ITT Tech Students: Will they continue on with their schooling?
After the abrupt closing of the 130 ITT Tech campuses, nationwide, students were left to flounder. Some students had just started the courses at the for-profit college, while others were nearly finished with their schooling. They received no prior warning to the closing of their campus, and many are left wondering what will happen.
ITT Technical Institute closed its doors early this month after the Department of Education forbade them from 
accepting students with finical aid after they failed to meet accreditation standards. The company was then ordered to pay $152.9 million to cover potential refunds in the event that the chain of technical schools closed. This doesn’t include the $44 million dollars the DoE ordered the colleges to pay in June to offset liabilities.
Former ITT Tech students in the Houston area find themselves with two options. They can either apply for a discharge of loans, which all but erases any schooling progress that they have made, or they can transfer their credits to accepting colleges.
Luckily, three Houston area colleges are willing to work with the students.
Lone Star College, for example, has already held two transfer fairs last week. The school is planning on holding two more on September 13th and 14th.
Houston Community College received 150 inquiries from former ITT Tech students on their online forms, and call centers within a few days, spokesman Todd Duplantis said Sunday.
All branches of San Jacinto College are offering assistance for ITT Tech students, as well. Be sure to check which campus your course is offered at before applying for the transfer.
The other option, the discharge of loans, is a bit of a mixed blessing. Former ITT Tech students who have just recently enrolled have the option of walking away debt free. It does erase any, and all, of your credits, though, so don’t make the decision to discharge your loans lightly.