$415 million in federal student loan debt has been canceled by the Department of Education for nearly 16,000 students who were defrauded by their for-profit colleges. The Department made the announcement on Wednesday, February 16th, also revealing that the targeted colleges now face charges due to presenting information that has misled students into various loans, institutions, and programs. 

“The schools’ decision to mislead students was unethical by all means and showed extremely poor judgment, as choosing to chase short term gain will likely lead to the schools long term failure,” senior Nikki Tsai said.

One such case was with DeVry University, an institution that lured prospective students into attendance from 2008 to 2015 with false statistics regarding the school and its alumni employment rates. Other schools receiving similar heat are Westwood College, ITT Technical Institute, Minnesota School of Business and Globe University.

“Trying to decide where to go to school has been such a struggle and the fact that colleges aren’t always being completely honest with students makes it even more difficult,” senior Caitlin Hane said.

Although this news has created anxiety over college decisions for some UHS seniors, others have attempted to use this incident as a learning experience.

“In light of these occurrences, I would be more careful in my college selection decisions and do more research about the school, tuition and other fees,” Tsai said. “I would also look into comparative schools before making a final decision, but overall, I don’t feel nervous regarding college because the majority of reputable and known schools do not mislead students.”

While opinions vary, most UHS seniors are remaining optimistic in regards to their future school careers.

“Waiting for acceptances has been very nerve-racking recently, but I’m still really looking forward to meeting new people in college and experiencing a new environment,” Hane said.