The feds are forgiving more student loans

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands who attended the for-profit University of Phoenix, there may be a gift waiting for you: a big fat student loan forgiveness.

A new crop of University of Phoenix students (UOP) have just been approved for full forgiveness of their federal student loans by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

If you attended the school anytime between September 21, 2012 and December 31, 2014, and were misled by the school’s claims and submitted a valid application for relief through ED’s Borrower Defense program, there’s a high probability that you’re eligible for the agency’s loan relief. 

ED’s decision is based in part on the FTC’s 2019 court action against the University of Phoenix for using trickery in advertising practices to get students to enroll. At the time, the FTC alleged that UOP tried to attract students by claiming that it had relationships with employers such as Microsoft and could assist students in getting jobs once they got their UOP sheepskin.

The agency said these ads were specifically targeted at people in the military, veterans, and military spouses.

Already submitted a claim? Already got one?

If you’ve already submitted a borrower defense claim, you may be in luck. Just check the status of your application on the borrower defense page under “Manage My Applications” at StudentAid.gov. 

If you haven’t submitted one yet, then time’s a-wastin’ so file your claim… now. The agency says that if you’ve already received a refund from the FTC’s settlement, don’t sweat it because you’re still eligible for loan forgiveness through ED’s borrower defense program.

Sweet, huh? The agency just asks that you mention that fact when you apply. Find out more at ftc.gov/UOP.