ITT's sudden closure of all of its campuses was an upsetting and disruptive event for thousands of students nationwide. If you were a student at ITT, you need to know that you have options for both continuing your education and handling any outstanding student loans you may have taken out while enrolled at ITT.

If you can wait, try not to rush into any decision about your student loans or enrolling in a new school. Many people are thinking about how to help students like you, and we expect to see more resources and information come up in the next few days and weeks. ITT Tech may also offer more information and options for students to consider on its website.

If you have federal student loans, you should know that there is no deadline to apply for discharging (canceling) your loans, so you don't have to make this decision right away. However, you DO have to make payments on any student loans if they are due.

Table of Contents

  1. Should I try to discharge (cancel) my federal student loans?
  2. If I want to apply for a federal loan discharge, how do I do it?
  3. What about private loans?
  4. You can continue your education!
  5. Need your ITT transcript?
  6. Be careful when choosing your next school
  7. Your state may offer additional help
  8. More resources (updated regularly)

Should I try to discharge (cancel) my federal student loans?

If you had federal student loans at ITT, you should review information from the US Department of Education, which explains your two main options:

1) Apply for a federal student loan discharge. If your application is approved, this means you don't have to pay back the loan and you can even get money back for any loan payments you have made.

2) Transfer your ITT credits to another school. If you continue in a similar academic program, you will have to pay back any loans you took out at ITT. However, if you start a completely new program, you may still be able to discharge your federal student loans.

Here are some things to think about before making your decision:


How many of my credits, if any, will transfer to another school?

There is no clear answer to this question yet, because every school handles transfer credits differently, and it may also depend on your program. Chegg is asking many colleges and universities about whether they are considering transfer requests from ITT students, and you can see the updated list here.

Make sure to get confirmation in writing (email is okay), from your new school, which states how many of your credits will transfer.

Is the number of transfer credits I can get worth the total amount of federal loans I have from ITT?

If you transfer ITT credits to a new school and continue in a similar academic program, no matter whether you transfer 1 credit or 100 credits, you will have to pay back the total amount of federal loans you had at ITT.

If you are transferring 1 credit and you have $30,000 worth of loans, it may be better to apply for a discharge and start over at your new school, without your old student loan debt!

If you can transfer nearly all of your credits, and only have a few credits left to go before you get your degree, you have a better reason to keep your student loans and try to finish your program.

If you are planning to go to a new school, it's a good idea to talk to an academic or financial aid officer at your new school, before making the decision to transfer credits or apply for a federal student loan discharge.

Do I want to change my academic program?

If you'd like to start a new program (for example, change from nursing to hospitality management), then applying for a federal student loan discharge makes sense. You may still be able to transfer some credits, and you get to start without federal student loan debt.

Also, keep in mind that many schools offer alternative ways to get credit, such as taking tests that demonstrate the competencies and skills you already have. Western Governor's University, for example, is an accredited online university that uses a competency model. This means you often don't have to take classes for things you've already learned, if you can pass a test for that topic or skill.

If I want to apply for a federal loan discharge, how do I do it?

When schools close, the federal government offers students the opportunity to discharge their federal loans and start over at a new school. This means that the loans are effectively wiped out, and never have to be paid back. But, it also means that any credits earned at ITT cannot be transferred to another school.

There is no deadline and no cost to apply for a federal student loan discharge.

IMPORTANT: Applying for a federal loan discharge is free. Do not pay any company or person to apply for a federal loan discharge application.

Federal loans eligible for discharge are: You are eligible to apply if: If you apply for a discharge and are approved, this means: Follow these steps to apply for a federal student loan discharge:
  1. Make sure you have an eligible federal loan by going to the federal student aid website or calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-800-730-8913).
  2. Identify which federal loan lender is servicing your loan. Here's a list of possible lenders.
  3. Complete this form.
  4. Call your lender with the form ready, and tell them you want to apply for a Closed School Loan Discharge.
  5. Follow your lender's instructions for submitting the form. If they ask you to mail the form, make sure you send it certified mail and get a receipt.

What about private loans?

Many students at ITT who did not have enough federal loan funds to pay for their classes may have taken out private loans. These loans can be much harder to get discharged. If you have significant amounts of private loans, it is probably best to try to transfer your credits.

There are other options, such as asking for a loan discharge from your private loan lender (call them to get details), or requesting help from your state; however, these options will take time and are not guaranteed to result in your loans being discharged or forgiven.

If you have payments due on any private loans, you should continue paying them to avoid harm to your credit and other consequences (such as your loans being turned over to collection agencies).

You can continue your education!

If you want to continue studying towards a certificate or degree, there are many good options no matter where you are. You can:

1) Start over in a similar academic program after discharging your federal loans (with no transfer credit); or

2) Continue in a similar program after transferring ITT credits (you cannot discharge federal loans); or

3) Start over with a completely new academic program after discharging your federal loans (you may still be able to transfer some ITT credits).

Many schools are working to help ITT students complete their education. Even schools that haven't previously taken ITT credits may be willing to consider your credits, under these new circumstances.

Chegg's list of schools that have said they will consider accepting credits from ITT student is here, and will be updated regularly as we continue to contact schools.

Need your ITT transcript?

You can request your transcript from Parchment, the company that is going to handle all ITT transcript requests, starting September 9, 2016. We've contacted Parchment and they've confirmed that they are official registrar for ITT Tech during the wind-down and on an on-going basis. Don't request your transcript from ITT's website, the US Department of Education, or any state agency; they won't be able to help you.

All the info from Parchment is in their blog post, but here's a quick summary:

Don't panic. Schools understand that the ITT transcripts are going to take longer than normal, and many schools are planning to make special arrangements for former ITT students. Check out Chegg's list of schools willing to help you.

Be careful when choosing your next school

The last thing you want to do is rush to another school that is going to cost you money, make you take out loans, and not provide you with a good education — or even worse, close before you can graduate!

Although ITT Tech provides a list of potential schools on its website, this is not a guarantee that these schools are fully accredited, or that they offer a good education for your money.

We recommend that you carefully investigate any school you're considering using the College Scorecard, which has information provided by the US Department of Education. Look specifically at the school's graduation rate and average student debt. A low graduation rate and high student debt are warning signs that a school may not be worth your time and money.

Your state may offer additional help

Even if you have private loans (or no loans!), you may be able to get help from your state for loan discharge, reimbursement for tuition payments, or other financial relief.

It's a good idea to regularly check the websites below for state-level information on the ITT closure. We expect that state agencies will continue to update these pages. You can also contact the officials listed on these sites with your questions.

Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin

More resources (updated regularly)

We strive to provide accurate information and are frequently updating this information but we cannot provide individualized guidance, legal advice, or guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Last updated: December 13th, 2016