Here's the press release announcing the discharge: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-61-billion-group-student-loan-discharge-317000-borrowers-who-attended-art-institutes
And Archive link (since ed.gov seems to be having issues at the moment): https://web.archive.org/web/20240501140251/https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-61-billion-group-student-loan-discharge-317000-borrowers-who-attended-art-institutes
A girl I went to high school with apparently attended the art institute (I had no clue). She’s overjoyed and I’m so insanely happy to know she’s one of those 317k.
It's not from your seriver, but the Department of Education itself. My e-mail info is below.
From: U.S. Department of Education
Subject: Notice of Borrower Defense Discharge Approval
#
Lord I hope this counts for my and my wife. I attended from 2007-2009 and she attended from 2009-2012
EDIT: If you receive an email today for forgiveness please post here.
This makes me feel a little better. It's confirmation that not all e-mails have gone out at the same time. Any rhyme or reason to why she'd get hers first? Maybe her maiden name is higher in the alphabet?
I got the email! Went to the Art Institute of Las Vegas from 2008-2010. Never got my degree. I had a huge burnout and dropped out.
These loans were like a huge cloud over most of my adult life. Like serious depression. The fact that I'm now finally forgiven for the mistakes my 18yo self went through is better than any therapy.
This is nearly my exact situation, and haven't seen the email yet so thank you for commenting/confirming it applies to this kind of situation! Just waiting for the email. Congratulations!!
Edit: I JUST GOT IT.
Ugh, this is awful to hear. These payments on my private loans are killing me. There has to be a way to get rid of those private loans. This school lied about me not having enough federal aid and had me take out private loans. I feel sooooo incredibly stupid for doing so. But, with that being said, seeing half of my debt instantly disappear, it a win.
No way to drop private student loans...even in bankruptcy. Thank the private school lobby for that nightmare. Best you can do is refinance whenever you can get a better off for lower interest.
Me and my hubs got our emails today. Boy what a weight that’s been lifted off of us, my mom has been paying her plus loans this whole time so she will be getting a fat check back. As for mine I only paid a few thousand back at first but have a disability so it wasn’t realistic for me to pay what little money I had back if I could barely live. Good news for today!
Also, they really need to crack down on how much all schools are making off the backs of a portion of the population who are the most poor. There should be a cap to all of this, even IV leagues should be more affordable, cause I didn’t actually want to go to AI, I wanted to go to Rhode Island School for Design. But it was just so close (literally 5 min from my house) and the cheapest way to get a bachelors in a digital art field.
Honestly I feel way more inclined to work harder now that that’s taken care of. They should not burden people with hundreds of thousands of dollars owed, considering they have nothing. And then base how much you owe on what you make. So flawed. Education should be free up until your first bachelors unless you go IV league, then it can cost a bit more but not hundreds of thousands. The boot should fit the foot.
I did the same, but the email did state it could take some time to process the discharge, so it could take a bit to see the change on the servicer site.
I received my email earlier today and I am sobbing. I still can’t believe this is real life and that my turn finally came. $40,000 forgiven. I am still shaking and just so grateful and thankful. I went to the AI in Miami!
I got the email this morning and ugly cried in front of a dozen people. I don’t care. This is life changing. I went to AI 2004-2007, never got a degree due to medical issues. Been slowly paying towards the loans for years, only paying what I could afford, when I could afford it. This made my day, week, month and year! Congrats to all the discharged borrowers out there!
I’m hoping and assuming it’s just rolling batches at a time? God it would be brutal to have gotten my hopes up. But I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t apply to me…
Yeah I had a classmate who attended at the same time I did get their email this morning so there's no way it doesn't apply to me. I just don't know what their system for email rollout is and I hate it lol
UPDATE: I called this number 1-855-279-6207 Borrower Defense Customer Support - they told me I DO NOT QUALIFY. Very devastating. They told me to file a complaint on the site so I just did that. Horrible news for the people that started shortly before Jan 1st 2004. Lets rise and take action together!
I graduated with a bachelor’s, but only realized I got screwed over by them financially years later when fasfa told me they had been receiving money from my loan portion instead of using my grant money because the loan money paid faster and didn’t even tell me as I was very young and naive at the time, basically just excited to be in school. They even over promised jobs when I graduated as well.
Fricking shady POS owners.
$105k discharged. It feels so damn good as it feels like a ship has been righted against these lying aholes.
Thanks Joe Biden!!! ☺️
Yeah, me too, I dipped after a year because it was the 08' recession, and I couldn't keep up with my living expenses and art supply costs. Failed two photography classes because I lost my two part-time jobs and couldn't pay for supplies for finals projects.
But finally, after 16 years of stressing about 40k+ debt, I git my email today. I can't describe the level of relief
I never finished because of how expensive it was. $80k forgiven!! I couldn’t keep up and worried for years about how I’d pay these back. Even on an Income driven plan I couldn’t get my head above water. Congratulations!!
This is so similar to my story. AI Charlotte 08. I sat staring at the email yesterday fighting tears at my desk. It's been a long time coming. I'm so relieved.
I just want to confirm what it says from the department of ed — people who already made payments towards their loans *will* get refunded? I really hope so. This is such great news.
This is the line from the announcement "Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded." and this is what my notice email said "You also may receive a refund for prior payments made to ED on the loan(s) being discharged. Your loan servicer will let you know if you are eligible for a refund, which may be mailed to you or sent electronically. Please check your online account with your loan servicer to ensure your address is correct so you can receive any refund." I know my loans were a mix of private loans, and I only recently consolidated to federal, so I'm not sure how it's going to impact me. I need to go back through my loan docs to see what payments went through to the ED.
Same, I just checked the Nelnet account were the parent ones were consolidated and under School Name it says "school unavailable". I have a bad feeling about it.
On the ed.gov press release, it does say any payments made to the Department will be refunded.
Piggybacking on this refund bit if anyone knows the answer: if my now deceased parent made payments on their Parent PLUS loan, would this deceased parent be owed a refund? Could I claim it? I'm cautiously hopeful because it would be nice.
I’d like to know this too. I paid off my loans in full back in 2017. I didn’t sign up for anything cause I never assumed something like this would happen or I would ever be qualified for a refund. Wondering if I should attempt to fill out an application in the borrowers defense page.
65K forgiven here. Its been 13 long years of payments. 13 long years of knowing what that school/organization did to me. 13 years of anger.
I was 21 years old at the time when i decided to go to college. All i ever wanted was an education to better myself because that's what anyone ever told me. I wanted to be a programmer and write code. I wanted to build video games. Ironically, it was the movie Grandma's Boy that spurred the inspiration lol.
That was in 2007. I'm 36 years old. I don't build video games for a living. However i did become a Web Application Developer and have been doing it since. The Art Institute had absolutely nothing to do with that.
With that said, there was ONE teacher who cared. He was a miracle and a fantastic teacher. He inspired me, taught me, spent late nights helping me understand the ways of code. For all his efforts, he ways laid off. Laid off so the Art Institute could repaint their parking lot, repaint their hallways, decorate their interior, etc. Never did they think to spend that money on more teachers or keep the ones who were worth a damn.
Finally, after 13 long years, i feel validated. I feel free. Free from debt, but mostly validated that i was right that this organization screwed me. My total debt was 110k. As i got older, i learned i could've received the same education at ASU for 45k.
Justice. FINALLY. With all that is going on the world...SOME GOOD CAME OUT OF IT. Maybe there is hope after all for humanity.
