Describes how federal funding for vocational education works. Looks at the Perkins Act, Pell Grants, the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Addresses the importance of federal funding. (JOW)

To help reduce the student loan default, the Default Management Initiative was developed. This project was designed to provide private career schools with the information, training, and tools needed to address the problem at the local level. (JOW)

Describes the student loan default management plan of the Art Institutes. The plan includes a student financial plan worksheet, a student financial planner, and activities for students regarding their loan responsibilities. (JOW)

Discusses current bankruptcy law relating to the student loan debtor and outlines permissible activities of a university with respect to such a debtor during and after the bankruptcy proceeding. Advises universities to develop a set of guidelines and procedures for dealing with student loan debtors who file for bankruptcy relief. (MLF)

Federal data on student-loan defaults in colleges, universities, and vocational-technical schools include number and proportion of borrowers in default on Stafford Loans and Supplemental Loans in fiscal 1988 and 1989. The data are used to exclude high-default institutions from federal programs. Dollar amounts of loans defaulted are not presented.…

Discusses the shift from public funding of the university to corporate sponsorship and dependence on other private sources. Acknowledges how students are forced into corporate jobs to repay school debt. Suggests using English to promote a setting which encourages students to value people over profits, enjoy access to quality education, and value…

Describes the approach of Southern Maine Technical College (SMTC) in managing required federal student loan entrance and exit interviews. SMTC offers group interviews each time the student borrows, and has also increased student attendance rates at exit interviews to 94% by adding incentives such as prizes underwritten by willing sponsors. (DB)

A program designed to provide student aid has spun out of control, becoming a cash cow for colleges and universities. The Department of Education has not adequately controlled the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Originally, traditional lending institutions…

Sallie Mae's study, "How America Pays for College 2009," conducted by Gallup, provides a picture of how families made the investment in higher education last academic year and how they are beginning to meet the challenges of the economic recession. Based on a nationally representative survey of college-going students and parents of undergraduates,…

In this brief essay, the author reacts to a recent bill from the House Education and Workforce Committee by praising its identification of wasteful spending on higher education programs while expressing unhappiness with its creation of new entitlements and subsidies. In the author's opinion, the savings produced by the spending cut should instead…

In the early 2000s, a highly selective university introduced a "no-loans" policy under which the loan component of financial aid awards was replaced with grants. We use this natural experiment to identify the causal effect of student debt on employment outcomes. In the standard life-cycle model, young people make optimal educational investment…

Each year, the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) completes a survey regarding state-funded expenditures for postsecondary student financial aid. This report, the 38th annual survey, represents data from academic year 2006-07. Data highlights of this survey include: (1) In the 2006-2007 academic year, the states…

In December 2005, purchasing agents at Florida International University issued a request for proposals seeking banks and student-loan companies for a list of "preferred lenders" that the university planned to give to prospective borrowers. The request alone was not unusual. Many colleges use competitive bidding to secure attractive terms…

The cost of attending college has surpassed federal financial aid limits and fewer parents are paying the balance. As private lenders have been targeting undergraduate students to obtain private (alternative) loans to fill the financial gap, many students do not have parents or other adults to help them navigate one of the largest financial…

Student loans are a rapidly growing $85 billion a year industry fueled by the substantial higher economic returns associated with a college education, increased demand from students and their parents, and grant and scholarship funds that have not kept pace with rising school tuition and fees. This report describes federally subsidized and…