Coding bootcamps advertised quick credentials, job placement, and deferred debt repayment. But some colleges simply outsourced their programs to third-party operators and provided none of the instruction! Full Film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcVi... Courtesy: @arizonapbs.bsky.social

Too many students fall victim to predatory higher ed profiteers. That's why we're working tirelessly to ensure protections for students entering short-term programs that could now be eligible for Workforce Pell Grants. Watch more here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcVi... / via @arizonapbs.bsky.social

Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel Dan Zibel issued a statement today on the decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas upholding the U.S. Department of Education’s 2023 Gainful Employment Rule: defendstudents.org/news/student...

We just launched the “Safeguarding Higher-Ed through AI Practices & Ethics (SHAPE) AI Initiative” to promote ethical, responsible, student-friendly and transparent uses of AI in higher education. More info: www.defendstudents.org/news/student...

AI is already starting to play a transformative role in higher education. That’s why our brand new AI initiative will tap into top experts to advise on how to best deploy responsible uses of AI in colleges and universities across the country. www.defendstudents.org/news/student...

NEWS: We just launched the SHAPE AI Initiative. It’s a brand new effort to provide strategic guidance, policy recommendations, and educational resources that promote ethical, responsible, student-friendly, and transparent uses of AI in higher education. www.defendstudents.org/news/student...

ICYMI: The FTC voted to dismiss its complaint over Grand Canyon’s deceptive enrollment scheme. But that’s not the end of the road for accountability. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

“Unregulated” from @pbs.org dives into the story of how short-term bootcamps came to be, and how the lack of regulations led to misleading students across the country. Student Defense’s cases on behalf of bootcamp students are featured here: www.pbs.org/video/workin...

ICYMI: Student Defense is featured in a brand new documentary series airing on @pbsnews.org called “Working Forward.” Our work pushing for regulations surrounding short-term bootcamps is highlighted in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=BcVi...

Check out a brand new documentary series from @pbsnews.org featuring our litigation and work on behalf of students in short-term bootcamp programs like the Lambda School. Watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=BcVi...

PBS has a new documentary series that focuses, in part, on short-term coding bootcamps. Student Defense’s mission to promote accountability for these programs is highlighted, along with our cases against the Lambda School. Watch “Unregulated” here: youtube.com/watch?v=BcVi...

NEW: We submitted a response to the U.S. Department of Education’s request for comment on their supplemental priorities, including “Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education.” www.defendstudents.org/news/Comment...

Trump’s Department of ED and FTC dropped their actions over Grand Canyon’s deceptive enrollment scheme, but that’s not the end for students. Our RICO lawsuit against Grand Canyon will hold the company accountable. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

The Trump Administration is proposing changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. They would tie borrowers’ eligibility for PSLF to their employer’s policies deemed “illegal” by the administration. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Student Defense submitted comments on Artificial Intelligence in Education, per ED’s request. Our main focus is that ED ensures that inevitable AI integration comes with strong student protections and promotes fair outcomes across higher education. Read more: www.defendstudents.org/news/Comment...

PSLF was created by a bipartisan act of Congress and signed into law by George W. Bush. It was a promise from the United States government to its citizens—if you give back to America, America will give back to you. Now the Trump Admin is trying to take that away. We will see them in court.

Donald Trump’s ED Department and FTC have dropped actions against Grand Canyon. But a federal court just ruled that our RICO and consumer claims on behalf of student against Grand Canyon are actionable. It’s time to hold the company accountable! www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

We filed a grievance on behalf of AFGE Local 252 to stop the illegal dismantling of the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA). defendstudents.org/news/afge-lo...

NEWS: @insidehighered.com has new reporting on dozens of fake college websites that appear to be created with generative AI. Most of them are pushing scams.

“Some legal experts argued the government’s new data demands showed misplaced priorities ...

New @just_security report on deteriorating federal transparency infrastructure with a spotlight on the government's inability to keep up with Student Defense FOIA litigation. Read more: www.justsecurity.org/118371/foia-...

The American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing government employees, filed a grievance on Thursday against the Department of Education for the reduction in force (RIF) of the Office of Federal Student Aid: ow.ly/eFw850WzGHg

NEWS: We filed a grievance on behalf of AFGE Local 252 against the U.S. Department of Education for dismantling the Office of Federal Student Aid. Learn more: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

We are filing a grievance on behalf of AFGE Local 252 to stop the illegal dismantling of FSA. Dismantling FSA will have a catastrophic impact on students looking for a pathway to higher education, and for those burdened by student debt. defendstudents.org/news/afge-lo...

By law, Connecticut cannot disclose personally identifying SNAP data unless under very specific and strict circumstances. In this instance, none of those limited circumstances exist, and that's why we sued.

I’ve joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal demands that states hand over their residents’ sensitive personal data, including data from more than 1.4 million SNAP recipients in Michigan.