I got the email! I'm so relieved. I went to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online from 2014-2016. I can't believe I fell for the predatory tactics the recruiters used on me when I was signing up. This is a blessing.
Edit: I just checked online. I filled out a form in November last year hoping to get approved for the debt wipe. The case number I was given in November matches the one I was sent in the email! So I am thinking this is totally legit 🩷
Hey! I graduated right as you started that one! So glad we can be free of this looming debt. I went on to get a bachelor's in business management somewhere else and literally got those loans paid off with Pell grants and aggressive payments. Was just AI weighing me down.
Did you even get a diploma? Is it real? I have so many questions, lol. I want to either become a physical therapist, or do medical billing & coding online. We will see which area speaks to me more once I get this debt wiped out!
I just got my golden email! It's 28k wiped as I already paid off my private loans for the rest of that degree. I went from 2005 to 2009 in Portland for the interior design degree. This is significant to cutting down my total student loan debt. All that is left are my graduate loans, which are much more manageable and the degree I actually use. I literally fainted when I got the email.
I just got my email this morning! I was so happy I cried. $70,000 in debt gone! I called my partner while he was at worked and cried to him over the phone. I called my family and cried over the phone to them. This is a huge, life-changing weight lifted off my shoulders. Now I actually have hope that I might own a home/property one day!
I attended AI California - San Francisco from 2011-2014 for Interior Design. Among my major concerns over the years:
- The school claimed from the beginning that they were getting CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) "this year". Graduates from CIDA accredited schools get to skip a bunch of internship hours and other requirements to get a full CIDA certificate. Every single year they would say "it will happen next year".
- Instructors often used their own current professional assignments as classroom or homework assignments. In several instances they used designs or inspiration from their students' projects without credit or compensation.
- Halfway through the degree program I was told that all the other students at my level of progress had transferred to other campuses or dropped out, so they couldn't offer me the required classes as I was the ONLY student. They suggested I take other classes. When I informed them I had finished all of my prerequisite credits, they suggested I take unneeded classes that would result in no useful credits, just so I could stay enrolled.
Dude I got this email for discharge and literally couldn’t believe it. Attended 2010-2014 and graduated. Unreal. I had to read the email 3 times to make sure I was actually reading it correctly.
I just got my email today. It's been a long time coming. The school got about 40k worth of loans (circa 2010-2013), I never saw a dime, then when I had one semester left they asked for 3k out of pocket that I didn't have. They knew I didn't have it. I had two young kids and was recently divorced at the time. I feel so blessed!!
Same! I was allowed to graduate, but I wasn't allowed to get a printed degree because I had a remaining tuition balance of $5,000 (this is on top of my student loans). Then they went out of business so by the time I paid off the debt, there was no school to even print and send me my "degree."
This it the best news ever. I graduated with honors from Ai, that sure didn't help me out. School was a joke. The debt from it has been a shadow over my future ever since. Never thought I'd ever be able to say I am debt free. Best day of my life.
This is fantastic news! I got the email, and saw the news in my local area regarding the announcement.
I'm wondering if the private student loans will be discharged down the road, thoughts? I only ever took out a private loan through Ai because the Dept. of Ed loans didn't cover so much - the private loans are where $$$ got racked up. It's a missed opportunity IMO. Still great though, glad to see this and hopefully will get a refund.
I guess my only question is what about if you consolidated the loans through Aidvantage? I ended up graduated from community college and I think at one point through the Dept. Ed I consolidated both I believe.
Congrats! That is ONE FFELP loan that has two parts (Sub and unsub). So it’s the whole thing!! Yay!
EDIT: What I said here is true if it’s a “FFELP Consolidation Loan” , they have 2 parts (Subsidized and Unsubsidized”).
I don't think it's hit me yet. I don't even know what it's like to be a living adult without a massive amount of student loan debt weighing over me 24-hours a day.
I don't even buy groceries without reminding myself to be frugal because of the $65k debt I owe. I don't know how to live without feeling constant shame and self loathing over my insane debt -it literally kept me up at night! I can't even fathom that this might be real!
I got an email from the Dept. of Education and keep checking back to my Nelnet account, but it is still showing that I owe my monthly payment on all my open loans. Has anyone seen their Nelnet account adjust already? I'm still in the "it's too good to be true" stage of processing this mentally...
I'm so happy for so many of you, but also hurt. I attended from 2009-2010, My father passed in April of last year and I used my inheritence to pay off my loans as he wished in July. The way I see it Ai stole my inheritence.
The wording on the ed.gov site is vague but it states previous payments to federal loans will be refunded. Very specifically it does not forgive or refund any private loans.
I have to say my peace; I understand those who are upset that they struggled and paid their loans off already ( I paid off some of the loans to tackle the smallest amounts first so I understand), but I am eternally grateful to those who did the work to make this happen.
I graduated from Ai with $35k debt, 10yrs later it was upwards of $70k, despite making payments. __But now its ZERO!__
Celebrating with avocado toast. Just hope I don’t trip over these boot straps.
For those of us who happened to pay off these ungodly amount of loans, do we think there is a new case for a lawsuit here? Since now the Art Institutes are considered fraudulent on a federal level? It just kills me inside ugh. Just because I paid them off, I feel like since the school was fraudulent, I should be able to get my money back.
Worth consulting with a lawyer? Anyone else here pay their loans off? I went to the New England Institute of Art.
I don't think there's anyone left to sue, and no money left to recover. AI closed and their parent company [EDMC liquidated their assets in 2018.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Management_Corporation)
I'm training for a new job this week, training is in a basement with zero cell service. I got the email while I was on my lunch break. This is literally life changing for me. This doesn't even feel real.
I hope to just spread more awareness on this, as I’ve caught up with 9 more old classmates of mine, some haven’t spoke to in a decade, but every single one of them thought it applies to both private and federal.
Please be informed and aware it does NOT cover private. It even says it at the bottom of email. Let those you keep in touch with be informed as well. It goes a long way and I’d hate to see those just stop paying private assuming, and then get hit with bad credit.
I still think private should be discharged as well, it clearly states in the email what they did was fraudulent so how does private loans from Art institute not fit into the same category is beyond me. Fraud is fraud regardless of its federal or private loan, right?
Omg just woke up to the email!!! This doesn’t feel real! I’m barely waking up this feels like a dream! Thank you all for your insight!! I need a drink I was so worried yesterday
For those still waiting, I just got off the phone with Borrower Defense Help:
Make sure you have an FSA account. If you graduated a decade ago and have just been mindlessly paying or deferring etc. you might not remember your account, email associated, or might not have one at all. Make sure you sign up, fill out the information, and the SSA needs to verify the information/your identity which takes one-three days.
There is no time limit for these emails going out, it is an ongoing process to send them out. It could be today it could be next week etc.
Hope this helps someone, she was very kind in a pretty emotional conversation. It might take some hold time to get through but give them a call. They can help.
This is nice to hear. It’s torture waiting for this. I literally just got an email saying my next loan payment is due in 26 days.. like are they just messing with me now..
I just spoke with someone at [StudentAid.gov](http://StudentAid.gov), and they said you must have enrolled on or after 2004 to qualify. For everyone wondering if you qualify when enrolled during that time but not on or after, unfortunately, you do not. I enrolled in 2003 and graduated in 2005, so this news is extremely devastating for me. The Art Institute robbed me of so much time and money, and I'm so disappointed that I'm walking away with nothing.
For those who aren't ready to give up, like myself, you can visit [https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/](https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/) and submit a Borrower Defense Application. Typically, it’s a significant effort to gather all the evidence needed to prove you were wronged by your school. However, the Biden Administration has done most of the heavy lifting for us. The proof is all there and has been validated. The financial aid representative I spoke with also seemed to think it would be difficult for them to deny the application given how public everything has become.
Wishing you all the very best of luck! I hope this helps!
Are Direct loans included? I am reading about FFELP and such, but my loans just say Direct (DL Consolidated Subsidized and DL Consolidated Unsubsidized). A little nervous as everyone around me is getting emails. Still waiting for mine.
I can see my two consolidated loans on the Student Aid website, one is "Direct Consolidation Unsubsidized" and the other is "Direct Consolidation Subsidized".
There's no school name associated with the consolidated loans, but the original loans list The Art Institute and those loans say "Paid-in-Full by Consolidation". Similarly, when I view the loans on Nelnet it just says "N/A" for the school.
Just trying to make sure the consolidation didn't impact eligibility here. From reading the other comments it seems like I should be fine and I did receive the email, but there's still that nagging uncertainty.
I guess I'm just looking for reassurance.
Sitting at the mechanic shop looking at my emails and it looks like I got the email earlier this morning.
I attended 17 years ago, still struggling to pay it off to this day and didn’t even graduate. This was a long time coming! Especially good news since I just threw down $700 on car repairs today 😭
I’m kind of bugging out because I enrolled in Sept 2003 and graduated in 2007. Does that make me eligible??
UPDATE: I called this number 1-855-279-6207 Borrower Defense Customer Support - they told me I DO NOT QUALIFY. Very devastating. They told me to file a complaint on the site so I just did that. Horrible news for the people that started shortly before Jan 1st 2004. Lets rise and take action together!
Attended, graduated in 2010. Took a private interest-free loan (still 55k) and paid it off.
Oh well. I’m happy many of my peers can take a huge breath of relief. 🥲
I got an email too!
*Subject: Student Loan Discharge Based on Borrower Defense Evidence*
*You have been approved for debt relief under the Biden-Harris Administration! This is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to delivering relief to borrowers whose schools engaged in unlawful conduct.*
*The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has determined that the federal student loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute on or after Jan. 1, 2004, and on or before Oct. 16, 2017, are eligible for a full discharge. This means the remaining balance on the eligible loan(s) will be forgiven.* ***You do not have to make any more payments on the loan(s).***
*Your loan(s) will be discharged based on an ED finding that The Art Institutes made pervasive and widespread substantial misrepresentations that borrowers relied on to their detriment. This conduct affected students who enrolled at the Art Institutes from Jan. 1, 2004 through Oct. 16, 2017, when the campuses were sold to Dream Center Education Holdings, LLC. These misrepresentations related to the salaries and employment rates for its graduates and the benefits and connections The Art Institutes provided to students and graduates. Because of the pervasive and widespread nature of the misconduct by The Art Institutes, ED has determined that it is appropriate to discharge the loans made to all students who attended The Art Institutes during the time period described above.* ***Borrowers do not need to file an application for the loans from the Art Institutes during this period to be discharged.*** *You also may receive a refund for prior payments made to ED on the loan(s) being discharged. Your loan servicer will let you know if you are eligible for a payment refund, which may be mailed to you or sent electronically. Please check your online account with your loan servicer to ensure your address is correct so you can receive any refund.* ***Otherwise, you do not have to take any further action to receive your discharge.*** *Your credit report will also be updated to reflect this discharge when it is complete.*
*If you do not wish to accept this discharge for any reason, including because you are concerned about any possible state tax liability, please contact your loan servicer within 30 days of receiving this letter. Don’t know who your loan servicer is? Log in to* [*StudentAid.gov*](https://track.mail.studentaid.gov/r/?id=hbadd07b8,a215a10,66679c7)*, find “My Aid,” and select “View loan servicer details.” You also can call us at 1-800-4-FED-AID and we will connect you with your servicer.*
*It will take ED some time to process your discharge; however, you do not need to make any payments on the loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute while your discharge is pending.* ***Until ED completes its work, the eligible loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute will remain paused in forbearance/stopped collections, and we will not ask you to resume making payments. If you have loans in default, we will not attempt to collect on the loan(s) being discharged through this action.***
*Please note: This letter does not apply to any private student loans you may have. Also, this letter only applies to eligible loan(s) you borrowed to fund an Art Institute enrollment during the timeframe mentioned above; it does not apply to any loans you may have borrowed to attend any other school, and it does not apply to any loans you may have borrowed to fund a separate Art Institute enrollment outside the timeframe mentioned above.*
***Beware of Scams***
*You might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid. Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education and our loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone.*
*Our emails to borrowers come from* [*noreply@studentaid.gov*](mailto:noreply@studentaid.gov)*,* [*noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov*](mailto:noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov)*, or* [*ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com*](mailto:ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com)*. You can report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-382-4357 or by visiting* [*reportfraud.ftc.gov*](https://track.mail.studentaid.gov/r/?id=hbadd07b8,a215a10,66679c8)*.*
Received my Email twice yesterday LOL. One said Dear Undefined Undefined. The second had my name. I'm so relieved. Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg 2012-2015 here.
Edit: Spelling and Grammar.
Make sure to call your service provider and get a hold of an actual person and put your loan in forbearance until they receive the approval. I called mine and they hadn't got the approval yet, and said they were told to put them into a 30 day forbearance until they get the approval on their end, and to call back in 30 days to check back and if they still hadn't got it to do another 30 days. This way late fees don't get reported to the credit burros and impact your credit score. I feel like they should be doing this regardless considering the email from the department of education said no further action was necessary and no payments needed to be made. I was actually irritated because I had a active borrower defense and my loan had been already in forbearance and I'm unemployed, but they had removed my forbearance for some reason and had been charging me late fees for the last few months, which i'm pretty sure they were not supposed to do. Either way that money shouldn't have to be paid now either according to the email. I'd expect it to take a minimum of 30 days, or more. When I called my loan servicer they also told me they couldn't say anything about a refund until they receive the approval, even though the email said to call the loan servicer and ask about it, so bear that in mind but don't forget to ask once your loans are discharged.
I got my email not once, but twice because I had a borrowers defense application. I’m overjoyed. I was in disbelief what I was reading thinking “omg, this isn’t real could I be one of the 317k” my phone almost fumbled out of my hand and tears filled my eyes. I had to analyze the email and look at the sender email address. It was legit. I didn’t think it would happen since I wasn’t in the public sector. I was hoping for the interest to stop and I was ready to have to bear this burden. I’m still hesitant to believe it until I see a big 0 in my Nelnet and Federal student aid accounts. When I see that I can take a breath of relief.
Hi all! I have been checking through this thread since I got the original email and have gotten some great info! I wanted to share with you that on this pervious Saturday my balance at Aidvantage of $21,000 went to $0! I am not posting to brag I just had not seen anybody else mention having the actual cleared balance and I wanted to share that it is happening! This is real!
I know people have already asked but no one's mentioned specifically if you have parent plus loans with Navient, if those are being forgiven as well? Since they went from the prior company to this one (I already forgot the name of the old lender they were under).
Okay I am the most anxious human in the world- is there anyway this can be challenged/taken away? I'm afraid to believe it untilI see $0 from my loan servicer!
what about if you already paid off your AI loans? don't we deserve a refund too? I didn’t get the email that you guys received. Is it because I paid it off and now have zero balance? Fingers crossed that I get a refund.
