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Former CollegeAmerica student feels relief amid government's promise to pay debt

CollegeAmerica students in Colorado getting federal relief for loans
CollegeAmerica students in Colorado getting federal relief for loans 02:13

Debt relief is now on the horizon for some 7,400 students who attended Colorado's three CollegeAmerica campuses.  

"I just felt a big relief," said Kalee Ann Shibley. "A lot of us were stuck in a rock in a hard place." 

Shibley lives in San Antonio, Texas now, but the memories of attending the defunct institution came flooding back following the Education Department and Colorado Attorney General's move to discharge $130 million to CollegeAmerica student borrowers.  

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"The only [great thing] that came out of that school was we have some good friends, some good memories," said Shibley. "But we dealt with a lot of BS." 

Shibley embarked on what she thought would be a rewarding education experience at CollegeAmerica's south campus in Colorado Springs between 2013 and 2015. She received an associate degree in a medical specialty.  

However, she mostly left with false promises. 

"You get a free laptop. All your books are paid for. Small classrooms. Hands-on," said Shibley. "Job placement." 

"You tell an employer you went to CollegeAmerica, you weren't getting a job," she added.  

She said certain classes that were promised were never provided, and she quickly noticed teachers and students dropping out of the college.  

"Especially if you were at the south campus like us, you were the forgotten children," said Shibley. "When I was headed out, we found out that the accreditation was either lost or never existed." 

Shibley says she is still paying for the cost of an education she was robbed of.  

"Last I checked I'm still at $24,000," said Shibley. "Also, don't think I'm at $24,000. I think I'm at [$48,000], but I just can't figure out where the other loan is." 

Eligible CollegeAmerica borrowers are expected to be notified in August about their loans, though this relief does only apply to federal student loans and those who attended Colorado campuses between 2006 and 2020. 

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