James Goodman

@goodman_dandc

The state began notifying 3,000 residents who attended certain programs at schools — including Everest Institute — operated by Corinthian Colleges that they may be eligible to cancel their federal loans, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office said Friday.

The students are eligible for federal loan cancellations based on the findings of the U.S. Department of Education that the Corinthian schools made misrepresentations about the employment success of graduates of certain programs.

"Corinthian Colleges used false promises of career success to lure students, leaving many with enormous debt and few job prospects," said Schneiderman in a statement announcing the notification.

When Everest was shut down in April 2015, 462 full- and part-time students who had been attending the school on Portland Avenue in Irondequoit were left in limbo — having invested in their future and often gone deep in debt.

Students who enrolled in the identified programs during specified time periods are eligible for the discharge of their federal student loan. Click here for a list of the programs and time periods,

They will receive a notification from Schneiderman's office that contains an application for loan cancellation. If a student's application is approved by the Department of Education, the student's loans will be canceled, and any payments already made will be refunded.

Schneiderman's notification is targeting students who might be eligible for a streamlined process to discharge their federal student loans. However, any student who attended a Corinthian school and believes that the school lied about job prospects or other issues can apply to have that student's federal loans cancel by using the Department of Education's discharge application.

JGOODMAN@Gannett.com