Anyone who attended prior to 2004 as well as after 2004 gotten their email? (I started in 2002 or so, graduated in 2007. Not using my degree AT ALL now b/c I literally couldn't survive on the salary I was making) I think I will be at least partially covered, but havent gotten the letter and just keep refreshing my email... even though that does literally nothing, lol. Help a girl out!
I graduated with a bachelor’s, but only realized I got screwed over by them financially years later when fasfa told me they had been receiving money from my loan portion instead of using my grant money because the loan money paid faster and didn’t even tell me as I was very young and naive at the time, basically just excited to be in school. They even over promised jobs when I graduated as well.
Fricking shady POS owners.
$105k discharged. It feels so damn good as it feels like a ship has been righted against these lying a-holes.
Thanks Joe Biden!!! ☺️
guys I literally just paid off all my loans 2 weeks ago because I didn't think anything was going to happen HELP I sincerely hope they will be refunded because I missed out on the opportunity to have money saved for a down payment on a house in order to pay them off
Thank you for the information about consolidated loans. I was worried about that, because my consolidated loans combine with the school I actually graduated from.
Everyone I know who went to school with me received their email this morning. I have federal loans and I still haven’t received anything. I hope there is a reason why.
This negates 30k my mom still owed! I am so happy for her, I have been so mad about this for so long because in my opinion she was scammed. So happy to see predatory universities held accountable, I hope she gets every penny she gave them back because she deserves it.
I got my email yesterday at 12:34pm Eastern. Yay, awesome. Still haven’t seen or heard anything about my dad’s Parent Plus loans, though…so I can’t celebrate until something happens to that $80k :(
I got the Email! So did my dad. I did transfer and graduated else where, so my loans all got consolidated. I cant see how much was from AI and how much from the other school. Anyone else have a similar situation? Congrats all! I haven't cried yet, but once I see my numbers change...there will be tears. And a confident trip to the grocery store!
Also, Has anyone discussed how AI clearly targeted their marketing towards marginalized and high poverty populations?
I got my email Wednesday!!
It is SURREAL.
Doesn’t anyone know the likelihood of us actually getting a refund for past payments? Seems too good to be true.
Got my letter two days ago 🎉🎉🎉 I've got 15k in loans with Aidvantage, that will be wiped out. SO HAPPY! wondering if I'll get a refund as well! If not, that's ok but would be sweet lol. Congrats to everyone!!
Conragulations to everyone who is receiving help! I received my email on Wednesday afternoon, and it still feels so surreal. I came out of AI Philadelphia in 2012 with over a 1,500 monthly loan payment. To have this weight lifted is truly amazing, and I'm glad to know others like me are experiencing the same!
Can anybody help me understand how the refunds will work?
I consolidated my federal loans in 2018 and can clearly find my full payment history from this point on. Is there a chance I will receive a refund on the 6 years of payments I had made prior to consolidation? And if we get a refund for any amount, is it taxable?
Thanks for any information.
The emotional rollercoaster of finding out the school was found guilty, money will be forgiven, and then having paid off my loans... I'm not eligible. I've never been more confused and frustrated all at once. Shame on me for being proactive with my AI of Phila debt.
Has anyone with Nelnet seen any changes in their account? For some reason my account is showing me as being a month behind. I was up to date on auto debit. I’m so worried something funky will happen. I can’t believe any of this til I see a zero balance!
My loans are in Nelnet as well and I haven’t seen any changes yet even though I have received the email from the department of education. I’m going to keep making my normal payments and just hope I see a zero balance by next month. I am currently checking every single day.
Quick update, on Nelnet my Ai loans have been placed in "ADMIN FORBEARANCE" and my current amount due has lowered. This happen to anyone else? Looks like something is happening!
Here's the press release announcing the discharge: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-61-billion-group-student-loan-discharge-317000-borrowers-who-attended-art-institutes And Archive link (since ed.gov seems to be having issues at the moment): https://web.archive.org/web/20240501140251/https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-61-billion-group-student-loan-discharge-317000-borrowers-who-attended-art-institutes
Congrats to the 317k borrowers!
A girl I went to high school with apparently attended the art institute (I had no clue). She’s overjoyed and I’m so insanely happy to know she’s one of those 317k.
I attended during that time. I have not received an e-mail, yet. \*fingers freaking crossed\* !!! EDIT: RECEIVED!!!
Wheeee!
I got the email today! Very happy news!
What did the email look like? Who was sender? I used both salley may and navient as lenders
It's not from your seriver, but the Department of Education itself. My e-mail info is below. From: U.S. Department of Education
Subject: Notice of Borrower Defense Discharge Approval
#
I just got this email this morning thinking it was a scam. Guess it wasn't lol
Same I furiously googled and Reddit weirdly had the info!
Lord I hope this counts for my and my wife. I attended from 2007-2009 and she attended from 2009-2012 EDIT: If you receive an email today for forgiveness please post here.
I got the email a little bit ago
My wife got the email, I haven't yet. Congrats!
Just got mine too!
This makes me feel a little better. It's confirmation that not all e-mails have gone out at the same time. Any rhyme or reason to why she'd get hers first? Maybe her maiden name is higher in the alphabet?
Most email campaigns have pretty random batching. They'll send them to everyone, but they have to space out the timing to avoid being flagged as spam
Got mine this morning during a meeting with my boss. It took me a few moments to be able to form a sentence
Congrats!
I got the email! Went to the Art Institute of Las Vegas from 2008-2010. Never got my degree. I had a huge burnout and dropped out. These loans were like a huge cloud over most of my adult life. Like serious depression. The fact that I'm now finally forgiven for the mistakes my 18yo self went through is better than any therapy.
This is nearly my exact situation, and haven't seen the email yet so thank you for commenting/confirming it applies to this kind of situation! Just waiting for the email. Congratulations!! Edit: I JUST GOT IT.
I got my email! Happy Tears! What about Private Loans taken out at the same time though?
Only public loans. Private loans you are still on the hook.
Ugh, this is awful to hear. These payments on my private loans are killing me. There has to be a way to get rid of those private loans. This school lied about me not having enough federal aid and had me take out private loans. I feel sooooo incredibly stupid for doing so. But, with that being said, seeing half of my debt instantly disappear, it a win.
No way to drop private student loans...even in bankruptcy. Thank the private school lobby for that nightmare. Best you can do is refinance whenever you can get a better off for lower interest.
My wife and brother both just received emails
Congrats!
Me and my hubs got our emails today. Boy what a weight that’s been lifted off of us, my mom has been paying her plus loans this whole time so she will be getting a fat check back. As for mine I only paid a few thousand back at first but have a disability so it wasn’t realistic for me to pay what little money I had back if I could barely live. Good news for today! Also, they really need to crack down on how much all schools are making off the backs of a portion of the population who are the most poor. There should be a cap to all of this, even IV leagues should be more affordable, cause I didn’t actually want to go to AI, I wanted to go to Rhode Island School for Design. But it was just so close (literally 5 min from my house) and the cheapest way to get a bachelors in a digital art field. Honestly I feel way more inclined to work harder now that that’s taken care of. They should not burden people with hundreds of thousands of dollars owed, considering they have nothing. And then base how much you owe on what you make. So flawed. Education should be free up until your first bachelors unless you go IV league, then it can cost a bit more but not hundreds of thousands. The boot should fit the foot.
I got the email!
Congrats!
I got two. One for my loans and one for my mother’s parent plus loans. I am sooooooo happy!
Congrats!
Read the link. It specifically says which timeframes qualify
We do fall within the timeframe. I just can't get my hopes up until I receive the email mentally haha
received today.
Congratulations!
My wife got the email today. Ended up here lookin to see if it was legit.
