Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit education outfit, has come under fire by some of its former students. As reported by NPR, 107 of those students are refusing to pay back their student loans as a form of protest.
In addition to the large amount of debt that the students carry, they also claim that the degrees they received from Corinthian are not recognized by most employers.
The Associated Press reported that Corinthian shut its doors last July due to federal regulations. The college had more than 100 U.S. campuses with more than 70,000 students. But when enrollment started to slump and reports showed that nearly 100% of students at for-profit schools take out student loans to pay for their education, the United States Department of Education stepped in.
According to NPR, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau met with representatives from the “Corinthian 100” to discuss “ways to address the burden of their student loans.” This is likely a step in the right direction for those students but it doesn’t fully address the student loan debt crisis that’s beginning to engulf higher education.
The Institute for College Access and Success by way of Pew Trusts, five states have an average debt for graduating students of more than $30,000. Couple that with the fact that student loan debt now outpaces debt tied to mortgages and credit cards, and more than 7 million U.S. borrowers are in default on their loans, higher education just may be in crisis.
The “Corinthian 100” is currently in talks with the Department of Education regarding their student loans.
I think these students have every right to refuse this repayment and that they were victims of predatory practices by this non-defunct university. College and universities need to be held accountable for the degrees they give students and for what those students do after college.
