STATEMENT from the Project on Predatory Student Lending on Ashford Group Borrower Defense Discharges
BOSTON (January 15, 2024) – The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL), the leading legal organization representing student borrowers against predatory for-profit colleges, issued the following statement on President Biden’s announcement today that the Biden-Harris administration will approve a group borrower defense discharge for students who attended the for-profit college Ashford University, totaling $4.5 billion for 261,000 Ashford borrowers.
Today’s announcement follows the Biden administration’s announcement on Monday that it has canceled more than $183.6 billion in student loan debt for more than 5 million borrowers.
Statement from Eileen Connor, President and Executive Director of PPSL:
“Ashford University – now known as University of Arizona Global Campus – was a shady online school that used deceptive marketing to mislead and lie to students about its programs. We commend the Biden administration for recognizing the legal imperative to cancel loans where there is evidence of fraud and abuse and ensuring that these borrowers will no longer have to endure the financial consequences of being cheated by a predatory company.
The ability to cancel fraudulent loans through borrower defense is an essential consumer protection that has been in place for over thirty years. PPSL has fought for borrower defense and the legal rights of student borrowers across multiple administrations and we look forward to continuing this progress.”
About the Project on Predatory Student Lending
The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL) is the leading legal organization representing student borrowers against predatory for-profit colleges and the policies that enable institutions to exploit and cheat students. PPSL uses bold, strategic litigation and advocacy to demand accountability in the higher education space and influence policy solutions to create a more just and affordable education system. PPSL represents more than one million student borrowers and its work has resulted in cancellation of more than $22 billion of fraudulent student loan debt.
