ITT Technical Institute is closing all of its campuses, including three in Washington.
It is a wonder Katrina Worley can laugh at all.
"I needed night classes, so I went to ITT Technical Institute," she said, with a smile, explaining why she enrolled at the school. "And I regret it."
The associate’s degree in criminal justice she earned at ITT Technical Institute has essentially been useless.
"The only thing my degree ever did for me was when I graduated and I started looking for a job, I got a job working for Lowe's," Worley said. "It got me 75 cents more an hour. And I've got $50,000 in student loans."
The Indiana-based for-profit educational institution has been the focus of investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and many of the 38 states where it is located, including the state of Washington.
The Washington campuses are in Tukwila, Everett and Spokane Valley.
Investigators have accused the chain of deceptive recruiting and accounting practices.
Just last week, the Feds ordered the institute to stop enrolling students who use federal financial aid.
"I was like it's going to shut down," said Elliott Gibson.
That was Gibson's first thought when he got ITT Tech's email just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, telling him it is closing its doors. It has left him and thousands of others with the same question.
"Well, what am I going to do now?" Gibson asked.
Katrina Worley was asked if she thinks the Feds should help?
"I think that the people who have gone to ITT should get their loans forgiven," she offered. "Or give us a lower bill. Something, because it's outrageous."
She may be out of luck because she got her diploma. But there is help for those who are still enrolled.
The feds have a mechanism to forgive student loans as long as they are federal student loans.
The for-profit college announced the closures on their website Tuesday morning:
"It is with profound regret that we must report that ITT Educational Services, Inc. will discontinue academic operations at all of its ITT Technical Institutes permanently after approximately 50 years of continuous service. With what we believe is a complete disregard by the U.S. Department of Education for due process to the company, hundreds of thousands of current students and alumni and more than 8,000 employees will be negatively affected."
Washington state pulled financial aid from applying to programs at the schools last week.
A news release from the school said the government's action was "inappropriate and unconstitutional."
OTHER TOP STORIES FROM KIRO7.COM
- Councilman: Ordinance would establish new right to camp on public property
- AG: Seattle-based beauty company deceived customers
- Man in Scream mask terrifies Seattle runner
- PHOTOS: Most wanted for back child support (Sept. 6, 2016 update)