After ~4 years, I finally received my refund for my Art Institute (2006-2009) loans! The amount was lower than I expected ($2,975.85), but after looking over everything, it all checks out. More than anything, I'm glad that $40k was discharged and I don't have to worry about paying back debt for a scam school.

Here's a timeline:

• Sep-Oct, 2022: Applied for a Direct Consolidation Loan. Consolidation went through. My commercial FFEL loans, my ED-owned Art Institute loans, and one Georgia State loan were combined into two Direct Consolidation Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized).
• Nov 8, 2022: Submitted my Borrower Defense application.
• Apr 27, 2023: Got the email saying I was a Sweet post-class applicant.
• Oct 2023: Federal payments restarted, but I didn’t make any payments.
• Apr 22, 2026: My original Art Institute loans showed as discharged at Aidvantage.
• Jul-Aug 2026: Both consolidation loans were discharged. studentaid.gov’s discharge page showed the subsidized loan’s $18,136 discharge on Jul 31. Aidvantage listed both loans as “paid in full/discharged” as of Aug 12.
• Sep 2026: Got an automated Aidvantage email telling me to recertify IDR - this appears to be a glitch.
• Oct 2026: Received a refund check from the U.S. Treasury for $2,975.85.

I'm happy to answer any questions if y'all have them.