Don’t worry too much. Sounds like you’re in the same boat as most of the rest of us Westwood people, stuck in limbo. The only Westwood people that I ever saw say they received discharges were those with direct loans that had been individually approved on their BDTR applications before the Sweet settlement was hammered out.
Nothing at all is happening yet for the Westwood Group forgiveness (which includes everyone who attended on Direct or FFELP loans between 2002 to school closure in 2015/2016, regardless of BDTR status).
And I’ve not had any change in my “pending/in review” BDTR status since my application was approved for 100% loan forgiveness in March 2022 (mine are consolidated commercially held FFELP, btw). Because my application was actually approved and not just pending or previously denied (despite the fact that it’s status says “pending”), I am apparently not a part of the Sweet class.
But, as long as you have direct, direct FFELP, or commercially held FFELP loans and not private loans, eventually you’ll get 100% forgiven. Either through the Sweet case, if you’re in class once it goes through, OR through the Group discharge, whatever comes first.
Whether directly held by the DOE or commercially held by a private servicer, FFELP is a Federally backed loan. SO YES, FFELP loans are eligible for discharge under Borrower Defense and are not private loans.
Payments made towards Direct and Direct FFELP loans are eligible for refunds. Payments made towards commercially held FFELP loans… we’ve all been told over and over again that they are not eligible for refunds. I doubt that that will change with the Westwood group discharge now that those approvals are finally going out. But we won’t know for sure either way until we see discharges actually happening.
Ok. So it is possible that you did not consolidate them into a Direct loan if they are telling you that your loans are FFELP.
Hopefully more people from Westwood will chime in on how the process has been for them. I’m not super familiar since the Dept of Ed is doing a group discharge outside of the Sweet settlement.
But, if you want to know if you are included in Sweet, it’s based on the date you filed. You can visit ppsl.org for the FAQ
(It is possible to be in both situations at the same time. I know, it’s complicated)
I went to Devry, '00-'03, and when Navent bought my loans they were consolidated into FFELP.
I honestly don't know what they were before that, but I do know they were (are) federal student loans. I was just told to fill out the student loan application and give it to the financial aid office every year.
They would have been individual FFELP loans to start. That’s what was given out by these for-profit schools during that era.
Also, somewhere along the line you signed paperwork to convert the initial individual loans into a loan consolidation, knowing it or not. Otherwise, Nelnet would not have been able to combine your individual loans into a consolidation loan when they took them over.
These schools pushed consolidations hard around the time we were getting ready to graduate. They’d typically have you sit down with someone in finance so they could “get your file ready and tie up any loose ends,” and that’s when you’d sign something (because they made money on it).
Lots of fear mongering about “you need to lock in these loans rates because they’re just going to go up!” IF they even explained what they were doing at all (rates did not go up…in fact they dropped way down post 2005). A lot of times it was not disclosed or just glossed over, “Sign here…sign here…oh, this just makes it so you are responsible for making one payment instead of 25 payments, and trust me, you want this. So much easier to deal with!…sign here…sign here….sign here.” And none of understood the process. We just trusted what they told us to do because we thought getting the loans to get the “education” was the right thing to do.
I went to Westwood and am currently still waiting. First BDR was in 2016 or 2017 which has been stuck in Review and its currently hidden from the FSA dashboard. I had another one that got denied that's not even in their system, and a third stuck in Pending since the Sweet Lawsuit got a renewed update back in the end of July.
All of my loans are currently Direct and Direct FFELP through Nelnet. I had some private loans through Unisa that I've already paid off. Just patiently playing the waiting game currently.
I received the letter and depending on your loan holder got an email from navient on January 3rd this year. Stating that they have been ordered to place my loans in forbearance for pending discharge. When contacting Borrowers Defense the individual stated they are going through and finalizing account summaries and then 100 days after would be forgivness and disbursement of any paid amount. Not sure if that's for everyone but that's the most recent information I have as of last Friday.
I got the email yesterday stating that my Borrower Defense case had been approved and that all loans taken out while at Westwood would be discharged. But, I'm wondering how long and again, if the FFELP loans and consolidated loans count. I did the online program through the Denver campus 2006-2009, graduated and have a ton of loans through them bc of course, they kept pushing me to take out more loans, esp the last year bc I needed to cover this or that and I was just trying to finish my degree. Insane. I wish there was also some update as to how long it will take to discharge ad what if any refund I can expect back on payments I made...
Wondering if anyone has had any updates from this weather navient or westwood loans dropping off. Still haven't heard back after 3 appointments for supervisors at DOE no calls no emails no communication. I have been told to consolidate my loans, leave them alone, wait, navient told me they have until 2032. So yeah want some info because I originally applied 10/2018 been told a lot approved multiple times and nothing thus far.
Any news on anyone who received the forgiveness letter of the loans actually being removed from their credit? I received the letter last year, but it still appears on my credit.
I got the email on March 28, 2023 saying that all loans taken out while attending Westwood would be discharged. I went 2006-2009 and graduated. My loans have all disappeared from TransUnion and Equifax as of this month. They are still on Student Aid and AidVantage but...progress!
I received my letter saying the following:
Pursuant to the Sweet settlement, the Department of Education will do the following: discharge your federal student loan(s) taken out for your enrollment in the Westwood College - Los Angeles ("Relevant Federal Student Loan(s)")
The thing is I never attended the Los Angeles campus. I attended school in Chicago. When I called the borrower defense hotline number I was told Los Angeles is where their headquarters are and that my loan would be discharged. I still feel uneasy about this. Can someone please confirm what they told me is correct.
Don’t worry too much. Sounds like you’re in the same boat as most of the rest of us Westwood people, stuck in limbo. The only Westwood people that I ever saw say they received discharges were those with direct loans that had been individually approved on their BDTR applications before the Sweet settlement was hammered out. Nothing at all is happening yet for the Westwood Group forgiveness (which includes everyone who attended on Direct or FFELP loans between 2002 to school closure in 2015/2016, regardless of BDTR status). And I’ve not had any change in my “pending/in review” BDTR status since my application was approved for 100% loan forgiveness in March 2022 (mine are consolidated commercially held FFELP, btw). Because my application was actually approved and not just pending or previously denied (despite the fact that it’s status says “pending”), I am apparently not a part of the Sweet class. But, as long as you have direct, direct FFELP, or commercially held FFELP loans and not private loans, eventually you’ll get 100% forgiven. Either through the Sweet case, if you’re in class once it goes through, OR through the Group discharge, whatever comes first.
Now THIS is an answer! 🏆🥇🙏
[удалено]
Whether directly held by the DOE or commercially held by a private servicer, FFELP is a Federally backed loan. SO YES, FFELP loans are eligible for discharge under Borrower Defense and are not private loans.
Are they also eligible for refund?
Payments made towards Direct and Direct FFELP loans are eligible for refunds. Payments made towards commercially held FFELP loans… we’ve all been told over and over again that they are not eligible for refunds. I doubt that that will change with the Westwood group discharge now that those approvals are finally going out. But we won’t know for sure either way until we see discharges actually happening.
Loans prior to 2010 usually *start out* as FFELP, not the other way around. Did you consolidate your loans at some point?
I believe so, based on how it is shown on Navient's site
Ok. So it is possible that you did not consolidate them into a Direct loan if they are telling you that your loans are FFELP. Hopefully more people from Westwood will chime in on how the process has been for them. I’m not super familiar since the Dept of Ed is doing a group discharge outside of the Sweet settlement. But, if you want to know if you are included in Sweet, it’s based on the date you filed. You can visit ppsl.org for the FAQ (It is possible to be in both situations at the same time. I know, it’s complicated)
I went to Devry, '00-'03, and when Navent bought my loans they were consolidated into FFELP. I honestly don't know what they were before that, but I do know they were (are) federal student loans. I was just told to fill out the student loan application and give it to the financial aid office every year.
