Other LanguagesOLYMPIA — Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued this statement today in response to the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Education outlining a new debt relief process for Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (“Corinthian”) students.
“Student borrowers victimized by deceptive and illegal practices deserve loan relief and protection as provided under the law. I am pleased the Department of Education is taking action to help students who took out loans to pay tuition and got little in return when their schools were abruptly closed, or they were victims of fraud. My office is committed to holding accountable any for-profit college that doesn’t play by the rules, or tries to take advantage of the educational aspirations of Washington students.”
In April, Ferguson joined eight other state attorneys general calling for the U.S. Department of Education to establish a clear system for student borrowers to seek relief when for-profit schools break the law. The April letter is available here.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced a process for aggrieved Corinthian students to seek debt relief and plans to streamline the process for students seeking loan forgiveness and asserting the defense to repayment provided under the law. More information is available here.
Corinthian owned and operated six Everest College campuses in Washington until February, when their sale to Zenith Education Group was finalized.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Contact:
Peter Lavallee, Communications Director, (360) 586-0725; PeterL@atg.wa.gov