U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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They have been waiting for student loan forgiveness, even though they qualified 6 years ago.
Here’s what you need to know — and what it means for your student loans.
Student Loans
A group of student loan borrowers has filed a major new lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, claiming they have waited six years for student loan forgiveness.
Student Loan Forgiveness: The Charges
In November 2016, the Illinois Attorney General filed a Class Borrower Repayment Defense Application with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of defrauded students enrolled in the Westwood College Criminal Justice Program in Illinois. Borrower Repayment Defense is a strategy for obtaining student loan forgiveness for your federal student loans if your college or university closes or misleads you. After the class application was filed, Illinois and Westwood reached a settlement to cancel institutional student loans. However, the settlement does not cover federal student loans held by the U.S. Department of Education. Student loan borrowers claim they are eligible for student loan discharge. However, the Department of Education never approved their student loan borrowers’ defense of their repayment applications, hurting hundreds of student loan borrowers who should have received student loan forgiveness. These student loan borrowers are seeking gross student loan forgiveness for their federal student loans by releasing their student loans.
Eric Rothschild, director of student defense litigation, said: “For nearly six years, various government departments have shied away from their obligations, leaving countless borrowers wondering if or when they will receive relief under federal law. “The department has everything it needs to lift borrowers out of financial distress and provide them with a well-deserved fresh start. It’s beyond time for them to act.”
Student Loan Cancellation: Ministry of Education cancels some student loans
The Department of Education has approved at least some student loan cancellations for student loan borrowers studying at Westwood. For example, the Department of Education approved $53 million in student loan cancellations for 1,600 student loan borrowers studying at Westwood. From 2002 until its closure in 2015, the Department of Education found all of Westwood’s campuses made extensive misrepresentations about students’ ability to transfer credits to other colleges and universities. From 2004 to 2015, the Department of Education found Westwood made material false statements to students that its criminal justice program would lead to police careers in Illinois and Chicago in particular. However, the Chicago Police Department will not accept Westwood credits during the recruiting process.
“Westwood misleads students into its criminal justice program by deceiving students about the possibility of getting a police job after graduation,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I urge the Department of Education to provide just relief because The student obtained the federal loan in good faith and expected a reasonable opportunity for enforcement.”
How to Get Student Loan Forgiveness with Borrower Repayment Defense
President Joe Biden has cancelled more than $17 billion in student loans since becoming president. This includes canceling $2.1 billion in student loan repayments for 132,000 student loan borrowers under the borrower’s defense. To apply for Borrower Repayment Defense, contact your student loan servicer or apply directly online. To be eligible for student loan forgiveness, your college or university must close when you enroll or shortly after you drop out. Or, your college or university must have misled you illegally.
As the federal student loan reopening approaches, it’s important to understand your student loan repayment options. There are many options, including student loan forgiveness. Here are some of the ways student loan borrowers can pay off their student loans and save money:
