Since the announcement that ITT Technical Institute would no longer be accepting students for September quarter, more than 100 ex-students and faculty members of the Madison location have been panicking. The for-profit college giant shut down 130 campuses across the nation on Tuesday. Although ITT Tech operated one campus in the state of Texas, many students are still wondering what their options are. A number of community colleges in the state have begun planning how they will evaluate each ITT Tech student who applies for admission to the programs that they offer. Amy Whittington from Holmes Community College, district director of career technical education, said that they are open to any opportunity to help students who have applied to ITT Tech to further their education. “Looking at ITT Tech’s list, much of their material we have here, we mirror there.” ITT Tech students who were in one of its locations before it closed can transfer their credits to another institution or apply for a school loan discharge. Whittington stated that Holmes will use credit by examination, credit to credentials, and CLEP exams in order to keep some credits students have earned prior ITT Tech closing. Whittington stated that a student might have taken a class in computer-aided drawings, and there is a course on principles of (computer aided drawing). “That engineering tech section would come together to create an exam so that if a student passes that exam, we would feel they are proficient in that area.” Hinds Community College announced in a press release that it would collaborate with former ITT Technical Institute students to determine their potential transfer to Hinds. Randall Harris, associate vice-president of Student Advancement and District Registerar, stated that “we want to do everything we can for these students while keeping the instructional integrity at Hinds Community College.” Closed school school loan discharges will not be available to students who choose to complete their degree in a similar program. Closed school loan discharges will reimburse all money borrowed via federal Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan Program loans. Students who are affected will also be reimbursed for any money they have paid to the government. The Department of Education will sponsor 16 national webinars to ITT students between Sept. 7-22, in order to address their concerns, questions, or options. This closure comes after ITT was concerned about their programs. The U.S. Department of Education prohibited ITT Tech’s admission to any students who depended on federal financial aid last month. The school was also directed to invest hundreds of millions more in a fund that would cover any federal student loans. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools expressed concerns about ITT Tech’s administrative capacity, organizational integrity and financial viability, as well as its ability to serve students. Ryan Roney, ITT Tech’s executive vice president and chief administrative and law officer, stated in corporate filings, that ITT Tech has been subject to a variety of state attorneys general and sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to our Spring Member Drive today.