The Struggle for Student Loan Forgiveness: A Decade in the Making
For Kendrick Gaussoin, the hopes of a promising photography career were abruptly dashed one August morning ten years ago. As he approached Brooks Institute in Ventura, California, he was met with a disheartening scene: classmates gathered outside a building with chained doors, signaling the sudden closure of the for-profit college.
“It was very eerie,” Gaussoin recalls. “Everyone was crying. Everyone felt like they’d lost everything.” The closure left many students, including Gaussoin, burdened with hefty student loans and no degree to show for their efforts.
Gaussoin’s attempt to move forward has been fraught with challenges. “I was completely discouraged,” he admits. “I basically gave up, and I’ve spent the past nine years really just trying my best to move forward.”
The Path to Loan Forgiveness
Recently, Gaussoin has revisited his experience at Brooks Institute and is seeking to have his student loans canceled. Under federal law, the U.S. secretary of education is obligated to erase the debts of certain borrowers whose schools close unexpectedly, through a process called “closed school discharge.”
However, a lawsuit initiated by Student Defense claims that the Trump administration is not fully complying with the program’s guidelines. Filed on behalf of Gaussoin and many other borrowers, the lawsuit challenges the Department of Education’s current handling of the program.
Despite these claims, the Education Department maintains confidence in its execution of the program’s requirements.
Eligibility for Loan Discharge
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, between 2010 and 2020, over 1,100 colleges closed, with Brooks Institute among them. This left 246,000 borrowers potentially eligible for a closed school discharge. Traditionally, to qualify, borrowers needed to be enrolled at the time of closure or have left school within six months prior.
Gaussoin, who had taken an eight-month leave from Brooks to work as a photographer, did not meet these criteria when returning just as the school was closing. This left him initially ineligible for a loan discharge.
However, changes during the Biden administration expanded the eligibility window, allowing borrowers enrolled as of May 6, 2015, to qualify for loan forgiveness. Gaussoin became eligible under this expanded timeframe.
The administration’s decision to widen this window was justified by the “exceptional circumstances” surrounding the school’s closure, as stated by then-undersecretary James Kvaal in January 2025.
Challenges Under the Trump Administration
Despite being informed of these changes, Gaussoin’s application for loan forgiveness was denied by the Trump administration. The denial letter cited non-compliance with pre-Biden eligibility criteria, raising questions about the administration’s stance on the Biden-era policy expansions.
Ellen Keast, a spokesperson for the Education Department, remarked, “The Biden Administration was laser-focused on implementing unlawful policies to shift student loan debt onto the back of every single hardworking American taxpayer.”
This perspective marks a shift from previous Trump administration actions. In 2019, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos used similar authority to extend the look-back period for students affected by closures at the Art Institute of Colorado and Illinois Institute of Art.
The Broader Impact
Brooks Institute, once a reputable institution, faced declining enrollment and allegations of misconduct, including high-pressure sales tactics and misinformation about costs and outcomes. These issues contributed to its downfall and left students, like Gaussoin and his mother Christine, with substantial debts.
Christine Gaussoin also carries a significant financial burden, having taken out Parent PLUS loans with the understanding they would cover Kendrick’s costs entirely. “What is a mom to do?” she questions, reflecting on the financial strain.
Both Kendrick and Christine Gaussoin continue to feel the weight of these loans, which remain a significant obstacle in their lives. Despite the challenges, Kendrick perseveres, now supporting a family of his own while working for an online retailer.
The ongoing legal battle highlights the complexities and consequences of student loan policies, leaving many borrowers caught in a challenging situation with few clear solutions.
