The Biden administration announced $4.5 billion in federal student loan forgiveness for 260,000 borrowers who attended Ashford University between 2009 and 2020. The relief stems from a California Department of Justice lawsuit against Ashford and its parent company, Zovio, Inc., alleging deceptive practices. Federal officials said Ashford’s recruiters misled students, leading to wasted time and unmanageable debt for unusable degrees. In 2022, California secured a $20 million penalty against Ashford and Zovio.
