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NextStudent Tool Helps Students Find Online Education Degree Programs

Although the government has taken steps to bolster the federal student loan program by expanding Pell Grant awards and raising the maximum award amount of federal Stafford student loans, federal financial aid will still not be enough for many families to pay for college this year. Grappling with stock market losses that have negatively affected 529 college savings plans and with declining home values that have essentially made home equity loans nonexistent, families of college students will likely have to rely more on private student loans, in addition to federal aid, this year to help pay for their education expenses, reports The New York Times (“ target=_blank>Students’ First Lesson: Beware Loans’ Fine Print” , May 2, 2009). But the Times warns that private student loan borrowers need to be particularly cautious when applying for loans.

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Private Student Loans: Proceed With Caution

The College Board — an organization of some 5,000 colleges best known for its college admission tests — has petitioned Congress to allow students who are undocumented immigrants to qualify for tuition aid and citizenship, The Associated Press reports (“ U.S. Colleges Push Tuition Aid for Immigrants ,” April 21, 2009)

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College Board Pushes Obama to Grant Financial Aid to Undocumented Immigrants

Weighed down by job losses, limited job availability, and lower salary wages, college graduates — who leave school owing an average of $22,500 in student loans — are defaulting on their federal student loans at the highest rate since 1998 (“ In Grim Job Market, Student Loans Are a Costly Burden ,” The New York Times , April 18, 2009). “When it comes down to making your student loan payment or buying gas to go to work, it isn’t a difficult decision to make sometimes,” said David Clark of College Assist, a national guarantee agency that helps its borrowers stay current on their college loans (“ Student-Loan Debtors Get Breaks ,” The Denver Post , April 12, 2009). Student loan borrowers who fail to pay on their federal student loans could have 15 percent of their wages garnished, could lose their state and federal tax refunds, and could lose a portion of their Social Security benefits

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Student Loan Default Rate On the Rise