RALEIGH — More than 1,000 North Carolina students who were enrolled in ITT Technical Institute could get their student loans forgiven and should apply for relief now, Attorney General Roy Cooper urged today.

Earlier this month, national for-profit college system ITT Educational Services, Inc. announced that it would shut down all of its campuses and online learning programs after the U.S. Department of Education called for additional oversight to address the college’s ongoing failure to meet accreditation standards.

ITT Tech had four campuses in North Carolina: one in Durham, one in High Point, and two in Charlotte. Many students took out federal student loans to attend the programs on campus and online.

“These hard-working students have a chance to get student loan relief they deserve,” Cooper said. “North Carolinians who recently attended ITT Tech should apply now to have their student loans forgiven.”

North Carolina students who attended ITT Tech have two options for relief: apply to have their loans forgiven, or transfer their credits to a new school.

Apply for loan forgiveness: Closed-school federal student loan discharge

— Available to students attending ITT when it closed on Sept. 6, 2016 and students who withdrew from ITT on May 6, 2016 or after.

— Your student loan debt may be forgiven and you can restart at another school if you wish.

— Instructions available on the ITT Announcements Page from the U.S. Department of Education.

Transfer credits to a new school

— If you wish to complete your program, try to transfer your ITT credits to a different school.

—Contact your local North Carolina Community College to see if your ITT credits will transfer to a similar program available in your community.

— Verify with the school you select in writing that your ITT credits will transfer. If credits will not transfer, apply for loan forgiveness instead.

— If you transfer credits, you likely will not be able to have your ITT student loans forgiven.

— To get student records and transcripts for a transfer, see ITT’s closure information.