News
“We’re Not Taking This Lying Down” Jen’s Student Loan Truth | Blog
As a first generation Latina and the first in her family to go to college, Jennifer Lezan thought she was working toward a better future when she attended the Art Institute in Chicago in 2006. She never imagined that nearly 15 years later, she’d be fighting back against a massive student debt burden after attending the notorious predatory for-profit school.
Panel Event Shows One Thing is Clear: We Must Deliver on Debt Relief for Defrauded Borrowers | Blog
Last week, the Project on Predatory Student Lending participated in an event with the Student Borrower Protection Center and Demos dedicated to the findings of a new report, Delivering on Debt Relief: Proposals, Ideas, and Actions to Cancel Student Debt on Day One and Beyond.
Optimism and Hope: “Fail State” Forum and Panel Look Ahead | Blog
Last month, the Project partnered with several organizations to stream a free, on-demand screening of Fail State -- a documentary film dedicated to exposing the for-profit college industry’s devastating impact on students.
Students ask Courts to Stop the Department of Education from Denying Borrower Defense Claims | Blog
After a historic hearing last month in which a judge slammed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ blanket denials of students’ borrower defense claims and rejected a proposed settlement in our case Sweet v. DeVos, student borrowers are holding the Department of Education accountable in new and important ways.
My Student Loan Truth: Nicole’s Art Institute Story | Blog
Nicole Edgar Sereno had always been interested in an art career. So when a recruiter from the Art Institute came to her high school, she jumped at the chance to pursue a career in animation. It wasn’t until she started looking for jobs after graduating that she realized they had been lying to her all along.
How Courts Have Responded to Student Loan Borrowers in Historic Ways This Month | Blog
This month has brought forth a lot of historic decisions for student borrowers: student borrowers testified in front of a judge, and he slammed the way the Department has handled their borrower defense cases; Betsy DeVos is held in contempt, again; our new case against a private lender, Navient. Here are the latest updates on our work.
Update | Student Borrowers Speak Out in Unprecedented 500-Person Court Hearing on Borrower Defense
During a time when people have been more isolated than ever, student borrowers came together from across the country, gathering on Zoom for a remote hearing. They were there to share their views with the court about the proposed settlement in the borrower defense class action lawsuit, Sweet v. DeVos, in which the Department of Education agreed to decide on the more than 100,000 pending borrower defense applications within 18 months.
A Reckoning with Private Loan Cancellation: Jorge Villalba’s Quest for Full Loan Cancellation | Blog
Jorge Villalba was one of tens of thousands of students scammed by ITT and was left with a worthless degree and insurmountable debt in the form of both federal and private student loans. Now, after getting his federal loans discharged, he's fighting to get his private loans cancelled too.
Update | CFPB and States Settlement with Private Loan Lender to Cancel Millions of Dollars in Student Loan Debt
As Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education issue blanket denials on borrower defense applications to former ITT students, the CFPB and a group of 44 states and the District of Columbia filed proposed settlements with one of ITT’s private lenders, known as PEAKS.