NEW: 13 U.S. Senators in a letter led by @schiff.senate.gov are calling on the Trump Admin to cease their unlawful demand of states to turn over SNAP recipient data. defendstudents.org/news/13-u-s-...

NEWS: We’ve filed an emergency motion to block the USDA from collecting SNAP recipients' private data. Learn more: www.npr.org/2025/07/19/n...

14 Attorneys General are urging the USDA to withdraw its demand on states for personal data of SNAP recipients:

TOMORROW: Join @danzibel.bsky.social for a Congressional briefing on how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping civic education with @designitforus.bsky.social, @siia.net, @newslit.org, Youth Power Project, & Stanford. If you’re in DC, RSVP using this link: tinyurl.com/schools-vs-screens-jul15

We’re part of a coalition with the NAACP, @neatoday.bsky.social and @afscme.bsky.social to stop the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education. Their unlawful actions will harm students and families across the country. www.defendstudents.org/news/coaliti...

“Eric Rothschild, the litigation director of the National Student Legal Defense Network, which represented Ms. Lopez, said ... he felt the settlement was ‘a good result’ for students and that the guardrails it mapped out could be replicated elsewhere.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...

“Caltech said Monday that it would end its relationship with an e-learning company after a class-action lawsuit alleged the firm and the university misrepresented a cybersecurity boot camp and misled students …” / via @latimes.com www.latimes.com/california/s...

CalTech settles class-action lawsuit and will drop controversial online 'boot camp' partner

NEWS: Caltech and Simplilearn have agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with students who enrolled in their cybersecurity bootcamp. Students are getting reimbursed, and Caltech is cutting ties with Simplilearn. Read more via @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...

We are calling on states to prevent abuses in college recruitment by using and improving their credit discrimination laws. Here’s the report we released, with support from @warnock.senate.gov: www.defendstudents.org/news/student...

Last week we moved for an injunction on behalf of @neatoday.bsky.social NAACP and @afscmemd.org to stop Trump’s dismantling of the Dept of ED! We filed nearly 1000 pages of evidence and more than 60 declarations from @johnbkingjr.bsky.social, Miguel Cardona, and more. naacp.org/articles/coa...

NEWS: We filed a motion for a preliminary injunction this week on behalf of @neatoday.bsky.social along w NAACP and @afscmemd.org to stop the Trump Admin’s dismantling of @usedgov. Now, more than 175 members of Congress filed an amicus brief in support! abcnews.go.com/Politics/175...

NEW: The Trump Administration has released a new outline of its plan to limit which organizations can qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

"Today, in the case of NAACP v. US, the coalition of plaintiffs and supporters are moving for a preliminary injunction preventing Linda McMahon and the Trump administration from continuing their unlawful actions to dismantle the Department of Education."

The Trump admin just withheld $6.8B in critical education funding—money that overwhelmingly supports students through their local school districts. But together with @studentdefense.bsky.social, @edlawcenter.bsky.social, @afscmemd.org, and NAACP, we’re taking legal action to stop it.

ICYMI: The Trump Administration is backing off from its illegal demands for SNAP data, following our lawsuit filed on behalf of SNAP recipients. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/u...

A federal judge ruled that our case on behalf of students against the USC can proceed as a class action. The lawsuit alleges USC engaged in a deceptive enrollment scheme, marketing an inflated U.S. News Ranking to enroll students in its online education programs run with its for-profit partner 2U.

Last month, a federal judge denied Grand Canyon’s motion to dismiss our RICO & consumer lawsuit on behalf of students. The ruling is one of the first federal court decisions in recent years that RICO claims against a for-profit education company are actionable.

The USDA paused its demand for SNAP recipients’ data after we filed a lawsuit behalf of SNAP recipients and advocacy organizations. Read more here: www.npr.org/2025/06/03/n...

We just published a new report w/support from @warnock.senate.gov on how states can protect prospective students from predatory recruiting practices in higher education. Here’s why this is important 🧵 www.defendstudents.org/news/student...

“Young people shouldn’t have a mortgage before they have a mortgage … The burdens of student loans are already out of control, not even factoring in when bad actors try and circumvent the rules and saddle students with even more debt.” – @warnock.senate.gov Read more:

NEWS: We are calling on states to prevent abuses in college recruitment by using and improving their credit discrimination laws. Check out the report we are releasing w/support from @warnock.senate.gov:

A federal judge granted class certification in our lawsuit against USC. Students allege that USC misreported data to U.S. News to inflate its rankings, and entice students to enroll in the school’s online programs with its for-profit partner 2U. www.defendstudents.org/news/judge-g...

NEWS: A federal judge ruled that our case on behalf of students against USC can proceed as a class action. We filed the case with @tyckozavareei.bsky.social alleging that USC engaged in a deceptive enrollment scheme, marketing an inflated U.S. News Ranking. www.defendstudents.org/news/judge-g...