Jayapal Applauds Student Loan Cancellation for Students of Art Institutes For-Profit Colleges

SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal applauds the Biden Administration’s decision to cancel $6 billion in student loan debt for former students of the Art Institutes, a system of predatory, for-profit colleges, including the Art Institute of Seattle.

“Predatory, for-profit institutions, like the Art Institutes, prey on disadvantaged students striving for a better future,” said Jayapal. “I personally met with students from the Art Institute of Seattle in 2019, the same year they closed their doors with more than 600 students unable to finish the semester. These students were left with crushing debt, incomplete degrees, and few options for recourse. I am grateful to the administration for taking this step to bring justice to students.”

This step from the administration is part of the $160 billion in student debt cancellation the Biden administration has authorized, more than 10 percent of all federal student loan debt. 

After meeting with students from the Art Institute in Seattle, Jayapal introduced the Students Not Profits Act to protect students from the predatory practices of for-profit colleges by ending taxpayer subsidies to these schools.

Jayapal is also the lead sponsor of the College for All Act, which would eliminate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for single-parent families making up to $125,000 and married families making up to $250,000, while also making trade school and community college free for every person across the country.

Issues: Arts & Education