MIDLOTHIAN, Va. -- Current and former students of ITT Tech are left with thousands of dollars in loans after the for-profit college abruptly shut down Tuesday.
Andre Johnson can hardly stand to look at his old loan forms from ITT Tech in Midlothian.
“It really annoys me…it was one of the most futile things I’ve ever done,” he said.
He attended the for-profit college for two semesters in 2012 and took out more than $8,000 in loans.
“That guy on the commercial, he did it, I figured I can do it too, I’m just as smart as him,” Johnson said.
But, Johnson calls those commercials false promises.
He ended up dropping out and says he learned barely anything.
Now, ITT Education Services is abruptly shutting its doors after the feds banned the school from enrolling new students who use federal financial aid.
The move came after state and federal probes investigated ITT’s recruitment tactics, lending practices, and job placement rates.
Brittany Bernardo, who lives in Chesterfield, is one of the 40,000 students currently taking classes at ITT Tech.
“I just wasted two years, I don’t even get a degree,” Bernardo said.
The mother of three was supposed to graduate in December from the Medical Assistant Program.
“I just thought this was cool to be able to draw blood from someone’s arm,” Bernardo said.
But, she’s now scrambling to find a new school.
“Not a lot of schools take the credits ITT Tech offered,” Bernardo said.
In its letter to students on Tuesday, ITT Tech said it may be possible for students to not have to repay their student loans under certain circumstances.
For more information about the closing and options for students click here.