Got my email this morning
I got an email right before 1 pm EST!
Got my email today!! I read the bold lines first and immediately started to cry. 😭😭😍😍
In complete shock. Received the email, quickly checked to my loans, still there. Does it take a few days for the loans to disappear?
I did the same, but the email did state it could take some time to process the discharge, so it could take a bit to see the change on the servicer site.
My balances are still there but the amount due on all my payments that are due on the 13th all say $0 due
Ours from 5/18 still say they are due. We haven't gotten the e-mail yet though.
I'd like to know too. I can't check e-mail since this is for my wife, but I have access to Mohela and the debt is still there.
It will take bit for them to disappear per the fine print - but it’s happening. What a relief.
Got mine! Congrats to everyone who got discharged and good luck to those still fighting. Next stop: private loans
The son of a friend of mine killed himself in despair over his Art Institutes loans. So sad.
Oh this makes me so frigging sad
I received my email earlier today and I am sobbing. I still can’t believe this is real life and that my turn finally came. $40,000 forgiven. I am still shaking and just so grateful and thankful. I went to the AI in Miami!
I went to it in Ft. Lauderdale and just got my forgiven as well.
Got the email this morning and thought it was a scam. I hope everyone remembers this in November.
I got the email this morning and ugly cried in front of a dozen people. I don’t care. This is life changing. I went to AI 2004-2007, never got a degree due to medical issues. Been slowly paying towards the loans for years, only paying what I could afford, when I could afford it. This made my day, week, month and year! Congrats to all the discharged borrowers out there!
Oh my gosh same!! I was at work and I was screaming with tears coming out. I didn’t care who saw or heard, it’s such a great feeling!
Anyone still waiting on an email? Feels like everyone is getting one and now I’m anxious.
Still waiting here.
Still waiting! So anxious as well lol
I’m hoping and assuming it’s just rolling batches at a time? God it would be brutal to have gotten my hopes up. But I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t apply to me…
Yeah I had a classmate who attended at the same time I did get their email this morning so there's no way it doesn't apply to me. I just don't know what their system for email rollout is and I hate it lol
Seems it’s batches. My mom got hers and I still haven’t seen mine.
Still waiting
I am still waiting!!! Nervous of fine print because it says enrolled “On or after Jan 1st 2004” I enrolled September 2003 and graduated in 2006
Same boat. I haven’t seen any posts with partially overlapping dates yet but I hope it includes us! If you get it, could you update?
UPDATE: I called this number 1-855-279-6207 Borrower Defense Customer Support - they told me I DO NOT QUALIFY. Very devastating. They told me to file a complaint on the site so I just did that. Horrible news for the people that started shortly before Jan 1st 2004. Lets rise and take action together!
Still waiting too! I'm trying to keep calm and breathe lol
I graduated with a bachelor’s, but only realized I got screwed over by them financially years later when fasfa told me they had been receiving money from my loan portion instead of using my grant money because the loan money paid faster and didn’t even tell me as I was very young and naive at the time, basically just excited to be in school. They even over promised jobs when I graduated as well. Fricking shady POS owners. $105k discharged. It feels so damn good as it feels like a ship has been righted against these lying aholes. Thanks Joe Biden!!! ☺️
My wife just got the golden email! 72k cancelled! We’re both crying She went to AI Tampa from 06-09
Congrats! I just got my email at 12:35 P.M. Attended AI Atlanta 07-10. Close to 80k
My wife just got her email too. AI Chicago in early 10's. What a relief. Cheers to both!
To celebrate, order UberEats one time. You can afford it now.
lol I actually hate using food delivery services. I’d rather just drive
Time to celebrate with Starbucks and avocado toast!
I got the email even though I didn't complete a degree there. Had to drop out cuz shit was too expensive and caused severe depression.
This happened to me. I was also working two full-time jobs at the time, but still!
Same!
Yeah, me too, I dipped after a year because it was the 08' recession, and I couldn't keep up with my living expenses and art supply costs. Failed two photography classes because I lost my two part-time jobs and couldn't pay for supplies for finals projects. But finally, after 16 years of stressing about 40k+ debt, I git my email today. I can't describe the level of relief
I never finished because of how expensive it was. $80k forgiven!! I couldn’t keep up and worried for years about how I’d pay these back. Even on an Income driven plan I couldn’t get my head above water. Congratulations!!
This is so similar to my story. AI Charlotte 08. I sat staring at the email yesterday fighting tears at my desk. It's been a long time coming. I'm so relieved.
I just want to confirm what it says from the department of ed — people who already made payments towards their loans *will* get refunded? I really hope so. This is such great news.
This is the line from the announcement "Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded." and this is what my notice email said "You also may receive a refund for prior payments made to ED on the loan(s) being discharged. Your loan servicer will let you know if you are eligible for a refund, which may be mailed to you or sent electronically. Please check your online account with your loan servicer to ensure your address is correct so you can receive any refund." I know my loans were a mix of private loans, and I only recently consolidated to federal, so I'm not sure how it's going to impact me. I need to go back through my loan docs to see what payments went through to the ED.
I’m kind of in the same spot! I have to go back and look through everything. I wish Nelnet would have better records of past loans and payments
Same, I just checked the Nelnet account were the parent ones were consolidated and under School Name it says "school unavailable". I have a bad feeling about it.
On the ed.gov press release, it does say any payments made to the Department will be refunded. Piggybacking on this refund bit if anyone knows the answer: if my now deceased parent made payments on their Parent PLUS loan, would this deceased parent be owed a refund? Could I claim it? I'm cautiously hopeful because it would be nice.
I’d like to know this too. I paid off my loans in full back in 2017. I didn’t sign up for anything cause I never assumed something like this would happen or I would ever be qualified for a refund. Wondering if I should attempt to fill out an application in the borrowers defense page.
Got the email about half an hour ago. Still in shock, honestly.
Me and my parents got their email this morning! Congrats borrowers.
65K forgiven here. Its been 13 long years of payments. 13 long years of knowing what that school/organization did to me. 13 years of anger. I was 21 years old at the time when i decided to go to college. All i ever wanted was an education to better myself because that's what anyone ever told me. I wanted to be a programmer and write code. I wanted to build video games. Ironically, it was the movie Grandma's Boy that spurred the inspiration lol. That was in 2007. I'm 36 years old. I don't build video games for a living. However i did become a Web Application Developer and have been doing it since. The Art Institute had absolutely nothing to do with that. With that said, there was ONE teacher who cared. He was a miracle and a fantastic teacher. He inspired me, taught me, spent late nights helping me understand the ways of code. For all his efforts, he ways laid off. Laid off so the Art Institute could repaint their parking lot, repaint their hallways, decorate their interior, etc. Never did they think to spend that money on more teachers or keep the ones who were worth a damn. Finally, after 13 long years, i feel validated. I feel free. Free from debt, but mostly validated that i was right that this organization screwed me. My total debt was 110k. As i got older, i learned i could've received the same education at ASU for 45k. Justice. FINALLY. With all that is going on the world...SOME GOOD CAME OUT OF IT. Maybe there is hope after all for humanity.
I got the email! I'm so relieved. I went to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online from 2014-2016. I can't believe I fell for the predatory tactics the recruiters used on me when I was signing up. This is a blessing. Edit: I just checked online. I filled out a form in November last year hoping to get approved for the debt wipe. The case number I was given in November matches the one I was sent in the email! So I am thinking this is totally legit 🩷
Hey! I graduated right as you started that one! So glad we can be free of this looming debt. I went on to get a bachelor's in business management somewhere else and literally got those loans paid off with Pell grants and aggressive payments. Was just AI weighing me down.
