DENVER (KDVR) — The United States Department of Education announced Tuesday it will forgive federal student loans for more than 79,000 Westwood College students across the country, including 5,440 in Colorado.

The Colorado-based private for-profit college had more than a dozen campus locations across the country, including one location in Westminster, before shutting its doors in 2016. The Department of Education found the college “routinely misled prospective students by grossly misrepresenting that its credentials would benefit their career prospects and earning potential.”

The department also found from 2002 through 2015, the college misrepresented the ability for students to transfer credits, essentially forcing students to restart their education when transferring.

In total, the department will forgive roughly $1.5 billion in federal student loan debt, including $107 million for Colorado borrowers.

“I applaud the Department of Education’s continued attention to this issue and to the many hardworking Coloradans who were mistreated by Westwood,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in a news release. “We will continue to investigate and hold accountable institutions that deceive student borrowers, which can have lasting consequences for their financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing.”

Weiser asked the Department of Education for relief back in 2020, and submitted evidence as part of that request.