Here’s a list of the colleges in the Sweet v. Cardona settlement agreement

A judge tentatively approved a plan to deliver automatic debt relief to borrower defense applicants who attended one of 150-plus institutions.

Published Aug. 11, 2022

Natalie SchwartzEditor

Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona answers questions during the daily briefing at the White House August 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee via Getty Images

Earlier this month, a federal judge tentatively approved a $6 billion settlement between the U.S. Department of Education and hundreds of thousands of student borrowers who say they were misled by their colleges.

The deal would automatically grant debt relief to roughly 200,000 people who filed a borrower defense to repayment claim against one of 150-plus colleges listed in the agreement. The borrower defense rule allows students to receive debt relief if their institutions misled them.

In court documents, the Ed Department argued that “attendance at one of these schools justifies presumptive relief” because of strong signs that they carried out misconduct. The listed colleges also have high rates of borrower defense applications, the agency said.

Several listed colleges took issue with the Ed Department’s arguments. Career Education Colleges and Universities has voiced concern that the Ed Department is trying to approve claims “without regard to individual merit.”

U.S. District Judge William Alsup will soon consider motions to intervene from several colleges listed in the agreement. Their officials argue that their inclusion on the list has damaged their reputations. If their motions are granted, they will become legal parties in the lawsuit.

With recent developments driving interest in the case, we’re listing all of the institutions whose borrower defense claimants could receive automatic relief.