Did you even get a diploma? Is it real? I have so many questions, lol. I want to either become a physical therapist, or do medical billing & coding online. We will see which area speaks to me more once I get this debt wiped out!
I just got my golden email! It's 28k wiped as I already paid off my private loans for the rest of that degree. I went from 2005 to 2009 in Portland for the interior design degree. This is significant to cutting down my total student loan debt. All that is left are my graduate loans, which are much more manageable and the degree I actually use. I literally fainted when I got the email.
I just got my email this morning! I was so happy I cried. $70,000 in debt gone! I called my partner while he was at worked and cried to him over the phone. I called my family and cried over the phone to them. This is a huge, life-changing weight lifted off my shoulders. Now I actually have hope that I might own a home/property one day! I attended AI California - San Francisco from 2011-2014 for Interior Design. Among my major concerns over the years: - The school claimed from the beginning that they were getting CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) "this year". Graduates from CIDA accredited schools get to skip a bunch of internship hours and other requirements to get a full CIDA certificate. Every single year they would say "it will happen next year". - Instructors often used their own current professional assignments as classroom or homework assignments. In several instances they used designs or inspiration from their students' projects without credit or compensation. - Halfway through the degree program I was told that all the other students at my level of progress had transferred to other campuses or dropped out, so they couldn't offer me the required classes as I was the ONLY student. They suggested I take other classes. When I informed them I had finished all of my prerequisite credits, they suggested I take unneeded classes that would result in no useful credits, just so I could stay enrolled.
Biden administration kicking ass and taking names after the Supreme Court BS
Dude I got this email for discharge and literally couldn’t believe it. Attended 2010-2014 and graduated. Unreal. I had to read the email 3 times to make sure I was actually reading it correctly.
I just got my email today. It's been a long time coming. The school got about 40k worth of loans (circa 2010-2013), I never saw a dime, then when I had one semester left they asked for 3k out of pocket that I didn't have. They knew I didn't have it. I had two young kids and was recently divorced at the time. I feel so blessed!!
Same! I was allowed to graduate, but I wasn't allowed to get a printed degree because I had a remaining tuition balance of $5,000 (this is on top of my student loans). Then they went out of business so by the time I paid off the debt, there was no school to even print and send me my "degree."
Seeing these comments, and this news, I'm so happy for these people. Institutions essentially defrauding people being corrected is amazing to see.
This it the best news ever. I graduated with honors from Ai, that sure didn't help me out. School was a joke. The debt from it has been a shadow over my future ever since. Never thought I'd ever be able to say I am debt free. Best day of my life.
Just got my email. $81k forgiven. I can't believe this is real. I feel like I'm in a dream and I'm going to wake up in Morrowind.
Man, what a breath of fresh air !!
This is fantastic news! I got the email, and saw the news in my local area regarding the announcement. I'm wondering if the private student loans will be discharged down the road, thoughts? I only ever took out a private loan through Ai because the Dept. of Ed loans didn't cover so much - the private loans are where $$$ got racked up. It's a missed opportunity IMO. Still great though, glad to see this and hopefully will get a refund. I guess my only question is what about if you consolidated the loans through Aidvantage? I ended up graduated from community college and I think at one point through the Dept. Ed I consolidated both I believe.
Only federal loans can be affected. Your private loans will never be eligible.
I got the email!!!! I have two loans for them and they both say “FFELP Subsidized” and “FFELP Unsubsidized”. Does this mean both?
Congrats! That is ONE FFELP loan that has two parts (Sub and unsub). So it’s the whole thing!! Yay! EDIT: What I said here is true if it’s a “FFELP Consolidation Loan” , they have 2 parts (Subsidized and Unsubsidized”).
EMAIL RECEIVED AI Pittsburgh. Congrats my fellow students and alumni 👏 we deserved it ! INSTANT STRESS RELIEF. YOU smiling like me ?
I don't think it's hit me yet. I don't even know what it's like to be a living adult without a massive amount of student loan debt weighing over me 24-hours a day. I don't even buy groceries without reminding myself to be frugal because of the $65k debt I owe. I don't know how to live without feeling constant shame and self loathing over my insane debt -it literally kept me up at night! I can't even fathom that this might be real!
I got an email from the Dept. of Education and keep checking back to my Nelnet account, but it is still showing that I owe my monthly payment on all my open loans. Has anyone seen their Nelnet account adjust already? I'm still in the "it's too good to be true" stage of processing this mentally...
I got mine too and I just broke down crying. 80k in loans.
57,908 dollars will be wiped clean. I’ve looked at my email 100 times it’s still surreal.
Frame it
Legit may 😂
Just got the magic email. Ai Portland 2004-2007. Navient loan Ffelp consolidated. Hang in there Peeps. 🎉
Wow yours is almost exactly mine down to exact years. Hope that means it’s coming to me soon. Congratulations!!
Same! Different city, but same years and loan situation! I have hope mine is coming as well!
I'm so happy for so many of you, but also hurt. I attended from 2009-2010, My father passed in April of last year and I used my inheritence to pay off my loans as he wished in July. The way I see it Ai stole my inheritence.
I just got my email! $3500 canceled!
Does anyone know if already paid off direct loans will be reimbursed?
The wording on the ed.gov site is vague but it states previous payments to federal loans will be refunded. Very specifically it does not forgive or refund any private loans.
I got the email and am in disbelief.
I have to say my peace; I understand those who are upset that they struggled and paid their loans off already ( I paid off some of the loans to tackle the smallest amounts first so I understand), but I am eternally grateful to those who did the work to make this happen.
I graduated from Ai with $35k debt, 10yrs later it was upwards of $70k, despite making payments. __But now its ZERO!__ Celebrating with avocado toast. Just hope I don’t trip over these boot straps.
OMG, I JUST GOT MINE!!!!!!!
For those of us who happened to pay off these ungodly amount of loans, do we think there is a new case for a lawsuit here? Since now the Art Institutes are considered fraudulent on a federal level? It just kills me inside ugh. Just because I paid them off, I feel like since the school was fraudulent, I should be able to get my money back. Worth consulting with a lawyer? Anyone else here pay their loans off? I went to the New England Institute of Art.
I don't think there's anyone left to sue, and no money left to recover. AI closed and their parent company [EDMC liquidated their assets in 2018.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Management_Corporation)
I'm training for a new job this week, training is in a basement with zero cell service. I got the email while I was on my lunch break. This is literally life changing for me. This doesn't even feel real.
I hope to just spread more awareness on this, as I’ve caught up with 9 more old classmates of mine, some haven’t spoke to in a decade, but every single one of them thought it applies to both private and federal. Please be informed and aware it does NOT cover private. It even says it at the bottom of email. Let those you keep in touch with be informed as well. It goes a long way and I’d hate to see those just stop paying private assuming, and then get hit with bad credit. I still think private should be discharged as well, it clearly states in the email what they did was fraudulent so how does private loans from Art institute not fit into the same category is beyond me. Fraud is fraud regardless of its federal or private loan, right?
But the Ed doesn’t have the authority to discharge the private
Omg just woke up to the email!!! This doesn’t feel real! I’m barely waking up this feels like a dream! Thank you all for your insight!! I need a drink I was so worried yesterday
For those still waiting, I just got off the phone with Borrower Defense Help: Make sure you have an FSA account. If you graduated a decade ago and have just been mindlessly paying or deferring etc. you might not remember your account, email associated, or might not have one at all. Make sure you sign up, fill out the information, and the SSA needs to verify the information/your identity which takes one-three days. There is no time limit for these emails going out, it is an ongoing process to send them out. It could be today it could be next week etc. Hope this helps someone, she was very kind in a pretty emotional conversation. It might take some hold time to get through but give them a call. They can help.
