Lately, somebody filed a Freedom of Data Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Division of Training. What number of Borrower Protection claims have college students filed in opposition to the College of Phoenix (UP), the requester requested, and the way have been these claims resolved?
DOE’s FOIA Service Middle zipped again a reply, and the response is attention-grabbing. Greater than 69,000 UP college students filed Borrower Protection claims in opposition to the for-profit faculty over the previous seven years. Virtually 20,000 of those claims have been denied, and ZERO have been authorised.
Borrower Protection claims are complaints filed by college students with DOE claiming that their school misled them ultimately concerning the training the school supplied. For instance, the school may give false details about:
[T]he transferability of credit, job placement charges, completion and withdrawal charges, graduates’ future incomes potential, profession providers, the price of attendance, the quantity of federal scholar help, and accreditation standing . . . .
If DOE concludes {that a} scholar’s grievance is legitimate, it’s going to cancel that scholar’s federal school loans.
President Biden’s DOE has been receptive to Borrower Protection claims and has canceled virtually $14 billion in scholar money owed owed by 890,000 individuals who attended for-profit faculties.
In Candy v. Cardona, DOE settled a category motion swimsuit by granting debt reduction to 200,000 college students who attended greater than 150 for-profit faculties. The price of the settlement was $6 billion.
A number of well-known for-profit faculties have been named in that settlement, together with DeVry College, Grand Canyon College, and Walden College. The College of Phoenix was omitted. Why?
Maybe as a result of UP is owned by Apollo International Administration and the Vistria Group, two personal fairness corporations with vital political connections.
Marty Nesbitt is the co-CEO of Vistria. He’s a detailed private pal of President Obama and served as treasurer for Obama’s 2008 presidential marketing campaign. At the moment, he’s the chair of the Obama Basis, which is in command of planning the Obama Presidential Middle.
Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo International Administration, considerably contributes to each Democratic and Republican politicians. In accordance with a 2021 article, Apollo has made $16 million in political
contributions since 1990 and spent $34 million on lobbyists since 1998 (citing OpenSecrets.org).
Then again, maybe the College of Phoenix has by no means misled anybody or misrepresented something over the previous seven years. That might clarify why 69,000 college students or former college students filed Borrower Protection claims in opposition to UP since 2016, and none have been declared legitimate by DOE.
 |
| Marty Nesbitt, co-CEO of the Vistria Group |
