HOUSTON — Help is on the way for hundreds of students who were left hanging after the Art Institute of Houston abruptly shut its doors.
It's a story we first told you about on KHOU 11 News. The Art Institute of Houston shut down all of its schools across Texas and the United States on Friday, leaving hundreds of students in limbo. To make matters worse, many of those students were getting ready to graduate in December.
After hearing the news, local colleges are stepping up to try and get these students back into the classrooms -- one of them being Houston Community College.
"We were just in shock," said Andrea Bonner, the Chair of Consumer Arts and Sciences at HCC.
In addition to reaching out to Art Institute of Houston students, HCC has created an entire website to help answer questions.
"We jumped on things immediately," said Bonner. "We wanted them to know they are not alone we are here to assist them."
It's a big help for students like Victor Gaytan who was devasted when he first received the news.
"It took a few days to process but I am doing better," the former Art Institute of Houston student said.
Gaytan was one of those students set to graduate in December. He, like many others who attended the Art Institute of Houston, is the first person in his family to attend college. He's grateful that there is help out there.
"A sigh of relief for sure because we are being heard," he said. "There are options there."
Many students are hoping they can figure out their finances at their new schools.
"I think that sits in a lot of classmates' minds. How are we going to pay for this? We already paid this much money. How are we going to pay for the rest of our college career," said Gaytan.
HCC tells us are committed to helping these students and they even have partnerships with universities.
Click here for more information on how HCC is offering help to Art Institute of Houston students.