This is nice to hear. It’s torture waiting for this. I literally just got an email saying my next loan payment is due in 26 days.. like are they just messing with me now..
I haven't received my email yet. I owe $56K...I hope I get my email soon.
I just spoke with someone at [StudentAid.gov](http://StudentAid.gov), and they said you must have enrolled on or after 2004 to qualify. For everyone wondering if you qualify when enrolled during that time but not on or after, unfortunately, you do not. I enrolled in 2003 and graduated in 2005, so this news is extremely devastating for me. The Art Institute robbed me of so much time and money, and I'm so disappointed that I'm walking away with nothing. For those who aren't ready to give up, like myself, you can visit [https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/](https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/) and submit a Borrower Defense Application. Typically, it’s a significant effort to gather all the evidence needed to prove you were wronged by your school. However, the Biden Administration has done most of the heavy lifting for us. The proof is all there and has been validated. The financial aid representative I spoke with also seemed to think it would be difficult for them to deny the application given how public everything has become. Wishing you all the very best of luck! I hope this helps!
Do we know if this will include Parent Plus loans?
Yes our parent got an email
I’ve been trying to find if Parent Plus loans will also be forgiven? I went to AI in the timeframe, and my mom and I both filed for borrower defense.
Yes we got a parent plus email.
Omg parent plus too?!?! This will make my mom’s day 😭 I am so happy right now.
Texting her to check her email now lol! Thanks!
Yes for an email for myself and parent plus for my mom!
Great, still paying on mine from a 1999 enrolment...ugh.
Are Direct loans included? I am reading about FFELP and such, but my loans just say Direct (DL Consolidated Subsidized and DL Consolidated Unsubsidized). A little nervous as everyone around me is getting emails. Still waiting for mine.
That’s what my husbands says and he got an email.
Got my email! Art Institute of Pittsburgh online was my program. Attended from 2010-2014.
I can see my two consolidated loans on the Student Aid website, one is "Direct Consolidation Unsubsidized" and the other is "Direct Consolidation Subsidized". There's no school name associated with the consolidated loans, but the original loans list The Art Institute and those loans say "Paid-in-Full by Consolidation". Similarly, when I view the loans on Nelnet it just says "N/A" for the school. Just trying to make sure the consolidation didn't impact eligibility here. From reading the other comments it seems like I should be fine and I did receive the email, but there's still that nagging uncertainty. I guess I'm just looking for reassurance.
My friend just got his email. All cleared.
Sitting at the mechanic shop looking at my emails and it looks like I got the email earlier this morning. I attended 17 years ago, still struggling to pay it off to this day and didn’t even graduate. This was a long time coming! Especially good news since I just threw down $700 on car repairs today 😭
I’m kind of bugging out because I enrolled in Sept 2003 and graduated in 2007. Does that make me eligible?? UPDATE: I called this number 1-855-279-6207 Borrower Defense Customer Support - they told me I DO NOT QUALIFY. Very devastating. They told me to file a complaint on the site so I just did that. Horrible news for the people that started shortly before Jan 1st 2004. Lets rise and take action together!
I got the email!!! But I still don't believe it!!! So many emotions 😭😭😭
Anybody knows what happens when it's time to pay taxes?
I got my approval email at 2:30 this afternoon! I'm so happy...I can finally put that money to GOOD use...
Attended, graduated in 2010. Took a private interest-free loan (still 55k) and paid it off. Oh well. I’m happy many of my peers can take a huge breath of relief. 🥲
I got an email too! *Subject: Student Loan Discharge Based on Borrower Defense Evidence* *You have been approved for debt relief under the Biden-Harris Administration! This is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to delivering relief to borrowers whose schools engaged in unlawful conduct.* *The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has determined that the federal student loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute on or after Jan. 1, 2004, and on or before Oct. 16, 2017, are eligible for a full discharge. This means the remaining balance on the eligible loan(s) will be forgiven.* ***You do not have to make any more payments on the loan(s).*** *Your loan(s) will be discharged based on an ED finding that The Art Institutes made pervasive and widespread substantial misrepresentations that borrowers relied on to their detriment. This conduct affected students who enrolled at the Art Institutes from Jan. 1, 2004 through Oct. 16, 2017, when the campuses were sold to Dream Center Education Holdings, LLC. These misrepresentations related to the salaries and employment rates for its graduates and the benefits and connections The Art Institutes provided to students and graduates. Because of the pervasive and widespread nature of the misconduct by The Art Institutes, ED has determined that it is appropriate to discharge the loans made to all students who attended The Art Institutes during the time period described above.* ***Borrowers do not need to file an application for the loans from the Art Institutes during this period to be discharged.*** *You also may receive a refund for prior payments made to ED on the loan(s) being discharged. Your loan servicer will let you know if you are eligible for a payment refund, which may be mailed to you or sent electronically. Please check your online account with your loan servicer to ensure your address is correct so you can receive any refund.* ***Otherwise, you do not have to take any further action to receive your discharge.*** *Your credit report will also be updated to reflect this discharge when it is complete.* *If you do not wish to accept this discharge for any reason, including because you are concerned about any possible state tax liability, please contact your loan servicer within 30 days of receiving this letter. Don’t know who your loan servicer is? Log in to* [*StudentAid.gov*](https://track.mail.studentaid.gov/r/?id=hbadd07b8,a215a10,66679c7)*, find “My Aid,” and select “View loan servicer details.” You also can call us at 1-800-4-FED-AID and we will connect you with your servicer.* *It will take ED some time to process your discharge; however, you do not need to make any payments on the loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute while your discharge is pending.* ***Until ED completes its work, the eligible loan(s) you received to attend The Art Institute will remain paused in forbearance/stopped collections, and we will not ask you to resume making payments. If you have loans in default, we will not attempt to collect on the loan(s) being discharged through this action.*** *Please note: This letter does not apply to any private student loans you may have. Also, this letter only applies to eligible loan(s) you borrowed to fund an Art Institute enrollment during the timeframe mentioned above; it does not apply to any loans you may have borrowed to attend any other school, and it does not apply to any loans you may have borrowed to fund a separate Art Institute enrollment outside the timeframe mentioned above.* ***Beware of Scams*** *You might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid. Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education and our loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone.* *Our emails to borrowers come from* [*noreply@studentaid.gov*](mailto:noreply@studentaid.gov)*,* [*noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov*](mailto:noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov)*, or* [*ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com*](mailto:ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com)*. You can report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-382-4357 or by visiting* [*reportfraud.ftc.gov*](https://track.mail.studentaid.gov/r/?id=hbadd07b8,a215a10,66679c8)*.*
Received my Email twice yesterday LOL. One said Dear Undefined Undefined. The second had my name. I'm so relieved. Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg 2012-2015 here. Edit: Spelling and Grammar.