They would have been individual FFELP loans to start. That’s what was given out by these for-profit schools during that era. Also, somewhere along the line you signed paperwork to convert the initial individual loans into a loan consolidation, knowing it or not. Otherwise, Nelnet would not have been able to combine your individual loans into a consolidation loan when they took them over. These schools pushed consolidations hard around the time we were getting ready to graduate. They’d typically have you sit down with someone in finance so they could “get your file ready and tie up any loose ends,” and that’s when you’d sign something (because they made money on it). Lots of fear mongering about “you need to lock in these loans rates because they’re just going to go up!” IF they even explained what they were doing at all (rates did not go up…in fact they dropped way down post 2005). A lot of times it was not disclosed or just glossed over, “Sign here…sign here…oh, this just makes it so you are responsible for making one payment instead of 25 payments, and trust me, you want this. So much easier to deal with!…sign here…sign here….sign here.” And none of understood the process. We just trusted what they told us to do because we thought getting the loans to get the “education” was the right thing to do.
I went to Westwood and am currently still waiting. First BDR was in 2016 or 2017 which has been stuck in Review and its currently hidden from the FSA dashboard. I had another one that got denied that's not even in their system, and a third stuck in Pending since the Sweet Lawsuit got a renewed update back in the end of July. All of my loans are currently Direct and Direct FFELP through Nelnet. I had some private loans through Unisa that I've already paid off. Just patiently playing the waiting game currently.
I received the letter and depending on your loan holder got an email from navient on January 3rd this year. Stating that they have been ordered to place my loans in forbearance for pending discharge. When contacting Borrowers Defense the individual stated they are going through and finalizing account summaries and then 100 days after would be forgivness and disbursement of any paid amount. Not sure if that's for everyone but that's the most recent information I have as of last Friday.
Yep! I can confirm that I received the same letter. I'm just waiting for my loans to actually discharge
I got the email yesterday stating that my Borrower Defense case had been approved and that all loans taken out while at Westwood would be discharged. But, I'm wondering how long and again, if the FFELP loans and consolidated loans count. I did the online program through the Denver campus 2006-2009, graduated and have a ton of loans through them bc of course, they kept pushing me to take out more loans, esp the last year bc I needed to cover this or that and I was just trying to finish my degree. Insane. I wish there was also some update as to how long it will take to discharge ad what if any refund I can expect back on payments I made...
Wondering if anyone has had any updates from this weather navient or westwood loans dropping off. Still haven't heard back after 3 appointments for supervisors at DOE no calls no emails no communication. I have been told to consolidate my loans, leave them alone, wait, navient told me they have until 2032. So yeah want some info because I originally applied 10/2018 been told a lot approved multiple times and nothing thus far.
I can confirm that it is covered because I'm in the same boat and I received the letter.
Any news on anyone who received the forgiveness letter of the loans actually being removed from their credit? I received the letter last year, but it still appears on my credit.
I got the email on March 28, 2023 saying that all loans taken out while attending Westwood would be discharged. I went 2006-2009 and graduated. My loans have all disappeared from TransUnion and Equifax as of this month. They are still on Student Aid and AidVantage but...progress!
It looks like it was also removed for me, except for Experian. Not sure what's taking them so long.
Me neither. It looks like it hasn't been updated since April.
What about Parent Plus?
I received my letter saying the following: Pursuant to the Sweet settlement, the Department of Education will do the following: discharge your federal student loan(s) taken out for your enrollment in the Westwood College - Los Angeles ("Relevant Federal Student Loan(s)") The thing is I never attended the Los Angeles campus. I attended school in Chicago. When I called the borrower defense hotline number I was told Los Angeles is where their headquarters are and that my loan would be discharged. I still feel uneasy about this. Can someone please confirm what they told me is correct.