ERIC Number: ED610731
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov-17
Pages: 31
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Closure of Institutions of Higher Education: Student Options, Borrower Relief, and Other Implications. CRS Report R44737, Version 11. Updated
Hegji, Alexandra
Congressional Research Service
In academic year (AY) 2018-2019, approximately 6,400 institutions of higher education (IHEs), enrolling about 26.5 million postsecondary education students, participated in the federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended). These IHEs ranged in sector, size, and educational programs offered. Most of these IHEs operate from year to year with few severe financial or operational concerns; however, each year, a few do face such concerns, which may cause them to cease or significantly curtail operations. The recent permanent closure of multiple large, proprietary (or private, for-profit) IHEs has brought into focus the extent to which a postsecondary student's education may be disrupted by a school closure. This report provides an explanation of the options a postsecondary student may pursue in the event the IHE he or she attends permanently closes, any financial relief that may be available to such students, and other practical implications for students following a school's closure. First, this report describes the academic options available to such students, such as participating in a teach-out or transferring to a new IHE. Next, it discusses issues related to financing a postsecondary education, including the extent to which borrowers may have any loans borrowed to finance educational expenses discharged due to a school closure and whether future financial assistance, including federal student loans, Pell Grants, and GI Bill educational benefits, may be available to students should they decide to continue their postsecondary education at another IHE. This report then describes additional relief that may be available to students who attended IHEs that closed, such as the potential to have tuition that has been paid reimbursed through a state tuition recovery fund. Finally, this report describes some potential income tax implications for students when their IHE has closed, including the extent to which they may incur a federal income tax liability for loans discharged and whether higher education tax credits remain available to them in future years.
Descriptors: School Closing, Colleges, College Students, Loan Repayment, Paying for College, Student Loan Programs, Transfer Programs, Taxes, Tax Credits, Grants, Federal Aid, Veterans, Federal Legislation, Debt (Financial)
Congressional Research Service. Web site: https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Pell Grant Program; G I Bill
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A