If you attended Jones International University and you have outstanding student loans, you may have options to have these loans forgiven.
Jones International University loan forgiveness options are available to former students whether you graduated from the school, or not.
This guide will go over the Jones International University loan forgiveness options, the complaints from former students, and what you can do to manage your loans from this school.
Jones International University Lawsuit and Sactions.
Jones International University (JIU), was a for-profit school that was founded in 1993, and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. The school was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and was deemed the pioneer in online education, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in business.
By 2013, their enrollment declined and their dropout rate soared. The school closed its doors in 2015, following a period of decreased enrollment and sanctions from the Department of Education.
Jones International University Closing
In March 2015, the school’s founder Glenn Jones announced it would be closing the doors of Jones International University following the graduation of the class of 2015. The school arranged a transfer agreement with Trident University to allow students to transfer and finish their degrees at this online university.
From 2011-2014, Students and former students of the university claimed that they were enrolled in programs that they did not wish to enroll in, and were kicked out of the program if they voiced their complaints. After being kicked out of the programs the school failed to refund the students the tuition that they had paid.
Some students were promised that the issues would be resolved at the end of the semester that they were enrolled in. Other complaints include harassing phone calls from several departments within the university demanding payment of their outstanding tuition bill.
Jones International University Loan Forgiveness Options
Borrower’s Defense Against Repayment
If you were the victim of deceptive and fraudulent practices and/or you were misled to take out loans to attend the school, then you may qualify for Borrower’s Defense Against Repayment Discharge.
This discharge is for your Direct loans that you took out to attend Remington College. If your BDAR application is approved you may receive Remington College student loan forgiveness for a portion or all of your loans used to attend this school.
You would need to fill out an application on the student aid website. When you fill out the application, you need to include the following:
- Dates and proof of enrollment
- Documentation supporting the alleged allegations against the school.
- Correspondence from the school
- Copy of the course catalog or enrollment agreement
When you fill out the application you need to be very detailed in explaining the allegations against the school. After you have submitted your application your loans will be placed in a temporary forbearance status until a decision is rendered. You will be notified by email regarding the status of your application.
Closed School Discharge
If you did not participate in the teach-out program at Trident University or another institution, and you were unable to complete your program due to the closure of JIU, you may qualify for the closed school discharge option for Jones International University loan forgiveness. There are a couple of ways that you can obtain a closed school discharge of your federally-funded student loans.
Automatic Closed School Discharge
If you obtained your loans after November 2013, and did not enroll in another school, and received federally-funded student aid, after 3 years your loans are automatically discharged.
You do not have to fill out an application for this discharge, as it is implemented by the Department of Education. Your loan servicer contacts you to inform you if you are eligible for the automatically closed school discharge.
Apply for closed School Discharge
If you did not receive an automatic discharge and it has been 3 years since your school officially shut down, you can apply for a closed school student loan discharge.
If it has not been 3 years and you meet the requirements for a closed school discharge, you can apply for one. You can apply by filling out the application that you receive when the school closed, or you can contact your loan servicer to apply.
Discharge eligibility requirements include the following:
- You were enrolled when Jones International University closed, or you withdrew within 4 months of the school closing.
- You were unable to complete the coursework related to your program of study.
- You did not transfer to another school with a comparable program.
Unpaid Refund Discharge
If you withdrew from JIU and you received federal student loans and the funds were not returned to your loan servicer, you could be eligible for a refund on some or all of the loan.
The application for this discharge is available on the student aid government website. The funds that were required to be returned is what you may be eligible to receive forgiveness for.
Since JIU is closed, you will need to contact your loan servicer to find out if you would qualify for the closed school loan discharge. If you do not qualify for the closed school loan discharge, you will need to fill out the application for the unpaid refund discharge and send it to your loan servicer.
If you received student loans from a private lender, you will need to contact us to find out what your options are.
Bottom Line
If you received student loans to attend Jones International University and you need help managing your Jones International University loan forgiveness options, help is available. Contact our office and speak with one of our expert loan specialists who specialize in student loan debt for assistance.
