CINCINNATI -- After last week's shutdown of 130 ITT Technical Institute campuses nationwide, Cincinnati State is hoping to fill the sudden gap by reaching out to former ITT Tech students who are left out in the cold.
Cincinnati State President Monica Posey said about 60 of those ITT Tech students have already enrolled, and the school is trying to make it easier for others through scholarships and transfer credits.
RELATED: See complete transfer information at Cincinnati State website.
Posey said Cincinnati State will offer a transition fund, meaning about $1,000 in scholarships for former ITT Tech students. The community college is also working to make sure their credits transfer over so students don't miss out on college.
Cincinnati State talking about how it plans to take in students from ITT Tech, which closed recently. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/4slV2dOcot
— Jordan Burgess (@WCPOJordan) September 15, 2016
Some students couldn't go without classes this fall, like Kyle Student, who's a veteran whose housing allowance depends on him being enrolled in classes. You can imagine how shocked he was when ITT said it was closing its doors because it would no longer get federal loan dollars.
"I was scared because I’m relying on my education benefits to make money and pay my bills, and when I heard I didn’t have classes anymore I was afraid of losing those benefits," Studer said.
Studer is already attending classes, but other students will start in October. Cincinnati State officials expect most transfer students from ITT Tech will begin in January.
Cincinnati State held information sessions Tuesday for potential transfer students. They'll repeat the info sessions at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in room 211 of the Advanced Technical Learning Center on the Clifton Campus at 3520 Central Parkway. Staff will guide ITT Tech students through registration, financial aid, veterans' concerns and various class options. No reservations are required. Students may also call (513) 569-5777 for more information.
"The actions of and sanctions from the U.S. Department of Education have forced us to cease operations of the ITT Technical Institutes, and we will not be offering our September quarter," ITT Tech said in a press release. "We reached this decision only after having exhausted the exploration of alternatives, including transfer of the schools to a non-profit or public institution."
The federal ruling blocked all federal student loan funding for the school.
PREVIOUS: Ruling by Department of Education could shut down ITT Tech
The school said it had to eliminate more than 8,000 employee positions. ITT Tech has a campus in Norwood on Wesley Avenue and another on Stop 8 Road in Dayton.
