The Project on Predatory Student Lending
Representing students against the for-profit college industry
SWEET RELIEF: PROPOSED SETTLEMENT IN SWEET V. CARDONA
Featured Cases
Britt v. Florida Career College
Lawsuit against Florida Career College (FCC), a Florida-based for-profit college chain that has been systematically targeting Black students and selling a predatory product using false representations and high-pressure sales tactics.
OUR IMPACT
In 2016, the Project launched a first of its kind legal fight against the predatory for-profit college industry and the harm they cause to students and communities.
During that time, the Project has grown to represent more than one million borrowers and its litigation has directly resulted in the cancellation of over $2 billion in fraudulent student debts.
"I believe the work that is being done by the Project on Predatory Student Lending has helped bring light to a very dark corner of our education system. On a more personal level, the Project has given me the courage to speak about this issue. There can be a lot of fear and shame associated with being victims of education fraud. But the Project’s work has helped show me, and millions of other students who were cheated, that there is nothing to be ashamed of and that if we speak up and stand together we can make a difference.”
About the Predatory For-Profit College Industry
For decades, the predatory for-profit college industry has exploited the promise of higher education. The industry specifically targets low-income students, people of color, immigrants, veterans, and others trying to build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities. Many are the first in their family to attend college. This industry draws nearly all its revenue from taxpayer dollars and relies on deceptive and relentless sales tactics to recruit students, leaving them worse off than they started. The Project’s landmark cases on behalf of student borrowers work to end these predatory practices and hold those who enable them accountable.
Get Help
If you attended a for-profit college and need legal help with student debt problems, contact us by leaving a message on our hotline, 617-390-2669, or filling out our online intake form.
News
When colleges defraud students, should the government go after school executives? | NPR
In a shocking investigation, the U.S. Senate declared the federal student loan program “plagued by fraud and abuse.” Its report heaped scorn on for-profit trade schools for serving 22% of federal student loan borrowers but accounting for 44% of defaults. “The school keeps the student aid money … and the student is left holding the bag with a poor credit rating, no job and no income to repay the student loan,” U.S. Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J., declaimed in her crusade against for-profit “bad apples.”
Report On Fraud Committed By ITT Technical Institute Highlights Need To Protect Student Loan Borrowers With Stronger Regulation Of For-Profit Colleges | Forbes
Last week the Project on Predatory Lending released an extensive report detailing abuses by the now-closed ITT Technical Institute (ITT Tech). The report details how ITT Tech systematically defrauded millions of students over decades, abused the federal financial aid system and left students weighed down with student loan debt and worthless credentials.
The $1.7 Billion Student Loan Deal That Was Too Good to Be True | New York Times
The settlement was portrayed as a win-win for 39 states and the loan giant Navient. But thousands who received predatory loans will still have to pay.
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