FAQ About Settlement

Earlier this month, La’James International College (LJIC) entered into a consent judgment with the state of Iowa. The agreement outlines two financial provisions that will impact qualifying students: debt forgiveness and partial tuition refunds. La’James has agreed to the Attorney General’s terms, which include the following:

Debt Forgiveness: As part of the consent judgment, La’James has agreed to forego collection of “Institutional Debt” due from “Qualifying Former Students.” Former students who have a balance due to La’ James and who meet the definition of “Qualifying Former Student” will receive a separate notification in the form of a letter from La’James within 90 days of July 1, 2016.

A “Qualifying Former Student” means any former student who meets the following criteria:  (a) enrolled in an Educational Program at La’ James; (b) owes amounts to La’ James for enrollment and attendance of an Educational Program; (c) La’ James is able to secure release of such amounts from its collection agency and/or such amounts have not been submitted to its collection agency; and (d) is identified in a confidential spreadsheet provided to the Attorney General and/or Administrator, which contains the name and amount of debt for each Qualifying Former Student.

Please note that Institutional Debt does not include any debts that are due to entities other than La’James, such as student loans that are due to the federal government. Students will still be responsible for any payments due to the federal government or anyone other than La’James, even if it was related to attendance at our institution.

Partial Tuition Refunds: A separate provision of the consent judgment included a financial settlement, that according to the agreement, is “to be used by the Attorney General for any use for which the Attorney General may lawfully expend funds, including but not limited to reimbursement for current and former students for tuition and fees, for the costs and fees of the Attorney General’s investigation and/or for any purpose for which funds directed to the Consumer Litigation and Education Fund, referenced in Iowa Code § 714.16C, may be expended, apportioned at the sole discretion of the Attorney General.”

Any and all partial tuition refunds to current and former students are at the sole discretion of the Iowa Attorney General. Who qualifies and the dollar amount of the refund will be determined by the Attorney General’s office. Students who are impacted by partial tuition refunds will be notified by the Attorney General’s office.

Please direct any questions regarding partial tuition reimbursement to the Attorney General’s office at (515) 281-5926. You may also contact Joni Buresh with La’ James International College at (888)880-2106 ext. 5405.