ITT Education Services announced it's permanently closing operations at all of its ITT Technical Institutes, Kansas City locations included.
Previous story: ITT Technical Institute shuts down after federal ruling
The company says the move comes after an investigation and sanctions by the federal government.
CLOSED FOR GOOD: empty parking lots and locked gates at #KansasCity @ITTTech campus. @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/iOz6Feor02
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) September 6, 2016
What happened?
Two weeks ago the Department of Education barred the school from allowing any new students to use federal loans to pay for school.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the company operating ITT Tech blamed the federal government for taking away a critical source of revenue.
“No one notified me, no one emailed me, no one called me. No one said anything,” said Arnette Kelley.
Kelley had one more quarter left before earning his associates degree. He stopped by the school Tuesday to sign financial aid papers only to find the Kansas City campus closed.
Tyler Eglich had 3 more classes to go before earning his associate degree at ITT Tech. @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/9zboUjPYq7
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) September 6, 2016
“I don’t know what i am supposed to do. I owe all this money for student aid for student loans and I don’t have anything to show for it,” he said.
Who it effects
The move is expected to impact about 40,000 students who are taking classes at campuses across the country and online, as well as 8,000 employees.
ITT Tech has two campuses in the metro area: one in Kansas City (across from Arrowhead Stadium) and one in Overland Park.
Both campuses sat empty Tuesday. The doors locked, blinds closed and entrances chained.
Loan Forgiveness
Many ITT Tech students could be eligible for loan forgiveness.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who left the school within the past 120 days could be eligible to have federal loans to their ITT education forgiven if they want to start over at another school.
Students can visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/ to view who manages their loan and see if they can request a loan discharge.
The school also said it would help students obtain their records and pursue degrees elsewhere.
The school complied this list of similar institutions, which may accept student credits. Click here to view list.
