Thanks for arriving here. Your participation is important to our movement.
We are asking the Department of Education to recognize that all borrowers who attended any of The Art Institute schools deserve to have all their loans canceled, and all past payments returned, due to the predatory nature of these loans.
Here are some FAQs to go over, so everyone is on the same page.
What will this form do?
This form has two purposes:
- Compile victim stories of the impact these loans have had on your lives individually, and collectively as a group.
- Create analytical data we can use for our argument for group-wide cancellation. Which will be sent as a report and argument to the DOE as a whole.
Does filling out this form promise my loans will be canceled?
NO, however, that is the intent behind it. There is power in numbers, and every person who fills out this form will help the cause.
I filed for BDTR. Isn’t that enough?
That’s a good step, but we know the backlog is massive, and a real human might not even look at your application for years (besides those in Sweet v. Cardona full class). With the impending election, we need cancellation now. This is our organizing effort to make this happen sooner.
If you have a BDTR application on hand some of the questions will be the same. So you may want to pull that out and copy and paste them here.
What type of loans are included?
All loan types: Federal, Private, Parent.
Loans can be in good standing, or in default.
Right now, our strategy is to push for the government to recognize that borrowers from this school were harmed and should have their loans canceled. We will then be pivoting for private loan cancellation.
What if I don’t know all the answers?
That’s OK. Just fill it out as best you can.
These questions are geared towards student borrowers, but I’m a parent borrower. Should I fill this out?
Yes! While the questions are geared towards the student, if you have suffered hardship from these loans, you have a right to argue for their cancellation.
Where is this information going? Is it safe?
It is powered through the Debt Collective and EveryAction. The only people who will have access to this information will be organizers through the Debt Collective and their respective legal teams. We would never ever sell your information. You may occasionally receive emails from The Debt Collective regarding student loan cancellation.
Who is the Debt Collective?
Debt Collective is an organization responsible for much of the student loan advocacy you see. They helped Corinthian students organize after the collapse in 2015 and created the very first Borrower Defense application that the Department of Education then used when forming their own. They are now the first to unionize debtors! Learn more about the Debt Collective.
What is the timeframe on this?
We are hoping to assemble our reports by May 1, 2024, BUT PLEASE do not wait until then. We need time to prepare and need to get as many people on board as possible to make this effective.
How do I know if I am or am not part of the Sweet v. Cardona class?
FULL CLASS – You filed your BDTR application BEFORE June 23, 2022
POST CLASS – You filed your BDTR application BETWEEN June 23, 2022 and Nov. 16, 2022
NOT IN SWEET LAWSUIT – You filed your BDTR application AFTER Nov. 16, 2022 or have yet to file.
What do I need to have on hand before filling this out?
- A completed or in-progress BDTR application, if possible; or the answers typed in a word document. This will allow you to copy and paste some of your answers into the form.
- The amount you currently owe on your loans.
- Federal – login to studentaid.gov.
- Private – login to your servicer, check your credit report, or use a program like creditkarma.com.
THIS IS NOT A BORROWER DEFENSE TO REPAYMENT APPLICATION, NOR LEGAL DOCUMENT. If you have federal student loans and have not yet filed for Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDTR), it is in your best interest to do so as soon as possible. For information on filing for BDTR, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense.