ITT Tech Shuts Down, Hundreds in Washington State Affected

Nearly 1,000 WA students enrolled or taking courses at legendary tech school ITT Tech will lose their educational path, at least for now.

According to the Wall Street Journal, and other sources, over the weekend the long-time nationwide school system will shut down all 137 campuses, including Seattle, Everett and Spokane. The closure came after just a days ago, the Federal Government banned any use of federal student aid by the school.

Any student receiving federal needs grants, work study, or other funding could not attend ITT Tech. This came after several years of investigation, allegations of fraud, misrepresentation and other issues at the school.

Nearly 1,000 students in the Northwest are affected, several hundred at Spokane. Some 8,000 workers will be affected nationwide. ITT Tech received some 80% of it's student funding from federal sources.

Officials with the school said the damage was "irrevocable,"  and it's not likely the school will recover. Officials also said students currently enrolled could seek to have their student loans forgiven.

The Journal reports that schools such as ITT Tech, University of Phoenix, the DeVry Group (DeVry University) and other similar on-line platforms have seen significant decreases in enrollment, and all have had to take steps to shore up their financial positions.  Officials say changes in the college and post-secondary education market have prompted these moves.