Ohio schools like Clark State Community College, Columbus State Community College and Cuyahoga Community College are opening their doors to students displaced by ITT Technical Institute. They'll admit and advise ITT students left in the lurch by the for-profit school's sudden shutdown this week after it was banned from accepting federal financial aid. The federal government is offering students two options to help. Annie Wu of member station WCPN in Cleveland reports.
ITT students with federal loans can apply to have the debt wiped clean. Or, as US Senator Sherrod Brown explains, they can transfer their credits to continue their education at another college.
BROWN: I hope Ohio’s ITT students will look into this option and continue their education. But I caution students to look closely at their credits to make sure they fully understand which ITT credits transfer and which do not. (0:17)
The US Department of Education says it is working with community colleges and the Higher Learning Commission – an accreditation agency -- to try to give schools flexibility in accepting transfer credits. 35 thousand ITT students across the country took up to $500 million dollars in loans. ITT has put up $90 million in surety funds that could be used to cover the student debt relief option.