Western University of Health Sciences is fully cooperating as one of 55 institutions selected to respond to questions from the U.S. Department of Education related to borrower choice and lender inducements in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL).

The Department of Education is trying to determine if institutions gave students choices to whom they would borrow from in the FFEL program. They are also trying to determine if institutions received any inducements to provide FFEL loans to a particular lender.

Western University of Health Sciences has tried to build a culture of transparency at its University and stands ready to fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Education.

Western University of Health Sciences was selected because over 90% of its loans were provided by one lender, Western University of Health Sciences School as Lender. Western University of Health Sciences is allowed under the Higher Education Act to lend in the FFEL program. As a lender we were able to offer benefits to our students that surpassed anyone in the commercial student loan industry. Most students choose Western University because of those benefits.

Students were always given the choice as to a lender and Western University of Health Sciences never received any payments from lenders to provide loan applications. In fact, for the current academic year 2007-2008 the university made it very transparent on its Web site regarding “Choosing a Lender” by making the statement in bolded lettering: “As a borrower you have the right and ability to select the education loan provider of your choice, even though they are not shown on our lender list. Selecting a lender that is currently not on our list will not have any consequences; all loans will be processed in a timely manner.”

About Western University of Health Sciences

Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu), located in Pomona, Calif., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in nursing, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and veterinary medicine. In 2009, the university will admit students to new degree programs in dentistry, optometry, podiatry and graduate studies.