DeVos may abandon Obama policy of fully forgiving debt of defrauded students: report

The following article by Jacqueline Thomsen was posted on the Hill website October 28, 2017:

© Greg Nash

The Trump administration is considering abandoning an Obama-era policy of fully forgiving federal loans for students defrauded by for-profit colleges, The Associated Press reported Saturday.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reportedly working on a plan that would only give students partial relief from the debt. The Obama administration had allowed the debt to be fully forgiven.

Tens of thousands of students who were deceived by now-defunct for-profit programs had more than $550 million in loans erased under the Obama administration.

The Education Department did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

Student loan advocates have criticized the reported moves to only partially forgive the debt, the AP reported.

President Trump paid $25 million to settle a lawsuit earlier this year after students claimed they were misled by his own former for-profit program, Trump University.

The Education Department has sought to repeal rules as part of the Trump administration’s push to undo regulations it deems unnecessary.

A report revealed earlier this month that the department was rescindingdozens of documents outlining the rights of students with disabilities.

And last month, DeVos announced that the department was reversingObama-era policies on sexual assault on college campuses.

View the post here.