In 2019, Borrower Defense to Repayment Discharge (BDR) still applies to some borrowers. Apart from other types of student loan forgiveness, this one is rarely used prior to other years. However, it is a complicated process, discharging student loans are one of the ways available to get rid of your federal loans. Borrower Discharge allows borrowers to seek student loan forgiveness. Borrowers may claim borrower defense if they misled or defrauded by their college or university. Nevertheless, there are eligibility requirements and things to pay attention while applying BDR discharges. The truth is borrowers should be able to demonstrate their college defrauds them under state law. Here is your guide in 2019 for Borrower Discharge. Learn about your eligibility, application process and the chances to get student loan discharge.
How to get Student Loan Forgiveness via Borrower Defense to Repayment Discharges
Borrower Discharge is one of the most effective ways to eliminate your student loans in 2019. The discharge program is rarely known and used among the borrowers, and it creates a chance for you to get rid of your loans. The fact here is you need to take into account that the program is only applied for federal student loans.
It is not easy to get student loan discharge. The borrower needs to convince the U.S Department of Education that their college purposefully misled them, committed a fraud against the borrower, implemented any illegal activity or violated the specific state laws. While claiming you might need additional evidence to strengthen your claim according to the new law.
The truth is borrower defense to repayment discharge is an excellent opportunity for discharging your federal loans. There are some confusing points you need to know about the application and eligibility requirements you need to meet. Borrowers who are not able to introduce their transcript of records will be allowed to claim without the documents required.
Our guide will help you in this process of getting your student loans discharged. You will learn how to apply to the Borrower Discharge, about your application status, eligibility requirements and more information about whether your application is rejected or accepted.
Who qualifies for Borrower Defense to Repayment Discharges?
The qualifications for student loan discharge is about proving that your school misled you or any other action taken by your school violated the state laws. The truth is, getting borrower defense discharge depends on you. You can accuse the college in illegal activity or prove that your school did this to you personally. If your school presented the cost of the study program incorrectly or advertisements about study courses and job replacement were giving false information, you may be qualified for student loan discharge.
You are not qualified for borrower defense if your claim is not related to your student loans or educational program of the college and even though you did not complete your degree, missed from your school for any reason and not working in your study field.
It doesn’t mean your school should be closed to make you eligible for federal loan discharge. You may qualify for borrower defense to repayment discharge under other laws and get reimbursement for the amount you paid for your student loans.
About Borrower Defense Application. How to apply?
Borrowers who attended a school that makes them eligible for federal loan discharge should fill an application form. There are various ways to apply for borrower defense to repayment discharge:
- Online application form. You can upload your additional documents as part of your application as well. A thing to pay attention here is the digital signature. Prepare your materials in advance and submit them electronically.
- Fillable PDF application form. You have to complete your application, then print and sign. After completing the application form send it to the Education Department by email. You can attack the additional documents as part of your emailed application.
- Corinthian Colleges students should complete a specific application form called Corinthian-specific application. If you believe you misled or defrauded by the Corinthian college that closed on April 27, 2015, you may be discharged from your student loans.
Borrowers from other colleges applying for borrower defense must submit their application forms the first two ways we provided in the above.
What do you need to apply for BDR?
- Your personal information
- Enrollment dates at the school
- Information about the study program and degree
- Any additional document we mentioned above
- Your signature
Make sure you read the instructions carefully. Note that there is information for parents besides borrowers.
What additional documents can increase the chances of getting Borrower Defense Discharge?
To explain why you are qualified for student loan discharge, you might need some additional documents. These materials will strengthen your application and claim.
What are some additional documents you may submit as part of your application form?
- Official emails from your college, correspondence with university officials
- Your transcript, study program, catalog or college manual
- Promotional papers from your college
- Registration documents, the dates of your enrollment at the college
If you don’t have any additional documents, you are still eligible to apply. Even though paper proofs may work in favor of you more, you still have a chance to claim borrower defense to repayment discharge verbally.
How to know if your application is approved or denied
The U.S Department of Education will contact you after they reviewed your application. They will give you information about the status of your application, and you will know whether it is approved or denied.
The point here is that you need to choose the status for your student loans: forbearance or stopped collection while the Education Department reviews your borrower discharge application.
What comes next if your application is accepted?
If you get your application accepted, you will receive a complete student loan forgiveness and be able to obtain reimbursement for the amount you paid on your federal student loans. There might be partial forgiveness for your student loans as well. Partial discharge for your federal loans means, you have to make your payments and pay the interest on the amount that was not discharged.
You can only get the student loan discharge if your college misled or defrauded you. Any personal injury that occurred in college or harassment does not make you eligible to get borrower defense to repayment discharge.
What if your Borrower defense application is not accepted?
In case of rejection from the Education Department, you will not get the student loan discharge for your student loans. The status of your loans in the application, the forbearance, and stopped collection will end. You will become responsible for paying your federal loans monthly, and the interest in the period of forbearance and stopped collections.
Top schools that have made Borrower Defense Claims
The schools that have mad borrower defense claims are from Corinthian Colleges, ITT Educational Services, Inc, Apollo Education Group, Adtalem Global Education, Inc, etc. The schools are:
- ITT Tech
- Daniel Webster College
- Everest College
- Wyotech
- Heald College
- University of Phoenix
- Western International University
- Westwood College
- Redstone College
- DeVry University
- DeVry College of New York
- Ross University
- Argosy University
- Brown Mackie College
- Carrington College
- Chamberlain University
- Kaplan College
- Kaplan University
This is your guide for borrower discharge to get rid of your student loan debts.