Thousands of students are affected due to the sudden closure of ITT Technical Institutes and according to reports, the Education Department will be aiding them to look for schools where they will continue their studies. The former students of the institution also recently talked about the underwhelming classes that they had in the past.
The Education Department announced on Monday that they have new online resources that students could use. This comes after ITT Technical Institutes decided to close down because of the new policies of the government when it comes to for-profit schools. The Education Department officials are reportedly partnering with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators as well as Beyond 12.
The online platform that the students could use is NextStepsEdu.org. The staffers of the website will be asking students questions via email, phone, and text messages regarding their options that are available as financial aid and federal loan discharge, the Washington Post reports. Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell said in a statement on Monday that they are working around the clock to make sure the former ITT students will remain to be inspired to pursue finishing their higher education.
The announcement of the Education Department comes after it was announced that anyone who enrolled in ITT or those who withdrew from the school in the past 120 days are eligible for federal student loan forgiveness.
For the students who have attended classes in the ITT schools, they recently talked to Consumerist to comment about their experiences with the institution. They said that they experienced high-pressure marketing, underwhelming courses, and numerous shady practices. Another student shared that there was no time during the courses where he learned or understood about anything.
One student named Don said that he was heavily persuaded by a recruiter to enroll in a certain program while he was still trying to decide what he wants to do with his life after graduating from high school. He added, "The recruiter took me around the so-called campus... he [expletive] near promised me the world." Lawsuits against ITT have been passed and they suggest that ITT and its recruiters were misleading students to believe that their lives would be better if they enrolled in the institution's courses.
