Information for Former Corinthian Colleges Students

The Attorney General’s Office led the charge against Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (CCI), a large company based in California that operated Everest, Heald, and WyoTech for-profit colleges. Their predatory and unlawful practices misrepresenting job placement rates and school programs targeted low-income, vulnerable individuals and left tens of thousands of students under a mountain of debt unable to find a job.

Our office investigated and filed suit against Corinthian in October 2013, seeking to put an end to their abusive practices. Corinthian permanently closed all of their schools in California in April 2015, and filed for bankruptcy in May 2015. In June 2015, the United States Department of Education made findings—based on the California Attorney General’s investigation—that entitle former Corinthian students to debt relief, and created a streamlined process and an information page: studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/corinthian. In March 2016, the Attorney General obtained a default judgment against Corinthian, ordering restitution and penalties totaling $1.1 billion. See this press release for more information.

The Attorney General’s Office remains committed to advocating for former Corinthian students, including students who attended Everest, Heald and WyoTech colleges. In December 2017, the Attorney General sued the Department of Education and Secretary DeVos for withholding promised loan relief to defrauded Corinthian students. See this press release for more information. The Attorney General has also twice sued the Department of Education for unlawfully delaying critical regulations that protect students who attend predatory, for-profit schools like Corinthian. See these press releases, borrower defense and gainful employment, for more information. Additional resources are provided below.

FAQs About Corinthian Colleges (Heald, Everst, and WyoTech Campuses):

1. What is Corinthian Colleges? Corinthian Colleges was a for-profit company that offered postsecondary education through its Everest, Heald, and WyoTech colleges. Together, these schools operated 23 campuses throughout California and online, and previously enrolled tens of thousands of Californians. View Corinthian Colleges Locations in California

Corinthian Colleges Locations in California

1. Everest College had campuses in Alhambra, Anaheim, City of Industry, Gardena, Ontario, Ontario Metro, Reseda, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, Torrance, and West Los Angeles.
2. Heald College had campuses in Concord, Fresno, Hayward, Milpitas/San Jose, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, Salida/Modesto, Salinas, San Francisco, and Stockton.
3. WyoTech had campuses in Fremont and Long Beach.

• Closed School Discharge. If you attended a Corinthian school on or after June 20, 2014, that closed on April 27, 2015, and you did not complete your program, you may be eligible for a closed school discharge. A student who qualifies for a closed school discharge can receive a 100% discharge of federal Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, and Federal Perkins Loans they took out to attend the closed school and a reimbursement of amounts they have already paid to the Government. IMPORTANT! Please note that if you transfer any of your credits to another school, you may not be eligible for the closed-school discharge. You should speak to your local legal aid organization or the financial aid office before you transfer credits. Please note that if you are not eligible for Closed School Discharge you may still qualify for relief under the Borrower Defense to Repayment program.
• Borrower Defense to Repayment You may be eligible to get a discharge of your federal Direct Loans if you attended a Corinthian school that defrauded you or violated applicable state law. The California Attorney General’s and the U.S. Department of Education’s investigation resulted in findings that Corinthian defrauded students and violated the law by misrepresenting job placement rates for many of its programs between 2010 and 2014. Students who were enrolled in one of these programs may be eligible for a streamlined and expedited “borrower defense to repayment” application, and also may be able to have their federal student loans placed into forbearance and have collections stop while their application is considered.
• Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF). If you attended a Corinthian school on or after June 20, 2014, or withdrew within 120 days of this date, the STRF may be available to reimburse you for private student loans and additional money you spent on your tuition. STRF information can be found here: http://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/corinthian_colleges.shtml

• You did not finish your program at a Corinthian school.
• You did not transfer your Corinthian credits to another school in a similar program.
• You were attending the school when it closed, or withdrew on or after June 20, 2014.

For more information, contact your loan servicer (the company that handles billing for your Federal Student Loan) to ask about the application process for getting your loan discharged. More information also is available at the US Department of Education website: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/closed-school

• Everest College – Alhambra
• Everest College – Anaheim
• Everest College – City of Industry
• Everest College – Gardena
• Everest College – Ontario
• Everest College – Ontario Metro
• Everest College – Reseda
• Everest College – San Bernardino
• Everest College – Santa Ana
• Everest College – Torrance
• Everest College – West Los Angeles

• Heald College – Concord
• Heald College – Fresno
• Heald College – Hayward
• Heald College – Milpitas
• Heald College – Online Service Center
• Heald College – Rancho Cordova
• Heald College – Roseville
• Heald College – Salida
• Heald College – Salinas
• Heald College – San Francisco
• Heald College – Stockton

• Wyotech – Fremont
• Wyotech – Long Beach

To File a Complaint:

Former Corinthian students can file a complaint with our office using our online complaint form.