy after the administration revealed its widespread denials of requests for student debt cancellation. Ninety-four percent of the debt relief claims the Education Department has processed since reaching the agreement in April have been rejected, the department said in a court filing last week. The federal agency issued 78,400 decisions, of which 4,400 were approved and the remainder denied.
“Attacking the Concept of Debt” | Harvard Magazine
Only a few years ago, Douglas Jones, who worked night shifts as a security guard at a nursing home in Roxbury, was hesitant to spend even $10 more than his typical budget allowed. Payments on his student loan debt were being withdrawn directly from his bank account. If the balance was short—for instance, if Jones hadn’t managed to get 40 hours at his job that week—the bank charged an overdraft fee. The debt had ruined his credit score and he hadn’t had a credit card in years. “They were even taking money I didn’t have,” Jones says. “It was stressing me the hell out.” Along with millions of other Americans, Jones had fallen prey to the for-profit college industry, which is in essence a two-pronged system—federal loans at one end and for-profit schools designed to access those loans at the other.
Student Loan Truth: Chelsea’s Art Institute Story | Blog
After her 8 years in the Army, Chelsea Mack wanted to pursue her passion in fashion design and enrolled in the Art Institute of Seattle. She soon realized that her education wasn’t the prestigious one she was promised. Now, she wants the Art Institute of Seattle to be held accountable, but it shut down in 2019.
Project Interns Practice Social Justice with Social Distance | Blog
Despite working remotely during the pandemic and never physically meeting the team, our summer interns quickly learned the ropes. In their few months with us, they each made an impact and became valued members of our team, so we asked them some questions about their experience.
COVID College Cons – Bad Education Deals Sold in the Pandemic | Blog
In this second installment of COVID Cons with the Republic Report looks at some of the COVID-themed pitches, and poor educational records, of the some of the for-profit colleges seeking to enroll students and cash their federal aid checks during the pandemic.
Defrauded Student Loan Borrowers Win, but Still Lose | New York Times
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is denying huge batches of relief requests from students whose schools defrauded them. Even those who aren't denied are getting very little -- or sometimes nothing.
Vara v. DeVos: The persistence of students and the power of the law | Blog
Students' massive win in Vara v. DeVos spanned over 5 years, multiple administrations, two Massachusetts Attorneys General, multiple lawsuits, and dozens of legal filings. It is the result of student borrowers who refuse to give up on their legal rights, and an Education Department that stubbornly refuses to acknowledge them, no matter what the law says.