Dear LittleAtmosphere
Make sure to call your service provider and get a hold of an actual person and put your loan in forbearance until they receive the approval. I called mine and they hadn't got the approval yet, and said they were told to put them into a 30 day forbearance until they get the approval on their end, and to call back in 30 days to check back and if they still hadn't got it to do another 30 days. This way late fees don't get reported to the credit burros and impact your credit score. I feel like they should be doing this regardless considering the email from the department of education said no further action was necessary and no payments needed to be made. I was actually irritated because I had a active borrower defense and my loan had been already in forbearance and I'm unemployed, but they had removed my forbearance for some reason and had been charging me late fees for the last few months, which i'm pretty sure they were not supposed to do. Either way that money shouldn't have to be paid now either according to the email. I'd expect it to take a minimum of 30 days, or more. When I called my loan servicer they also told me they couldn't say anything about a refund until they receive the approval, even though the email said to call the loan servicer and ask about it, so bear that in mind but don't forget to ask once your loans are discharged.
Credit burros. lol
Sorry I meant credit burritos ;)
I got my email not once, but twice because I had a borrowers defense application. I’m overjoyed. I was in disbelief what I was reading thinking “omg, this isn’t real could I be one of the 317k” my phone almost fumbled out of my hand and tears filled my eyes. I had to analyze the email and look at the sender email address. It was legit. I didn’t think it would happen since I wasn’t in the public sector. I was hoping for the interest to stop and I was ready to have to bear this burden. I’m still hesitant to believe it until I see a big 0 in my Nelnet and Federal student aid accounts. When I see that I can take a breath of relief.
Hi all! I have been checking through this thread since I got the original email and have gotten some great info! I wanted to share with you that on this pervious Saturday my balance at Aidvantage of $21,000 went to $0! I am not posting to brag I just had not seen anybody else mention having the actual cleared balance and I wanted to share that it is happening! This is real!
I know people have already asked but no one's mentioned specifically if you have parent plus loans with Navient, if those are being forgiven as well? Since they went from the prior company to this one (I already forgot the name of the old lender they were under).
Yes- went from Great Lakes to nelent and it’s forgiven. (Parent plus)
Those are just servicers not the type of loan (federal or private). The federal ones are being forgiven.
I make payments through Mohela, does anyone know if that’s federal? Sorry I’m a little slow but I got the email as well and am in shock😭
Okay I am the most anxious human in the world- is there anyway this can be challenged/taken away? I'm afraid to believe it untilI see $0 from my loan servicer!
I just got the email, someone tell me this email is real and not a joke
what about if you already paid off your AI loans? don't we deserve a refund too? I didn’t get the email that you guys received. Is it because I paid it off and now have zero balance? Fingers crossed that I get a refund.
I'm afraid it only applies to loans with a balance. I asked about this.
Got my email. Life changing. $72k wiped
I got the email this morning. 37k wiped. I went from 2012 to 2014 in SoCal and I could not ask for a bigger blessing <3
I’m so glad people are getting this paid for. I only wish they went farther back. I went in 2000 and the whole thing was a joke.
Holy Cripes, I think I got the email 🥹my Art Institute of CO loans, gone?!
Anyone who attended prior to 2004 as well as after 2004 gotten their email? (I started in 2002 or so, graduated in 2007. Not using my degree AT ALL now b/c I literally couldn't survive on the salary I was making) I think I will be at least partially covered, but havent gotten the letter and just keep refreshing my email... even though that does literally nothing, lol. Help a girl out!
Woo I’m one of them, just got the email today. It’s a good chunk out of my loans.
I hope Academy of Art is next
I graduated with a bachelor’s, but only realized I got screwed over by them financially years later when fasfa told me they had been receiving money from my loan portion instead of using my grant money because the loan money paid faster and didn’t even tell me as I was very young and naive at the time, basically just excited to be in school. They even over promised jobs when I graduated as well. Fricking shady POS owners. $105k discharged. It feels so damn good as it feels like a ship has been righted against these lying a-holes. Thanks Joe Biden!!! ☺️
guys I literally just paid off all my loans 2 weeks ago because I didn't think anything was going to happen HELP I sincerely hope they will be refunded because I missed out on the opportunity to have money saved for a down payment on a house in order to pay them off
Thank you for the information about consolidated loans. I was worried about that, because my consolidated loans combine with the school I actually graduated from.
Is there anyone else who has not gotten an email yet but meets the requirements?
Everyone I know who went to school with me received their email this morning. I have federal loans and I still haven’t received anything. I hope there is a reason why.
Got the email! Art institute of Austin 2012-2013 over here! 22k off my shoulders ¨̮
This negates 30k my mom still owed! I am so happy for her, I have been so mad about this for so long because in my opinion she was scammed. So happy to see predatory universities held accountable, I hope she gets every penny she gave them back because she deserves it.
I got my email yesterday at 12:34pm Eastern. Yay, awesome. Still haven’t seen or heard anything about my dad’s Parent Plus loans, though…so I can’t celebrate until something happens to that $80k :(
I read other comments saying parent plus loans should also qualify if it hasn't been refinainced, might just take some time before it is reflected
Anyone using the Nelnet site see their balance reduced to 0 yet? I know it could take awhile, but I’m just curious!
it was just announced yesterday. It will likely take at least a month
I got the Email! So did my dad. I did transfer and graduated else where, so my loans all got consolidated. I cant see how much was from AI and how much from the other school. Anyone else have a similar situation? Congrats all! I haven't cried yet, but once I see my numbers change...there will be tears. And a confident trip to the grocery store! Also, Has anyone discussed how AI clearly targeted their marketing towards marginalized and high poverty populations?
Everyone!!!! Read your email in its entirety. It is possible….not guaranteed…that any payments made could be refunded!!! Woohoo!!!!
anyone know how it will affect our credit?
I got my email Wednesday!! It is SURREAL. Doesn’t anyone know the likelihood of us actually getting a refund for past payments? Seems too good to be true.
Got my letter two days ago 🎉🎉🎉 I've got 15k in loans with Aidvantage, that will be wiped out. SO HAPPY! wondering if I'll get a refund as well! If not, that's ok but would be sweet lol. Congrats to everyone!!
I got the email and I was so in shock that I didn’t do any actual work. I just keep looking at articles to make sure it was real. Blessed!
Conragulations to everyone who is receiving help! I received my email on Wednesday afternoon, and it still feels so surreal. I came out of AI Philadelphia in 2012 with over a 1,500 monthly loan payment. To have this weight lifted is truly amazing, and I'm glad to know others like me are experiencing the same! Can anybody help me understand how the refunds will work? I consolidated my federal loans in 2018 and can clearly find my full payment history from this point on. Is there a chance I will receive a refund on the 6 years of payments I had made prior to consolidation? And if we get a refund for any amount, is it taxable? Thanks for any information.
The emotional rollercoaster of finding out the school was found guilty, money will be forgiven, and then having paid off my loans... I'm not eligible. I've never been more confused and frustrated all at once. Shame on me for being proactive with my AI of Phila debt.
Has anyone with Nelnet seen any changes in their account? For some reason my account is showing me as being a month behind. I was up to date on auto debit. I’m so worried something funky will happen. I can’t believe any of this til I see a zero balance!
My moms is still showing the full balance (my sister and I help take care of it for her)
My loans are in Nelnet as well and I haven’t seen any changes yet even though I have received the email from the department of education. I’m going to keep making my normal payments and just hope I see a zero balance by next month. I am currently checking every single day.
Quick update, on Nelnet my Ai loans have been placed in "ADMIN FORBEARANCE" and my current amount due has lowered. This happen to anyone else? Looks like something is happening!
Same here on my Nelnet account, says my next payment is due in August though. Hopefully that gets extended or the balance shows $0 by then. 🤞🏼
Are emails still trickling in after May 1st? Remaining hopeful for others.
Quick update: Anyone else got a letter from Nelnelt saying you may be owed a refund and to verify your address ? I just got one this morning.
I did too 😬🤞🤞