Top 10 Ways the New Borrower Defense Rule is Worse for Borrowers

Federal law allows students whose schools have defrauded or cheated them to have their loans discharged. Prior to 2016, there were few details in law or regulation about how borrowers could seek discharges or the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) process for adjudicating them. In 2016, the Obama Administration issued a rule to articulate clear processes for applying for and granting borrower defense discharges. Today, the Trump Administration released a new rule that will make it almost impossible for students to get relief. A joint fact sheet from TICAS, the Century Foundation, and National Consumer Law Center outlines the key differences between the rules.