Connecticut has helped score a nationwide settlement that eliminates nearly half a billion dollars in student debt.

A settlement agreement announced Thursday requires Illinois-based Career Education Corporation to change its enrollment practices and forgo collection of $493.7 million in debt owed by 179,529 students nationally.

States leading a five-year investigation into Career Education Corporation's business practices included Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Oregon. Every state in the nation, with the exception of New York and California, signed onto the settlement.

The investigation, the states said, was launched after complaints from students of predatory and deceptive practices. There was also a critical report on the for-profit education sector by the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Career Education operates many brick-and-mortar schools across the country, including American InterContinental University, Colorado Technical University and Briarcliffe College.

Outgoing Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen applauded the settlement, which comes days before the end of his term.

“For far too long, unscrupulous for-profit colleges have put money before people, engaged in deceptive recruiting practices, and left students with a burden of crushing debt while providing them with useless degrees that wouldn't lead them to gainful employment,” Jepsen said in a statement. “Today, we are holding Career Education Corp. responsible for the misrepresentations it made to these students. It is my hope that this debt relief will help ease the burden on students who were trying to better themselves, their careers and their livelihoods but were instead tricked into programs and degrees that were sometimes worthless.”

About 1,415 Connecticut residents have been granted $6.8 million in student debt relief. In Pennsylvania, 12,600 students received $38.6 million in education debt relief and in New Jersey, some 6,400 eligible students were relieved of $19.6 million in debt. State attorneys general allege in the settlement agreement that Career Education Corp. used deceptive practices to enroll students in programs that did not live up to the company's promises. Educational programs offered by the company allegedly lacked proper accreditation, and job placement rates were exaggerated, convincing students who otherwise would not have enrolled to sign up.

The company denies wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement: “Career Education Corp. was among the companies that put its own profits ahead of its students' best interests. Today's settlement helps right that wrong by securing debt relief for thousands of New Jersey residents who attended Career Education Corp. schools.”

A statement on the Career Education Corp's website called the resolution “an important milestone for the company that coincides with the completion last month of a multi-year process of teaching out and closing our transitional campuses.” Chief Executive Officer Todd Nelson stated “We have remained steadfast in our belief that we can work with the attorneys general to demonstrate the quality of our institutions and our commitment to students.”

The states found, according to Jepsen, that Career Education used emotionally charged language to pressure students into enrolling in CEC schools and deceived students about the total costs of enrollment. Admissions representatives were instructed to inform prospective students only about the cost per credit hour without disclosing the total number of required credit hours.

The agreement also calls on the company to, among other things, cease enrolling students in programs that do not lead to state licensure in professions that require licenses for employment. It also requires Career Education to establish a risk-free trial period for undergraduate students.

Under the settlement, state attorneys general release CEC from any and all civil claims related to the alleged misconduct.